When we tested the Hypnos Luxury Support Ortho Support No.1 Pocket Sprung Mattress it was being sold for £1149 in single. You would pay £1349 in small double or double, £1649 in king, £1949 in super king or £2349 in super king zip link.

Test 1: Firmness level of the Hypnos Luxury Support Ortho Support No.1 Pocket Sprung Mattress 

Let’s start with firmness level. That is one of the most important things to get right when you’re buying a new mattress. Hypnos describe this mattress as being ‘very firm’ and I would agree with that analysis. I gave it a rating of 8.5/10 for firmness with 1/10 being soft and 10/10 being very firm. 

It can be difficult to ascertain whether a firmness level is right for you, particularly if you are buying online. My advice is always to try a mattress in person. Alternatively, buy one that has an option to swap it if it’s not right for you. After all, there is no cast iron guarantee that one company’s extra firm mattress will be the same as another’s. 

You might like to do what I always do, which is to lie on your back and put your hand underneath your spine. I call this the Spine Test. 

I did that with this mattress and found that my hand went under a little too easily. That’s a sure sign that the mattress is too firm for you as you don’t sink in enough to get adequate support. To clarify, this is not a criticism of this specific mattress as the way it will react will depend very much on your own weight and build. 

I am 6 ft tall and weigh 13 stone and – for me – this mattress was a little too firm. I tested it out whilst lying on my front and on my side. It was particularly too firm for me whilst I was lying on my side. 

It might be right for you if you are heavier than I am and if you also sleep on your front or back. I think it is unlikely to be a suitable mattress for a side sleeper unless you are significantly heavier than I am. 

Test 2: Side support and the Custard Slice Test on the Hypnos Luxury Support Ortho Support No.1 Pocket Sprung Mattress 

We have come to expect great things from the Hypnos brand. This mattress did not disappoint when it came to the support it offers at the very edges. We tested this out by lying on our side as close to the edge of the mattress as we could get. This Hypnos mattress offered a consistent level of support wherever we were on the mattress. That is not the case with every mattress we try. 

The other test that we like to do is to sit on the mattress as if we are about to tie our shoelaces. A cheap and cheerful mattress will collapse like a custard slice (hence why we call it the Custard Slice Test). A high quality mattress such as this, holds its own and offers a good level of support, even under this pressure. 

Test 3: Motion transfer – or the Wibble Wobble Test – on the Hypnos Luxury Support Ortho Support No.1 Pocket Sprung Mattress 

I personally am quite a light sleeper and so tend to notice when my wife gets in or out of bed. For this reason, motion transfer is a big interest to me. 

This is essentially the amount of sideways movement and wobble you get when someone else is in the bed. 

We like to test this out with a two-person team with one person lying on the mattress and another person moving around. This is as close as you will get to a real life scenario. Some mattress testers take a more creative approach by balancing items on the bed and seeing if the items fall over. 

This Hypnos mattress performed very well on motion transfer and we found that we didn’t feel each other moving significantly. 

Test 4: Handles on the Hypnos Luxury Support Ortho Support No.1 Pocket Sprung Mattress 

A mattress such as this uses pocket springs and has a significant weight to it. It is therefore really important that the handles on the side are built to last. It’s also a fair indication of the mattress’s strength. A mattress with well stitched on handles will probably have a similar level of quality throughout the rest of the mattress. 

Yes, I know getting excited about handles on a mattress is pretty unusual. However, I do think it’s a useful and simple thing to look for. 

In the case of this Hypnos mattress, you get very strong quality handles on the side. Rather thrillingly for a nerd like me, you also get extra handles on the end of the mattress. This is something that you very rarely see, but it’s a good idea. It’s appreciated by anyone who has ever tried to drag a mattress that is standing up on its side. 

Construction and design of the Hypnos Luxury Support Ortho Support No.1 Pocket Sprung Mattress 

For anyone who has studied mattresses for some time, you will have noticed that long established and quite posh pocket sprung brands like Hypnos and Vispring tend to keep their designs quite simple. 

There is not layer upon layer of complicated materials. Instead, you get a simple structure made from pocket springs and usually natural materials on the top. This mattress uses a lot of wool, which is very good at keeping you at a consistent temperature all year round as well as some synthetic fibres. 

It is notable that the spring count is not particularly high on this mattress. The king size version has 1,000 pocket springs. I tend to avoid mattresses that have anything lower than this number. If you want a higher spring count then you would need to upgrade to a more expensive Hypnos mattress (see our guide to other Hypnos mattresses). 

Personally, I found the 1000 pocket springs to be adequate. If you are much heavier than I am, then you may benefit from a higher number. It is likely to make a bit of a difference to motion transfer when you’re getting in and out of the bed. 

Final thoughts on Hypnos Luxury Support Ortho Support No.1 Pocket Sprung Mattress 

This is a terrific mattress if you are looking for something at the firm end of the scale. It is somewhat too firm for my weight and build but it will do the job for someone that is slightly heavier than me. We like several things about it, including the edge support. Personally, I am quite a fan of double-sided mattresses. However, there is some debate about whether it actually makes a significant difference to the longevity of a mattress.

If you’re comparing different brands, see our full collection of mattress reviews to help you choose the best option for your budget and sleep style.