Emma mattress feels awful and too hot. What's a firm mattress alternative?
Hi!
Your site is fantastic and I wish we'd found it earlier on our hunt for a mattress; it's like the wild west out there and it's refreshing to find a group so willing to be honest and upfront. Thank you!
With that said, we're looking for a mattress!
* We're a couple, she is about 5"3 60kg, I am about 5"8 72kg.
* We have a straight slatted frame wooden frame from Warren Evans. I know you advocate divan, we are happy to board it over if that will help.
* Our old mattress is about 10 years old, it was a super cheap and about £115. We loved it. It was a "Breasley Graduate Plus 4' 6" Double Mattress" and just a single slab of firm reflex foam as far as I can tell. It felt like you were sleeping on top of it, and you only sunk in a bit - it didn't have a swallowing you feeling. Reverberations from side to side where minimal, and you could change how you slept without waking the other person up. Unfortunately, it's now lost all those properties: it sags, it sucks you in, if someone bounces the other person is visibly shaken. They don't make it anymore, and also we're not poor students anymore so it's time for an upgrade...
* In our hunt for a new mattress, we succumbed to the Emma mattress reviews and purchased it. It was awful, like I have no idea how anybody left it a good review ever. The smell was fine, but it was just so bouncy - and it sucked you in like a monster while heating you up too. We lasted about 6 hours with it and woke up to replace it with the old one in the middle of night - didn't get any sleep. We sent it back.
We want to buy a mattress from you but we're really worried we'll get it and not like it, wasting your time & money (and ours!). We don't have any experience with pocket sprung mattresses or latex, would you even recommend either of them if we were fine with a slab of high-density reflex foam?
Maybe you've had a similar request before and matched a mattress to them; we'd accept any help - even if it's just "you won't find one you like here".
Many thanks,
Darian
Hi Darian,
Many thanks for your kind words out about mattress site and library of detailed mattress guides! Given how murky the world of mattresses can be at times, it is nice to shine a light with some honest facts!
Problems with an Emma Mattress:
Sorry to hear you're struggling with your Emma mattress. There are so many complaints online about the heat issue with the Emma mattress and other memory foam boxed rolled mattresses. This is the major drawback with these heat retentive foams, they actually require heat to work which is why they are also known as 'vasco-elastic' foam.
No matter what gels or crystals you add to the mix these foams react to heat so other than using a different material, all memory foam and new 'next gen' foams used in these models will be highly heat retentive and squishy. it's the very nature of the material.
Reflex foam is the support foam usually used beneath all these layers and is as you point out firmer feeling. It still retains some heat compared to natural fibres but nowhere near the amount of memory foam as you've discussed.
I'd be mindful of recommending even 100% Natural firm feel Latex as the sensation of Latex is a slow sink followed by progressive support. I don't believe this is what you're after. Also 100% Natural Latex like our Fusion mattresses is far more expensive than a boxed memory foam model.
Best Firmer Feel Mattress:
Based on your bodyweights and at a similar price point to the Emma, we believe our Origins Pocket Reflex 1000 would be ideal for you. It's a pocket sprung mattress with a 1.4 gauge spring (the correct tension at your bodyweights) but it has firmer feel upholstery on top to give a firmer comfort feel. It uses Reflex foam as its primary comfort layer for the firmness it brings.
It's two sided unlike the Emma (which also limits the Emma mattress lifespan as you can only ever use one side). This means you can turn it every month and help reduce settlement and ensure the mattress has a far longer use than a one sided no turn mattress. These 1 sided mattresses tend to compress and sag at an alarming rate in some cases.
Origins Reflex Mattress
1: 750GSM VERY SOFT POLYESTER
2: ONE INCH REFLEX FOAM LAYER
3: 270GSM POLYESTER
4: ONE INCH REFLEX FOAM LAYER
5: 1000 SPUN BOND POCKET SPRINGS (MED OR FIRM TENSION)
TOTAL: 1020GSM
DEPTH: 33-35CM
The Origins Pocket reflex 1000 uses the exact foam you've gotten on with for so long but with a more advanced pocket spring support system which should avoid the sagging you've discussed. It will also make the mattress more breathable to avoid heat build up!
We hope that helps and do let us know if you have any more queries or want to place an order on 0161 437 4419 or info@localhost.
Sleep Well
John & Ryan
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