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• Which Thuma alternatives are worth buying?
• Which of these work with an adjustable base?
• Before you build any of these
• Nectar or Thuma?
• Is FlexiSpot better than Thuma?
• Why is Thuma so expensive?
• What didn’t make the cut
• Questions

Which Thuma alternatives are worth buying?

If we bought one of these, it would be purely for decoration, because our queen Saatva adjustable base stands up by itself. It would obviously need to work with our base. But I’d like a clean wooden look, like the Kana or the Avocado.

A Thuma has that clean wooden look, too, but a Classic is just under $1,200 for a queen frame, before you add a headboard. The beds below get you close to it, and the first two cost a lot less.

Best for a tight budgetNectar Bamboo Platform Bed Frame

Best for: a guest room or a kid’s room.

Japanese joinery holds this bamboo frame together with no screws or nails, and shoppers say it’s easy enough to build the evening it arrives.

It’s best on a bed that sees lighter use, because the pegs, legs and slats that hold up the middle can crack within weeks or months. DreamCloud sells a bamboo frame with the same look at the same price, so you can buy from whichever brand you like better.

For a spare room that just needs to look finished, it’s an easy yes.

Specs63.9 W x 84.3 L x 12.3 H in (queen)

Queen size

63.9 W x 84.3 L x 12.3 H in

Platform height

12 in

Under the bed

8.3 in

Weighs

67 lb

Height with headboard

39.3 in

Build time

20 minutes, per Nectar

Material

Bamboo

Trial

60 nights

Warranty

2 years

Best for a bed you use every nightFlexiSpot Kana Bed

Best for: a couple’s main bed, if you’d rather not pay Thuma prices.

If your bed goes against a wall, look at the legs. They’re notched to fit over a baseboard, so the frame sits snug to the wall.

Adding the headboard takes patience, and at its top setting it can jiggle. A box spring won’t fit either, so the mattress goes straight on the slats.

As for the frame itself, shoppers say it’s easy to put together and very sturdy. Best of all, the frame and slats carry a lifetime warranty, so if a slat ever breaks, FlexiSpot covers it.

Specs64.77 W x 84.79 L x 14.03 H in (queen)

Queen size

64.77 W x 84.79 L x 14.03 H in

Platform height

14.03 in

Under the bed

10.2 in

Holds

1,500 lb

Weighs

86.35 lb

Wood

Solid rubberwood, or acacia

Center support

Two center legs and a cross beam

Headboard

Sold separately

Sizes

Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King

Trial

100 days

Warranty

Lifetime, frame and slats

Best with a headboardSilk & Snow Wooden Bed Frame

Best for: a bedroom that doesn’t feel finished to you without a headboard.

You choose the headboard on the same page as the frame, in Solid, Wooden Upholstered, Rattan or Cushion styles, so the whole bed comes in one order.

Once it’s built, it’s heavy enough to stay right where you put it. It’s also nice to see the wood is treated without formaldehyde.

For solid wood with a headboard, shoppers say it’s a very good value, and it costs hundreds less than the same setup from Thuma!

Specs65 W x 86 L in (queen)

Queen size

65 W x 86 L in

Platform height

13 in

Under the bed

8 in

Holds

1,100 lb on a queen

Slats

2.75 in wide, 3 in apart

Height with a headboard

41 to 46 in, by style

Wood

Solid acacia or rubberwood

Feet

Cork-padded

Trial

30 nights, you pay return shipping

Warranty

5 years

Best if where it’s made matters to youAvocado City Bed Frame

Best for: a family with a toddler, or anyone who likes sleeping close to the floor.

If you’d like to know where your bed comes from, Avocado makes this one in Tecate, Mexico, from North American hardwood. It goes together by hand with no tools, and shoppers say it feels solid, with snug joints that don’t wiggle.

There isn’t much room under it for storage, since it sits low. The new-wood smell can take a few days to a few weeks to fade.

With blonde wood or American walnut to choose from, it’s easy to match the wood already in your bedroom.

Specs62 W x 82 L x 11 H in (queen)

Queen size

62 W x 82 L x 11 H in

Under the bed

About 5 in, per Avocado

Holds

1,000 lb

Weighs

82 lb

Headboard

Optional, 39.25 in from the floor

Wood

Blonde hardwood or solid American walnut

Arrives in

2 boxes, 3 with the headboard

Returns

30 days, fees may apply

Warranty

10 years

Best if you move a lotThe Floyd Bed

Best for: anyone who moves every year or two.

Ratchet straps hold the panels and supports together, so it goes up without tools. The faces are real birch, walnut or American oak, laid over birch plywood rather than cut from solid wood.

The frame can shift a little, with the mattress creeping toward the foot of the bed. Want storage under it? Floyd’s Lift Kit raises it to make room.

With its clean, low look, it’s a bed you’ll want to take with you, and shoppers say it’s sturdy and easy to move.

Specs67 W x 86 L x 7.5 H in (Full/Queen)

Full/Queen size

67 W x 86 L x 7.5 H in, one size for both

Holds

750 lb

Weighs

100 lb, 130 lb with the headboard

Height with headboard

31.5 in

Under the bed

6 in, 13 in with the Lift Kit

Wood

Birch, walnut or American oak veneer on birch plywood

Ships in

2 to 4 days

Returns

30 days, 10% restocking fee

Warranty

10 years

Which of these work with an adjustable base?

If your mattress sits on an adjustable base, like ours, here’s what each brand says about fitting one.

Saatva’s base can lie right on a platform frame with its legs off. It works with most of Saatva’s own frames, and for a frame from another brand, the company tells you to check with that brand first.

So if your base can lie flat without its legs, the Thuma is the one you can order without asking anyone.

There’s some hope for the Kana, too. One owner took the legs off her base, and it fit perfectly.

Before you build any of these

These beds come in long, heavy boxes, and the Silk & Snow and Floyd boxes are a two-person carry. Parts can also arrive on different days or with a ding, so open every box and look over each piece while you can still send it back.

A few weeks in, check the center legs and the inner legs, and push back anything that’s worked loose. When you move a finished bed, lift it rather than drag it.

Most of these go together by hand in under an hour, so getting the boxes through the door can be the hardest part.

Nectar or Thuma: which bed frame is better?

The Thuma, if you can pay for it. It’s solid rubberwood with a lifetime warranty.

The Nectar gets you the same low look, and shoppers say it’s good value, but it isn’t as sturdy. For a guest room, or when the budget decides it, the Nectar is the smarter buy.

Is FlexiSpot better than Thuma?

Not quite, but the gap is small. The Kana is solid rubberwood with a lifetime warranty, the same as the Thuma.

The Thuma’s extra money gets you the original design and far more owners behind it.

Why is Thuma so expensive?

You’re paying for solid wood, a frame that goes together by hand, a lifetime warranty and a free return in the first 30 days, from a company that tries not to run sales.

The wood is solid upcycled rubberwood, and the bed is certified GREENGUARD Gold, which means it gives off almost no chemical fumes in the room you sleep in.

The Classic makes the most sense if you keep furniture for years and take it with you when you move.

What didn’t make the cut

Birch is a Helix brand, and the Birch Living Madison and the Helix Madison share the same specs on paper and the same price. Both go together easily, but the joints can work loose, so the frame wobbles and squeaks. Neither can take a headboard.

The Zinus Suzanne is a different kind of bed from the Thuma. It’s a steel frame with bamboo panels, and it goes together with the tools in the box.

Where to go next

Questions

Read how I check numbers.