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5 best soft mattresses - 2019
Most advice I've read online suggests that soft mattresses are best for lighter people. Each manufacturer means something slightly different when they offer their 'soft mattress' although John Lewis & Partners provides a useful rule of thumb when it says that their soft mattresses are suitable for people who weigh under 8 stone whilst medium mattresses are for people who weight 8 - 16 stone.
The general theory is that a mattress should keep your spine straight, so a lighter person's hips and shoulders won't sink enough on a firm mattress, whereas an elephant would not get sufficient support from a soft mattress (even a baby elephant would struggle).
It's also a question of comfort, although the two tend to go together - if you are sufficiently supported then you will feel comfortable in the long run since you won't climb out of bed and start walking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
We've picked out five soft mattresses from 2019 which are worth considering. We looked at a combination of industry awards, customer reviews, specifications and value for money.
Prices are for double mattresses.
The general theory is that a mattress should keep your spine straight, so a lighter person's hips and shoulders won't sink enough on a firm mattress, whereas an elephant would not get sufficient support from a soft mattress (even a baby elephant would struggle).
It's also a question of comfort, although the two tend to go together - if you are sufficiently supported then you will feel comfortable in the long run since you won't climb out of bed and start walking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
We've picked out five soft mattresses from 2019 which are worth considering. We looked at a combination of industry awards, customer reviews, specifications and value for money.
Prices are for double mattresses.
1. Studio by Silentnight - £599
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Silentnight is arguably the best known brand in the UK market, and they’re generally considered a solid mid market choice.
Most of their mattresses are traditionally made with springs, but more recently they came up with their own foam mattress to rival the dozen or so brands which have appeared with trendy names and risk free trials (e.g. Leesa, Casper, Otty etc) The thing which sets apart Studio by Silentnight is that you can choose from ‘softer’, 'medium' and ‘firmer’ whereas most rival mattresses only come in one firmness (which is generally medium or thereabouts). Importantly, it’s also won a big award, being named a Best Buy by independent experts (admittedly that was the 'medium' firmness version, but it's a good indicator of quality). When we checked, customer reviews were between 4 and 4.5/5 on sites including Amazon, Argos and Mattress Online. |
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It also comes with a 60 day comfort trial, although bear in mind that means you can exchange it for a different firmness version of the mattress rather than getting a refund (which is what Leesa, Casper, Emma etc offer).
2. Sealy Teramo 1400/Sealy Nostromo 1400 - £650
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Expert testers went wild for the Sealy Teramo 1400, which is a pocket sprung mattress with a topper to add a bit of extra softness.
Just to confuse you further, it goes under several different names including the Sealy Nostromo 1400. As far as I can tell there's no difference in specifications between them. Sealy is owned by the Silentnight group but is considered a slightly posher option than a Silentnight or Rest Assured mattress. One downside is that you can't turn it over, because of the topper. Some people suggest that mattresses which can't be turned over aren't as durable but that wasn't a criticism offered by expert testers who looked at this one. Customer reviews were just under 9/10 when I checked on Mattress Online. The 1400 number refers to the number of pocket springs, which will provide plenty of support, unless you happen to be a very large individual (in which case, you might actually be better getting a firmer mattress). |
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3. Hypnos Premier Luxury Pillowtop Pocket Sprung Mattress - £949
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I was always a big fan of that old Ferrero Rocher advert where they said 'with these chocolates, the ambassador is really spoiling us'. Well, the ambassador almost certainly provides his guests with Hypnos mattresses too.
They're at the posh end of the market and have a Royal Warrant, although some models aren't as expensive as you might assume. Hypnos was named as National Bed Federation’s best manufacturer 2014 and 2017 and runner up in 2018. The Premier is available as a soft feel mattresses and it has a number of signs of quality, including 'hand side stitching' (which gives it strength right to the edges). This mattress has a built in topper, so you can't turn it over. That's generally not my preferred option for a mattress as turning over can help reduce dips and sags over time. Although do bear in mind that turning a king size or super king size mattress is a bit like wrestling an ox so lots of people don't tend to bother anyway. |
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4. Vispring Devonshire Pocket Sprung Mattress - £1600
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Unfortunately there's no industry agreement on what weight you should be to use a soft mattress. Only a few mattress companies give specific guidance, and Vispring is one of them.
According to a couple of guides I've found, Vispring suggest that their 'soft' mattresses are ideal for people who weigh under 11 stone. I'd be wary of applying the same rule too widely, as one company's soft mattress may not be the same firmness as another's (is this making your head hurt too?). Vispring also happen to be one of the poshest, most luxurious and expensive mattresses on the market. They invented the pocket spring mattress many years ago and have built up a lot of heritage and a solid reputation (they won mattress brand of the year in 2015, 2016 and 2017). |
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We've picked out Vispring's Devonshire's mattress which is available in soft, medium and firm. It's not their most expensive but it's a traditional style and uses good quality, natural materials such as wool.
It's not got as many spring as their top end mattresses, but it will provide enough support for lighter people (if you're interested, there are about 1300 springs on the king size version and we reckon somewhere between 1000 and 2000 is fine for most people. There's a limit to how many springs you can fit onto a mattress, so mattresses which say they have thousands of springs usually have more than one layer of small springs).
It's not got as many spring as their top end mattresses, but it will provide enough support for lighter people (if you're interested, there are about 1300 springs on the king size version and we reckon somewhere between 1000 and 2000 is fine for most people. There's a limit to how many springs you can fit onto a mattress, so mattresses which say they have thousands of springs usually have more than one layer of small springs).
5. Silentnight 7 Zone Memory Foam Rolled Mattress - £250
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We've included the Silentnight 7 Zone mattress as a cheap, soft feel option which is worth considering if you're on a tight budget or are just looking for a mattress for the spare bed.
Sure, I would recommend spending more on a mattress but I personally get very irritated at those guides which lecture you about the number of hours you spend on a mattress and how it only costs 2p per hour, or whatever. The reality is, not everyone wants to spend a thousand pounds on a mattress. Anyway, it's 20cm deep, which is a couple of centimetres deeper than the cheaper 3 Zone option, which won an award from independent experts. There's a fair amount of debate and confusion online about the firmness of the Silentnight 7 Zone memory foam mattress, but it's described as a medium-soft mattress by the manufacturers and is considered softer than the 3 Zone mattress in the range. It gets solid - if not spectacular - reviews of 4/5 despite its low price. Some reviews say it didn't last as long as they'd like, others found it very comfortable. |
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