Hi John.

The Elite Cashmere is made by Harrisons Beds not Vi Spring for John Lewis.

As Harrisons use their own spring system it is not possible for anyone to replicate these particular mattresses.

You do raise an interesting point in your comment relating to the Soft medium or Firm anomaly ...

You do say that on The Elite Cashmere you fell in love with the medium tension BUT ..

found the medium tension on a Vi Spring (model unknown) to be too soft.

There is no standard definition between manufacturers of SMoF so it is quite impossible to compare tensions - in this case medium - from two different manufacturers.

We know that a medium gauge spring in the Vi Spring Chatsworth is <> 1.28mm which is a rather soft gauge.

We gauge our medium in the <>1.4mm - 1.5mm range.

We can't be absolutely certain if VS class this [medium] gauge on all of their models.

Their website gives the spring gauge for their different models but make no indication as to what firmness this relates to.

Finally John.

Ryan and I always say that if you find the mattress you fall in love with then your hunt becomes over and it seems you have done that.

Incidentally, it may be worth seeing how other models in the Harrisons range stack up against each other.

After all, The Elite Cashmere retails at £3000 for a Kingsize mattress and it would be a good exercise to see how their top of range core model (The Solitaire) compares.

It is also worth noting that Feather and Black have their own range of Harrison Beds under their own label and they may have a model comparable to The Elite Cashmere for you to consider.

John and Ryan.

Hi John & Ryan Thanks for your prompt reply.

I think you misread my initial email, we tried the medium tension Elite Cashmere which felt just right for us & we also tried a soft tension VI Spring mattress (can't remember the model) which felt too soft.

Obviously, the Elite Cashmere is far more expensive that your own Artisan Bespoke mattress so how would your mattress compare to the Elite cashmere because if it is comparable, then we would obviously rather go with your mattress & save the £1,280 extra that the John Lewis mattress will cost.

Many thanks John Hi again John.

No I didn't misread your mail, I know what you are asking but I have to be relatively careful in my reply.

The basis of my answer was to point out that it is quite impossible to say that one mattress is 'same or similar' to another if the spring support unit is completely different.

Not only that but the comfort layers described on The Elite Cashmere are by and large just names of upholstery components.

Without any kind of attributed weight we are / you are left to assume how much upholstery is actually used.

We pointed you towards Feather and Black because they will be in a better position than us to steer you towards a similar model to The EC as they would obviously be working with Harrisons to produce their own range of Own Label mattresses.

Their Byron for example seems to be a close match construction wise but the retail price is also similar at £2895 [Kingsize Mattress 13/08/12].

As I pointed out in my previous response, The Harrisons Solitaire also has a similar spring combination and so it would be a good exercise to see if the price is comparable and also if the overall upholstery levels were of a similar or better quantity.

We unashamedly look to Vi Spring as a manufacturer of worth, and of all manufacturers Vi Spring is the one we aim to be comparable to.

The spring unit we use in our Artisan models are similar to the springs used in Vi Spring models.

Calico sewn pockets are the long standing traditional method of housing springs in various tensions and it is this ethos that we will continue to follow.

I do take note that the [model unknown] Vi Spring mattress you tried seemed 'soft' to you and also by comparison, but I would personally look to this range again.

Try the Regal Superb model in a medium tension or indeed The Tiara Superb.

Both these models are within the mid to higher end of Vi Spring offerings and if you still do not find these comfortable then you have narrowed your available options down considerably.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you fare.

John and Ryan.

2012/08/13 at 15:52 Hi Ryan & John Thank you for finding the time to come back to me again.

My wife & i popped into Furniture Village at lunchtime to try out their range of Vi Spring mattresses (by the way, it was the Vi Coronet that we tried in the soft tension that felt too soft) .

The Regal Superb as recommeded by you in a King Size with medium support felt very comfortable to both us but at over £3,300, it’s a bit out of our reach.

Would any of your range compare favourably to this model?

Many thanks John

Hi again John.

If you have tried the Regal Superb model and liked it then i would have a look at our Artisan Bespoke 004 mattress this has a similar feel and is of equal quality.

	John Ryan By Design Artisan Bespoke 004	Vi Spring Regal Superb
1	1200gsm Blended British Fleece Wool and Cotton	900gsm Blended real Shetland Isle Fleece Wool and Cotton
2	Hairproof Cambric Cover	Hairproof Cambric Cover
3	200gsm Soft Bamboo	NA
4	1200gsm Pure Horsetail	1200gsm long stranded Horsetail blended with British Fleece Wool
5	1000gsm Bonded British Fleece Wool and Cotton	1000gsm Bonded British Fleece Wool and Cotton
6	1600 Calico encased Pocket Springs [ 49mm ] [1.28mm]	1720 Calico encased Pocket Springs [48mm ] [1.28mm]
Total GSM	3600 gsm	3100 gsm

Please call me direct and we can discuss your options.

John and Ryan. 0161 437 4419