Looking for a new mattress and I can’t help feel that these poncy named offerings are no more than dressed up versions of the factory ones with a nice website and some expensive pictures of gorgeous gals n stubbly dudes draped across them… Anyone have any experience with a direct comparison?

I found these two for factory direct:

Sleep Double Memory Foam Mattress

https://www.efoam.co.uk/premium-memory-foam-mattress.php

The poncy numbers do tend to be about 25cm vs 20cm and each have differing sandwiches of foam… but we are talking £250 vs £600 is there really that much in it?

No clue (but I’ll carry on typing anyway :p ) I would think it’s easy to make a cheap but crap memory foam mattress though (even though basic specs. would look similar to a well-made & expensive one). That said could also be like you infer a case of cheap generic product + good marketing = premium product.

If you can try the cheap option with the option to return it if you didn’t get on with it then I’d do that, otherwise I’d probably not risk it myself (£250 is a lot to spend on something that might end unusable), even more so if you’ve not currently got a memory foam mattress – they’re very different IME to sprung mattresses.

Our Emma mattress was way too soft and gave both of us leg cramps.
They refunded us even before they had collected the mattress.
So nothing to lose.
In the end we went to a proper bed shop and bought a proper mattress.

As above, go with the one with the best return policy.

Our Eve went back after two weeks … just too austere.

Ended up with a newer version of the old mattress… makes sense when you think about it

Good Luck

Ikea Hovag, 200 quid, great buy.

I think I’d want one from a shop where you can try it. Even with a good returns policy it’s still a a major faff. Also do people actually like memory foam? I really don’t. Sorry, none of that is probably very helpful 🙂

No idea if they are the same, but I went for the Leesa (probably the same thing in a different package) because they had a great return policy.

I came from a crappy mattress, so to me it felt amazing in comparison. I slept really well on that bed.

It’s annoyingly now on the bed in our guest room, which is on the 3rd floor, so a total pain in the arse to swap with the not as comfy (but more expensive!) mattress on our bed.

For an extra kick in the nuts, literally everyone who’s slept on it, raves about how comfy it is.

I have an Eve King and paid about the same as your Factory Direct through a boxing day offer.

I’d pay full whack a year later – been really good, sorted some back issues and still as good as the day it was unwrapped.

Memory foam mattresses are overdamped, too much rebound so they pack down in vital situations

I think I’d want one from a shop where you can try it.

Although memory foam matresses will be softer in most shops as the temperature is higher than normal for a bedroom. We tried our Simba in John Lewis before buying one.

Memory foam mattresses are overdamped, too much rebound so they pack down in vital situations

I lold

We’ve got a Sealy something or other that has normal springs & shiz but a layer of memory foam on the top – can’t remember how thick the layer is but it’s darn comfy

Another thing to remember about memory foam is that it doesn’t breathe as well as a normal mattress – mmm, clammy…

Got an Eve here and it was the second memory foam mattress I’ve had – very pleased with it and would recommend it – 3years down the line.

Have a look at https://johnryanbydesign.co.uk mattresses, got one after much research online and in shops, we love ours, great reviews and do a 60 day free return guarantee. Cheers

I went with a simba hybrid. It replaced a coil mattress with memory foam. The first night was the longest sleep I have had in years. It felt really soft but the further down the firmer it felt. A bit like a pair of plush forks

+1 whatnobeer said.

Whole lotta love for the hipster mattresses then, surprising.

Maybe I’m just being cynical but it reeks of an exercise in marketing to me.

Have slept on a couple of memory foam mattresses (Eve & Ikea) and they did feel good on my back that can give us gyp from time to time. So defo looking for a pure foam mattress.

Very happy with our Emma mattress, they do some good deals and have a Which accolade.

I think I’d want one from a shop where you can try it.

Not sure that bouncing on a mattress in a shop for 5 minutes can really compare with using one for 3 months!
We had a Casper and an Eve on trial – the Eve went back. Very easy returns.

We’ve got a Sealy something or other that has normal springs & shiz but a layer of memory foam on the top – can’t remember how thick the layer is but it’s darn comfy

Same here – ours is John Lewis (dahling) springs and foam top. It’s nearly had its time after 8 years. I do prefer natural mattress over foam still.

Having put up with a far too soft memory foam mattress we went to Ikea recently with the intention of buying the firm Hovag as highly recommended on here, but it was like laying on a wobbly jelly. We ended up smashing the intended budget on a firm Hidrasund, but a few nights on that I felt like I’d been sleeping on a brick, much too firm. A longish story short we’ve spent about £1200 and now have the aforementioned mattress, the top of the line Ikea topper and a down topper on top of that, and it’s bloody amazing, don’t think I’ve ever slept so well.

@schrickvr6 – sounds like you would need a ladder to get into bed with all that lot

@schrickvr6 – sounds like you would need a ladder to get into bed with all that lot are Goldilocks

These are good

https://www.bensonsforbeds.co.uk/mattresses/shop-by/group_type/igel/?sv_source=GOOGLE&sv_medium=cpc&sv_campaign=Brand_Stockist_iGel_Mattress_Exact&sv_term=igel+mattress&&gclid=CjwKCAiAkrTjBRAoEiwAXpf9CbbHPDsByZmbLWPLT2tsqkygPKaYNL3o35WroT06EvwFQAmQXaGO_hoCRl4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I think I’d want one from a shop where you can try it

I would certainly rather buy online and sleep on a mattress properly for a while and then decide if I want to keep it.
Seems a far better approach than selecting one by sitting on it in a shop then making a decision and only having “exchange” as an option if I don’t like it, or potentially no options at all depending on the shop.

We’ve had expensive memory foam that has eventually gone concave, cheap Ikea £169 or something that was bliss for about a week before it went hard and horrible.

Now back to springs and comfiest bed we’ve had – Vispring

We had a lovely 2000 pocket spring mattress with a thin memory foam topper built in, it was fine.

Until, my back was broken.

We’ve had a nightmare since.

Tried all sorts. 12 months ago went with a Tempur (nearly paid it off) – stupidly expensive, but it’s helped my back – we’d asked Dreams about ‘two’ separate mattresses – no you don’t need them – it turns out you do if one partner has a fubared back… you can still feel movement as I shuffle in the bed loads – it’s got better though !!

My wife moans about the ‘movement’ felt through the Tempur, but not much can save me from a broken spine. The Tempur has made a massive difference to me, but it’s massively expensive – spent £1,500 on just a bit of foam, and that was discounted – it’s a huge mistake if that doesn’t work.

It did, fortunately.

We have a standard memory foam mattress and a good memory foam topper at the caravan, it’s a bit soft, but we are out like a light with it – doubt it would be good long term, but it works for weekends away, as the foam has loads of time to recover.

I find most memory foam mattresses hot – I sleep without covers, even in winter, my wife is usually under covers…

This is worth a watch if you can get past the stop start dialogue and lovely hair
video review

lovely hair

I lasted less than 60 seconds … WHY?

I find most memory foam mattresses hot

Yep, definitely warmer than standard sprung mattresses, we use quite thin Duvet (4 tog) most of the year.

I bought an Eve topper, and didn’t like it. Expected to get the same sort of level of comfort as you get from some decent hotels, but it was pretty unyielding. Full refund and they collected it within a couple of days of notifying them. Assuming there is a decent returns policy you can try at least one without any obligation

Got an Eve Original with the 3 layers of foam as a refurb for 329. It was clearly basically brand new, they replaced the protective covers and clean it – but it still degassed for a good week after I got it. If it didn’t degass, I was going to send it back as that meant it would have actually been used.

Love it. Every it as comfy as a firmer hotel bed. I don’t like really soft beds though.

Another vote for Ikea Hovag. A Which best buy rated on a par with mattresses double the price and more. Try out in store – standard and firm models. It comes rolled up so just stick it in the car and drive home.

Ikea every time. Rolled up, sealed… throw it in the back of the car and you’re done. Tons of mattress topper options also so you can build out the perfect bed.

Worth checking the discount section also, always mattresses in there.

Had the otty a year at least. Absolutely the best mattress I’ve ever slept on. Most I’ve spent on a mattress before though. Free pillows also brilliant. Only problem is now I struggle with getting comfortable in most other beds when away or on holiday.

I’ve had a bad back for years. Never really been comfortable in bed, wake up early, couldn’t walk properly first thing etc…
Did a house swap with some friends and slept on a Tempur mattress at their house. Slept in every morning. Legs worked when I got up and everything!
We went to the Tempur discount shop in Bridgend on the way home and bought a refurb one (one of the ones that had been out on trial and sent back).
It’s great and I’ll never go back. Makes me dread sleeping anywhere else to be honest!