king size mattress foam / sprung HELPPPPP

jrs101

I'm trying to assess the "spec" of this one without much joy. Its a 1000 pocket sprung (kingsize) for £309

http://www.nationwidebeds.co.uk/baseproduct.asp?id=1169

Healthbeds Ortho Support 1000
containing 1000 extra firm pocketed springs in combination with sumptuously supportive Reflex and Hypo-allergenic upholstery and fillings producing a extremely comfortable supportive feel.

Ortho Support 1000 Key Features and Benefits:

- Luxury Firm Feel
- Traditional Hand Tufted
- Luxury Damask Fabric
- 1000 pocket spring layer for exceptional support

Any thoughts anyone?

silverfoxuk

silverfoxuk wrote: »

I have investigated a bit further and this bed (Memory Deluxe 1500 Pocket) is a "Healthopaedic by Highgate" bed "made exclusively for Bed Shed", that's what it says on the label. The Healthopaedic lettering is in the same font as Highgate Beds have it so I am assuming this means the mattress is made by Highgate Beds, although perhaps to a different spec for Bed Shed.

Highgate Beds 'Healthopaedic' Mem Foam Mattresses
http://www.highgatebeds.com/brochures/Healthopaedic%20brochure.pdf


Might email Highgate to ask what the spec is for the 1500 pocket one they make for bed shed.

I have emailed Highgate to ask. On other websites a very similar Highgate Healthopaedic is quoted as having "56mm of premium v60 memory foam".

Tim_Deegan

silverfoxuk wrote: »

I have investigated a bit further and this bed (Memory Deluxe 1500 Pocket) is a "Healthopaedic by Highgate" bed "made exclusively for Bed Shed", that's what it says on the label. The Healthopaedic lettering is in the same font as Highgate Beds have it so I am assuming this means the mattress is made by Highgate Beds, although perhaps to a different spec for Bed Shed.

Highgate Beds 'Healthopaedic' Mem Foam Mattresses
http://www.highgatebeds.com/brochures/Healthopaedic%20brochure.pdf

Might email Highgate to ask what the spec is for the 1500 pocket one they make for bed shed.

Yes Healthopaedic are part of Highgate.

You can almost guarantee that if they do another one that is the same spec as the Bed Shed version, then you would be able to buy it far cheaper elswhere.

Tim_Deegan

jrs101 wrote: »

I'm trying to assess the "spec" of this one without much joy. Its a 1000 pocket sprung (kingsize) for £309

http://www.nationwidebeds.co.uk/baseproduct.asp?id=1169

Healthbeds Ortho Support 1000
containing 1000 extra firm pocketed springs in combination with sumptuously supportive Reflex and Hypo-allergenic upholstery and fillings producing a extremely comfortable supportive feel.

Ortho Support 1000 Key Features and Benefits:

- Luxury Firm Feel
- Traditional Hand Tufted
- Luxury Damask Fabric
- 1000 pocket spring layer for exceptional support

Any thoughts anyone?

This is the Healthbeds entry level pocket sprung mattress.

I would double check their price, because they are showing the same for bothe the double and their king size. By the way, their 'normal price' was over the top.

silverfoxuk

Tim_Deegan wrote: »

Yes Healthopaedic are part of Highgate.

You can almost guarantee that if they do another one that is the same spec as the Bed Shed version, then you would be able to buy it far cheaper elswhere.

Confirmed that the Memory foam layer is 56mm of V60 density. So this is a 1500 pocket sprung (not encapsulated) with a layer of 56mm V60 visco eastic on top (one side only). Coolmax cover.

Deal on offer is I think £373 (£439 - 15% discount). Seriously considering it. I know double sided would be better, but I think this deal is ok, from a high street retailer, prob cheaper on net.

wary

Hi Tim
I've just been reading the advice that you've given on the most recent mattress threads, which are invaluable to the likes of me who knew nothing on the subject until now.
I've been suffering with lower-back problems recently, and have only just realised how little support our 10-year-old mattress (which was probably a fairly cheap one) is actually giving.
I do want a reasonable quality one which will give firm support and am happy to pay a moderate sum, although would draw the line at a 4-figure sum. (Mattress is for a double bed, not king-size.) A good-quality pocket sprung mattress looks like it should suffice.
Appreciate that you're restricted on how far your recommendations can go, being in the trade. However, I'd appreciate some advice on what I should be looking at spec-wise, and what would constitute a "good quality pocket sprung mattress without necessarily being top of the range"?
I understand that the number of springs is one such attribute. Should I be looking at around 1500 say? It seems that the depth is another important attribute. Also how is firmness measured? I'd presume that I'd need something fairly firm because of my back.
Would appreciate any advice on the spec, and also given my lower-back problems whether maybe I should be looking at a memory foam mattress or whatever?
Thanks.

holysmoke1980

Thanks for the comments Tim, I'm still no further forward n finding a good mattress. Everyone I seem to find on closer inspection is rubbish. If I up the budget will I tick more boxes say £400-500?

Anyone seen any that tick more boxes?
cheers

Tim_Deegan wrote: »

He has really let himself down with the description of the L'Amour, by trying to compare reflex foam to memory foam (which are the oposite in construction. Reflex foam mattresses were always regarded as cheap and nasty, hot sweaty mattresses. This hasn't changed at all. So why ruin a pocket sprung mattress by putting a layer of reflex foam on top of the springs. The only reason to do this would be to make a cheap pocket sprung mattress. So as this is more expensive than some of his other pocket sprung mattresses, it begs the question as to how low the quality is on the others.


As for the kensington.....well after the L'Amour above, I have lost all confidence in the quality of any of their low priced pocket sprung mattresses. Especially as memory foam is far more expensive than reflex foam. So what have they done to cut the cost even more??

silverfoxuk

holysmoke1980 wrote: »

Thanks for the comments Tim, I'm still no further forward n finding a good mattress. Everyone I seem to find on closer inspection is rubbish. If I up the budget will I tick more boxes say £400-500?

Anyone seen any that tick more boxes?
cheers

Tim's comments can be informative, but you'll find it frustrating if you waiting for a recommendation on a particular bed. Tim's not allowed to recommend anything as such. A recommendation from Tim is like the holy grail. Many have sought but few have found! Tim's criteria of what he thinks is good could be though of as fairly 'narrow' once you chuck out everything Tim has criticised in the past. Not dissing Tim, just observing

For what it's worth I don't work in the bed trade and have little knowledge of beds. I have been recently looking around for a mattress. We have just spent 5-6 weeks checking a few out. My suggestion to you if you are starting out would be to read some threads here then go to some bed retailers and lie on all the different types including:

Open coil
Pocket sprung
Foam
etc

Also lie on different fillings/toppings so:

Memory foam
Latex
'other stuff' eg wool, polyester, horsehair whatever.
etc

We did this, spending a couple of hours each weekend for a few weeks testing beds in different shops. This I think helped us narrow down the type of bed that suited us and that was broadly in our budget range.

I disagree with those who say testing a bed in a shop is a waste of time, and just buy online from a seller who lets you unwrap & sleep on the bed, and send it back if you don't like it. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive - you could do both if you wanted to. ie try a few out in the shops then buy online from a seller with a guarantee.

Value wise (which is a separate issue from 'is this bed good or not?' construction/quality) you are probably cheaper shopping online. But you do need to check returns policy, as you would do with a regular shop. Once a mattress is unwrapped, many retailers won't have it back if you don't like it, although it's a different issue if the mattress is faulty in some way - all sellers should replace it with one that is not faulty.

I wouldn't get too hung up on double sided mattresses. Yes they are likely to have a longer life, but whilst many people might be able to 'rotate' their mattress once in a while (thats from head to toe), for some actually turning the mattress over is not physically possible. Therefore if this applies to you, why pay for a double sided when you're only going to sleep on one side? If though your are physically fit and have a budget that can buy a double sided, go for it.

Which? had a report out a few months ago on beds. That might be worth a look. I think it's down to your own personal preference and taking a lot of what you hear with a pinch of salt. In fact if you read through the threads on beds on MSE, you will likely be as knowledgable as your average salesman in a bed shop - sometimes more so

£400 - £500 should get you a very decent mattress.

Good luck!

Tim_Deegan

wary wrote: »

Hi Tim
I've just been reading the advice that you've given on the most recent mattress threads, which are invaluable to the likes of me who knew nothing on the subject until now.
I've been suffering with lower-back problems recently, and have only just realised how little support our 10-year-old mattress (which was probably a fairly cheap one) is actually giving.
I do want a reasonable quality one which will give firm support and am happy to pay a moderate sum, although would draw the line at a 4-figure sum. (Mattress is for a double bed, not king-size.) A good-quality pocket sprung mattress looks like it should suffice.
Appreciate that you're restricted on how far your recommendations can go, being in the trade. However, I'd appreciate some advice on what I should be looking at spec-wise, and what would constitute a "good quality pocket sprung mattress without necessarily being top of the range"?
I understand that the number of springs is one such attribute. Should I be looking at around 1500 say? It seems that the depth is another important attribute. Also how is firmness measured? I'd presume that I'd need something fairly firm because of my back.
Would appreciate any advice on the spec, and also given my lower-back problems whether maybe I should be looking at a memory foam mattress or whatever?
Thanks.

For those who aren't in the trade it is very difficult (if not impossible) to tell the difference between a good quality mattress, and a poor quality one. This is because two mattreses may appear to have a very similar spec going by what is published, but there is much more to the spec than the manufacturers and retailers often tell you.

One rough guide is that most of the big retailers charge at least double the on line stores (even when the big retailers have so called sales). So if you find a mattress in one of the big stores reduced to lets say £300, then you could probably find the equivalent on line for around £150.

As far as the number of pocket springs go, you should be looking at between 1000 and 1800 (in a king size). However, there are cheap and nasty pocket springs that don't give very good support, and there are good quality full size steel pocket springs, which give far better support. With pocket springs you don't need to get a firm mattress to give good back support. This is because pocket springs all work independently, and contour to your body. So you can actually go for the firmness you like, rather than thinking you have to go for a firmer mattress.

Also the fillings can make a big difference. The insulator pad stops the springs from pushing into the quilting. There are various qualities of insulator pad. Also the number of layers of quilting and the density of them can make a huge difference.

With memory foam, it is best to have the memory foam on top of springs. This is for two main reasons. Firstly mattresses made from memory foam on top of reflex foam can be very hot and sweaty, because air can't circulate through the spring layer to dissipate the heat from the memory foam. Secondly, reflex foam is constructed from loads of bubbles. In time these bubbles can start to burst, which can end up leaving a dip in the mattress. As far as the depth and density of memory foam goes, you should be looking for 2" depth, and a density of 60 to 70kg per m3.

Many mattresses that contain latex foam only have a very thin layer. And some only have this layer in zones. What you really need to be looking for is a full 2" deep layer. Also some manufacturers use synthetic latex, or a blend. What you need to be looking for is natural latex.

Never buy a pillow top mattress with loose fillings.

Try to buy a two sided mattress, as it will last far longer than a non turn mattress.

Tim_Deegan

holysmoke1980 wrote: »

Thanks for the comments Tim, I'm still no further forward n finding a good mattress. Everyone I seem to find on closer inspection is rubbish. If I up the budget will I tick more boxes say £400-500?

Anyone seen any that tick more boxes?
cheers

That's because the price range you were looking for originally would only get you an entry level pocket sprung mattress from most retailers (not all).