A Vispring mattress is not cheap.
However, they are amongst the best you can buy in the UK – and the entry level model is less than you might expect. They’re made with some of the highest quality materials and they come with long guarantees. Of course, they also have a prestigious reputation, which you’re paying a premium for.
Prices vary significantly between the cheapest Vispring mattress and the most expensive mattress. The price of a double ranges from about £1300 to £10,000.
We’ll attempt to explain what the difference is between the cheapest and most expensive models – and hopefully won’t make it so dull that you doze off.
The science of buying the best mattress on the market
Buying a Vispring mattress is a big investment and I wouldn’t encourage you to spend more than you can afford. However, it is worth mentioning that there is some science behind the salesperson’s claim that ‘you get what you pay for’ with a mattress.
The question was explored by Enck, Walten and Traue in 1999. They swapped a hotel’s mattresses for three different mattresses, which covered a range of prices and qualities. They then asked guests (who were unaware of the trial taking place) to say how well they had slept.
The guests using the most expensive mattresses said that they slept better than those on the cheaper mattresses (‘the three qualities of the mattresses correlated significantly and positively with the perceived quality of sleep’). The difference was bigger amongst those guests who had ‘chronic’ problems with back pain and sleeping in general. Those guests found that having a more expensive mattress made a smaller difference to those who usually slept well.
Here are the good and bad points about Vispring mattresses, followed by our top five.
Pros and cons of Vispring mattresses
Pros:
- Impressive history as pioneers of pocket sprung mattresses
- Luxurious natural materials such as wool, bamboo and alpaca
- Clarity about what materials are used in their mattresses
- Clear advice on choosing firmness levels
- Entry level models are not as expense as you might imagine (£1300 for a double).
- Very long warranties of 30 years
Cons:
- Most models are prohibitively expensive
- Using genuine Vispring bases adds a lot to the price compared to alternative brands
- No trial periods
We’ve picked out five of the best Vispring mattresses by looking at specifications, reviews and awards. Prices are correct at the time of writing and are for a double mattress but keep an eye out for discounts and deals that appear from time to time, such as on Black Friday and Boxing Day.
1. Vispring Elite Pocket Sprung Mattress – soft, medium or firm – £1359
The Vispring Elite mattress is a terrific mattress at the cheap end of the Vispring range. Don’t worry though, you are still getting the Vispring quality – they certainly don’t put their name on rubbish. In fact, I would argue that the upgrades that you get for a mattress that costs five times as much are relatively modest.
A well sprung mattress
As with all Vispring mattresses, the Elite is made with pocket springs. Some cheap and nasty mattresses use ‘open coil’ mattresses that wobble around and aren’t as supportive. A company like Vispring wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole. I wouldn’t be surprised if they employ security staff to keep open coil springs away from the factory.
This model has 1326 springs on the king size model. Generally you want at least 1000 springs on a high quality mattress and somewhere nearer to 2000 if you’re much heavier than average. This model will provide plenty of support for most people.
Double-sided delight
Other good signs are that it’s double sided so you can flip it over to extend its life a bit. It also has something called hand-side stitching. That means it is strong right to the edges so won’t collapse whilst you are putting your socks on.
So why is this one cheaper than most Vispring mattresses? It is a little thinner than more expensive models at 21cm – although you’d need to spend several thousand pounds more just for an extra couple of centimetres.
Posher models are packed with extra layers for extra comfort and use some luxurious materials. This one uses a simple design of springs, wool and cotton.
Softer than average
One big plus about the Vispring Elite is that it is available as a soft, medium or firm mattress. By comparison, the Vispring Chiswick (sold exclusively by John Lewis) is only available in medium and firm versions.
A softer mattress is more suited for lighter people. The official Vispring guide suggests that their soft mattresses are ideal for people who weigh less than 11 stone. Also bear in mind that side sleepers need softer mattresses than people who sleep on their back or front.
If you weigh between 11 and 16 stone then Vispring recommends the medium tension version, whilst the firm model is for people who weigh 16-20 stone. The extra firm version is best if you weigh more than 20 stone.
What a warranty!
The Vispring Elite comes with a whopping 30 year warranty, which is almost the longest in the mattress industry. The exceptions are a couple of mattresses that offer a ‘forever’ warranty (Nectar Sleep Memory Foam Mattress and Dreamcloud). However, these brands are more modern whereas Vispring can proudly point out that their warranty exceeds the length of time that they’ve been trading. Of course, it’s worth reading through the small print of a warranty. One notable thing to consider is that Vispring require this mattress to be placed on a divan base rather than a bedframe with slats. You can get around this by also buying a Vispring Protective Pad, but that’s another thing to pay for.
In reality, a 30 year warranty is about making a statement of quality. I don’t imagine many people return a mattress after 29 years.
Environmental impact
There’s an argument that a mattress such as this that uses natural materials has a smaller environmental impact than one combining springs with foam. Of course, there are many ways to measure how ‘green’ a product is.
It’s worth mentioning a study by Mason, Stringer et al in 2012, which suggested that ‘natural fibre (biomaterial) pocket spring mattresses are shown to emit marginally less greenhouse gasses (GHG) than foam (petrochemical) pocket spring mattresses.’ They also said the difference between natural fibres and foam was potentially greater once disposal of the mattress was taken into account.
2. Vispring Bedstead Realm Mattress – soft, medium or firm tension – £1919
If you cough up a few hundred pounds extra you can get yourself a Vispring Bedstead Realm Mattress.
The burning question is, what are you getting for an extra £600 (or more if it’s the king size or super king size version)?
How about an abundance of natural layers and the option to use it on a bedframe instead of a divan?
There are two thrilling differences between the Vispring Elite and the Vispring Bedstead Realm. Well, there may be more than that but these are the really significant ones that will make your heart beat a little faster.
The first is that the Vispring Bedstead Realm is designed to be used with a bedframe or a bedstead (those two words mean the same thing). That’s good news if you’ve just bought a beautiful wooden, upholstered or metal bedframe and then discovered that some Vispring mattresses can’t be used with slats without buying an extra protective pad. I don’t mind a divan base if it’s a nice colour, but some people find them a bit old-fashioned.
The second difference is that the Vispring Bedstead Realm throws in a layer of bamboo. This adds a bit of ‘natural absorption and moisture-wicking’ so you get a more ‘breathable and fresh sleeping surface‘. That’s good news if you tend to get hot in bed (ooooh matron).
What does the Vispring Realm Bedstead have in common with the Vispring Elite?
Quite a lot really.
They both use the same number of springs and are available in three firmness levels: soft (if you are under 11 stone), medium (11-16 stone) and firm (16-20 stone). You can also get an extra firm version that is for people who weigh than 20 stone (this version is available from And So To Bed).
This clarity over firmness ratings is a glorious thing that is rare in the mattress industry. Most just leave you to guess, which is difficult when there’s no universal agreement of what constitutes a ‘firm’ or ‘soft’ mattress. Others use nonsensical terms such as calling a mattress ‘soft-firm’.
Other similarities between the Elite and the Realm are the use of wool and cotton, the option to flip it over to prolong its life and the hand-side stitching for added strength.
A few firm words
Getting the right firmness for you is important in a mattress. Researchers in Iran examined this topic in some detail in a paper called ‘Spine alignment in men during lateral sleep position: experimental study and modeling’ (Leilnahari, Fatouraee et all, 2011). Their research looked at people who sleep on their side and concluded that ‘a too soft or too firm mattress is no good choice for most men’.
They explained that ‘Soft surfaces cause the increase in low back pain due to incorrect support of vertebral column…(whilst)…mattresses with high stiffness lead to shoulder pain, and cause the decrease in sleep quality and improper distribution of body loads’.
3. Vispring Imperial Bedstead Mattress – soft, medium or firm tension – £3619
This Vispring Imperial is another step up in the Vispring range. It costs about three times as much as the cheapest model in our list (the Vispring Elite) but it comes with a number of upgrades. Whether they justify the price increase may depend on the size of your wallet.
Most significantly, the spring count is much higher with a total of 1720 springs on the king size version (compared to 1326 on the Elite). A higher number will give you a bit of extra support, although for most averaged-sized people 1326 springs will be perfectly adequate.
The closest comparison I can offer is that it’s like buying a Rolls Royce with a slightly bigger engine or slightly thicker leather seats. The differences are subtler and whichever you go for, you’re still getting a Rolls Royce.
Naturally brilliant
The Vispring Imperial uses a much more luxurious mix of expensive materials on top of the springs including horsehair and bamboo. Natural materials tend to be more breathable than synthetic materials. Horsehair is particularly good at not losing its shape over time, which can reduce the risk of your mattress developing dips and bumps.
There’s some disagreement online over whether natural materials are a good choice for people who suffer from dust mite allergies. For example, Mattress Next Day say that ‘Traditionally, foam styles tend to be the most popular choice for anti-allergy mattresses’. The reason is that their ‘tight structure makes it difficult for any allergens to get into the mattress filling’.
However, a study of Norwegian children’s mattresses in 2002 found the opposite and suggested using a sprung mattress instead:
“The risk of finding mite faeces was four times higher in foam compared to spring mattresses…and eight times higher for the foam mattresses without cover’.
Schei, Lund and Hessen, 2002
They found that there were several factors that correlated with the presence of dust mites, besides the mattress material. These included ‘dampness, age of mattress, cleaning of mattress, frequency of vacuuming the bedroom, mechanical ventilation, bedroom temperature and bedroom relative humidity’ (Schei, Lund and Hessen, 2002).
Depth and warranty
Overall, the Vispring Imperial is the same depth as the cheaper Vispring Elite and the Vispring Realm (see above). They can all be turned over to help avoid sags and dips over time. They all come with a remarkably long 30 year guarantee. The inclusion of the word ‘Bedstead’ in the title also tells you that you can use this one on a slatted base.
As with the cheaper Vispring models, you can pick from four firmness ratings for the Vispring Imperial including:
- soft for people who weigh less than 11 stone
- medium for people who weigh 11-16 stone
- firm for people who weigh 16-20 stone
- extra firm for people who weigh 20 stone+ (this version only seems to be sold at And So To Bed).
You may be wondering what you should do if none of those categories work for you.
For example, you might weigh 10 stone and share a bed with someone who weighs 19 stone. You might decide to compromise on a medium firmness model, but that’s not ideal and might lead to neither of you being happy. In that situation, you could search for a split-tension mattress, but that limits your choice significantly.
A simpler (and usually cheaper) option is to get two ‘Long Single’ mattresses and use them on a Super King Size base. A ‘Long Single’ mattress is sometimes called a ‘European Single’ mattress and is 90cm wide and 200cm long. A standard Super King Size base is 180cm wide and 200cm long. You can buy these more unusual sizes of Vispring mattresses at And So To Bed.
You can also buy adjustable Vispring bases, which are good if you need a bit of help with mobility or if you just like reading in bed.
4. Vispring Superb Bedstead Mattress – soft, medium or firm – £5249
Our next contender in this parade of magnificent mattresses is Vispring’s Superb Bedstead Mattress.
Honestly, I would struggle to convince myself (or my wife) that we should spend this much on a mattress but it’s interesting to get an understanding of what you get for splashing out.
The spring count leaps up on this mattress to about 2100. However, it’s designed in a different way and actually uses two layers of pocket springs, which appear to be slightly smaller than those used on the Vispring Elite, Realm and Imperial models.
You also get an extra row of hand side-stitching compared to the cheaper models. I will avoid boring you too much (Ed: bit late for that) but you can either construct a mattress with machine side-stitching or hand side-stitching. The latter is more labour intensive and more expensive but gives a mattress more strength at the edges.
You notice this most when you sit on the edge of your bed to tie your shoelaces. Machine side-stitching reacts like you are biting into a custard slice whilst hand side-stitching is more resilient. It’s also useful if you end up sharing a bed with someone who pushes you to the edge of the bed…
The other notable improvement is the addition of more natural materials, and more details about their origins.
Similarities with other models
Besides that, it has the same choice of firmness levels as other Vispring mattresses and nice clear guidance on what you should go for depending on your weight. You also get the same 30 year warrantee, a design that can be turned over and the option to use it on a bedstead/bedframe with slats rather than a divan.
5. Vispring Distinction Bedstead Pocket Sprung Mattress – soft, medium or firm tension – £9599
Yes, you read that price right.
This is what you get if you really push the boat out with a Vispring mattress.
The Vispring Distinction Mattress has a higher spring count than cheaper models. However, it’s worth realising that it’s actually got two layers of 1225 springs rather than 2450 springs on one layer. This is because there’s a limit to how many springs will fit on one layer.
It also has several layers above and below the springs. With a luxury mattress they make a point of telling you where in the world the materials came from. It’s much the same way that your neighbours like to tell you how well travelled they are (“oh, you really must see Southern Indonesia in the spring..” etc.). This one has Shetland fleece wool and South American Horsetail, as well as bamboo.
Not as deep as some
With all those layers and springs you might expect it to be massively deep but it’s actually 23cm, which is fairly normal for a good quality mattress. Really deep mattresses often have a pillowtop layer of memory foam or a natural material, which makes it appear a lot deeper. The downside of a pillowtop mattress it that you can’t turn them over, so there’s a risk they will lose their shape quicker than a turnable mattress (Ed: are you sure ‘turnable’ is a word?).
So, are you likely to have a significantly better night’s sleep in this nearly-£10k mattress compared to the £1300 model? Honestly, we are talking about modest upgrades but I haven’t done a rigorous scientific study with graphs, breathing tubes and heartrate monitors.
At this sort of price, it’s likely to be the case that you if you need to ask how much it costs then you probably can’t afford it.
In depth research – do Vispring mattresses with more springs cost more?
Elsewhere on this site, we’ve explored the question of whether mattress depth determines the quality and the price that you are paying. We’ve found once you get past a certain depth of mattress (about 20cm), the correlation between price and depth becomes much less obvious. To explain it another way, a 35cm deep mattress may well cost less and be less supportive than a 22cm deep mattress. Depth is only one factor and whilst it shouldn’t be ignored, it isn’t a definitive predictor of price or quality.
However, we do have a separate theory that we wanted to test out. Is there a clear correlation between the price of high quality mattresses and the number of springs? We think that this would only apply within a specific brand rather than across brands as some mattress brands inflate the number of springs through using lots of layers of tiny springs which only have a minimal benefit.
To test this out, we took a small sample of Vispring mattresses and looked at the price and the spring count on a king size version of the mattress.
More springs = higher prices
As you can see, the correlation is very clear – the more expensive mattresses made by Vispring have a higher number of springs. This might seem like an obvious assessment but when we’ve done comparisons between brands we have failed to see such a clear pattern. The real world application for this is that spring count is a key question to ask if you are comparing two mattresses of the same brand in a showroom. However, if they are different brands then it is only one indicator and is a much less useful piece of information.