Flaxby Nature’s Finest 4500 Mattress Review & Pillowtop Issues

Mart Simpson asked

22nd August 2020

Hi John Ryan,

We called in Dreams, tried several mattresses and the Flaxby 4500 medium mattress which was recommended by a nice salesman as we weren’t sure which to go for.

I preferred a firmer bed and my wife said go for medium which we tried, it seemed firm underneath & soft on top but still undecided.

Been looking at reviews as it says you can’t turn this over but only from head to toe,? Will the Flaxby mattress with pillowtop stay as it is or sag or go softer over time? Which I don’t want as we’ll be back to square one and wish we’d have gone for a much firmer mattress or even a different one altogether.

My wife is slightly heavier than myself, so it’s a lot of money to pay out if it’s not up to the job at £1200 for a king size mattress. Dreams mattress reviews seem to be good but we’re unsure?

1 Answer

Lee Staff

answered 4 years ago

Hi Mart,

Thanks for your question about Dreams mattresses and whether the Dreams Flaxby 4500 Natures Finest mattress is suitable for you.

As you’ve touched upon it sounds like Dreams have illuded to you maybe needing two different spring tensions. Given the fact the upholstery in this mattress is the same all over (more on that in a bit) it can only be the spring tension they are referring too with the hard and soft.

However, the biggest issue with spring tensions is the fact that retailers mistakenly use them as a reference to comfort preferences such as soft, medium or firm. This is totally incorrect.

Bodyweight	Spring tension
Upto 16 Stone / 50-101kg	Medium (1.4mm)
16 Stone / 101kg Upwards	Firm (1.6mm)
Available in Bespoke Products (Please Call)	Soft (1.2mm)

Spring tensions are based on your body weight and not how you want the mattress to feel. The mattress feel comes from comfort layers. The guide and table below will show you how to pick the correct spring tension (ie the gauge of the wire) based on your bodyweight. if you pick the wrong spring tension the mattress will either offer too little support or the springs will be so firm they simply don’t react at all causing a punishing nights sleep.

Dreams Flaxby Natures Finest 4500 Review:

Let’s have a look at the details that Dreams website gives us on the Flaxby mattress to see how suitable it may be and what you’re getting for your hard-earned cash.

The first thing to note is it’s a pillowtop mattress which you’ve rightly pointed out means you can never turn over. This is a huge problem as it means you can only ever sleep on one side of the bed. Pillowtops are notorious for sagging within the first year or two. As it’s permanently stitched to the core mattress it can’t be removed. So you’re left with a sagging mattress that’s uncomfortable.

Flaxby Mattress Springs:

Let’s have a look at the spring unit in this mattress. It is listed as containing 4500 springs. Given that roughly 2000 is the maximum amount of springs in a pocket spring dual layer mattress this model has to be using micro springs or HD springs as well as regular-sized pocket springs.

Looking at their cutaway these as synthetic ‘spun-bond’ pocket springs. Which you would expect at this price point. The far superior calico encased vanadium coated pocket spring mattresses tend to start at the £1500 price point in a king size.

We really don’t rate micro springs. Why? Because we find that manufacturers are using them simply to increase the spring count in mattress models. This is the current sales pitch to try and outcompete each other. Uninformed customers believe that a higher spring count equates to a better mattress. However, the more springs you put in the less fibre content the mattress will contain. This is because a mattress can only ever be so deep – max around 30-35cm – so the more springs that take up that space will be at the detriment of other fibres and layers.

We have a guide explaining spring counts here in more detail which may help.

Ok, let’s look at the fibres inside this mattress to see what the comfort layers are made of.

Flaxby Mattress Upholstery Layers:

The Flaxby has quite a confusing product description on Dreams website. This is because it lists the following:

4500 pocket springs
100% pure natural cotton & wool for durability and highest comfort
Ventilating and temperature regulating exclusive DNAir pocket springs
Sumptuous pillow top for an even higher level of comfort
100% Viscose Belgian damask finish preventing wear away and overheating

However, the product cutaway shows that it’s not 100% Natural cotton and wool but is actually a mix of unknown quantities of Cotton, Wool, Polyester (also listed as ‘White fibre”) and Hemp. If you look at the cutout below the breakdown is very different to the product listing.

Image from Dreams.co.uk

What’s also missing is the GSM of these fibres making it near impossible to accurately compare with this model. As Dreams don’t list what’s in this Harrisons mattress.

Looking at this construction type it looks very much like a medium feel mattress. However, without exact specifics, this is just based on our experience. It’s also worth noting that we would never create a pillow top mattress given the drawbacks.

What compares to the Dreams Flaxby Mattress?:

Ok so down to comparisons. Based on your budget of £1200 for a kingsize (we are guessing given its the most popular size) then the nearest comparison would be our Artisan Tailored Pocket 2000 mattress currently priced at £1165.

It uses a dual spring layer (in the method we prefer so its two sided rather than micro springs). It’s available in 3 spring tensions based on your bodyweight. It’s 85% natural fibre and contains 3950GSM along with 2000 spunbond pocket springs in a dual-layer. Which will give that lively feel similar to the Flaxby however its two-sided so you can use both sides. making for a longer mattress lifespan.