5 best firm mattresses - 2018

There's an old myth that sleeping on a firm mattress is good for you, regardless of your build and weight. Most experts now say that that's nonsense and that what you need is a 'supportive' mattress, which matches your build.

However, if you're on the larger side, then a firm mattress is generally seen as a good idea (according to most of the zillion guides I've read through anyway). If you use a soft mattress then your spine won't be straight when you lie down as you'll sink into it too much.

We've pick out five of the best firm mattresses on the market by looking at industry awards, specifications, customer reviews and value for money.

Prices are for double mattresses and are correct at time of writing. There may be discounts and offers from time to time.

1. John Lewis & Partners Natural Collection Herdwick 8000 - £1199

You know you're getting quality with the John Lewis & Partners name. They are made by a UK company called Harrison Spink which has won awards from the National Bed Federation. For example, they won Bed Manufacturer of the Year 2018 which is pretty much like winning 'Best Director' at the Oscars, except without the global TV audience and celebrity status.

You need to dig a little deeper to figure out the difference between their large range. There were 17 firm king size mattresses in the collection when I checked.

The Herdwick 8000 model makes our list because it can be turned over, which should in theory make it last longer and not sag so quickly.

The cheaper mattresses in the John Lewis and Partners Natural Collection can't be turned over, although that's not to say they won't be well made.

This mattress is certainly substantial enough - the king size version is 54kg (so you'll want to find a local rugby team to help you turn it over).

Plus it has hand side stitching, which is a sign of quality (it means the sides won't collapse like a custard slice when you sit on the edge of the bed).

It's got 8000 springs, but don't get too excited about that. You'd expect to see 1300+ springs on a good quality firm mattress, but you can only squeeze a couple of thousand full size springs onto a king size mattress. The rest are mini springs which have a 'subtler' impact than the main springs.

2. Studio by Silentnight (£599) or the Leesa Mattress (£650)

The modern way to buy a mattress is get one which has been rolled up or compressed into a box. Most offer a two or three month period when you can return it or swap it for one with a different firmness.

The theory is that you can try a mattress out properly rather than lying down for two minutes in a showroom.

If you want to go down that route, we've picked out a couple of firmer ones worth considering.

The Leesa Mattress is generally considered medium-firm rather than very firm, but it's certainly one of the firmer of the 'bed in a box' mattresses on the market.

It's also a multi award winner with strong reviews. The Independent, Good Housekeeping and Men's Health all recommend it. Expert testers said it was one of their best buys and Amazon customers were scoring it at 4.3/5 when I checked.

Leesa has a risk-free trial, meaning you can return it within 100 days for a refund.
Studio by Silentnight is available in 'softer' 'medium' or 'firmer' versions, whereas most of these 'bed in a box' mattresses only come in one firmness. It also received a glowing report from expert testers, although that was for the medium version (they didn't test the firmer version, but it is a similar product). Customer reviews on Amazon were around 4/5 when I checked.

Studio by Silentnight has a 60 day 'comfort trial' so you can swap it for a mattress with a different feel.

If you're unsure about a mattress made entirely from foam, bear in mind that they have a very different feel to most memory foam mattresses (which can have a sinking sensation). The memory foam layer is generally buried in the middle of these type of mattresses, so you get good support but don't feel like you're lying on quicksand.

3. Hypnos Superb Pocket Spring Mattress - £950

Hypnos is at the posh end of the mattress market. So posh in fact that it has a royal seal, meaning you can tell your friends that you sleep in the Queen's bed.

The company regularly wins awards, most notably from the National Bed Federation which named it best manufacturer in 2014 and 2017 and runner up in 2018.

It's a long established company and takes a traditional approach to mattress making, with models such as the Superb using pocket springs rather than memory foam or similar newfangled materials.

This model is far from being their most expensive (some models cost more than £3000), but it's got a good specification for the money.

There are 1600 springs on the king size version, which is not as high as some but is perfectly adequate support unless you are large enough to take up two seats on an aeroplane.

It's also a mattress which can't be turned over, but that is more to do with the fact that it has a topper for added comfort rather than because they've scrimped on the materials.

Other signs of quality are the 'hand side stitching' (a dull technical thing which means it will hold its shape), a decent depth of 30cm and a tufted finish (cheap mattresses are usually quilted, which means they are flat on top rather than being held together with what look like buttons).

4. Silentnight Pocket Ortho 1400 - £370

Silentnight is a mid-range brand, which is probably the biggest name in the UK market (the same company also own Sealy and other big names). You can pick up a good deal on their Silentnight range if you shop around or wait for a sale.

We've included it because of strong reviews from customers on Amazon (4.5/5) and on Argos (4.7/5). It's also nice and deep (28cm) and it has an adequate number of springs to offer a decent level of support (1400 springs on the king size version).

We've also included it in this guide to the best firm mattresses because not everyone spends a thousand pounds on a mattress...despite what the salesperson might want you to believe.

Pocket spring mattresses are what most of us are used to. Some argue that foam mattresses offer more consistent all over support and are better for allergies, but most of us still go for what we're used to (see our comparison of pocket springs v memory foam).

The main downside with this one is that you can't turn it over. You'll need to rotate it regularly to reduce the risk of it developing dips over time.

5. Vispring Realm Pocket Sprung Mattress - £1400

Kudos to Vispring, who are one of the only mattress companies which actually steers you towards a particular firmness of mattress based on your weight.

According to a couple of guides I've dug out, you should be considering a Vispring firm mattress if you weigh 16-20 stone or an extra firm Vispring mattress if you weigh more than 20 stone.

Unfortunately, you can't apply that rule to every mattress company as no one has every quite agreed on what 'firm' or 'soft' actually means, but it's nice to have some clear guidance from Vispring at least.

Vispring are also one of the leading names in luxury mattresses. They won mattress brand of the year for three years in a row and they invented the pocket spring, albeit quite a long time ago.

The catch, of course, is that they are a rather expensive option but as my mother would say..."you get what you pay for". Their double mattresses range from about £1000 up to more than £3000.

The higher priced ones have a higher spring count which will offer a little bit of extra support and slightly posher materials.