Jay-Be’s Benchmark S7 Tri-brid mattress is a bit of a marvel where eco credentials are concerned. Made right here in the UK, it’s a hybrid mattress sporting a breathable and temperature-regulating combo of Micro e-Pocket springs, which remove the need for glue, and, in place of foam, comfortable e-Fibre made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. Impressive, no?

Jay-Be rates it medium-firm, however, our tester found it to be the softest of the bunch, though that isn’t necessarily a negative. It’s snug and cushiony but also very springy, which makes for a lot of motion transfer (so if you share a bed with a fidgeter, this is potentially not the mattress for you). 

However, it can be used immediately upon unboxing and it’s fragrance-free, unlike some other mattresses, so there’s no adjustment period where smell is concerned. It’s also an excellent option for anybody on a budget.

It’s easy to unbox and manoeuvre – even alone – though it’s worth noting that the box doesn’t have perforated handles, so getting it up stairs can involve a bit of a dance.

The mattress comes with a five-year guarantee but, unfortunately, cannot be returned if used, so think long and hard before committing to this one.

We won’t beat around the bush here, Simba’s Hybrid Pro mattress is supremely comfy. As in, risk a danger-sit during the day and there’s a chance you’ll stay there for some time. Not ideal for productivity (particularly when so many of us are still working from home), but an absolute dream come sleep time. 

It features a combo of foam and Titanium Aerocoil Spring-Comfort layers which, although make for quite a heavy mattress (you might need an extra pair of hands to carry it through your home), provides enhanced airflow and that hug feeling you get from a good quality mattress. Plus, a 100% natural wool top layer aids with temperature regulation, though if you run hot it might still be a little on the warm side.

The Hybrid Pro has a firm feel about it, so it’s a popular choice for those who experience back pain and individuals who require more support, and there’s absolutely no motion transfer, so you can snooze soundly even if your partner moves a lot during the night. Its biggest downfall, we think, is the strong, chemical smell it emits upon first opening. 

This is fairly normal for a foam mattress, but we found the odor of the Hybrid Pro to be strong for the first two nights. It fades over time, and after a few days we found the smell to have gone, however, if you’re unable to air the mattress for a while before using expect there to be an adjustment period whilst the fragrance disappears.

It’s ready to use three hours after unboxing but, as with all vacuum-packed mattresses, it can take a few days to reach full expansion. Happily, Simba offers a 200-night trial, during which time you’re welcome to change your mind and return your mattress, and the Hybrid Pro comes with a 10-year guarantee, so if anything goes wrong you can have it replaced for free. 

Delivery is speedy – three business days – and we appreciated the cutting tool provided to assist with unpacking.

OTTY’s Hybrid mattress is a solid all-rounder that would likely suit most sleepers. Rated 7/10 for firmness (with 1 being very soft and 10 being very firm), it feels spongy yet supportive on your frame, and makes getting out of bed in the morning ever-more challenging. 

It contains both memory foam for comfort (which it has in spades) and individually-sewn pocket springs to minimise motion transfer for – in OTTY’s own words – those sharing a bed with a tosser. 

Temperature regulating properties – which our tester, who tends to run hot at nighttime, gave a firm thumbs up – help to prevent overheating by releasing heat through the perforated foam, and a removable and washable cover allows you to keep the mattress in tip-top condition for longer. 

It also has a non-slip base for use on all surfaces, whether a divan or an adjustable bed.

The box doesn’t have handle perforations, so it’s somewhat awkward moving around (in fact, your best bet is probably to unwrap first and then carry using the mattress handles), but the mattress is fairly lightweight and comes with a cutting tool for easier unpacking. 

It can be used 2-4 hours after opening but may take some time to fully expand. It does have a light chemical fragrance at first, but we found it to be far less offensive than other mattresses we tested, and it faded much quicker too. 

OTTY offers a 100-night trial of the Original Hybrid, so if it turns out not to be your cup of tea, it’s no big deal, and you can return for a full refund. 

Sleeping on an Emma Original Mattress is akin to (we imagine) sleeping on a marshmallow. It’s doughy and soft, yet feels supportive on your frame thanks to the HRX foam, which is intended to keep spines aligned. 

A firmness rating of 6-7 out of 10 makes Emma’s Original Mattress a good mid-way mattress with medium firmness suitable for most people, with a few exceptions. 

Made entirely of memory foam, it’s the lightest mattress we tested (23.4kg for a double), which made unpacking and positioning incredibly easy – even for a person on their own. Along with the HRX foam, which helps to isolate motion so there’s no bed-shake when someone moves in the night, there’s also a viscoelastic layer, which contours to your body, and an Airgocell foam top layer, which absorbs moisture and provides a surprisingly cool sleep for a foam mattress. 

There’s also a removable and washable top cover, which is handy for – sorry for sounding gross – sweat stains and general signs of wear. It’s worth nothing that, because the mattress is made entirely from foam, it does have a slight smell upon opening. However, our tester found it almost entirely disappeared after a few hours of airing with the windows open.

Happily, Emma Original mattresses are made in the UK, and are entirely vegan.

It generally takes 2-4 hours for the Emma Original to fully inflate, though on occasion it can take up to 48 hours to expand completely. 

A 200-night trial allows you to take your time testing the mattress to be 100% certain it’s for you (it can take up to 6 weeks to fully adjust to a new mattress) and return for free if you find it unsuitable.  

Nectar’s Memory Foam mattress feels like a big, warm hug and, boy, do we need those more than ever right now. Its three layer foam construction (two of viscoelastic foam and a base layer of support foam) is designed to relieve pressure points and promote better spine alignment, whilst also providing that wonderful melting sensation you get with a good quality memory foam mattress. 

It is rated 6.5 for firmness, so a fraction firmer than middle of the road, which means that it has those lovely spongy qualities about it whilst remaining supportive and allowing unhindered movement for combinations sleepers (and no motion transfer to the person sharing the bed either). In short: it’s suitable for most people.

It has a cooling polyester cover, however we still found the mattress to veer a little on the warm side, particularly when used in combination with a feather duvet.

It’s a fairly heavy, handleless mattress, and our tester found it to be one of the trickiest to unpack alone. It was packed very tightly, and took slightly longer than other mattresses tested to fully inflate, so allow plenty of time for it to expand before using. It also has a mild, although not massively offensive, smell to begin with.

 Nectar recommends speeding up the odor removal by placing a bowl of white vinegar in the room or sprinkling baking soda on the mattress then vacuuming to absorb the fragrance of the foam.

The mattress comes with two free memory foam pillows (win), a 365-day trial – the longest we’ve seen – and an impressive forever warranty, which guarantees a free replacement mattress if yours breaks from normal use. Oh, and, fun fact, it’s also naturally resistant to bed bugs.

One reviewer on the Eve website stated, and we quote, that The Original Mattress feels ‘like the bed you stay in at a posh hotel’ and, actually, we couldn’t agree more. 

It makes the mundanity of going to bed feel like an absolute luxury. You might even find an excuse to turn in a half hour early to enjoy it for just a little bit longer (our tester certainly did).

Its three layers of foam provide medium-firm support and a pillowy feel that cradles – and contours to – your body, allowing a comfortable sleep in most positions. T

here’s very little – if any – motion transfer when a co-sleeper moves, and the ever-comfort foam layer, which is said to be 30 times more breathable than traditional memory foam, means you’re less likely to experience sleep-disturbing discomfort from overheating. It also has a removable and washable cover, which is a bonus.

It’s quite heavy, but handles on the base, as opposed to the sides, make it easier to manoeuvre around your home. Like most boxed mattresses, Eve’s Original Mattress inflates straight away, but can take a few hours to expand fully. 

It has a slight smell upon opening, and Eve recommends leaving it in a ventilated room for a few hours before using and running over it with a vacuum to reduce any lingering odor.

Eve offers a 100-night trial which is substantial, but isn’t the best we’ve come across, so do bear this in mind if you know it takes you longer to adjust to a new mattress. 

There is, however, the option to have your old mattress removed upon delivery of the new one, plus a generous 10 year guarantee. It’s made right here in the UK, which somehow makes us rate it even more, and it comes in two colours.

You might want to don your fit kit and do a few stretches before unpacking Dreamcloud’s Luxury Hybrid mattress (and definitely don’t try to carry it up a flight of stairs alone) as it’s pretty weighty. But what it lacks in lightness, it makes up for in comfort.

Five layers of materials, including Activedge coils and foam, make it a good balance of snug and supportive for all sleepers, and a quilted top layer ensures a cool sleep even for those who tend to overheat. Rated a 6.5 on the firmness scale, it has a subtle springiness and a cushiony feel, though it doesn’t have the same doughy qualities as full foam mattresses, so if you prefer sleeping on a slightly sturdier base this mattress might just be for you.

It has a support foam base to absorb motion, but it does bounce a little when somebody moves, so although it’s potentially not sleep-disturbing for the bed-sharer, it’s not entirely without motion transfer.

There’s less of a chemical aroma upon opening Dreamcloud’s Luxury Hybrid mattress compared to others due to it having less foam, which makes for a much more pleasant sleep on the first few nights. 

Our tester found the unpacking process somewhat tricky, thanks in part to the weight of the mattress and also the amount of plastic film it was rolled in, so you’ll need patience in spades. That said, it did inflate immediately.

A generous 365-day trial allows you to test the Luxury Hybrid in your own home for a full year and return it at any point if you find it isn’t quite suited to you, and a forever warranty means that should you choose to commit and your mattress develops a defect from normal use, it’ll be replaced for free.