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February 2023

What’s the best mattress for £750?

Finding a new mattress is not an easy process. Retailers bamboozle you with options and materials you may have never heard of before. If you have £750 set aside but don't know what kind of mattress to buy then this article should help. We're here to show you exactly what to expect in a new mattress based on your budget. We take away the guesswork so you can work out which mattress meets your requirements.

Updated 2023: Once you understand what you can get for your mattress budget you can then save time and make a far better sleep decision. All from the comfort of home! If you have a budget of £750 or thereabouts and are looking for a new mattress then this post will explain exactly what you can expect for your money.

Working out what is the best mattress for £750 need not be difficult when you know what to look for and to expect. So let’s look more at £750 mattress options.

Origins 1500 Mattress
£750 should start to move you away from the cheaper mattress models. However, you will still need your whits to choose the best quality bed.

A £750 mattress is classed as an entry-level model, which, unfortunately, is where most mattress models sit. Meaning there are thousands of options to wade through.

This is where the majority of high street models aim their price points. For £750, you can expect a mattress that should last you around 5 years with good maintenance, if not more. If your budget is less than this, then you will need to adjust your expectations accordingly.

It’s worth bearing in mind that a quality mattress and a good night’s sleep should be considered. If you cut back too much you may end up making multiple purchases every 5 or so years meaning it may actually cost you more in the long run.

What to expect from a £750 mattress

A hotel bed nearly dressed.
We look under the covers of £750 mattresses to allow you to make better buying decisions.

What can you roughly expect for your money in terms of support units and fillings from a £750 mattress? This is the first question you need to understand, so you know how to compare models. We’re now going to explain the kinds of support and mattress upholstery you can aim for at this price point.

Mattress Support

In terms of the support options for your £750 you should expect at the very least, a spunbond pocket spring support unit. At this price, open coil and cage sprung mattresses should be avoided at all costs. They offer bouncy uneven support when used. Which encourages you to roll together, being thrown about when your partner moves during the night and having a rather uncomfortable night’s sleep overall. So always avoid these springs where possible.

Pocket springs are the best form of mattress support as they individually contour to your body weight, reduce transference and provide a really robust support unit for your mattress. This results in less settlement or sagging issues further down the line if the mattress is looked after.

Ideally, a spring unit such as Spunbond Pocket Springs is preferable as you can then turn the mattress if two-sided which you always should opt for, which we explain in this article. So how many springs should you expect at this price point from a kingsize mattress?

Spunbonded pocket springs
Spunbond Pocket Springs should be the goto support for a £750 mattress and are far superior to foam or cage springs. Click here to view.

You should be looking at a minimum of 1000 up to 2000. Anything over this uses additional layers of micro springs which we discuss the drawbacks of here. Micro springs are usually incorporated into a mattress by the removal of upholstery comfort layers which we will come onto next.

When looking at the gauge and tension of these springs, most entry-level mattresses are based on a 1.4 gauge wire in a pocket spring equating to a medium tension. If you want to understand more on spring tensions please read our detailed guide here to work out the best tension for you, or view our table below.

Spring TensionWire diameter (Gauge)Weight Range
Soft1.2mmBespoke Tension (Please Call)
Medium1.4mmUpto 16 stone
Firm1.6mm16 stone plus
Extra Firm / Orthopaedic1.9mm20 stone plus

In foam mattresses around the £750 mark, you should see Reflex or ‘Support’ foam used as the support unit. Different memory foam brands also use their own branded support foam. If in doubt ask them which layer is the support foam and what the density it.  Memory foam and other foam mattresses are one-sided and rely on layers of foam to provide both comfort and support. These different foams are layered from firmer (Reflex or Support) foam to the softer foams such as Memory Foam or Hybrid Foam.

At the £750 mark foam mattresses reach their peak in terms of quality and progressive comfort. When spending more the advancements come in the form of springs and higher-end materials. The more you pay is usually spent on branding and foams themselves don’t necessarily increase in quality accordingly.

There are some exceptions such as Natural Latex mattresses but these are usually only found around £1500 so are that in mind.

Upholstery in a £750 Mattress

Once you’ve established what you can expect in terms of support, ie the value of a pocket spring over a cage sprung the next area is the fillings that are then layered on top; the ‘Comfort Layers’ of the mattress. The comfort layers provide you with the overall comfort and ‘feel’ of your new bed and this is where utmost care needs to be taken when choosing a new mattress.

You’re going to have a number of bed fillings, mattress brand names, buzzwords and cryptic descriptions to choose from which is where most people fall short. We’re about to explain everything you need to know about mattress fillings to save you the drama.

In a £750 mattress, you’re primarily going to be looking at polyester and synthetic blends of mattress fibres. You will see many descriptions stating these models ‘include natural fibres’ or ‘contain’ them. However, you need to be careful with these vague descriptions.

At £750 you’re not going to be able to get a true natural fibre mattress with any real decent fibre weights as the price point is too low. Models that use phrases like ‘Contains Cashmere’ or ‘Including Wool’ need to be taken with a pinch of salt. Alternatively, you really need to quiz the mattress sales team to ask them the exact grams per square meter to find out. Sometimes as little as 1% natural fibre blended then with 99% polyester is used for these descriptions.

Most of the fibres contained within these mattress models will be white fibre, polyester, foam or other man-made fibres. These fibres are absolutely fine for this price point but retailers should list the exact quantities so you’re not duped.

Polyester cross section
Polyester, White Fibre or Recycled man-made fibres are to be expected as the primary filling in a £750 mattress. Click to view.

We’ve briefly touched upon knowing the weight of these fibres and this is your primary weapon when researching a new mattress. You need to ask what the GSM (Grams per square meter) of each of the fibres contained within are. If not you’re simply guessing at what is inside the mattress.

In a £750 mattress, you can expect to receive around 1000-1200GSM of man-made fibres in a kingsize mattress. Anything less than this and you’re going to compress quickly through these layers leading to potential settlement and dips. If looking at a foam mattress you’re wanting to expect at least a 25cm deep mattress with a 5cm or 7.5cm memory foam comfort layer on top of the Reflex or support foam.

Upholstery LayerFibre TypeHow it will feel?Price Point
PolyesterSyntheticSoftEntry-Level
White FibreSyntheticSoft/MediumEntry-Level
Recycled Fibre / Eco FibreSyntheticMediumEntry-Level
Memory FoamSyntheticMedium/FirmEntry-Level / Mid Level
Igel / Hybrid FoamSyntheticMedium/FirmEntry-Level / Mid Level
You can expect primarily synthetic fibres in a mattress for £750
You can expect primarily synthetic fibres in a mattress for £750
Most Natural Fibre models will be one sided at this price point.
Most Natural Fibre models will be one sided at this price point.

Mattress Detailing for a £750 Bed

At the £750 price point, the mattress detailing is going to be very light touch. Mattress Detailing refers to the stitching method, construction skill and cover fabric of the mattress. The finer details that give you an indication of the overall quality and time taken to make the mattress. Machine-stitching, for example, is far faster than the higher quality hand side stitching which takes the best part of 6 full hours in a kingsize to do correctly. For £750 expect a synthetic stretch over or polyester fabric along with machine stitching and a synthetic adhesive used to bind any foam layers. Pocket springs at this level will also be glued not hand-stitched. The majority of these mattress models at £750 are going to be mass-produced or ‘fast produced’ to ensure that they are profitable. If you use an independent mattress manufacturer you may be able to get better detailing as their overheads are lower so can expect more. This is why we can offer such great value on our hand made mattresses as you’re not paying for TV adverts, branding campaigns or showroom costs.

Best mattress models for £750

We have explained what you can expect for your money so its time to see which are the best mattress models for £750 out there in the UK. We’ve undertaken a number of reviews and tests on hundreds of mattresses over the years and here are a few to give you a basis for comparison.  We provide 5 different mattresses at around the £750 price point, including one of our own models for comparison. This should help give you an idea of what you can expect to make a better mattress purchase.

John Lewis & Partners Natural Collection Hemp 2500

This John Lewis mattress model is part of their natural collection. It’s probably one of the best models at this price point in terms of content with natural fibres (however we’re going to show why you need to also consider the fact it is only one-sided). This model firstly utilises synthetic pocket ‘Cortec’ springs and then a layer of synthetic micro springs on top, which is how they get the 25000 spring count. Counts over 2000 in a kingsize are always dual-layered or tiered springs. Cortec springs are heat sealed rather than glued together and are from Harrison Spinks. This is a great feature and makes them fully recyclable at the end of their life.

The comfort layers are made up of:

  • British Wool & Viscose (No GSM given or blend)
  • Natural Cotton Blend (No blend or GSM given)
  • British Wool, Hemp & Flax blend (No GSM or blend stated)
  • Micro Springs (No gauge or amount given estimated at 1000)
  • Cortec pocket springs (No amount of gauge given estimated at 1500)
  • Eco White Fibre Pad (Synthetic no GSM given)

For the price, this is a well put together mattress for the price point and provides a medium comfort layer feel and suitable support for those up to 16 stone. It retails at £699 for a kingsize. It’s really nice to see actual Natural Fibres in a mattress at this price point. The drawback is that this is achieved by making it a one-sided mattress. Meaning you can only ever use one side. To find this level of Natural fibre in a two-sided mattress you could easily expect this mattress to cost £1250. So you need to bear that in mind. It’s machine side stitched and tufted to help keep the fillings from moving around inside the mattress. This would be a great model for someone who struggles to turn their mattress and is willing to accept the fact it may have a shorter shelf life because of this.

The John lewis Hemp 2500 Natural Collection Mattress
Image from John Lewis & Partners Website: https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-natural-collection-hemp-2500-king-size-medium-tension-pocket-spring-mattress/

Eve Hybrid

This is Eve’s first ‘Hybrid mattress’. A hybrid mattress uses a mix of foams and in this case, springs to create a hybrid mattress. It’s an interesting model with some great reviews from customers and uses a FEPS (foam encapsulated pocket springs) style support system. We have really detailed article on FEPS here but in short, it is when pocket springs are encased in a foam tray or box of sorts.  It contains 650 pocket springs which is the bare minimum in a mattress of this size. This is probably how the model is kept at this price point.  As with all foam mattresses (with the exception of solid core Latex) this is a one-sided model so can only be rotated and not turned. This mattress is a medium/firm feel for those under 16 stone.

The Eve mattress hybrid cut away
Image from Eve’s Website: https://www.evesleep.co.uk/hybrid-mattresses/the-hybrid
  • Evecomfort foam layer (no depth or density given could be 60kg?)
  • Pocket Spring FEPS unit (Not specified but probably a 1.4 gauge medium spring)
  • Pocket Springs: 650

The Casper Mattress

The Casper mattress is one of the original boxed mattress companies and has a model in the £750 mark which is a memory foam mattress. Priced at £700 for a kingsize it features four foam layers. A support foam which is castellated (cut to provide flex) and three varying comfort / softer foam top layers including memory foam. Casper doesn’t disclose the depth or density of the foams making it really difficult to compare. It provides a medium feel with a slow sink for people up to 16 stone. It’s also worth bearing in mind that some people find memory foam very hot, especially if you’re a warm sleeper. So it’s best to maybe test out a friends memory foam mattress first. It is another one-sided mattress due to its construction method and contains no springs as it is a foam mattress.

Marks & Spencer Natural Plus 1500 Medium Mattress

This Marks & Spencer mattress features a mix of synthetic and natural fibres in its upholstery layers. It features 1250 spunbond pocket springs, probably in a medium 1.4 gauge tension to create a true medium feel. It is retailing at £699 for a kingsize and shows the kind of build quality you should expect from a £750 mattress but again it is one-sided so care needs to be taken in rotating the mattress diligently. At 40kg its a relatively light mattress (a 2 sided natural fibre model can be up to 80kg for comparison). Machine side stitched and tufted like most mattresses using this traditional construction method. We would guess that the upholstery is a number of blended layers, without more details from Marks & Spencer its hard to accurately say.

Marks and Spencers Natural Plus
Image from: https://www.marksandspencer.com/natural-pocket-sprung-1500-medium-mattress/
  • Luxury white fibre, cotton and lambswool
  • Made in Great Britain
  • 3 rows side stitch
  • 4 handles and 8 silver vents
  • Mattress Spring count: 1500
  • Mattress Handle: Yes

John Ryan By Design Origins Pocket 1500

We pride ourselves on making the highest quality mattresses we can for each price point and letting you the consumer know exactly what’s inside it and our Origins 1500 is no exception! Our Origins Pocket 1500 is our best selling spunbond pocket spring, two-sided mattress model. Hand made here in the UK. Giving a medium feel with a softer sink top layer it is made with 1550GSM of man-made and natural fibres. It has a true medium feel and can be turned and rotated to increase the life span of your mattress.

It costs £850 for a kingsize which we know is a bit over the £750 price point.

Origins Pocket 1500 and cocktail straw 4 drawer base
Our Origins Pocket 1500 is our best selling entry model. The great all arounder. A medium feel for 9-16 stone sleepers and two-sided.
  •  300gsm Wool
  • 750gsm Very Soft Polyester 
  • 500gsm Polyester Pad
  • One Inch Foam Insulator Pad
  • 1500 Spunbond Pocket Springs (1.4 Medium Gauge)
  • Total: 1550GSM
  • Depth: 30-33CM

You could also browse our mattress discount outlet to see if there is a bargain to be had there for your price point.

What else can I get for my money?

Now we’ve shown what you can expect for around £750 for a new mattress; you may be wondering what else you can expect if you increase your bed budget. Below is a handy guide of exactly what your money should buy you when choosing a new mattress.

How much to spend on a double mattress?What can I expect for my money?
Under £500Will not get you much at best a 13.5 gauge open coil/cage sprung with a thin polyester layer or a solid foam mattress.
£500Entry level spunbond springs with some form of synthetic upholstery. Usually one sided mattresses.
£750The beginnings of a basic pocket springs unit with 800 – 1000 count. No substantial amount of filling other than foams and synthetic materials. Two sided models.
£1000Should get you away from most low ranges and into the mid-range pocket spring models.
£1250Should get you a decent pocket sprung mattress with some Natural Fibre content.
£1500Should get you many manufacturers mid-range models with Natural Fibres
£1500-£2000Should get you a Hand Made primarily Natural Fibre Quality Mattress
£2000+You should expect 100% Natural Fibres and Traditional Hand Made Construction Method.
£5000+A Bespoke Hand Made Sleep System, High-end Spring Units & Featuring the Worlds Most Luxurious Natural Fibres.

  1. What to expect from a £500 Mattress. Click to View
  2. What to expect from a £1000 Mattress. Click to View
  3. What to expect from a £1250 Mattress. Click to View
  4. What to expect from a £1500-£2000 Mattress. Click to View.
  5. What to expect from a £2000 plus Mattress. Click to View

Summary

Hopefully, you now have a much better understanding of what to expect for around £750 in a mattress. You’re going to primarily get man-made synthetic fibres and should be expecting to see pocket springs as the support layer or foam. Natural fibre models tend to be one sided to keep the cost down.

For a truly Natural fibre mattress, you’ll be looking at almost double the £750 price tag. There can be a vast difference between the filling quantities and spring types at this price point so it is really important that you compare between different mattress brands and models.

By asking the Grams per square meter and exact pocket spring count you can quickly discharge unsuitable models and shortlist mattresses saving yourself time and money.

If you’re still struggling to make a decision on which new mattress to buy then why not give our small friendly team a call on 0161 437 4419 or drop us a message below for more help?

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