We are John and Ryan, aka … The Mattress Geeks.
From humble beginnings in 2005 as The Mobilemattressman, we have grown to become John Ryan By Design Limited – Trading under the banner Factory Beds Direct. Still small enough to give a true, honest, and unbiased friendly service to our customers and established enough to know exactly what we’re talking about, without the nonsense.
The manufacturing industry is understandably pathologically secretive about the contents of a mattress because they are so easy to replicate, and of course equivalents and comparables can be produced by people like us for a more realistic (honest?) price. The information mattress manufacturers divulge to retailers is as much as they want you, the customer, to know and no more. And that is the sole reason why you are going to find buying a mattress so frustratingly hard.
“We aim to break this trend and provide you with the resource and questions you should be asking, and all the reasons for doing so.”
To replicate any mattress is so incredibly easy and it is just as easy to manufacture a high end model with exactly the same specification (or indeed higher) but to retail at a more realistic price.
And that’s the mattress we strive to sell.
Take The Vi Spring Majesty sold exclusively through Harrods for example. At more or less than £52.000 it seems such a bargain! We are able to manufacture a better model than this for just £26.000 and we may even offer you some sort of discount for buying two!
Of course, this is an extreme, but it still applies to models that retail in the region of £3000 upwards. To put this into some sort of perspective, our Artisan Bespoke is our showpiece model. In truth, it becomes very difficult to radically improve on this particular model and really, rather unnecessary.
We do not intend to discredit or undermine any manufacturer, product, brand or retailer. All comments we make are solely our opinions but nevertheless, they will be well informed constructive opinions tirelessly gleaned from people in the industry who have no axe to grind and actually know what they are talking about.
We are passionate about our work and constantly strive to produce the best made mattress you can get for your money. This does not mean cheap! Our focus is based firmly on quality and supplying ONLY the best built and constructed mattresses available that can be retailed at a fair and acceptable price.
There are no cage sprung or memory Foam mattresses on this site for the simple reason is that they are quite simply nothing short of overpriced utter rubbish. Pocket sprung mattresses are deemed to be the best kind of support system and it is only these that we source, produce and put on sale. And this does not mean expensive!
We run our business and treat our customers exactly as we would like to be treated ourselves. We loathe bad customer service and we absolutely hate finding out that we have been ripped off, cheated or mis-led. We work on the absolute principle that if anything we do is not as expected then we will do our utmost to put things right as soon as practically possible.
Our guarantee is simple and straightforward – Love it or Return It. Read More .. Our aim is to supply you the very best spec mattress you can get – for your budget and also your needs. Please trust our judgement - it is based on a wealth of experience of peoples varying needs and requirements, remember we do this everyday of the year!
For all our new customers we are having to sell ourselves to you over the internet. Not only ourselves, but also our trust and judgement. . Even though we do not have a shop where we could talk face to face, we always prefer to talk to you over the phone prior to you ordering to ensure you have selected the correct product and to answer any further questions you may have. We are not salesmen and we’re not in the pockets of any particular manufacturer.
We fervently believe that you do not have to spend silly amounts of money to get a decent mattress and our personal guarantee is our word that If you are not happy with the mattress we select or choose for you - we will collect it free of charge and refund you in full. Because of this promise, it really is in our interests to ensure your purchase from us is correct the first time.
We absolutely love what we do for a living – to the point of being ‘Mattress Nerds’. Mattress manufacturing to us is highly interesting and we liken ourselves to a ‘train spotters’ - if new products come on the market, we endeavor to find out if they are a credible improvement on what we have already, or if they are useless tat. If they are the latter, you can rest assured if we can, we will tell you.
Please leave feedback and comments. Our aim for this site is to have the ultimate mattress buying resource available. At the bottom of each relevant page is a place where you can post comments, query what we say or just simply ask questions. No question is too trivial. If no questions are being asked then we believe the post was adequate enough in giving you the required information. Like we say, we don’t profess to know everything about mattresses – but we do know a lot more than most.
Finally. We believe that all mattresses should have the core components listed by type and weight [GSM] the same way as food ingredients are. This will enable consumers to do adequate and informed comparisons and not base their purchase on dubious marketing spin. If you agree or disagree please add your thoughts below.
John and Ryan.

Hi John and Ryan,
A huge thanks for your detailed and informative response to my enquiry [Here]. After some deliberation and comparison of the details you provided, we have decided to go with your ‘Artisans Naturals’ mattress.
I can see from your breakdown that the Vi Spring Traditional Bedstead mattress and your Artisans Naturals are pretty comparable materials and construction wise. As for the difference in upholstory, I’ll take your word for it about the support factor of your poly cotton.
The main reason I chose to go with your mattress over Vi-Spring’s is the refreshing and honest way in which you do business. I have been really impressed reading your website by the information and advice that you give without any hard pushing of your own products. You seem to be pretty unique in the mattress industry.
I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting a great mattress from you but am also reassured by your 30 day guarantee (though I hope I won’t have to use it!)
So thanks again for your help and I look forward to sleeping on my new mattress!
All the best, Richard
Hi again Richard. I must say we were all deeply flattered, appreciative and encouraged after reading your particular comment. It has not been a particular easy road for us to get to this stage of our business, and we have been met more times than I can care to recall with obstacles and hurdles to prevent us publishing the level of information you find throughout this site.
Comments such as yours continue to enforce our original belief that we should be upfront and straight to the consumer, provide them with accurate and detailed information, coupled with a competitively priced product based on the best the industry can offer.
The Artisan Naturals was the first model in our Artisan range and it really is our pride and joy. It was the culmination of a lot of detailed research (hence the reason why we are able to offer such an analytical comparison to Vi Spring) and over the years has been tirelessly tested, proven and continues to be our best selling mattress from our range.
We too hope you have no need to use our Love It or Return It Guarantee. We thoroughly understand and appreciate the leap of faith our customers take in purchasing from us sight unseen, usually paying out amounts exceeding a couple of grand. Our return guarantee is there to assure you that you will certainly not be stuck with something that is not entirely suitable.
Finally Richard. The use of Poly Cotton is not used as a cost saving measure, the raw price between this and Blended Wool and Cotton is not significantly that different. Wool has absolutely no support qualities at all and is used primarily for comfort whereas, as explained previously, there has to be an element of support within the upholstery to prevent you sinking right through to the spring unit (that sounded a little bit more dramatic than I intended ..). If you look at The Vi Spring Marquess Superb as an example, this is an all wool construction but the use of a Bonded Wool and Cotton layer above the springs is the support layer within this mattress. Like I said, all good mattresses need a support layer (even though it is soft) within the upholstery.
Please feel free to call the office direct prior to you ordering (Marie or Gary). You did not mention any bodyweights and it is crucial that we get the spring gauge right for you both. Thanks again Richard for your appreciative comments. John and Ryan.
Hi, I am looking to buy a superking pocket sprung mattress. I have been looking at the Vi-Spring Bedstead Realm/Traditional Mattresses before finding your site. As this is around the same price as your Artisans Natural mattress, could you please tell me whether you feel your mattress provides better value for money than the Vi Spring and why?
Many thanks
Hi Richard. Good question, although this information can be easily gleaned from the product description.
In order to do value for money comparisons you need to know the spring type / count and the overall upholstery weight of the mattress. Ideally, the breakdown of upholstery and associated weights will give you everything you need to know.
If we look at the Vi Spring Bedstead Realm:
[Official Description - March 2013: SKS: RRP: £2345. / £1875 (Sale Price) Furniture Village: March 2013]
“1.52mm wire springs, 54mm in diameter, (1638 in a SKS) sewn in individual calico pockets and hand-formed into a honeycomb-nested unit. Upholstered with a wool spring protector pad, then 1,350gsm bonded British fleece wool and cotton, overlaid with 300gsm British fleece wool, 200gsm bamboo and finally 900gsm of blended British fleece wool and cotton. Covered with your choice of finest quality Belgian ticking from the Vi-Spring collection. Hand tufted with felt washers.”[END]
The basic details you can glean from this, is that there is a combined upholstery weight of 2750 gsm (plus the wool insulator pad which can be assumed to be 500gsm) bringing the total weight to 3250 gsm.
The Vi Spring Traditional Bedstead has the following specification:
[Official Description - March 2013: SKS: RRP: £1700. / £1355 (Sale Price) Furniture Village: March 2013]
1.52mm wire springs, 56mm in diameter, (1558 in a SKS) sewn in individual calico pockets and hand-formed into a honeycomb-nested unit. Upholstered with a wool spring protector pad, then 1350 gsm bonded British fleece wool and cotton, overlaid with two layers of 900 gsm blended British fleece wool and cotton. Covered with your choice of finest quality Belgian ticking from the Vi-Spring collection. Hand tufted with felt washers.
The basic details you can glean from this, is that there is a combined upholstery weight of 3150 gsm and again assume the wool insulator pad is around 500 gsm bringing the total weight to 3650 gsm.
So what’s happening here? The starter model (Traditional Bedstead) although having a greater overall upholstery weight (3650 gsm) is retailing cheaper (by £520) than the next model up (Bedstead Realm) having an overall upholstery weight of 3250 gsm.
As of now, it looks like The Traditional Bedstead is offering more mattress for your money. So we have to look into the detail and see how this is possible:
Both mattresses utilise the wool spring protector pad – incidentally this is the only visible difference between their (Vi Spring) Bedstead Range and their core range – but this is for another post!
Bedstead Realm [BR]: 1350 gsm Bonded British Fleece Wool and Cotton.
Trad Bedstead [TB]: 1350 gsm Bonded British Fleece Wool and Cotton
[BR] 300 gsm British Fleece Wool
[TB] 900 gsm Blended British Fleece Wool and Cotton
[BR] 200 gsm Bamboo
[BR] 900 gsm Blended British Fleece Wool and Cotton
[TB] 900 gsm Blended British Fleece Wool and Cotton.
And there we have it. A simple side by side comparison shows you that The Traditional Bedstead is a better buy than the next model up in the range – The Bedstead Realm. The difference in spring count is so nominal it should not even be a consideration. Is the 300 gsm British Fleece Wool better than the blend 900 gsm of Fleece Wool and Cotton? I personally do not think so – but would love to hear any alternative viewpoint.
The addition of 200 gsm Bamboo [BR] is again a nominal amount – quite unlikely to improve the overall feel of the mattress when compared to the difference in amount (400 gsm) of the BFW&C.
Intrinsically, these are the same mattresses. The only difference is the utilisation of British Wool and Bamboo instead of Blended Wool and Cotton. By opting for The TB the £500 or so you save could be used to purchase additional upholstery in the form of removable topper.
And so to your question of how our Artisan Naturals compares?
[Official Description - March 2013: SKS: £1325: March 2013]
1.28mm wire springs, 49mm in diameter, (1974 in a SKS) sewn in individual calico pockets and hand-formed into a honeycomb-nested unit. Upholstered with 1500 gsm Mohair, then 1250 gsm Poly Cotton, overlaid with 1200 gsm Blended British Fleece Wool and Cotton.
Combined upholstery weight of 3950 gsm.
As the price between the Vi Spring Traditional Bedstead and our Artisan Naturals is quite similar we then look to see which is offering you the better value for money:
[TB] 500 gsm (assumed) Wool spring protector pad
[TB] 1350 gsm Bonded British Fleece Wool and Cotton
[AN] 1500 gsm Mohair.
[TB] 900 gsm Blended British Fleece Wool and Cotton
[AN] 1250 gsm Poly Cotton (50% Polyester and 50% Cotton)
[TB] 900 gsm Blended British Fleece Wool and Cotton
[AN] 1200 gsm Blended British Fleece Wool and Cotton.
1) If we take the insulating layer (the material directly on top of the springs) I would say our 1500 gsm Mohair would trump the wool spring protector pad and the bonded wool and cotton. Again, I cannot imagine anyone with acceptable knowledge arguing this.
2) I concede that the Blended British Fleece Wool and Cotton is a better product than Poly Cotton – However, the poly cotton is a more supportive product than BFW&C. Realistically, the cotton element is in fact 600 gsm.
3) As the final comfort layer is so similar to be practically identical, the 1200 gsm obviously trumps the 900 gsm.
Looking at these two models side by side they are similar enough to make adequate and educated comparisons. In theory I could manufacture our AN to have 1200 gsm Blended Wool and Cotton rather than the Poly Cotton but our findings are is that this will make the mattress upholstery too soft. There has to be an element of support within the upholstery (horsehair is used for this purpose on the higher end models – ours and Vi Springs – so the validy of this statement is there). The support element gained from the PC is greater than the support element of BW&C.
So Richard. What do you do? and which one do you buy? More importantly, how do you come to choose? You did not give indication of your bodyweights which would have helped in summing-up this response. Please follow up this comment with your decision. Very interesting indeed. John and Ryan.
hi was wondering which mattress would give more support between the origins latex and the sequence suspention
thanks chi
Hi Chi. How heavy are you and your partner. John
2013/02/25 at 16:21
hi John i am single but need the king size mattress for the extra length due to being 6ft tall also i am 13 stone and have a issue with lower back problems which are not helped by sleeping on to soft a mattress.so i was thinking of something firm to medium , but not sleeping on a brick,any advise you could give would be welcome
thanks chi.
Hi again Chi. There is a possibility that your current mattress is not supportive enough for you and hence you are assuming that you have to go firmer. This is correct in some respects but getting the right mattress for your bodyweight (not overly excessive) is the way to look at this.
Ideally, the Origins Latex would be the one to opt for, however, if your budget cannot stretch to this the Sequence Suspension would be the second choice. The reason why I suggest the Latex model is that the Latex will just take what it needs (supportive and comfortable) coupled with a proven level of longevity.
I would also couple in the purchase of a topper for protection and also an additional level of comfort eg: Duck Down Double Fill topper from Duvet and Pillow Warehouse (approx £75 for a Kingsize). Hope this helps Chi and feel free to call the office on the above number and speak to Marie or Gary who will be able to advise further. John and Ryan.
2013/02/25 at 16:21
hi John i am single but need the king size mattress for the extra length due to being 6ft tall also i am 13 stone and have a issue with lower back problems which are not helped by sleeping on to soft a mattress.so i was thinking of something firm to medium ,but not sleeping on a brick,any advise you could give would be welcome
thanks chi.
Hi again Chi. The spring support has to be right for the weight applied. However, most mattresses that fall within the Low – Med price range will not offer you any option on spring tensions. Also don’t make your judgement based on your current mattress. All mattresses get softer (un-supportive) as they age.
2013/02/28 at 08:49
hi thanks for all the informative info but i feel if i going to buy a mattress i will save up a bit more an go for maybe the artisan natural firm. to have enough support (for my dodgy back)but still have the comfort,rather than the latex that i would have to add a topper to, i know i am going on a bit but i have wasted so much money on mattress i just want to get it right this time
thanks chi
In all fairness, even the Artisan Tailored Pocket would be suitable. The firm spring tension will also be too firm for you – this is more suitable for people of a 16st bodyweight. Your comment about you not wanting to sleep on a brick is indeed what you will feel on a firm spring tension.
As for adding a topper, this applies to every mattress. It is just common sense and an attitude to caring for your mattress the best you can that we bleat on an on about this economical addition that will pay dividends in the long run. John and Ryan.
Hi Ryan & John
I would like to say first that I really like your site and like the way you doing business by showing that being honest and open and providing good products as well as good service could really win any reasonable persons confidence.
I firmly believe now that the best warranty/guaranty that you could get from any mattress manufacturer is to make sure that the materials used inside and outer fabric layer are of the best quality and secondly that the construction is based on sound and proven practices. It matters not if a brand is famous or they sell their products at flashy showrooms, they are subject to market forces and they could collapse any time making the warranty they gave me a useless piece of paper ( actually, the larger brands spend huge sums of money on marketing and advertising and sales commissions and dinner parties for retailers and under table gifts to retail buyers and product launch parties…etc [ they actually add all those expenses to the mattress price] which leave them little to spend on high quality materials).
I think it would be good and very helpful to show the materials you are using and the manufacturing process using as much as you can of high resolution photos and videos in addition to your detailed explanation. as that could make me more confident that you really giving me good quality materials and workmanship.
Also would like to know your thoughts about using mini springs and micro springs and do you think that posturefill springs could be a good substitute for horse hair? And if the springs inside a nonwoven fabric are heat treated then are they still not as good as the ones encased inside Calico cotton ? ( I think Hastens use nonwoven instead of Calico….am I right ? ).
Thank you.
Hi again Sam. Good points. It’s obvious that this site over the years has become quite disorganised and there are still plenty of posts, images and videos of component parts and disections to be added. We are in the process (still) of renovating the entire site and our plans are to provide even more detail for the reader.
You raise an interesting question about mini / micro springs being a substitute for horsehair. ‘Substitute’ is quite the wrong term – there is no substitute for this product. It is found (in significant quantity) in only the top end of all mattresses because it is such a superior product used within the mattress as a natural springy support layer. ‘Compromise’ would be a more fitting term, and then the answer would be yes.
As mentioned to your previous questions (below) horsehair acts as a gradual suspension layer, but so do the mini / micro springs, and also so would a layer of latex, and also on the furthest scale, a layer of foam. On the quality pyramid, horsehair is undeniably the best component to do this job.
Your comment about pocket springs in a non woven fabric as opposed to Calico was really interesting. You can assume that the wire used to make the actual spring will be broadly similar from all manufacturers. Vi Spring extol the virtues of Vanadium as part of their alloy mix – but is this significantly ‘better’ than a galvanised steel? Obviously if the raw cost or retail cost of the Vanadium steel was similar then of course the Vanadium spring would be the one to use.
Assuming that the wire spring within the non woven or calico pocket is similar, then they will of course do the same job. As with the horsehair v micro spring etc, analogy above it finally comes down to quality. Cotton Calico is a far better product overall than spunbond. A further analogy on the same lines is that a bed sheet made from polyester or poly cotton will do the same job as a high thread count Egyptian cotton sheet but on the quality scale, Cotton will always be the first choice. The decision for the consumer is to decide how much of a compromise they are willing to make based on difference in price.
You are right. Hastens do indeed use non woven as the pocket casement. Incidentally, so do Marshall and Stewart whose beds have a similar retail price. If we take the two leading manufacturers in this country – Savoir Beds and Vi Spring, we see that they exclusively use Cotton Calico as their casement material. The irony of the mattress industry is that each manufacturer will have their own justifications of using the products they use – Micro springs, not horsehair. Spunbond, not Calico. There is no real right answer.
Very interesting Sam. Of course limited space allows only for a simplistic response to a conversation that I would enjoy discussing for a few hours in the pub fuelled with an appropriate quantity of cheap gin. Please let me know your thoughts as a consumer. John and Ryan.
Hi,
Hoping you can help. It’s time to replace our bed, as it’s awful! Hoping you can advise us as to how to find better, and possibly make a recommendation, both from your range, and what the equivalent is I the big outlets (so we can go and try theirs, and probably buy yours!)
Hi Perry. I have added a response directly below each question for ease of reading. Firstly, and solely as a benchmark, take a look at The Artisan Bespoke specification which should put into some kind of perspective any equivalent model retailing for around the same price.
I would also ‘shop around’ at notable outlets like John Lewis and Furniture Village etc, to identify what consists of a ‘quality’ mattress. Following on from that, a quick scout round the Dreams / Bensons outlets will identify what consists of (in my opinion) overpriced tat. A true SKS is 6′ x 6’6 but there are options to buy a Extraking (6′ x 6’3). For more detail about Ziplinks [Read Here]
Now, for the mattress. We both like firm mattresses, and dream of a day we find a mattress like my old bed from my single days. That was a Myers bed, with a “myerpeadic” mattress, and it was a double bed. All I can tell you is that for a bed which I still own (in the spare room) and 23 years old, the mattress is still amazingly comfy, even if it’s not pocket sprung, but I think linked coils. Any idea what makes this so comfy, and how to find an equivalent? It’s incredibly firm, but soft facing.
Horatio Myers are now under the Hilding Anders ownership and it is so unlikely that the specifications previously used will be the same today. Like so many things over the years, quality and quantity of component has been reduced to fit into a particular price point.
As you have probably read throughout this site – spring tension (support) should be relative to the bodyweight applied. I admit that there are people who like sleeping on a completely unforgiving surface but these are in the minority. The spring has to ‘give’ slightly under pressure. If the spring is too firm then you will be balancing on top. Too soft for your weight and there will be no adequate support. Obviously, budget will play an important role in what you can quite feasibly expect to get.
And now for the joke which is our current mattress. It’s a super king sized sprung slumber jade shield pocket sprung mattress. It was extremely comfy for…erm…about 2 weeks, and then slowly but surely got worse and worse. It’s gone soft, has little back support, and of course it was a pig to turn over. And yet it was so comfy in the store and at first. How do I find out what it was about the mattress that makes it so bad, so I can avoid it in future?
I can’t seem to find current details on this product but I guess that it was not overly expensive. I see from a description that aside from polyester it contains Superflux fibres .. ? never heard of this term before and I can only assume that it is simply polyester in another guise. In fairness, all cheap / low priced mattresses use polyester as a primary upholstery component (cheapest of all upholstery components).
Initially, as you have found out, it is quite a comfortable and forgiving material but .. it does not have a particularly long lifespan (hence the reason why supplementary toppers are an essential addition to this kind of mattress). Body impressions will soon develop as the material fails to rebound. Body sweat is the ultimate killer as the fibres irrevocably break down.
Once again, available budget dictates what you can reasonably expect to get. However, if you are aware of the potential pitfalls of a particular product you are in a better position to make the appropriate compromises to address any issues.
Oh, and one final question….is it actually possible to get a divan base that doesn’t have floral patterns or shiny nylon covering, but something simple, white or cream, and not destined to give static shocks?
Really hope you can help, and I would be keen for a recommendation, as I said earlier.
Thanks Perry.
Finally Perry. Haha. Not many mattresses or bases use those vile floral patterns anymore. Fabrics have considerably improved over the last ten years or so. Hope this helps. John and Ryan.
Hi Ryan & John
I am interested to know how much benefit horse hair adds to the mattress ?
and how do you compare that with wool ? is a 100% horse hair a good bed ? or is a 100% wool is better? I heard that horse hair attracts bed bugs and dust mites, is that true? thank you
Hi Sam. Good questions. Horsehair and wool are two completely different components with two completely different uses within the mattress. Horsehair being used as a support layer and wool used as a comfort layer.
The theory being that from the spring unit upwards there should be a gradual softening of suspension – eg: Springs > Horsehair > Horsetail > Cotton > Wool. Permutations with various components will give different feels to the finished mattress but usually the same ‘firm to soft’ layering is utilised in all mattress construction.
Horsehair and Horsetail is an expensive component and only found (in significant quantity) within the top end of all mattresses. It can be blended with wool to create a softer suspension (see the Vi Spring Tiara Superb as an example of this). There are theories (and I personally subscribe to this) that Horsehair / Horsetail should not be ‘diluted’ but kept pure. The softness of this suspension should be gained by either layering half horsehair with wool and then horsetail with wool (sandwiching) as Hastens do.
Wool is either bonded > Blended (with Cotton) > Layered. Going from firm (ish) to soft. Bonded wool is quite compressed and used as the insulator (above the spring unit) there are of course other natural fibres that are used as insulators such as Mohair / Hair / Cashmere. Layered wool, being the softest component is always used as the prime comfort layer.
I must admit to smiling about bedbugs being attracted the horsehair and imagined an army of bedbugs spreading the word that Mrs Jones has a horsehair mattress and trooping up her stairs to make a new home in her mattress. In short, I cannot find evidence of this. My own views are I think the bed bug scare is over rated and used as scare tactics and sales techniques rather than actual fact. Adequate protection of the mattress and regular maintenance will be enough to inhibit any undesirable visitors.
This was interesting to answer and obviously my reply is directly proportional to your question. There are numerous construction methods but all follow the same gradual suspension thesis. Please feel free to add your thoughts. John and Ryan.
Hi, We are in need of a new mattress super king size (we have decided to go larger!) to replace our Outlast trio memory foam (king size) which is way too soft as we have to climb out using grappling hooks every morning). We have decided on a firm pocket sprung as opposed to memory foam which we didn’t like but are very confused about what to get. We have looked at the Harrison Beech 4750 and the cherry 5750.
Firstly, are they any good in terms of build quality, and secondly, could you recommend anything better including your own ??
Many thanks in advance
Tom
Hi Tom. First things first – you have to ensure that your hallways / stairs can accommodate a SKS mattress (not many can). In order to see which of these two models offer the best buy for your needs you have to do a side by side comparison to see which is the better buy. In this case there is about £200 difference so where is this money being spent?
The Harrisons Beech 4750 gives the following specification:
[Bakers and Larners: £899. SKS: (RRP: £1699.) Feb 2013]
“The Beech is personalised and tailored to the highest quality and specification with pure natural fillings. Layers of natural wool, cotton and hemp blends provides an exquisite sleeping surface and are secured by woollen hand tufts.
The Beech mattress has Warmside/Coolside technology, which incorporates a ‘warm for winter’ wool blend on one side and a ‘cool for summer’ cotton blend on the other offering all year round comfort. Turn your mattress twice a year to coincide with the seasons.”
A further search on the net indicates that the mattress has a 4250 spring count presumably made up of Revolution and HD/Posturefil mini springs but no mention of this breakdown is given so confirmation from the manufacturer or retailer will be required.
The upholstery layers give no indication of any associated weights so again, is it a miserly 1000gsm or an acceptable 3000 gsm?
The listing above carries a RRP of £1699. which in my mind is quite a ridiculous amount for this model. Our Artisan Bespoke 004 comes in at £1600 or so and you can easily see what this amount of money can get you.
So if we compare the Beech to the Cherry we should be able to see what the differences are:
The Harrisons Cherry 5750 gives the following specification:
[Bakers and Larners: £1099. SKS: (RRP: £2099.) Feb 2013]
The Cherry features a layer of Revolution pocket springs and two layers of superbly responsive HD springs working together to provide a total of 5250 springs within the mattress. Support, comfort and temperature regulation are provided by layers of natural wool, cotton and mohair blends. Two rows of side stitching and woolen tufts finish the mattress.
The Cherry mattress has Warmside/Coolside technology, which incorporates a ‘warm for winter’ wool blend on one side and a ‘cool for summer’ cotton blend on the other offering all year round comfort. Turn your mattress twice a year to coincide with the seasons.[END]
So the only perceivable difference between he two is an extra 1000 springs in the mattress and the addition of mohair (rather than Hemp) in the blend. As there are no associated weights given (quite wrong really) we cannot say, and you cannot summise, which of these mattresses offers significantly more for your money. Side by side 1000 more springs and mohair rather than hemp is not worth the extra £200. Your £200 would be better spent on a fabulously comfortable topper.
To ascertain further which of these would represents a better buy you really need to contact the manufacturer [Harrison Spinks: 0113 205 5200] and ask for the combined upholstery weight of each mattress. Ideally, they should be telling you the weights of each blend layer(s) such as the cotton blend and the wool blend used on either side.
So what can £1000 reasonably expect to get you for a Superking size mattress? Our offering is our Artisan Tailored Pocket. Feel free to use this specification and detail as a benchmark for your comparisons. We don’t think you can get better. Please let us know what you find out and we can discuss this further. John and Ryan.
2013/02/11 at 11:59
Thank you for the reply. I emailed Harrison but they are not willing to “divulge” the information as to the gsm of their fillings! mmm..
What? You are expected to hand over more than a grand and not know what it is getting you? Unbelievable!
Perhaps an alternative way round this is to enquire then, what similar models are available in order for you to do some kind of basic comparisons. Let us know how you get on with this. John and Ryan.
2013/02/05 at 10:12
I posted a question a couple of days ago. Did you receive it?
Please advise.
Thanks, Roger
Hi Roger, Yes indeed. You posted it on the About Us page [here] and has been responded to. Please update me on this one. John and Ryan
2013/02/05 at 11:19
Our main concern in returning the Somnus Countess was that they first delivered the wrong size bed , superking rather than king,and also the retailer gave us wrong information re turning the mattress. They had no idea and admitted that they knew little or nothing re zip link so I lost confidence.
The main gist of my query was regarding the Hypnos no turn with latex topper. Is this a good compromise or would your Artisan range be a better option , assuming only top zip were fastened. What is the weight of a single mattress?
Finally , is it possible to buy 2 single headboards that look like a double?
Many Thanks,
Roger
Hi again Roger. Hypnos do several latex mattresses, if you can give me the model name of the mattress you are considering I will be able to have a quick look at it for you.
A single Artisan mattress is in the region of 45kg – very heavy. Please let me know some of your concerns and I will do my best to answer them.
Smallest headboard is 2′.6″ which makes up a kingsize unless specially manufactured. To make a double headboard in two parts means that each board will have to be 2’3″ – not a standard size. Keep in touch. John and Ryan.
The Hypnos we were looking at is Hypnos Pillow Top Sublime. What would your recommendation be in your Artisan range? I always remember advice given by my Mum , to always buy the best bed and the best pair of shoes that you can afford. Reason being , if you`re not in one , you`re in the other. Sound Yorkshire reasoning.
Re the headboard I meant 2 x 2ft 6 headboards to make into Kingsize Zip & Link. Would like them to look as one.
To further clarify why we returned the Somnus , because of wrong size delivery they took almost 3 months to deliver correct one. This meant we only had 4 days to try it out. We spend the winter months abroad and would be away for 5 months. We were told that we only had 4 days to decide. When spending in excess of £3000 we needed to be sure.
Hope this makes sense. Thanks for your patience.
Kind Regards,
Roger
Hi again Roger. have a look at [this comment] from Ruth who has just bought The Hypnos Orthocare 12. The crux of your questions should follow the same line of questioning.
I would also ask you to re-consider the pillowtop design (quite flawed in our eyes) [Read Here]
With regards to the headboard 2 x 2.6 boards will fit your bed (standard sizes) the thing to bear in mind is that the design should be rectangular to enable the boards to butt up together. Headboards with fancy protrusions o the corners will not look right and may prevent the boards from joining. John and Ryan.
2013/02/05 at 14:18
Hi John,
Have read your comments re Pillow Top and I agree with your reasoning.
Just need to know your recommendation in your Artisan range. We return from abroad beginning of April and need bed for then. When do we need to order?
Kind Regards,
Roger
Hi again Roger. Sorry for delay in replying. There is a max leadtime of four weeks for all The Artisan range. Taking into account the models you have been looking at I would suggest you look at The Artisan Naturals upwards – The support on all models can be adjusted to suit you both, it is only the upholstery that improves in quality as the range progresses. If you base your purchase on your available budget you will not go far wrong. John and Ryan.
My wife and I are in the market for a new bed. We did buy a Somnus Countess zip & link king size divan but it didn`t suit. We explained that we couldn’t turn a traditional mattress due to the weight , but thought that by separating them it would be possible.
However when the mattress was delivered and assembled we found that we could not separate the two. We informed the retailer who agreed our situation and refunded the cost.
We have looked at the Hypnos no turn mattress with latex topping but would prefer a traditional mattress.
My question is this :- Is it ok to use a zip & link with only the top zip fastened and if so what would be your recommendation.
We are both near 70 year old and weights are 1. 14 stone & 2. 8.5 stone. Our budget including headboard is around £3000.
Hi Roger. I have an inkling that you will regret returning your Somnus Countess mattress. If I understand your comment correctly, I assume you returned it because undoing the zippers caused you problems. In answer to your question, both zippers do not need to be fastened – it is a good idea to fasten both zippers if they are used as a one piece mattress for an extended period of time but not essential.
A further point to bear in mind is the turning and rotating scenario that you have concerns with. If you buy a double sided mattress and choose not to turn it, then that is the same as a single sided non turn mattress. However, when the sleeping side becomes worn, turn the mattress and you will have a practically new mattress again.
One sided mattresses do not usually have a vast amount of upholstery on the underside – however, this means that there is virtually no suspension quality [the springs are very close to the bed base]. The extra upholstery on a two sided mattress will act as a good mattress pad.
I’m not sure if I fully understand your question but hope that I have answered some of your concerns. Please feel free to clarify. John and Ryan.
Hi, I am looking at purchasing a Harrison spinks mattress. I like a firm mattress and my wife likes medium. I always sleep on my side and often wake with shoulder ache and dead arms, I weigh 12 stone and my wife 14stone , cannot decide how many springs would be best, tested a few and the pearl 6000 felt more comfortable than their expensive higher spring ones which felt too soft for me. Price is not really an issue.What’s advice can you offer ?
You can’t decide on how many springs would be best ..aahh, the ultimate question. And as Stephen Fry would say .. Nobody Knows!
Purely and Simply, the job of the springs is to aid support. The top of range Spink and Edgar Empire has 21.700 springs (Revolution and HD) The top of range Vi Spring (Magnificence) has 2812 (calico encased). So can the value, worth and comfort of a mattress be based on spring count alone? I don’t think so.
Harrison Spinks and Vi Spring use two completely different methods of support. Asking each manufacturer which is the best system? would obviously ensure they both extol the virtues of their own system above their respective competitor.
You did raise an interesting point about you finding The Pearl (actually 4500 springs in the mattress) more comfortable (for you) above their more expensive models, and this is the crux of this particular anomaly. The more expensive the mattress does not necessarily mean the more comfortable the mattress for each individuals needs or requirements. For example, would someone of an 8-10 stone bodyweight actually need the 21.700 springs from The Spink and Edgar Empire? Quite unlikely. Their lightweight frame would be getting the support and comfort from the upholstery alone – thus leaving the very high spring count contained practically worthless.
Your choice should be based on the requirements of your own particular bodyweights and needs. Support from the springs should be enough to just give under your respective weights and couple this with adequate upholstery to offer you the comfort – should equal the perfect mattress.
Taking a hint of your budget based on the mattresses you are looking at gives rise to encouraging you to try out other high end mattresses in order that you know what is currently out there. Marshall and Stewart, Vi Spring (at Furniture Village) should lead you to discover what well made, high end mattresses consist of.
As a final thought Paul, it seems strange that you concentrated your question on spring counts and no thought about upholstery. The two should be considered relatively equally. It is no use having a high spring count with a low level or sufficient amount of upholstery. Good question. Please follow up with what you decide upon or glean from this. John and Ryan.
Wow! I am just genuinely so impressed! Will be trying to buy a mattress this year so now I know where to go! Right here in Cheshire for a great independent. I think you’d benefit from being on twitter too btw
Hi Rachel. Thanks so much for the thumbs up, really appreciated. John and Ryan.
Hi,
A very very good website. Very useful information. However, I am getting more confused now… Appreciate that this is not directly relevant to your own products but would be grateful if you could help.
Basically there are two mattresses I have tried that I like, the Vi-spring supreme (and the John Lewis’ equivalent version of newbridge), and the Fitzgerald mattress from feather and black.
Both mattress are quite comfortable but difficult to tell the difference after lying on it for a short period of time. Also I don’t know if they will be as good in say 5 years time, considering the F&B only has 3 years guarantee.
I had a lower back disc problem in the past and looking for supportive mattress. Is 5000 “HD” pocket spring better than the vi-spring 1475 springs? Another factor is the filling, looks like both of them use natural fillings only so won’t be much different?
Thanks,
David
Hi David. Sorry for the delay in replying. Severe backlog of enquiries after Christmas hols.
You are looking at three mattresses – two (Vi Spring) are relatively similar and one (F&B) completely different in construction but a similar retail price. So how do you decide between them?
Firstly, you have to see what the differences are by examining the specifications (see below).
[Official Description - John Lewis Newbridge: £1199. Double: January 2013]
..the Newbridge mattress by Vi-Spring contains 1248 pocket springs and is upholstered with British fleece wool and cotton plus horsehair. It comprises two rows of genuine hand side-stitching for a firm edge, offering all-night support from every angle.
Unfortunately and surprisingly, John Lewis have chosen not to openly publish weights of upholstery used in this particular mattress which completely inhibits your ability to do any sort of comparison – even to models within the Vi Spring core range where weights are openly published.
[Official Description - Vi Spring Bedstead Supreme: £1820. Double: And So To Bed. January 2013 ]
1476 luxury pocket springs in 5’0 (150cm), 1.42mm Vanadium steel springs, 51mm in diameter, individual sewn calico pockets, hand formed into a honeycomb nested unit
Mattress Border: 21cm deep with two rows of genuine hand side-stitching, horizontal handles, air vents on all sides, border edges upholstered in protective lambswool, finished with piped ticking.
Mattress Upholstery: Upholstered with a wool spring protector pad, then 1000 gsm bonded British fleece wool and cotton, plus 1200gsm long-stranded horsehair, enclosed in a hair proof cambric cover and finally overlaid with 1200 gsm blended British fleece wool and cotton, hand tufted with felt washers, covered with your choice of finest quality Belgian ticking from our Collection..
This is from the Vi Spring core range and thus everything you need to know is quite rightly published. From the detail above you know you have a combined upholstery weight of 3400GSM (Grams per Square Metre) plus the wool insulator pad found on all the Vi Spring bedstead mattresses.
[Official Description - Fitzgerald: Feather and Black: £1395. Double: January 2013 ]
Silk and mohair fillings make this a blissfully comfortable mattress. Available in tensions 3-8. 3 rows of hand side stitching for edge-to-edge support. Fillings: Revolution pocket springs. HD pocket springs. Hempure Fibres. Horsehair. Wool blend. Mohair, wool and Egyptian cotton surface fillings. Spring Count: 5000.
This is manufactured for Feather and Black by Harrison Spinks. You can assume that the spring units are same as other models within Harrison’s core range and it is the upholstery weights and amount that should be questioned. In this case and on the face of it the upholstery contained seems quite impressive – However, without any indication of the weights (GSM) or which of the natural fibres are used within a blend and without the blend ratios .. you again have no means of doing adequate comparisons.
So you see David, on the face of it your questions seem to be quite simplistic – which one should you spend your money on – the reality is, is that without some necessary detail it becomes virtually impossible to answer with any degree of certainty.
Your question about the springs is not particularly an area of immediate concern. if you ask Harrison’s if their Revolution spring support system is better than Vi Springs Calico encased spring system – what do you think they will say? Likewise ask the same question to Vi Spring and what do you think they will say? Ask me? and I would obviously plum for the old fashioned traditional calico encased springs (invented by Vi Spring at the beginning of the century) and still used to this day. At the end of the day, the support properties of both systems will do the job they are intended to do, so like I said, no immediate need for concern.
Upholstery is a different matter altogether. There is currently no legal obligation for a manufacturer to publish or disclose the contents of a mattress which when you are spending this amount of money should lead you to question – Why on earth not?
Finally David, to put all this to the test you should be questioning the manufacturers and retailers in question to tell you quite specifically, what’s in the mattress? The measure of weights used is GSM. If a mattress has a blended layer of upholstery then it is quite important that you know the ratios of each component – Horsehair and wool for example. As horsehair is the most expensive component a blend that contains say 10% Horsehair and 90% Wool will put the quality of the blend into perspective. Also on this subject, it is not unknown for a blended layer to be a majority polyester product with low percentages of natural fibres. Unless you know for certain the make up of the upholstery .. well, enough said.
Finally David, please feel free to add to this comment with what you find out. It’s a simplistic response to a virtual minefield. It’s no use just taking our word for this, you have to prove it to yourself. All we can do is to guide you in the right direction and encourage you to ask the pertinent questions. Good questions. John and Ryan.
Hi,
Im been up all day researching into mattress and im still very confused.
Im torn between 2 matresses: hypnos sleepcare pillowtop 1400 which is currently reduced at house of fraser or one from feather and black, which i can customise as they hv 8different firm tension? My budget is circa 600£. Pls advice. Would be great if you can help!
Hi Cax. I’m not particularly sure which mattress from feather and Black you are referring to (maybe The Chaucer) but really it does not matter. Personally, I would think the F&B one would be the better option (I assume quite highly that it would be a Harrisons mattress made exclusively for F&B under their own label). I am unsure whether the F&B mattress is two sided (The Hypnos pillowtop is obviously one sided) which if it is makes this the better choice. Hope this helps. John and Ryan.
I need a sofa bed mattress 130x 180 x11.
I bought the pocket sprung from the sofabedgallery but it is soft and floppy.
I counted the springs along the edges and it seems there are only 638 (29 x 22), not the 1088 advertised.
Can you please advise me where to get a good quality mattress that can fold once?
Regards, Rebekah.
Hi Rebekah. Sorry, but this is not our area of expertise. I have tried to calculate the spring count based on your figures but like you cannot get to the 1088 (which is what would be in the King Size). It may be worth contacting the company to express your concerns. John and Ryan.
Ha har! After all these many months of searching I have finally found the mattress buyers holy grail!
So the story goes, myself and my better half previously rented and slept upon a landlords budget mattress (provided new but prob no more than 100 quid) for the best part of 6 years. Last year we took the plunge and bought a house along with a beautiful king-size Oak bedstead, with that it was now time to invest and treat ourselves to a decent mattress.
We also purchased a ‘temporary’ double mattress (200 quid) while we looked for a more permanent solution. 18 months later with so many hours of my life (which I will never get back) spent trawling the net and visiting showrooms I am now more confused than ever! Your website is a breath of fresh air and I’m hoping the answer to all my woes!?
I’m just over 14stn and my missus just over 8stn, we both prefer a firmer mattress we think? This was established from bed testing but obviously due to the weight deference between us, what’s good for one is not for the other. What seemed to resolve this was the Vi-Spring Classic Bedstead mattress which comes with the option of dual spring tensions, soft/medium or medium/firm. The sales rep explained I would suit a medium while my missus would suit soft. While in the showroom I thought I preferred the firm and my missus the medium. Please help, what can you recommend??
Hi Graham. Ha, Holy Grail – I like it.
As you have probably read on other comments, it is impossible to find a mattress using one tension spring that will suit two people of differing bodyweights. The reason you liked the VS-CB is that it offered you the chance of dual spring tensions .. However ..
The salesman’s explanation of half Soft and half Medium is relatively correct in some way. There was an explicit piece of information missing from his explanation that puts your Medium and Firm thinking into perspective.
Note: The Classic Bedstead is not listed on the Vi-Spring site and so a precise breakdown of the model you tried is not possible. For the purposes of this exercise I shall use the Bedstead Realm as the example.
[Official Description: Bedstead Realm: Oct 2012]
Springs: 1.52mm wire springs, 54mm in diameter, sewn in individual calico pockets and hand-formed into a honeycomb-nested unit.
Upholstery: Upholstered with a wool spring protector pad, then 1,350gsm bonded British fleece wool and cotton, overlaid with 300gsm British fleece wool, 200gsm bamboo and finally 900gsm of blended British fleece wool and cotton. Covered with your choice of finest quality Belgian ticking from the Vi-Spring collection. Hand tufted with felt washers.
Each of Vi Spring mattresses come with a standard spring tension allocated to a particular model. In this case (VS-BR) the spring gauge is 1.52mm with a spring diameter of 54mm. The question is .. is this 1.52mmm spring gauge attributed to the Soft, Medium or Firm mattress on the display floor? Unless you (or the salesman) know this detail, it becomes rather difficult to assess which mattress tension (SMoF) would be suitable for you.
To complicate things further, the spring gauge has to be taken into consideration with the upholstery used. In the case of the Bedstead Realm above which has a predominance of soft upholstery (wools and cottons) the spring gauge is rightly on the higher side (1.52mm can be considered as a medium spring tension – conversely, 1.28mm can be considered a soft gauge)
As a means of explaining this further, The Vi Spring Bedstead Supreme has an element of Horsehair within the upholstery. As this can be deemed to be a relatively supportive upholstery component, the spring gauge is reduced to 1.42mm – but again, this gauge is not attributable to any overall tension SMoF.
It has to be said that we too do not attribute our spring gauges to any particular mattress tension (SMoF). We assess what gauge is right for your bodyweights when we speak to you. I am sure this is what happens when you visit a Vi Spring showroom and as the lowest spring gauge VS do is in the region of 1.28mm (considered Soft) it is likely that the salesman you spoke to was absolutely correct in his recommendation for your wife. As for you, and also depending on the actual make of of the mattress you tried it could be either medium (approx 1.40mm) or Firm (1.50 – 1.60mm).
As you can see, differences in spring gauges are in the tenths of millimteres – diameter also comes into play and also the upholstery component build has an overall effect. Don’t get too hung up on this for the moment – they are important factors, but they should be addressed when you have decided upon a particular model. The first thing you should do is to set a realistic budget and see what that can actually get you. John and Ryan.
Hi there, tripped over your informative site during some googling of mattresses! I had narrowed down my choice to the VI Spring Traditional Bedstead King Size Mattress or the Harrisons Everest; just wondered what you would recommend from your range to pitch against this model? How does your offering stack up against the competition? My budget is circa £1000. I am around 12 stone and prefer a firmer feeling mattress. It is a replacement for a Silentnight Miracoil thing, which is 10 years old and to give it its due has been very comfortable but has finally started to creak and groan and the edging is collapsing…
Thanks for your help.
Regards,
Chris
Hi Chris. I am a bit surprised you have listed The Vi Spring Traditional Bedstead mattress in your options, particularly as you have indicated you prefer a firmer feeling mattress. If you look at the overall construction of this particular mattress [Official Specification below] you will see that the upholstery can be deemed as particular soft without any sort of support elements.
[Official Description - Oct 2012]
Upholstered with a wool spring protector pad, then 1,350gsm bonded British fleece wool and cotton, overlaid with two layers of 900gsm blended British fleece wool and cotton.
As the VS-TB is the lowest priced offering in the range it stands to reason that you cannot reasonably expect to get an all singing and all dancing mattress, so what you have to do is to try and get more mattress for your available budget.
If we look at the overall upholstery weight we can see it offers a combined upholstery weight of 3150 gsm. Now this is certainly not a stingy amount but as it is predominantly wool and cotton I do think you will find it relatively soft for your requirements. An alternative Vi Spring model The Baronet Superb within a similar price range may be a better option for your consideration. This particular mattress has an element of Horsehair (weight unknown) which will give the upholstery a slightly more substantial feel.
The Harrisons Everest has a specification of Latex, cotton blend and white fibre (assume polyester). Again a better choice than some of the awful tat in many of the high street bed sheds but without any indication of upholstery weights you have absolutely no means of comparison.
As for our offering? I would say that our Artisan Tailored Pocket is a viable alternative to the models mentioned above (I would say that wouldn’t I?) and also fits within your budget. Hope this helps and please feel free to add additional comment if you find out any of the missing specifications on the models above and we will comment further. John and Ryan.
This is to try and see if posts are moderated.
Yes they most certainly are. John and Ryan.
having sampled many beds to try and establish a firmness I like the differance as to what is a firm or medium mattress between manufacturers is astounding. the firmness on one manufacturers mattress has been to firm while another manufacture has been okay. Similarly with a medium mattress, one is okay while another is to soft, what a rigmarole. I was surprised however that you cannot recommend a manufacturer whose standard of firmness is similar to yours so i could test it, the thought of purchasing a mattress that is either to firm or soft is casting doubts on me to buy one of your beds. I am likewise surprised that your openness does not permit potential purchases to visit your premises and look at the product you keenly promote.
Hi Vincent. There is a post on Soft Medium or Firm [SMoF] Read Here. The summary of this post is that as there is no definitive standard on SMoF it stands to reason that all manufacturers will have their own measure of firmness rating. That aside, it seems rather impossible to put an overall tension on a particular mattress as it all depends on the individual persons bodyweight. An 18 stone man for example will find one mattress soft and in contrast, a 8 stone woman may find the same mattress firm.
We would be more than happy to offer comparable models / tensions to any our offerings if only other manufacturers / retailers were willing to divulge the spring gauges they use in their mattresses. It doesn’t take too many clicks to realise that behind the often worthless description there is barely any indication of content never mind an indication of the support qualities.
As a wholly internet based business we do not have any kind of showroom facilities. Showrooms equate to cost. By removing this expense we are able to retain a keen retail price. When we started, the internet was still in it’s infancy and the thought of purchasing a product like a mattress online was deemed completely implausible. Even if we did have a showroom in Manchester, it would be extremely unlikely that potential customers from say London for example would be inclined to trek up here just to try a mattress. John and Ryan.
Hello,
What a genuine and honest site I have just found, whilst researching mattress buying. Which is so complex, buying without trying !
I am looking to buy a new superking mattress as I have been diagnosed with Fybromyalgia and also suffer lower back pain. I am 5ft 11 and weigh 11 stone, I have always slept on my side with a partner in my bed. The past year I have slept on my back and do not have a partner.
I currently have a Vi Spring Herald Supreme divan base and mattress , in soft. It offers minimal support and I do not sleep well. My daughter has a Hypnos 1600 which is better for me. I am looking for a bed which offers firm support and the highest content of naturel fibres I can afford ,I do not like memory foam as it makes me too hot, Fybromyalgia makes me heat sensitive. The biggest problem is the afford part. My budget is only £750 ish, so far I have found on eBay , a £450 mattress made as a Hypnos second, I just missed a Vi Spring for John Lewis firm Hebrides sell for £649. Or a Millbrook Ortho Firm Spectrum 2000 on eBay again £689.
What do you advise? Is your Origins pocket 2000 a possible? I would really appreciate your help .
Many thanks
Anthea
Hi Anthea. Your comment has really thrown us. The Herald Supreme should have been an ideal mattress for you. With your fibromyalgia there would be (should be) very little resistance from the springs to exacerbate any pressure build up. The core fillings in The Herald Superb is Horsehair and wool and cotton of an amount that comes to <>3400 gsm.
What gives us an indication of why you do not get on with this particular model could be the soft spring tension. Even though Vi Spring do not give an indication of what spring gauge (thickness of wire) equates to a particular tension we can easily assume that it will be in the <>1.28mm ball park. This tension combined with the more than adequate upholstery layers should really be ideal for your bodyweight – confused!
Perhaps, in your case your personal preference and obvious requirements should have led you to opt for a medium spring tension for the bit more additional support. You do not say how old your current mattress is and I wonder if over time the age of the mattress coupled with your fibromyalgia means it has just served it’s time and is no longer suitable for your requirements now.
£750 for a Superking mattress is not very much at all I’m afraid. Although there should be no qualms about buying off ebay (new) I would spend time to research the actual model specifications rather than banking wholly on the name of the manufacturer. Hope this helps. John and Ryan
Hi John,
I am looking for a new mattress and would like some advice to avoid yet another costly mistake. I now know that I want pocket sprung with a nice thick wadding comfort top, preferably of natural material (I don’t like memory foam, too hot). I am 10.5 stone but suffer intermittently from lower back pain and shoulder/neck ache so like a firm feel (most people recommend medium for my weight but I find that too soft) but as I sleep on my side, need something soft enough for my hip to sink into.
I have been round various bed shops and the most comfortable during the obviously short test, seemed to be the Relyon Savoy from Dreams beds, though I see someone else has bought this and is not happy. What would you recommend from your range.
Many thanks.
Hi Katherine. I had a look at The Savoy (Bensons for Beds) and The Savoy from Relyon and see that they are completely different models. I cannot seem to trace a Savoy from Dreams. In this case I am assuming you mean The Savoy from Bensons <> £1000 Kingsize.
For your requirements and taking into account what you were willing to spend I would obviously point you towards our Artisan Naturals. Even though you say you consider ‘medium’ too soft, I would say that you should be opting for the medium spring tension in this particular model. There has to be some movement in the springs and if any firmer (completely inappropriate for your bodyweight) you would find your hips becoming sore from the build up of pressure.
The upholstery is substantial enough to offer you the comfort you require and the springs for the support are absolutely premium. Hope this helps and feel free to call us if you need any more info. John and Ryan.
Hi
Thanks for your website, I am learning so much about what is and isn’t quality and good value!! However I can’t find too much about bed bases and their strength (or lack of).
For a few years now I have been sleeping on a very cheap budget king size divan which is now clapped out (I had to buy this due to dire lack of money at the time I needed a new bed). The mattress is just about OK but doesn’t give much support, though I don’t want a firm mattress as I only weigh 8 stone. The base developed very bad dips and my back has been hurting for a few months now – I believe because of this and the mattress. When moving the base to prepare for a new one I managed to split the hardboard where the mattress rests, quite easily.
I ordered a new 3 drawer base from the internet for £150 which has arrived and seems to be overall a more solid construction than mine, however when unwrapping it there was already a large split in the hardboard base which must have occurred during transport. I am now waiting for it to be collected so that I can get a refund and start looking again.
My question is, are all bed bases made from such flimsy boarding? Is there any way to check before buying?
I would be very grateful for your comments.
Hi Sally. The direct answer to your question is No! Not all bed bases are made the same. However, the bulk of them are. These cardboard topped things are a basic construction of a soft timber frame – cardboard platform top and covered in the fabric.
You can spot these a mile off without cutting anything. The first indicator is the mattress it is paired with. You can be certain that all open coil mattresses will be partnered with this kind of build.
The second indicator is if the fabric has no lining (ie you can virtually see the framework) then it will also be this basic construction.
The third indicator is the price. As an example the John Lewis True Edge Divan base is £450 [Kingsize No Storage: 08/12] this is a pocket sprung Divan Base and as a comparison the Vi Spring Prestige Divan Base retails at £1200 [Kingsize No Storage: 08/12] also pocket sprung.
Your obvious question would be why the significant difference in price? Like mattresses when you get into this range you really need to know where your money is going and come to the conclusion of Is it worth it?
As a final note the bases we supply with our lower end mattresses (The Origins range) are also these cardboard topped thingys! It’s not possible to manufacture a semi decent base to retail below £200 or so. So the £150 you paid for your base was not overly expensive and you did get what could rightly be expected for that price. By contrast, the bases we supply with our Artisan range are built to higher standard. It would be nonsensical to supply a decent mattress with a substandard base (and vice versa). Hope this helps Sally and I apologise for the delay in replying. John and Ryan
Hi John and Ryan,
I find your website extremely informative and helpful in my pursuit of purchasing an ideal(!) mattress. Thanks very much.
I now have a better understanding of the description (or the lack of, as with some big name manufacturers) of the pocket spring system and the upholstery used in mattresses. I am interested in your Artisan range mattress. I have a couple of queries please.
1) How many calico-encased pocket springs are there in a superking size and double Artisan mattresses? Is this the same across the whole Artisan range for a particular size mattress? (I know there are 1360 in a KS). Is there any difference between the quality of your spring system and the one used in say Vi-Spring?
2) Do you ‘manufacture’ the mattresses yourselves or do you subcontract it out?
Please would you let me know your comments about the John Lewis Elite Cashmere mattress? It is described to have 13000 pocket springs in it! However does not have exact description of upholstery used but is said to weigh 85 kg.
Hi Prabh. Thanks for your comment. We are currently trying to catch up on enquiries after Bank Holiday weekend and we will email you with our response by the end of the week. I will email you direct when done. John and Ryan.
Best wishes,
Prabh
Hi John & Ryan
Help please I need some advice. My mum is in her eighties and has had a hip replacement. She bought a Harrison classic a couple of years ago but recently has found it very uncomfortable, especially where her weight rests on her hip. She sleeps on her side and wants the softest mattress possible, could you give me some advice.
Many thanks Trish
Hi Trish. No doubt your mum will be of a very light bodyweight and so it is with no hesitation that our Origins Comfort will be the right choice for her. Alternatively, Vi Spring manufacture two very soft mattresses The Vi Spring Elite Mattress and The Vi Spring Coronet Mattress. These are built with upholstery layers of wools and cottons and if coupled with a soft spring tension (around the 1.28mm) should give your mum the mattress she requires.
I would also say that the addition of a soft topper will provide additional cushioning for her hip as well as being the ultimate mattress protector will benefit her as well – search for a good quality goose feather and down topper. Hope this helps. John and Ryan.
Hi. We’ve just purchased a Shelley mattress from F & B. It’s awful, it dips even after a week and when you try to move over, the slant rolls you right back onto the dip! We’ve only had it a week. I’m really disappointed. We just wanted a medium natural mattress. Needless to say my back is killing me! I haven’t received the customer service I expected. it’s a super kingsize. Should I be more patient? it doesn’t seem right to me, will it wear in?
Thanks Michelle.
Hi Michelle. The Shelley mattress is sold as ‘Outstanding value for money’. The upholstery is described as ‘soft fibre fillings’ and the spring support is 1000 pocket springs. For £549 (Superking) this is cheap – particularly when you look at the retail source and I am actually surprised that F&B has gone down this bargain basement route. Price without substance!
What seems so wrong here is that Feather and Black did not point out to you that this is a very basic pocket sprung mattress. Your belief that it is ‘Natural’ raises my eyebrows as even without a hint of what the actual specifications could be, leads me to believe that it is just minimal polyester, how you assumed it is natural would be interesting. The lack of information to the point that it does not even tell you whether it is one sided or two sided should of indicated to you something is not right.
Secondly, even though this is a cheap mattress, it really does not mean that it would of been suitable for everyone. You do not mention your bodyweights, but the sales assistant should have taken this into account when speaking to you.
This has certainly not come up to your expectations. And I think this is down to the lack of advice and information you were given in-store (I assume it was in-store). I would like to think that F&B have the decency to accept that some shortcomings have taken place and make adequate recompense. If they do not accept return, your only option is to make what you have a bit more suitable by adding a mattress enhancer / topper to give you a bit more comfort.
As a comparison and to show you what your money should have been getting you, I would like you to look at our Origins Pocket 1500 (Price: £515. Superking). Please let us know how this pans out for you. John and Ryan.
I’m so excited I found your site!! So Informative and easy to use and read- I look forward to ordering from you! Thank you SO much for putting all this unbiased info ‘out there’ for us.
Hi guys
first of all – a great web site and a mine of useful information. I do have some questions though.
1. We have an old bed and have replaced the mattress several times. The divan base (with storage drawers) seems fine and we also added a large sheet of 18mm ply onto the top to firm it up after a particular lower back pain episode. Would this be ok as the base for one of your mattresses?
2. I often have lower back problems. I weigh about 12.5 stone and my wife about 8.5 stone what mattress do you recommend?
3. We also have an asthmatic family and were wondering how hypoallergenic your mattresses are and if they are recommended by any of the allergy organisations.
Many thanks.
P.
Hi Pri. The 18mm ply although excessive should be fine. I would however add some sort of blanket or softer wadding just to stop any splinters and so forth catching the material on the mattress.
Obviously, my recommendations can only be based on a particular budget and then I will be able to draw your attention to any pros and cons based on that choice. Initially, I always point people towards our Artisan Naturals. Even though this is relatively expensive, it represents what we have found to be the best built mattress you can buy for this particular price range. Your wife’s weight at 8.5st is on the lower end of the spectrum (I think she needs to eat more cake) and therefore a soft (1.3mm) spring with adequate comfort layers will be the one. You however, are entirely an average bodyweight and a medium tension spring (1.4mm) would normally be my recco. But, taking into account your back trouble I would suggest you both go one step further and opt for a dual tension med (for your wife) and Firm (1.5mm) spring for you.
As for Hypo allergenic – most people know what their triggers are. Usually, Asthma associated with mattresses is due to poor care and maintenance [of the mattress] . All UK mattress components come from a handful of specialist suppliers and I personally have never seen any reason to worry unduly. Polyester fibres are naturally hypo allergenic and it annoys me somewhat when this is added to a mattress specification as something that is better than a comparable product. Natural fibres / products on the other hand – latex / wool / hair etc, may have allergy triggers for some people but they themselves will know about this and be buying accordingly.
I must admit I am not an authority on allergy advice and I am sure there are better informed people out there who will be able to advise better than me. I am interested though and would welcome any feedback or comment on this particular subject. Hope this helps and glad you find the site interesting. John and Ryan.
Hi John & Ryan,
I have just found your site and have been reading various articals and comments with interest as we are looking to buy 2 beds in the near future.
I have seen mentioned how important it is to know the Grams per Square Metre value for the various fillings used to make a bed. Should this not be Grams per Cubic Metre? A square metre of a filling that is 100mm thick will have a higher GSM value than if the same filling is 75mm thick?
You need to know the weight of the filling for a given volume (i.e. cubic metre), the weight for a given area (i.e. square metre) is meaningless unless you know the thickness.
Regards,
S I will call in the next day or two regarding our requirements?
Martin Jackman
Hi Martin. It is Grams per Square Metre. For each layer of material whether this be horsehair, wool, silk etc. The depths / loft being different on all components means that it is an accurate way of seeing how much is being used by weight in a given area. The thickness of the material is irrelevant.
If we take wool as an example: 1000gsm Bonded wool and cotton is about one inch thick and yet 1000gsm Blended wool and cotton can be up to three inches thick. But the same weight is there regardless. I’m looking forward to chatting with you.
Having said that ( and aside from seeing how much a combined filling weight is used in any particular mattress ), it should initially be used as a ‘like for like’ measurement: Take a mattress using polyester as the ONLY or MAIN filling – If the description on every polyester based mattress had the actual weight included, you would soon see with relative ease which mattress had the most filling for the money being asked. Give me a call when you’re ready. John and Ryan.
Hi John,
I am very impressed with everything you have to say and your attitude to selling beds. However, what I have not been able to find on your website is anything about how you obtain the beds you supply. Do you have your own factory or are you using one or more of the well known manufacturers. Also are your beds made in this country or are they like so much of what we buy made in China?
Regards. Roger
Hi Roger. Fair questions. Quite simply, over the years we have found a number of manufacturers that we trust enough and who have the capability to make our mattresses precisely to our specification. They are all manufactured in Yorkshire and NO, they are certainly not Chinese imports. Our dream is to have our own factory but that wont be for a few years yet. John and Ryan.
Hi John, we have to replace a flood damaged bed which is gutting as we spent months choosing it originally and it was our pride and joy.
The bed was a Dr Luxury sold by Dreams in 2003. We know it was a Harrison mattress and had 1400 pocket springs, regular firmness and a natural latex layer. It also had a hot and cold side but I never really found much difference between them. The base was sprung with storage.
My wife is 9 stone and I am 10.5 stone. We like a comfort mattress but also want support. We also want minimum transmission as apparently I toss and turn a lot! We have tried several beds and the Harrison Neptune 3000 with medium firmness at 1150 with drawers seems to fit the bit so far but we are also looking at the Hypnos range.
I would appreciate your advice and comments and have found your site extremely instructive, thanks.
Hi Martin, are you sure you don’t mean The Neptune by Millbrook [Planets Collection]? The closest match [by budget] for Harrisons seems to be The Appleton 3000.
Personally, I am going to steer you towards our Artisan Naturals [Med tension springs for your bodyweights and preference]. If Harrisons or Millbrook can tell you the fillings contained in their mattresses are better than ours then I would be quite surprised.
Taking The Harrisons Appleton as an example, they are telling you that the mattress ‘CONTAINS’ wool blend, cotton blend and Hempure. You really need to how much. It could be 1 gram of each and the rest made up of puppy dog tails and you would have no reason for recourse because they are telling you the truth – obviously missing out some parts.
Phone Harrison Customer Services on 0113 205 5214 and ask them for the [precise] breakdown of fillings. Is the wool blended with hair from barber shops floor? Is the cotton blended with grass? As absurd as it seems this is precisely what many descriptions from many manufacturers are alluding to?
If a manufacturer has such scant disregard for their customers and not being upfront about the specific component parts of a particular mattress then obviously you should draw your own conclusions as to why not!
The Millbrook Neptune 3000 as a comparison, ‘UTILISES’ layers of silk, wool & cashmere for extra comfort , Contains lambswool. same story as above. You should be questioning manufacturers to within an inch of their lives – Phone Millbrook on 0845 373 1111.
Once you know who is giving you the most / best fillings, then take the spring systems to task. We think ours [sewn calico encased] is the best you can get – in line with Savoir Beds and Vi Spring. Only someone ignorant of manufacture and construction would disagree. Each manufacturer rely on the differences of spring manufacture as the difference between them – Harrisons use / promotes Revolution and Posturefil technology/ Millbrook promotes their NoRol technology, and as way of balance we use old fashioned traditional sewn Calico pockets with a choice of tensions – the same as it was a hundred years ago.
Hope this helps Martin. It would be interesting to hear how your choice and enquiries progress. John and Ryan.
Hi John & Ryan
As with lots of other people, I wish I’d found you before I purchased my bed. We bought a Superking Savoy firm from Bensons in December. On the first night, I sunk so far into it that it felt like someone else had been sleeping in it and created a huge dip. I persevered but to no avail, we even tried it the other way over without the pillowtop, but it was the same. We decided that the mattress was faulty, but have not really got anywhere with Bensons who say it is a comfort issue. I just want a bed that will support me so I can lie flat. I’m 10.5 stone and my husband is 12.5 stone. I am totally at the end of my tether, as 3 months of tossing and turning into a crevice have clouded my thoughts somewhat. Our budget is now limited, please recommend us a bed. Preferably a zip & link superking. Kind regards, Sarah.
Hi Sarah, So sorry to hear of your troubles. What is annoying and equally frustrating is that we feel we are being tarred in some way with the same brush. Underhand and deceitful sales practices carried out by so called ‘bed specialists’ whom you would expect to have a modicum of pride in the products they sell. I’m sorry to say that the following will sound completely negative but your bad experience may help others not make the same mistake.
To partially understand what has happened in your case we have to look at what you have bought and bear in mind the price you paid: Relevant parts in bold.
[Official Description]
Savoy Super King Mattress. This mattress is made from the very finest quality “Belgian Damask” making it beautifully tactile to touch but also extremely durable. With 2200 pocketed springs, you will be assured it will contour your individual body shape for optimum comfort and support.
Included is a pillow top with luxury layers of natural cotton, lambs wool, cashmere and silk.
The hand crafted mattress has additional support on the edge where the first 2 rows of springs at the sides of mattresses are slightly firmer gauge, in addition there is 3 rows of side stitching giving improved edge support.
Our pricing notes for this model :
DEC: NOT LISTED
JAN: (22nd): WAS: £2599. [SALE PRICE] £1299.
FEB: [SALE PRICE] £1299. [EX 20% OFF] £1039.
[Notes] This WAS price of £2599 is/was utterly ridiculous (it is no longer shown on site) All Bensons products seem to show an absurd and incomprehensible pricing structure. For example The Kingsize version of this model in December (11th) had a WAS price of £1999. Sale Price of £999. In January (22nd) Same. February (9th) The WAS price had been changed to £1615. Sale Price: £999. Now: £849. Be wary.
The first thing that stands out is the Pillowtop Design [Read here for more details] Their product description should have rung alarm bells at the start with the careful phrasing of the words – a pillow top with luxury layers of natural cotton, lambs wool, cashmere and silk No mention is made of the structure of the main part of the mattress (except the spring count and fabric) and all emphasis is about the pillowtop.
You can see the depth of the pillow top which should have given you an idea of how much wadding could posibly be contained. So the most important question you should have asked the salesman is ‘how much of each of these four natural components is included in the pillowtop?’ They all sound luxurious [which they are] but are the quantities included of any viable use?
Component weight [GSM = Grams per Square Meter] is the key factor that should determine whether you buy a particular mattress or not. This is the most important aspect of purchase and yet it is the DETAIL that you will [more often than not] never be given – UNLESS you ask. How can you posibly compare like for like or pound for pound if you do not have any means of comparison?
In this case Cotton, Wool, Cashmere and Silk could be one pad with all four ingredients blended together. Or, two pads – one being cotton and wool, other being Cashmere and silk. It is so unlikely that they will be four different layers of each.
What’s happening under the pillowtop? Nothing of any benefit. At best there will be a polyester pad on top of the spring unit (2200 pockets) – at worst, a vile recycled polypad as insulator – so all you have is a one sided 2200 pocket sprung mattress with polyester wadding. The foundation of many a cheap mattress.
But does it matter how it is compiled? Absolutely!
You have paid over a grand for a basic one sided 2200 pocket sprung mattress with a ‘topper’ of dubious quality. No mention of main body construction, machine side stitched etc, If you had of been told all the detail at time of purchase, or even had these questions brought to mind, would you have purchased? Probably not, hence the reason why the significant details were so blatantly absent.
The basic questions you should have asked at purchase are:
1. What is the breakdown of the components used in the pillowtop?
2. What is the GSM of Wool and Cotton? Cashmere and Silk?
3. What is the foundation of the main mattress?
However, you will also have to know what a good / acceptable answer will be (unfortunately, the hardest part). I am guessing that the wool and cotton layer is 1200GSM and the combined Cashmere and Silk is 600GSM. Making a total of 1800GSM. Anything less than that for the price you paid is scandelous. If you consider that the total GSM on our Artisan Naturals is 3700 GSM for a similar price [in addition to the best spring unit you could posibly get] it kind of puts your purchase into perspective.
So what can you do. Firstly, I do not believe for one moment that this is a comfort issue. I believe that this is a poorly constructed mattress and sold at an inflated price. However, neither of these are illegal. I personally would claim against mis-representation. the description clearly states med/firm. You, at a bodyweight of 10.5 stone should not be sinking into the mattress to such an extent to be causing you such discomfort. You were two grades up from [their rating] of Soft and Medium. However, this is entirely subjective [Read more here] Either, the mattress is faulty or the comfort rating given was wrong – Which is it?
I would also press for the component breakdown of the pillowtop. The description states ‘LAYERS’ if this is ONE blended pad then it has been mis described. I must admit this seems unlikely though, but worth pursuing just for your peace of mind.
Measure the depth of any indentation by stringing. Weighted (each end) string draped across the entire mattress so you can measure the depth of a permanent indent. This is accepted as an accurate measurement.
As an intermediate solution for you, try adding your own comfort layers to bolster what was missing in the first place. A topper seems to be the most logical step and a good feather and down one (compressed by a mattress protector) should help. Keep in touch and let us know what happens. John and Ryan.
Thanks for your reply to my last message about the silentnight miracoil 7. I an really considering an Origin 2000 but would first like to know just how firm it is. Is it medium-firm or firm (as i previoulsy stated i need an equivalent bensons firmness rating of 4). Weight is 13 stone Thanks again.
Hi Geoff. There is no set standard of firmness levels. Bensons rating of 4 does not mean anything to anyone outside of Bensons. As means of example – would someone of say 18 stone find that particular mattress the same firmness level as you at 13 stone? no, of course they wouldn’t.
We gauge our firmness levels based on the weight being applied. It’s not a foolproof system but we think it’s the most logical way of showing you which mattress is suitable for your bodyweight and those that are not. It also has to be gauged to the comfort layers used as well. Springs provide support – upholstery provides comfort. And this should be taken into account as a whole to gauge an overall firmness tension. For example, a very firm spring unit coupled with very soft upholstery will mean that you will plummet (I’m exaggerating) through the upholstery and balance like a board on the spring unit. Upholstery has to have an element of support as well, otherwise the compression of a soft filling will not recover and you end up with an unrecoverable indent.
This is not an easy thing to get right, but once you know how spring tensions and various upholstery components work together, you will get to a happy medium. John and Ryan.
Hello,
After trying many mattresses, I’ve concluded that one of the preferred options is the Macmillan 1600 pocket sprung from Dreams.
Clearly it’s one that they’ve branded as their own from a different type as I can’t find anything other than Dreams-related about the mattress. From what I can see it’s a 1600 pocket spring dual sided mattress. Do you have any thoughts on what other makes may align to this mattress?
Many thanks. GOAS
Hi GOAS. The Macmillan is currently £899 [KS] I would say that our Artisan Naturals at £895 is a considerably better buy. Even the quality of our spring unit alone should be enough to convince you of this [ours being hand formed calico encased] Everything else is a bonus.
As a sidenote, Dreams tells you that the Macmillan KS has a RRP of £1149. ??
Where on earth this figure came from and how it can be justified to this particular mattress I do not know and I would hazzard a guess that no-one in Dreams will be able to warrant it either. Read this post on Sale Prices and RRPs.
In order for you to do a direct comparison between ours and The Macmillan you really do need to know the answers to the following two questions:
1. Is it Hand Side Stitched?
2. What are the fillings breakdown by component and weight?
We take it for granted that the spring unit will be a mass produced unit and certainly not hand formed / calico encased. We also list our component parts in great detail – you are welcome to print these off and ask the salesman at Dreams if they have a comparable model – assuming they actually understand what it is you are showing them. Please feel free to give us a call if you want to take this further. John and Ryan.
Hi,
I was going to buy a silentnight miracoil 7 Neptune (king) when i came across your site.
http://www.silentnight.co.uk/products/mattresses/miracoil7-pocket
Although single sided it is just as deep as double sided matresses – does this indicate more padding on the used side? I can get this for around £450. After reading your material i wonder how your Origins Pocket 2000 compares with it?
Weight wise we are 82-85Kg. In bensons I prefer a firmness rating of 4, my partner doesn’t have problems with even firmer. I do not like memory foam. thanks.
Hi Geoff. I think you know of our disdain towards Silentnight. For a similar amount you can get our Origins 1500 or 2000. Full two sided mattresses.
The Neptune is described as:
Built with two indulgent layers of springs – 750 Miracoil springs, for perfect body support in all the areas it’s most needed, topped off with 1350 individual mini-pocket-springs for luxurious comfort. The mini springs are nestled in fabric pockets, and give you gentle resilience for healthy movement.
No mention is made of any kind of weights of filling but for this price I should hazzard a well informed guess that polyester would be the main component. This being the case makes our Origins a far better buy. Give us a call and we can take it further. John and Ryan.
Hi there.
I found your website after looking at a mattress on the Duvet and Pillow warehouse site (from which I have some nice pillows). They are now selling mattresses made by hypnos. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on them?
Having looked at their specs and your website, it seems like there could be more details. I can’t even work out if the mattresses are ‘pocket sprung’. They say open sprung, but I’m not sure if that is the opposite!?
Anyhow. I’m about 13 stone and 6 foot, my partner is similar (but lighter!). We like fairly firm mattresses and we’re willing to spend around £800. Also, I tend to get too hot during the night, which affects my sleep. Can you make a recommendation from your range?
Thanks. Fergus.
Hi Fergus. Unfortunately, as with a lot of sites, there is precious little information on what is contained inside the mattress. Being Hypnos though, it will be relatively easy to source a few models of a similar retail price and see what the differences if any, are.
I would say have a look at our Artisan Naturals which comes within your budget. John and Ryan.
Hi,
we are about to buy your origin 2000 king size mattress and I would like to check if we’re doing the right choice.
We are 8 and 10.5 stones, so reading the description we should take the 1500 springs. But we like very firm support. We used to sleep on a futon and a tatami but it now hurts my back. We have recently bought a tempur deluxe 22cm, which was advertised as firm but we found it much too soft and had the feeling to sink into it.
What would you advise us?
Thanks a lot!
San
Hi San. Normally for your bodyweights Ryan and I would have recommended The Origins Reflex 1000 or indeed The Comfort. However, as your preference is for ‘much’ firmer support The Origins 1500 or even The Origins 2000 will give you the support level you require. If your budget can stretch a little bit further I would wholeheartedly say that The Sequence Suspension would be your ideal mattress. The optimum support is there as well as the cushioning comfort layers without being so soft you sink into it.
If you require any further information please feel free to give Ryan or myself a call. John and Ryan.
Hello again,
The bed my daugher wants in a king size sealy ‘grand pillow’. The bed was redelivered on Friday but even though the manager came out to assess the situation, it still would not go up around the corner of the stairs.The delivery men said that they would be able to get the matress up the stairs so it is just the base that is the problem. it is split sideways not lenghtways. It is the depth which is causing difficulties. The manager of the shop came out to her house last night with a double divan base and it JUST went up ( around the corner of the stairs) with the drawers taken out,so at least we know that this is an option. your idea of the platform base is an interesting one so may persue this idea. Hopefully it will be third time lucky! thanks for your earlier reply. Sue
Hi Sue. Glad to be of help. If a double base just got into the room then I think the only solution is the platform on legs option. Obviously it will mean that it cannot accommodate draws but at least you get to use the headboard.
Try to knock up a KS dummy base made from cardboard – Blue Peter Style – 3’3 x 5’0 x 8″ – to see if this goes into the room. John and Ryan.
HELLO Ryan and John I have been looking at beds and came across your website!
we need HELP!
My daugher has just bought her first home and ordered a king size sealy grand pillow divan. It was delivered only to find that it would not go up the stairs to her attic bedroom! The manager of the shop came out and looked at the problem but thought it would go up the stairs so It was delivered again but it would not go up the stairs.
I have bought her a king size deep buttoned headboard from laura ashley as a house warming present to go with the bed but this is useless at the moment.
We were told that the only solutions would be to either buy a relyon quarter base, a double bed OR a frame base that can be assembled in the bedroom. My daughter would really like a king size bed so that she can use the lovely headboard.
Can you give us any help with a relyon quarter base? We were told that they are very expensive but cannot find out what that means! if you could help with any suggestions we would appreciate it.
Thanks in advance Sue
Hi Sue. Sorry to hear of your predicament.
Am I right in thinking that neither the base OR the mattress would not go into the room? If you could let me know what the actual difficulty was in accessing the room then I can advise further. Please also let me know what type of base was being delivered – Two halves, split side to side OR two halves split top to bottom. Was the depth of the base the problem (14″) otherwise it may be a consideration to have a platform base [6 or 8 inches high] on legs .
In the meantime, I am not entirely sure what your man means by a quarter base! I believe this is an option whereby the entire base is segmented into four sections and linked together (sounds vile). John and Ryan.
Hi both
Impressed with your website and business ethos.
Advice appreciated.
Am currently converting a small farm building into a holiday cottage in Northumbria. We hope to let out and use ourselves. We have a 14 yr old son who is cuttently 6ft 3ins so are looking for a long singleor 3/4 bed for the room upstairs in the eaves which will also house another single bed. I noted in one comment that you can reduce the height which is a good option. I’m looking for a reasonably priced ? 7ft long bed for my son (and any other tall people) used on a temp/holiday purpose. We use a Vi spring bedstead mattress (bought in a sale!) which is wonderful and would like similar quality mattresses. Thanks,
Hi Marie. Why can’t all questions be this simple to answer?
Absolutely. We can supply exactly what you want without a shadow of a doubt. Have a look at The Artisan Bespoke or The Artisan Naturals both of which utilise calico pockets which being hand formed can be made to an exact size. The base height can also be made to measure . Pricewise they should not be costing more than 10% on a three quarter for the extra length.
Please give Ryan a call and he will be able to go through all the options as well as being able to get more info on your precise requirements. Many thanks. John.
Dear John and Ryan,
Excellent website. We are buying a King size mattress for our Feather and Black Bed. We have looked at Feather and Black’s mattresses and love the feel of them. We are looking at the Fitzgerald which is retailing for around £1955. It has a spring count of 5000 which seems higher than most others on the market. I would like to compare like with like though. I don’t like buying something without comparing it to other similar mattresses. We want a natural fibre bed which will last well and does not over heat, and therefore I’m writing to ask your advice.
David and Kim.
Hi Dave and Kim. This is a Harrisons mattress. Your only means of any kind of direct comparison will be a Harrison Spinks outlet or John Lewis. I think the model name Fitzgerald is for Feather and Black, but look at the components and a bit of investigative work will produce the same / similar model from other retailers of the same model – different name.
To look for like for like’ with all Harrison’s matts is not really that posible. Their Revolution [spring in spring]springs are unique to them, as is the use of Hempure. Their main competitor is of course Vi-Spring and so general quality comparisons can be made there.
Harrisons obsession with high spring counts are somwhat annoying. I personally would be looking for total gsm/m3 of natural upholstery rather than metal. Upholstery weights for this price range should be in excess of 3000gsm.
As for overheating, no worry with natural fibres. Complaints about overheating on naturals can usually be put down to menopause or consumers own tolerance to night sweats.
As a starting point, I would ask you to consider our Artisan Naturals. About 95% natural but the use of man mades is in areas where the impact on you is negligible. let us know how you get on. John and Ryan.
Hi
im looking to buy the Harrison Spinks Super King Bed Express Platinum Collection Mattress 3000, ive found it on the web at £845 but cabnt find a base for it. ive an “and so to bed frame” and it needs a base (i used to have a really luxury mattress and base for it but left that with the ex as you do!!!) and im now looking to reassemble the bed (if i can sort out what screws i need to buy as ive lost em) and really want a super luxury mattress. this one looks like a good feel. can you help???
Leigh
Hi Leigh. First of all, I would contact ASTB to see if they can help re-assemble your base. As regards the mattress, Im afraid I’m not too familiar with the actual fibre content and fibre gsm of this particular vac packed model. If I were you, I would compare it to a similarly priced model under the John lewis label (but also manufactured by Harrisons). You would then get a truer picture of Actual Worth. Call us if you need any further help. John.
Hi John and Ryan,
First time visitor to your site and I must say I am very impressed! I wonder if you could give me some help…
I am looking to buy a new bed, I must admit I havnt got a clue about beds really, over the past few days have been trying to get my knowledge up to speed. I went into Bensons at the weekend and the salesman told me that ‘pocket sprung’ is the best type of bed to get.
The most expensive bed in the showroom was the Relyon Savoy. I must admit this did ‘feel’ like the best bed. I was interested in the king size model and this was priced at £1100 and had 2200 pocket sprungs.
Now I did a little bit of browsing online and thought I’d managed to find it cheaper, but this turned out to be the ‘Restus’ Savoy (1500 pocket sprungs) and not the one made by Relyon.
I was also slightly put off by some reviews I saw online about the Relyon mattresses losing their shape very quickly, have you heard of this from their range?
Could you tell me if the Relyon or the Restus Savoy are worth buying at this price? Is the Relyon a better bed than the Restus?
If not, could you recommend a couple from your online shop in the £600-£1000 price range?
Many thanks for your help,
Aidan
Hi Aiden. I’m afraid the question may be simple but the answer is not. The following will give you food for thought but feel free to give us a call to clarify any points.
Firstly, Pocket springs are indeed the best you can have. However, there are mass produced units and there are the ultimate calico encased springs that have to be hand formed into units by the mattress manufacturer. I am assuming at this price they will not be calico encased springs but a mass produced unit. Incidentally, the comfort and support differences between these two types of pocket springs are like chalk and cheese
Restus is a brand of Kozeesleep (Yorks) Model names mean nothing.
Relyon are a top end manufacturer with a lower range and a top range. To me £1100 sounds cheap for a mid to high end Relyon mattress [I am assuming the price is for kingsize]. You really should be looking at what exactly INSIDE makes it feel comfortable for you. By knowing what is inside will you only then be able to make informed like for like comparisons.
As for Relyon mattresses losing their shape seems to me to be a very sweeping statement. This really could mean anything from settlement to edge support and everything in between.
As for what we have? We only have two ranges:
The first which are all listed in the SHOP SECTION above, is what we have found to be the best we can have made to retail up to around £800. We believe that our content specifications are amongst the highest in the industry for a like for like price.
Our second range is for budgets over £800 and consists of ‘absolute’ high end mattresses that we have manufactured to our customer’s requirements and exact specification. This will be as close to a “bespoke mattress” as you can get. We usually work on a ball park figure of approxiomately half the price of an equivalent model from any manufacturer. Even Relyon!
Hope this helps you Aidan. Please feel free to call us direct to discuss any requirements or to clarify the above. John.
Hi John and Ryan, this is a great site! so much information in normal langauge!!!
I have an offer for a relyon 2200 “limited edition with divan…it is call Savoy Super King Size Divan Bed Set with 2 Drawer Base, original price was 2999 then sale price for 1499 and now 950 with delivery. I just wanted information if this would be a good deal… then I found your site and feel like it is most probably not a good deal… I would appreciate your advice.
All the best for your business!
eli
Hi Eli, do you honestly think that this was ever ‘worth’ £3000 as an original sale price? For that kind of money you can get a Vi-Spring high end. Even at £950 for a pillow top mattress seems excessively overpriced for what’s inside – and bear in mind that it does not tell you exactly what is inside! Sounds good – Included is a pillow top with luxury layers of natural cotton, lambs wool, cashmere and silk.but in reality I would eat my hat if they were of any worth.
To give you an idea of what your £950 can get you take a look at our Artisan Naturals 1200 - 3200gsm of wadding [per square meter] is a massive amount [even Milbrook's Jupiter only has 1735gsm - or thereabouts] – our spring count of [approx] 1400 becomes insignificant for the fact that they are premium calico pockets – not polypropylene and our mattress is a full 2 sided model.
If you need any more information give Ryan a call on the number at top of page and he will be able to help you further. John.
Hi John,
I live within the M25 in Kent, I guess that you don’t deliver here, can you reccommend a shop/website? Would love to buy a bed & matress from you. Need a double for 22 yr old son, any suggestions?
Regards Dawn.
Hi Dawn. I will be able to deliver to you. Have a look at Delivery page or give me a call. John
We are interested in a Superking Zip and link.
Is it possible to have one side firmer than the other.
I,e one firm and the other medium firm, preferably pocket sprung.
Thanks for your help
Hi Robert, I have a post about this very situation Read Here. Please feel free to mail me if you want to discuss it further. John