When we were given the chance to test out the Hypnos Bespoke Brilliance Pocket Sprung Mattress, it was being sold at £1099 in king size, with the double and small double available for £50 less. The single was £799 and the superking size was £1499. 

As anyone who has read this website before will know, we are big fans of Hypnos (see our top five). They are a brand that takes a traditional approach to mattress making. That means that they use high quality pocket springs, along with natural layers rather than using layers of foam, which is what most modern brands tend to use. 

Firmness rating for the Hypnos Bespoke Brilliance Pocket Sprung Mattress 

This mattress is sold as being medium firmness but that can mean quite a range of things within the mattress market. Overall, I would say this mattress is a 5/10 for firmness with 10 being firm and one being soft. If you twisted my arm I might change that to a 6/10. 

For the first part of our mattress test, we always lie on our back to see how much of a gap there is between our spine and the mattress. The best way to test this is to simply put your hand underneath your spine with your palm facing down. If it slides in easily then it’s probably a bit too firm for you. if it’s a job to wriggle it underneath your spine, then the opposite is true.

In the case of the Hypnos Bespoke Brilliance Pocket Sprung Mattress I would say it was about 5% too soft for me. I found it comfortable but it was just a little bit too difficult to get my hand underneath, which implies that it isn’t ideal for keeping spine in a natural position. 

However, once I went on my side I found it was just about right for me and didn’t put too much pressure on the parts of my body that are most in contact with the mattress in this position. 

I then hopped onto my front. This gave me a similar result to sleeping on my back, with a feeling that it was perhaps just slightly too soft for me.

There is a key detail that you need to know, of course – which is that I am six foot tall and weigh about 13 stone. I would say that if you are slightly lighter than me and you sleep on your front or back, then this mattress would be well worth looking at. Alternatively, if you are about the same way as me but sleep on your side then I would give it a look. 

In my case, I sleep on my front most of the time so this mattress wouldn’t be quite right for me. 

Edge support on the Hypnos Bespoke Brilliance Pocket Sprung Mattress

An important test to carry out if you are doing your own mattress research is to lie on the very edge of the mattress whilst on your side. This may feel a little unnatural as you spend most of your time further towards the middle. However, it’s an excellent test of how much strength a mattress has. Consistent firmness is important and I suspect it plays a part in stopping you from getting into a rut in the mattress. 

My experience has often been that firmer mattresses are better at offering strength right to the edges and that some softer mattresses struggle with this. 

There are also different manufacturing methods that can affect strength at the edges. A high quality mattress such as this Hypnos Bespoke Brilliance Pocket Sprung Mattress uses ‘hand side stitching’ for extra strength. 

This really pays off with this mattress and I found that it had excellent support right to the edges. I didn’t feel as though I was sinking or likely to fall off when I carried out my test. 

I also like to sit on a mattress at its very edge as if I’ve just got out the shower and I’m wasting time sat in a towel. 

Again, there was not significant compression, which is commendable on a mattress that is medium rated for firmness. 

Motion transfer on the Hypnos Bespoke Brilliance Pocket Sprung Mattress

Our next test is to see how much sideways wobble the mattress has when you get in or out of the bed. This is particularly relevant if you share your bed with someone else, as it increases the chance of waking them up when you are sneaking out of bed.

Generally speaking, I have found this is an area where foam mattresses excel,  compared to sprung mattresses. The bounce that you get from a sprung mattress can often translate as sideways movement.

We thought that the Hypnos Bespoke Brilliance Pocket Sprung Mattress did well in this regard, considering that it is not the world’s firmest mattress. Our test involves two people lying on the mattress, with one person moving in and out of the bed whilst the other lays still. 

Handles on the Hypnos Bespoke Brilliance Pocket Sprung Mattress

The next test is a nice simple to examine the stitching and the strength of the handles. We found this can be a weak point on a mattress and the mattress can tear when you try to move it. It also tends to be an indication of construction strength of the rest of the mattress. Heavyweight and very solid mattresses tend to have very strong handles as a manufacturer realises they will be needed when the mattress is moved.

In the case of the Hypnos Bespoke Brilliance Pocket Sprung Mattress we were again impressed at how strong the handles were and were confident that they would last for a long time. 

Design and specification of the Hypnos Bespoke Brilliance Pocket Sprung Mattress

It is a curiosity within the mattress market that more expensive mattresses often have a simpler design. Mattresses with layer upon layer of scientific sounding foam and other materials are generally made by newer brands and cost a little less than a mattress such as this. 

This Hypnos Bespoke Brilliance Pocket Sprung Mattress uses a layer of pocket springs with layers of cotton and wool on top for comfort. The design is mirrored on both sides, so that it can be turned over. 

Using natural materials such as these does tend to bump the price up a little. However, for a Hypnos mattress this is not a particularly expensive model. Pricier models will tend to use fancier sounding materials such as unusual types of wool or silk. 

My personal experience is that a lower end mattress by a higher quality brand will outperform a high-end mattress from a cheaper brand. 

Final thoughts on the Hypnos Bespoke Brilliance Pocket Sprung Mattress 

It came as no surprise to me that this is another outstanding Hypnos mattress. 

It does an excellent job of balancing price with performance. You aren’t getting a lot of bells and whistles but it still gets the Hypnos performance. It rated very well in our mattress tests. Whilst this isn’t quite the right firmness for me, that doesn’t take away from the indisputable quality.