Beta Tester Review (Former 8 Sleep User)
Hi all,
I have been beta testing the Somnus Lab system for just over three months and I wanted to share my thoughts on its quality, how it compares to (my old memories of) 8 Sleep, and my general impressions of the product, company, and crew.
TLDR: I highly recommend the product, particularly because the people behind the company clearly care very strongly about the quality, and are unbelievably receptive to community feedback. I fully support them after doing this beta test and seeing their interactions on the Discord with their users.
Background:
I became interested in these bed systems for one primary reason: temperature. I prefer to sleep on a relatively cool bed, while my wife prefers her bed to approximate the surface of the Sun. Despite a Tempurbreeze mattress and cooling pillows, I still needed an additional cooling element since I also prefer the weight of a heavy comforter while I sleep. While a fan directly next to my bed was sufficient, something more was needed.
We began using 8S with the Pod 2, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The temperature for both hot and cold enough for each of us, and the temperature alarm in the morning was great. Notably, this was before 8S used a subscription model. However, we sprang a leak within the first few months, and got a new pad for free (the hub was the same). This worked for longer, until a little less than a year later, we sprang another leak. If I recall, I was still within warranty, but instead of a replacement, I was able to pay a little extra to upgrade fully to the Pod 3 which had been recently released. This worked for over a year, until that too leaked. This time we were out of warranty, and were offered $500 off a replacement. The constant leaks, the constant WiFi disconnections (which happened almost weekly), and the introduction of the subscription model (we were grandfathered in so I did not need one but out of principle I hated it), led to use abandoning the 8S and making do with a fan on my side of the bed.
However, after our kids were born and we did not want to keep the house too cold, the higher room temperatures made the fan insufficient and I began looking at 8S once more. This led me to searching on Reddit, where I learned of Somnus and its beta testing. I reached out via Reddit, had a quick phone call with the founder, and began my beta testing.
The Beta Test:
To disclose the conditions of the beta test, I essentially had to agree to post a review, which I was obviously planning on doing. At the end of the test, I will have the option to purchase what I currently have for 50% off I believe. I have the option afterword of being an affiliate, but I have not considered that at the moment:
Going off of my notes from the set up, the set up process already put the product above 8S for me. With the 8S, I had constant connection issues, including during set up. With Somnus, set up was fast, easy, and self explanatory. Really no other remarks about it.
I’ll split my discussion of the product into three categories: the temperature control, the data tracking, and the app. For temperature, I give this a 9/10, while my wife would probably give it a 7/10. Keeping in mind that our room typically sits between 71 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit, the cooling function is sufficient at keeping me cool. I do not have to put it to the max cooling function. My wife believes it does not get quite as hot as the 8S, but she has not asked my raise her side to the max temperature. One great function of the 8S is the ability to control how much power the hub uses. You can increase the power to increase how quickly it cools or heats up, with the trade off being the machine is slightly louder. Even in turbo mode, I have noticed the sound being too loud, plus it sounds more like white noise. It typically operates at 50% power. If you set a sleep schedule for it to get to temp before you get in bed, you can set it to a lower power mode. You can also control the temp with haptic buttons on the side of the bed, which is awesome. They were a little wonky to use at first, since they require an unintuitive double tap, but I got used to it. That said, based on the discord, I believe they may be updating the buttons.
For sleep tracking, this is not very important for me, since I try to wear an apple watch or Fitbit in bed and generally use those apps first tracking my sleep quality. However, after a few weeks, and being sent a new pad with updated sensors, I have noticed the data between all three sources beginning to align. I think it still a bit inaccurate, as my light sleep consistently registers more in Somnus than it does for my Apple Watch or Fitbit. I think increasing its accuracy is a current focus of the team.
Lastly the app. The first big positive is that my Somnus has not disconnected from my WiFi a single time (this is more about the hub than the app, but whatever). The app itself is fairly simple, but some kinks to work out. For example, I currently cannot set a sleep schedule because the screen is cut off on my iPhone. There have been other issues in the app as well, though the team rolls out updates almost every week fixing things, so I am not worried at all about any issues in the app. Software can fixed more easily than hardware. The app also opens much faster than I remember the 8S opening.
Last thoughts:
I currently recommended Somnus to anyone interested in a sleep system like this. It’s hardware is comparable or better then 8S, the team is fantastic, and the support behind the product is unmatched. I fully plan on using Somnus, though I have decided if I will purchase my current system for 50% off, or see if they will be releasing an updated version that I will buy for full price. As of now, I do not think they have plans for a subscription.
I am happy to answer any questions by comment or DM!
P.S. my profile is extremely NSFW so be careful about viewing my profile if you are determining whether or not I am a bot, lol