I spent a couple of days comparing three sturdy platform bed frames from two very popular companies. I am happy to say that I have finally finished my analysis.
The Zinus Alexia is rated a 3.6, its Vivek model 3.5, and Thuma rated 3.3. 11 criteria were evaluated, and despite Thuma being strongest some issues lowered its score including price, customer service, website, and color options. Thuma outperformed with its assembly, wood, and weight capacity.
Thuma vs Zinus Wood Bed Frame Comparison Summary
Update Jan 2, 2023: Wow, the Moiz model is 27% off at Amazon here for now!
Summary of the ratings that I feel each product and company deserves. Please feel free to let me know if you disagree with any of the ratings. Thanks.
| Aspect | Thuma | Zinus Alexa | Zinus Vivek |
| Price | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Sturdy | 4.5 | 4 | 3.5 |
| Design | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Assembly | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Wood | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Weight Capacity | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Color Options | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Warranty | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Customer Service | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Website | 3.5 | 4 | 4 |
| Made in USA | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Scott’s Average Score | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
Wow, I am a tough critic!
Scott Boyd
Thuma and Zinus are two leading brands providing consumers access to sturdy, durable, and comfortable bed frames.
Platform foundations are the perfect way to enhance your sleeping time as they eliminate the need for bulky box springs by providing a sustainable slat. Since mattresses aren’t as heavy and thick, platform beds have been growing in popularity.
Both brands offer high-quality products manufactured from quality materials like wood, metal, and upholstery to meet the needs of a diverse audience.
Zinus offers a five years warranty, whereas Thuma provides a lifetime warranty, but I am not sure where they process returns since they operate out of a Post Office Inc. company and an apartment (see below for more information I discovered while doing research for this article).
Here we explored the frames of both brands:
Zinus
Zinus is a well-renowned brand always looking for ways to improve and enhance its product line. By combining high-quality craftsmanship with state-of-the-art tech, this revolutionary brand unlocks a world of quality bed platforms. Here’s what makes them perfect for you:
Product Line
Zinus engineers a diverse range of metal and wood models to suit your varying needs. But we will focus on two models that are similar to the looks and design of the Thuma.
ZINUS Alexia Wood Platform
The Zinus Alexia is a huge seller like the Vivek below, but it is closer to the Thuma as it is designed and built more sturdy. It also costs a little more for the extra 200 lbs of capacity at about $266 on Amazon here for a queen size.
Alexia Dimensions
| Size | Dimensions L x W x H | Weight Lbs |
| Twin | 76.25 x 38.2 x 12 | 33.3 |
| Full | 76.25 x 53 x 12 | 45.1 |
| Queen | 81.3 x 59.5 x 12 | 50.6 |
| King | 81.3 x 75.7 x 12 | 58.3 |
Alexia Costs and Weight Capacity
Vivek Bed Frame
The Zinus Vivek is a huge seller on Amazon (only $198.79 for a queen here) and (Adrian on sale for 25% off here) and is also listed as an Amazon Choice so I thought I should include this model for those with a smaller budget.
Zinus Vivek Dimensions
| Size | Dimensions L x W x H | Weight lbs |
| Twin | 74.5 x 38 x 12 | 43.5 |
| Full | 76.25 x 53.7 x 12 | 62 |
| Queen | 79.5 x 59.5 x 12 | 60.1 |
| King | 79.5 x 75.5 x 12 | 70 |
Vivek Cost and Weight Capacity
Alexia and Vivek Features:
- Four stain colors to choose from
- High ratings from many thousands of customers
- Excellent center support design
- Multiple sellers such as Zinus.com and Amazon.com
- Made with pine wood
Vivek Design
Center Support
The highlight of the design is the center support with three legs and a rail that greatly increase the strength of the middle section of the bed. This design reduces slats from sagging over time.
Legs
The four corner legs are strong and sturdy using thick pine wood. I love seeing the two extra leg supports in the middle of the two side rails as that is a long span that can easily sag over time.
Frame Rails
A creative fastening system has two dowel-type steel threaded receivers installed in one frame rail near the leg. The overlapping foot and headrails attach to the side rails with two long bolts that screw into the dowel-type thingys.
One concern I have is that pine is a softwood and having two bolts near the end of the board can result in the splitting of the wood over time or if the bolts are over-tightened.
I do like having the frame rails sit on the legs in an area that is notched out. This provides the strongest possible joint for resisting downward force (weight).
Slats
The slats could be stronger and the gaps could be reduced to improve the sturdiness of this frame. The gap of 3.5″ on queen and king-size may void the warranty for some mattress companies.
From the foot of the bed, there is a 3.5″ gap before the first slat. This is a weak spot for anyone who sits on the edge at the foot end. This can cause plush and thin foam mattresses to sink along the foot between the rail and the first slat.
Check out the comparison to the similar Valyou here and the TatamiRoom model here.
Thuma
Thuma is a famous brand known for fabricating mattresses and bed frames perfect for lounging around on. A combination of high values and thoughtful craftsmanship allows it to provide customers with luxurious and stylish frames.
But they only have one model and it seems they are just a drop shipper as the bed is constructed in Vietnam.
Check out my articles Zinus Shawn Bed Frame Review, Zinus Mattress Smell, Zinus BBB Complaints, Is Thuma Worth It and Thuma Alternatives, and Thuma Bed Review for further reading.
Scott Boyd
Product Line
Thuma engineer’s state-of-the-world bed frames provide sleeper’s a comfortable platform to lay on, including:
Rubber Wood Bed Frame
Thuma believes in providing simplicity and sophistication. It is reflected in their high-quality rubberwood frame. The first-rate Japanese craftsman technique matched with environmental-friendly and repurposed rubberwood makes your sleeping time all the better.
Quick Specs
- 9-inches clearance
- Japanese joinery
- Upcycled and repurposed rubberwood
- Walnut color only
Thuma Dimensions
Under the specifications for each size, they show the same diagram! I am assuming it is showing the dimensions for the queen at 85 x 65 x 13″ to the top of the rail. It has 9″ of clearance with a center support leg in the middle (so don’t hit it when storing your surfboard!).
The Thuma is a little wider and longer than most bed frames due to the thick legs protruding into the mattress area.
Pricing
- Twin-Size Frame: $695
- Full-Size Frame: $895
- Queen-Size Frame: $995
- King-Size Frame: $1,095
- California King Frame: $1,095
Check all frames on: Thuma
Features
- Made of repurposed wood, premium quality wood, and recycled plastic felt
- Japanese joinery and anti-locking
- Attractive walnut stain
- Felt wrap slat to reduce noise
- Sturdy and strong
- Minimalistic design
- Greenguard certified
Weight Capacity
The Thuma weight capacity is 1,500 lbs and that is a reasonable claim by the manufacturer. It is very sturdy and strong and the center support leg certainly increases the amount of weight the bed can handle.
Design
One of the main highlights that everyone will read about is the Japanese joinery (Sashimono) for the four corner posts. This is a good design and makes a strong and quiet fastening method. And it is lightning-fast to assemble as there are no fasteners to install. The legs and rails are a puzzle that anyone can install in minutes.
One disadvantage of this style of joinery is that the ends of the rails have a big U cut out of them. This only leaves about 1″ of wood, which is a weak spot and these can break quite easily. Well, more easily with lumber as the break would happen along the wood grain.
This is not as big a deal with the Thuma bed because they use strong rubber tree wood pieces that have been laminated like plywood. Therefore there isn’t weak wood grain as a weak spot.
One solution to make this design stronger is to extend the length of the rails to 1″ so there is a total of 2″ of wood, which is much stronger. The disadvantages include:
- More material equals a higher cost to manufacture
- More weight and length means higher shipping costs
- An excellent object for smashing shins
Thuma Customer Service Review
The customer service is terrible.
Online Chat
The website does not have a chat feature so this gets a 0 rating.
Phone Number
0 stars for this failure.
Physical Location
The website lists the location as 1592 Union St. San Francisco, CA 94123 and the BBB lists the street address as 1770. 1592 is a post office mailing company. Sending snail mail to a post office box company is one of the two options to contact Thuma, wow!
And 1770 is an apartment. So a teenager might be the mastermind behind this company. In the photo below the address is in the building on the right.
And below is a photo of the Post Box Inc. address:
So I think this deserves another 0 ratin. Let me know if you disagree.
I find it funny that near the bottom of the website, under the reviews, it says “Let’s Keep in Touch” haha, but they don’t make that easy at all. I rate their customer service a 1.
Good luck getting a response. I feel generous so how about a 1… whoo hoo, an improvement.
Website
The Thuma website is decent. There is a good explanation of the production process with quality photos of the wood and workers in the Vietnam factory that they use to supply the bed rails, legs, and slats. It really should have a chat feature but I already hit them with that deficiency.
I see more than 5,800 reviews claimed on the website. I know one lady who filed a complaint with the BBB stating that her negative review was deleted. I would not factor this information into your buying decision with any of the companies that post customer reviews and ratings
I think the website deserves a 3.5. I really don’t like the navigation as you get bounced around and there should be more information available in a well-laid-out manner.
Overall Brand Comparison:
| Trials and Warranties | Zinus | Thuma |
| Trial Period | 100 night | 100 day |
| Warranty Period | 5 years | Lifetime |
| Return & Refunds | ||
| Return Policy | 100-day full return policy | 100-day full return policy |
| Refunds | Less $79 transportation fee | 100% refund |
| Materials | ||
| Material Types | Wood, metal, upholstery | Repurposed rubberwood |
| Shipment Processes | ||
| Free Delivery | Yes | Yes |
| White-Glove | No | No |
| Delivery Time | 5 to 12 days | 1 to 10 days |
Conclusion
Although both companies offer top-notch quality bed frames (and not so much for some Zinus) for a wide range of customers, there are pros and cons to both. With Thuma, you can enjoy an eco-friendly and comfortable bed frame manufactured via high-tech and skilled craftsmanship.
The Thuma also is more sturdy and has a higher-rated weight capacity, which seems legitimate (some companies claim unrealistic weight capacities).
But you will likely have problems… if you have problems.
On the other hand, Zinus offers you a broader selection to choose from with a wide price range from cheap to pricey. You can sift through millions of materials, styles, and sizing options to find the one that matches your needs perfectly.
And if you buy Zinus products from Amazon you can feel very comfortable that you will receive good customer service.
So for my pennies, I would good for the cheaper options and spend the savings on something important, like beer and pizza.
