As I can get this for £665 online I just wondered how it compared with your offering and generally what you know of Sealy as a company and their quality.
Thanks.

Hi again Jon. As you have probably read throughout this site, unless you are looking at premium manufacturers such as Savoir Beds, Marshall and Stewart, Hastens, Vi-Spring etc, it is practically pointless even to consider buying a mattress based on brand alone. You should be comparing like for like on component quantity, quality, build and detailing. The industry has radically changed beyond recognition over the past ten years or so. Many manufacturers that were deemed ‘premium’ back then have now been sold on, and on again and the majority are under the ownership of investment companies who only look at the bottom line and (I believe) the passion that the original owners had has all but gone.

Please keep asking your questions. Even though my responses are simplistic, they do form the basis of how you should be shopping for your product. I do not want any of our readers to just take our word for anything at face value, you and others should be using what we say to question other retailers and manufacturers about ‘their’ products. We believe the products we have on our site are well built and well priced – use these as starter indications and see if you can find better. If not, then come back to us. John and Ryan.

I’ve seen some fairly negative reviews on Sealy mattresses but all from American customers, and none on this particular mattress. The marketing I see and hear on Sealy though is fantastic! I’ve tried it out in store several times and it feels lovely to lay on. Apparently a £2000 RRP, down to £800 instore and about £665 cheapest online.
How does it compare with your pocket sprung/latex combo mattresses?
Thanks.

Hi Jon. The Enchantment [I believe] is memory Foam and The Katerina is latex. So in answer to your question they are certainly not the same. Assuming you are looking at The Katerina, I would question how ‘thick’ the thick layer of Innergetic latex foam actually is.

Our Origins Latex models are fully detailed. If manufacturers are not telling you what’s inside their products then all you have to do is ask them. How you can consider making a substantial purchase based on ‘fantastic marketing’ without questioning the retailers to within an inch of their life really is beyond me. You are not expected to know what ‘weight Responsive Zoned Springs’ are. I dont know what they are. I would ask them for a full detailed description of the pros and cons in order to make an informed comparison to see whether they are substantially better than any other form of spring support. But because of the lack of adequate explanation, you are in a very poor bargaining position. Hope this helps. John and Ryan.

Hi again Keith. Glad to be of help. As a further little sidenote, bear in mind that pocket springs have a general height of 6″. In order to get a 10″ mattress means that there will only be 2″ of upholstery either side. If you are looking at a one sided mattress then don’t assume that there will be four inches of upholstery on the sleeping side …. !
The two important questions you should know at the very least is the height of the springs (they could be bigger than 6″) and the depth of the upholstery assuming that this will not be on any specification. Let me know what yougo for and feel free to post any further questions. John and Ryan.

Hi Keith. Why would you want to know about the manufacturer? There are more than over a hundred or so different manufacturers out there – some good, some not so good. I don’t think you have the time to investigate every single one in order to find out who is good at what they do. What you should be doing is seeing what mattress has the best fillings and components for the money you are willing to pay. It’s as easy as that.

The Leonardo for example is similar to our Origiins Reflex 1000. There are differences, insomuch as ours is a full double sided mattress, and as we detail all our fillings it is up to you to decide who is offering more mattress for your money. Hope this helps and feel free to call if you require any further info. John and Ryan.

I have just purchased the mattress detailed below for £720 from Homebase but i’m not sure if it is of any good quality. I can still cancel my order and i’m quite tempted to do so as i have seen contradicting reviews about memory foams. I have never used one so i’m unsure. I weight about 54kg and my husband about 85kg.

I’m mainly worried about sinking in the mattress and rolling onto each other after some time.

Any thoughts? Or alternatives? And who are Posturewise? i cant find any details about them!

Thanks

Posturewise Memory Impression 180 King Size Mattress
The Posturewise King Size Mattress contours to your body to reduce pressure points for a restful nights sleep.
Dimensions of mattress in cm: (H)150, (W)20, (L)18.
Features: Anti-allergy.
Material: High density visco elastic memory foam with a mircorquilted cover.
Effects and finish: Ivory.
Additional information: Turn mattress regularly.

Hi Tan. Posturewise is a brand used by Argos and Homebase (sister companies). We are not aware who actually produces these. Flaws in the description begs the questions as to the actual quantity of memory foam used – could be one inch – could be three inches – Who Knows? The additional information of “turn mattress regularly” is a nonsense as memory foam mattresses are not usually turnable. perhaps this model is two sided! Doubtful though. Neither does it give any indication of the number of pocket springs used (if any) the description is so vague we wonder how you actually come to the decision to purchase.

For this budget I would say that our Origins Pocket latex at £660. is a far better mattress for the money than this particular model. Hope this helps. John and Ryan.

Hi Martin. It would help if you provided the specifications you have on each of these models. In order to draw adequate comparisons you really do need to know what you are spending your money on. If you provide the details we will be happy to go through each of them one by one. John and Ryan.

I would appreciate any advice.
Many thanks. Wan.

Hi Wan. When your budget is in this region you do not have much of a choice. The closest we have as a direct comparison is our Origins Pocket Reflex. This is a full two sided mattress and with an educated guess contains far more filling than the Laura Ashley Queensbury. To be certain all you need to do is phone them direct on 0871 983 5999 and ask them what exactly is in their mattress.

Your bed slats at 4″ are a bit too wide but as your mattress budget is on the low side I would spend the base budget on your mattress and replace your base at a later date when funds are a bit more available. You can unscrew your current slats and move them closer together – replace the missing ones with timber from your DIY store. Hope this helps. John and Ryan.

Hi Alex. Thanks for this. Another major difference is that the two Staples models you mention above has 2 rows of HSS rather than machine stitched as on the JL Refresh. And, as you pointed out – full two sided for less! The one thing which we are unsure about are the weights of fillings used in any of them. John and Ryan.

Hi James. Good question. The Sleepright Icon range is indeed by Breasley – The reason you cannot find it online is that it is a version of Breasley’s Salus range which is not on the internet, The Salus range is for shop floor only. The differences between the Salus / Icon and Flexcell 1200 is that The Flexcell 1200 is foam based i.e 12cm of Reflex Foam and 8cm of Memory Foam. The Icon will be foam encapsulated pocket springs with a layer of memory foam on top [can't remember the actual depth off the top of my head - but the retrailer should have this info to hand] The closest Flexcell model to The icon will be the Flexcell Pocket 1600 – intrinsically the same build except for the fabric being a lot less ‘plush’. The Icon 1200 leads me to believe the spring count in that particular model is 1200 so in comparison to the equivalent Salus is short of 3-400 pocket springs. i would actually compare the Icon to a Salus branded model if you can find a local retailer that is.

Finally, as a shameless plug, we do a foam encapsulated 1500 mattress but using 6cm latex as the comfort layer [we do not do memory foam] this is topped with a 5oogsm wool/silk blend pad as the primary layer. [£595 Double] On site by mid Jan with full details and images. keep in touch. John and Ryan.

We would like to purchase a Super King Exeter Divan set but am concerned that the quality is not the same as the models which Vi Spring sells through all other distributors. I am in the USA and would like to purchase this bed for export as the Vi Spring prices in the UK are substantially less than here.

Many thanks and great website!
Chris

Hi Chris. I’m sorry but I cannot answer this with any degree of certainty. Aside, it also begs the question as to what you mean by lower quality. If the specifications are the same then it stands to reason that the end product will be the same. However, .. and this applies to more companies than Vi-Spring, if a component is described as wool and Silk for example, then you as a customer should know exactly what that means.

Why is it that John Lewis sell similar/same Vi-Spring products under The JL label anyway? Vi-Spring have a more than adequate product offering. Is it because JL can retail a premium product cheaper than the manufacturer can? Are Vi-Spring products overpriced in ithe distributors? And, as the very nature of your question prompts .. Are Vi Spring beds made for John Lewis of any lower quality than those sold through other distributors? Who knows?
Excellent question Chris. Sorry there is no definitive answer. John and Ryan.

Hi Jit. The Kensington was added to the Dreams range st the end of December. At £1899 for the kingsize mattress it does seem to be overpriced as the [posibly] equivalent Staples mattress can be found online for about £500 less.

For this price range we would certainly put our Artisan Bespoke up for comparison – please feel free to print off our specification and ask Dreams or whoever, what mattress they have that can be classed as similar using the component weights as the measure. Alternatively, look at other retailers who have a genuine commitment to product knowledge and customer service such as John Lewis / Feather and Black etc. A budget of £2000 is considered quite high end and so once you start comparing natural fibres against each other your choice dramatically decreases making it easir for you to see where your money is going. keep in touch and let us know what you decide upon. John and Ryan.

I am 8 stone, and I have been looking at the somnus kingsize countess, mattress springs 6000 and base springs 550 (http://www.somnus.co.uk/bed-collection/specifications.html). I would be interested to know if this is fairly priced (roughly £2000 including headboard and sprung base divan) or if there are better value alternatives.

In particular, I was interested in what you’ve previously said about Harrison perimiter support, because I noticed that the mattress in shop sloped at the sides. I also wondered whether this had anything to do with the fact that their bases are split lengthways rather than across the width. The salesman told me this was actually better for minimising movement, but I thought it was odd that no other mattress-makers seem to do it for a kingsize.
Any advice would be appreciated!

Hi Debbie. Firstly, the base. It really is better to have the base split top to toe rather than side to side and each user has their own individual base (if that makes sense). This is usually done on top end sets and indeed even our Artisan Bespoke uses this method unless access is a problem. The theory being that when a base is split side to side the cross member of the base joint running throught the central parts of each half may have no suspension properties.

Finally, your bodyweight at 8st is really on the light side. Your priorities should be with comfort layers rather than spring support. Hope this helps. John and Ryan.

Hi Nicky. To do an adequate comparison we really do need the model name at the very least. Millbrook, like all other manufacturers will have a bottom of range as well as a mid and top of range. John and Ryan.

2000 count nested pocket sprung unit. Soft stretch knit ticking multiquilted surface. Non turn with memory foam layer filling. Hand stitched hopsack bordeer, handles and vents.

If u know the company is it a good quality mattress .?
My husband choose it for me but I still worry the quality (brand never seen before)
Thanks.

Hi Yvonne. The purpose of this site is to instil in everyone that you do not need to shop by brand but to shop by what your money is getting. If your budget cannot stretch to the premium brands such as Savoir Beds, Vi-Spring or Hastens etc then all you are doing is falling for marketing claptrap. Just because you have heard of Silentnight, Rest Assured, Sealy and so on, does not follow that they will be providing you with a mattress that is any better than the manufacturers you have NOT heard of.

The mattress you mention above is a 2000 pocket sprung memory foam mattress – The key point which is so obviously missing is the depth of memory foam used. Once you find this out you will then be in a position to do adequate comparisons by content and not by manufacturer. Hope this helps and please feel free to add your viewpoint. John and Ryan.

I’ve just been looking at beds, and the most comfortable ones in our local shops appear to be memory foam: Salus in one shop, Tempur in the other. Lying on them leaves me pretty confident they won’t cause back or neck pain! Then I read a little online, including Gill Williams on this page, telling us how hot they are, and I can see myself sharing Gill’s fate as I thrive in conditions much colder than most people! On the other hand, I generally sleep very well!

Can you recommend what I can look for to get the comfort of these mattresses without overheating?

Hi Nick. It really is an anomoly isn’t it. A comfortable mattress for you – but you know you are going to be hot and sweaty! And you are looking for a way to allieve the inherrant problem.

As a Devils Advocate towards Memory Foam, I would pose the same question to the manufacturers you mention above and see what their take is. John and Ryan.

For quite a good few years I’ve suffered mild back pain at night, however it was never overly uncomfortable and for a long time it was manageable. Previously I had a mild pain from time to time, however it wasn’t every night, it was only now and then. Two years ago we purchased a good quality kingsize memory foam mattress – since purchasing it my back pain has become chronic. I’m in absolute agony from around 3am onwards (after going to bed at around 11pm) and on many occasions I need to simply get out of bed at around 6/7am because the pain is too intense to lie in bed any longer.

I’ve now made the decision to get rid of the memory foam mattress (a little sickening considering how expensive it was!).

I have read the other questions & comments, and I am going to try flipping the mattress over tonight and sleep on the ‘unusable’ side.

Further to above, a little info on us; I am around 10½ stone in weight (and 27 years old), and my partner is approx 12½ stone (and 30 years old). We are both active, healthy people, who exercise regularly and generally eat very healthy. I have consulted with my GP who has found no reason for my back-pain, and therefore it can only be a symptom of the memory foam mattress.

The pain is most intense in my lower back and around the hips. I also sometimes get pain around my sides too (the sides of my waist area) – however the pain in my sides my just be related to the position I’m lying in(?). The lower back is the most severe area for pain though, and is unbearable.

I’m wondering if you could please advise me of what you feel would be the best suited mattress to myself?

I have spent hours and hours online reading reviews, reading advice on what’s best etc etc….and there is so much conflicting advice that it’s difficult to draw a conclusion. Even the feel of mattresses in shops doesn’t give me a very good overview because most mattresses feel ‘comfortable’ – however, my memory foam mattress feels comfortable for the first few hours too – so I don’t want to decide on a mattress based on initial comforts (I hope this makes sense!).

Please could you give me some advice regarding what you feel would be the best solution for me, and additionally which mattress/es you would recommend (or type/brand). I’d really appreciate some help.

Kindest Regards,
Jillian

Hi Jillian. You pose quite a conundrum for which there is no definitive answer..
My first observation is that your partner seems to sleep well. It would be interesting to see if he/she has experienced a similar lack of sleep quality since purchasing your new mattress.

Finally, as for suggesting what mattress would be suitable for you, it wil be best to leave it for a week or so to see how your sleep improves on the mattress reverse. If you do get some modicum of improvement I will know which way to go and in that case give me a call and we will take it from there. John and Ryan.

Your site provides excellent advice – thank you.

I am looking for a firm ortho kingsize mattress which will lie on an unsprung divan base – budget is around £500. I have narrowed down my search to the following:

Gainsborough Backcare Supreme 1250 pocket sprung
Millbrook Ortho Spectrum 2000 pocket sprung
Sleepeezee Platinum Ortho 1400 Firm
Sleepeezee Backcare Ultimate 2000 pocket sprung

What are your thoughts on the above and which is perceived as the best quality? I would also like the option of turning too. I currently have a John Lewis Ortho 2 but as a double, it is unfortunately proving to be too small – great quality, fairly firm mattress but wrong size.

With thanks and regards
Ferdinand Edwards

Hi Ferdinand. I’m afraid I will have to ask you to reduce your enquiry to just two models. Ryan and I answer all the comments on this site in our spare time which nowadays is getting less and less.

If you have found the John Lewis Ortho 2 satisfactory in the past, I wonder why you are not considering replacing with the same model but in a bigger size. John and Ryan.

Hi Gill. As you know Memory Foam is really heat retentive, it is your body heat that softens the foam to make it adjust to your contours. No mattress will be able to relieve your symtoms totally, although steps can be taken to minimise them such as using cotton sheets and probably a cotton blanket rather than duvet (which tends to trap air rather than circulate).
In the meantime whilst you are looking for a new mattress I would flip the mattress over and use the non sleep side with a duvet under your bottom sheet for the comfort layer. This will remove the memory foam foam discomfort and hopefully give you the assurance that it is the memory foam giving you the sleepless nights. John and Ryan.

Now I know I need to know more…probably need a new bed and a new mattress!

Anyway – some details – I am 17st and lie on my side and have started to notice that my hips ache in the morning from pressure. My other half is probably 13st…she’d say a bit less I expect!

We want a king size bed – do you have an equivilent of the Salus 1500? Do you have any other suggestions? Access isn’t an issue so no need for a zip together.

And I guess I need to get rid of the divan now too…if so, my budget needs to cover a base as well…
Cheers
Adrian

Hi Adrian, We do not sell The Salus range nor indeed any memory foam mattress. We find that the latex models we sell are far superior for an equvalent or even lesser price.

As always, please feel free to give us a call if you want to discuss this further. John and Ryan.