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Mattresses - I need knowledge

Tempur on a solid base bed is the sweet spot for us. Spent ages in the store trying all the different combinations of soft/medium/firm on slated and solid bases. Medium on a solid base was the best for us.
 
I told my partner that a load of people on here who had bought John Ryan mattresses had had the same issues as us and she said that what you need is reviews from people who have had these for years and are happy with them. Unfortunately, as with so many things, you can't even rely on that. Companies are always looking to cut costs and tweak things to save money. I really liked the mattresses from Premier Inn and was going to order one of theirs but by all accounts they changed supplier recently and now they are **** as well. All the reviews are excellent but people who claim to work at holiday inn have said they have changed and aren't anywhere near as good anymore.

Such a nightmare buying this sort of thing. Your mattress makes a huge difference to your sleep and subsequently your recovery from it.
 
A few years ago we spent well over a grand on a Silent Night hybrid mattress and at first it was like sleeping on a cloud but after a couple of years it had turned into a lumpy, saggy uncomfortable mess so we started looking for a replacement but had no faith in buying in shops after wasting so much money. Eventually we found Dormeo and after reading a load of reviews and sorting through the many different mattresses they sell settled on a Dormeo Octasmart Hybrid Plus Mattress which was half price (they are always half price) at £699 but I have a Defence Services discount card which dropped it to just over £600. It turned up a couple of days later and was taken upstairs and unwrapped and left for a day to expand. It is easily the best mattress we have ever had, comfortable and supportive in all the right places and is still as good today as when we bought it around four years ago. The only thing I can fault it on is there are no handles on the sides for turning the mattress which is a silly thing to miss out as it weighs a ton.
 
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Had my £180 Groupon Mattress for 9 years now and I'm not sure you could tell by looking or laying on it. It has really handled the test of time well.

This is it -
 
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Jimbeam3678 said:
From our perspective John Ryan matteress is 7 years old and is still absolutely perfect with little, if any maintenance
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Mine needed a topper after about 2 years and me and my partner are a combined 24 stone. It’s much better with the topper but stung to have to buy one for the price of the mattress.
 
Quinnaay said:
Mine needed a topper after about 2 years and me and my partner are a combined 24 stone. It’s much better with the topper but stung to have to buy one for the price of the mattress.
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I'm 12.5 stone and 188cm and my partner is 5'2" and about 11 stone. We aren't exactly tipping the scales either. I have been somewhat disappointed. Looking for a new mattress now and i'm not sure whether to spend a reasonable amount again or just go cheaper and accept that it will probably need replacing more often.

I like the Premier Inn ones from a few years back and they are apparently Hypnos ones but they are £1000-1500 for a super king. Might struggle to get the missus behind that sort of money after I made her think that last JR one would last for years and years and it didn't.
 
fez said:
I'm 12.5 stone and 188cm and my partner is 5'2" and about 11 stone. We aren't exactly tipping the scales either. I have been somewhat disappointed. Looking for a new mattress now and i'm not sure whether to spend a reasonable amount again or just go cheaper and accept that it will probably need replacing more often.

I like the Premier Inn ones from a few years back and they are apparently Hypnos ones but they are £1000-1500 for a super king. Might struggle to get the missus behind that sort of money after I made her think that last JR one would last for years and years and it didn't.
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Exactly where I am, the Mrs isn't pleased lol
 
My wife and I would love the mattress they have on Celebrity Cruise ships (having slept on them for a good 50+ nights at this point), but they are made in Italy and cost over £5k for a super king, before even thinking about delivery to the UK lol.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: fez
Hi all, I am deep in mattress research and am no more forward than I was a month ago.

I currently have a John Ryan pocket sprung mattress from around 2013, think its a 600 spring one or something, was about £650 back then. It was sold as medium firm.
I am a 70kg back sleeper, wife is under 60kg and a side sleeper, we are finding it uncomfortable and am in need of a change, been needing to change it for years to be fair, but each time I get into this research hole and never commit, through fear of blowing a few k on something rubbish!

Setting ourselfs initially a budget of £2k hoping we can find something rather good in King size.

I've spoke to John Ryan on the phone and was recommended the Artisan Naturals for a medium comfort layer ~£2k, or the Artisan Luxury for the softer comfort layer ~£3k, with them saying the Natural would likely suit my back sleeping more than the luxury. Suggested medium tension due to our weights, but I did note they recommend medium springs to cover up to 16st/100kg. This feels a bit of a wide range to me that it could suit us as much as someone around 50% heavier.

I went into John Lewis and lay on a few:

Tempur Pro plus (or something) felt amazing, but I do tend to get hot, so I was put off. >£3k
Simba Hybrid Pro - felt stiff as a board, pass £1k
Various JL branded (Harrison Spinks) mattresses were rather good in the medium-soft, think the one I liked the most was a £3k one, cant recall the spec, but very nice. I note they have the micro pocket spring laters which muddy the water when trying to compare like to for like. Standard pocket spring count was more in the realms of normal, >1000.

Not sure what else to consider, I was all ready to order a Naturals when I came back to this thread and read the last few pages and have seen some negative experiences of John Ryan Artisan Natural models amongst other models.

Any advice? Anything I really need to go and try before making a decision? Can I abandon this premium mattress hunt and actually find something reasonable for £1k and not be dissapointed?

Thanks!
 
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I'm looking to get a new one at the moment and we're at a bit of an impasse with my partner. She wants to go to a bed showroom and lay on some to find out what she likes. I'm of the opinion that this is pointless unless you are going to A) buy that exact mattress for an inflated price B) think that laying on a mattress for 5 minutes is going to tell you if it will be comfortable to sleep on

I'm of the view that we would be better buying a high quality one online based on what people have used and say is good. There is no such thing as firm/medium-firm etc. Its all whatever the brand decides. Plenty of the online places allow you to trial them for 100 nights as well.

What are peoples thoughts on this?
 
fez said:
Yeah, after all the John Ryan love, ours hasn't been that good. Theres parts of it that are way softer than the rest and that started happening after a year or two.

Wouldn't bother spending all that money again. Its a bloody heavy thing as well but that doesn't seem to have helped it be any more durable.

I want a nice firm mattress. Maybe I will just get some MDF and put a sheet over it and see if the missus notices.
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Have to 100% agree. All seemed well to begin with, and its beautifully made. However, we are just over 5 years in and already looking for something else.
I never realised or thought about about how much the "Buttons" would annoy me. Its also got dips, despite me flipping every month or so.
Its also incredibly heavy to turn.
Going to try and find something with a smooth top.
 
Countcussy said:
Have to 100% agree. All seemed well to begin with, and its beautifully made. However, we are just over 5 years in and already looking for something else.
I never realised or thought about about how much the "Buttons" would annoy me. Its also got dips, despite me flipping every month or so.
Its also incredibly heavy to turn.
Going to try and find something with a smooth top.
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Its bloody ridiculous to turn. Its like fighting a greased up octopus. I just about manage it but I am reasonably strong and 6'2" which helps because the damn thing puts up a hell of a fight!

And yes, whenever I can, I slide into the centre of the bed and its noticeably more firm and supportive where neither of us have slept on it much.
 
We've opted for a pricey Flaxby and got a nice wool topper from Woolroom. Mattress only getting delivered mid September, can't wait to get rid of our old one, the dips are pretty bad now 7 years on.
 
Ok, checked my JR mattress, it is an Origins Pocket 1500, not sure why I thought it was 600 springs! So to me it seems like an Artisan Natural is just a natural fibre version, same "medium" spring tension, same "medium" upholstery....but maybe it will last longer? Though unsure this will get us what we need, something for my wife to side sleep on and ease some hip pain. Maybe we need to consider the Artisan Luxury...Or an alternative pocket spring mattress brand.

i am reluctant to go hybrid or foam after reading horror stories about sagging quickly etc.

Lost!
 
Mines John ryan
Artisan Naturals Mattress - Super King Size, Half Medium / Half Firm Spring Tension

Had about 3 years now with a John ryan artisan base and happy with it!
 
Bought a John Ryan Artisan Naturals Mattress (medium) back in 2020 and one of the best purchases made. I used to like a firm memory foam but they tend to form soft spots and depressions (causing back pain) in a short time frame and I used to get insanely hot sleeping on them.

Never had a bad back or stiffness from the John Ryan mattress, highly recommended but I'm not looking to replacing it in the future.... price is now 67% higher after 6 years.
 
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