Origin has been selling mattresses since 2018 – so it’s one of the newer brands in the UK.
But are they any good? And should you go for the Origin Hybrid or the Origin Hybrid Pro?
In this enthralling-rollercoaster-ride we’re going to tell you what we think of the Origin mattresses. So join the queue, buckle up and prepare yourself for an exhilarating ride (Ed: I think you might be overselling again…).
What sort of mattresses do Origin make?
Origin make ‘hybrid’ mattresses, as you’ll have gathered from the name.
Exactly what that means varies, but in most cases it means a mattress that uses pocket springs underneath layers of memory foam. That’s the case with the Origin Hybrid and Origin Hybrid Pro mattresses.
Pocket springs are what has been used on good quality mattresses for years, after it was originally invented by Vispring. It gives you a bouncy feeling and is much more supportive than the cheaper type of springs, which are called open coil, traditional or bonnell springs. Your grandma probably had an open coil mattress on her spare bed – and you probably endured trying to sleep on it whilst it wobbled around and poked you in the back. The Origin Hybrid Mattress has ‘up to 3000 springs’ whilst the Origin Hybrid Pro Mattress has ‘up to 5700+ springs’. We’ll explore later exactly what that means (Ed: what a tease).
Memory foam is a special type of foam that doesn’t bounce back as quickly as standard foam. It tends to be denser and wraps around you a bit more than a standard foam. You’ll also see it referred to as visco-elastic foam. Each mattress company has their own version of memory foam, rather than it all being exactly the same.
A hybrid mattress aims to gather up the best features of both memory foam and pocket springs. It’s a bit like when you have children and you hope that they will pick up the finest attributes from yourself and your spouse to create a super-human…
A few words on spring count
Spring count on mattresses has turned into something of an arms race over the last few years. Numbers around 1000 – 2000 are common but you’ll also see mattresses with 10,000+ springs displayed as a badge of honour.
It is true to an extent that a higher spring count is ‘better’ than a lower spring count. However, you need to dig a little deeper, as it’s not really as simple as that.
Some mattresses use regular full size pocket springs, whilst others use mini springs, which are also known as micro springs. Many mattresses use a combination of regular and mini/micro springs.
The full size springs are probably what you are used to if you’ve had a pocket spring mattress before. Smaller springs provide extra comfort, but it is the full size springs that do most of the hard work.
The maximum number of full size springs that you can fit onto a single layer of a king size mattress is about 2000.
So, if you see a mattress advertising that it uses thousands of springs then it usually means one of these things:
- There is more than one layer of full size springs. This is an unusual design, but certainly not unheard of. Some very expensive Vispring mattresses use this design.
- The mattress uses a combination of full size springs and mini springs. This is a very common design, and it’s worth trying to find out what the split is between full size and mini springs.
- The mattress company is telling you the number of springs on a super king size model rather than the king size model. The industry standard is to give the spring count for a king size model.
In the case of the Origin Hybrid Mattress and the Origin Hybrid Pro Mattress, the second and third of those bullet points is true.
The 3000 springs figure for the Origin Hybrid and the 5700+ springs figure includes a combination of ‘regular and micro’ springs. It also refers to the number of springs on a super king size model, whereas most brands use the king size figure for comparison purposes.
By my calculations, that would mean that the king size version of the Origin Hybrid Mattress has about 2500 springs whilst the king size version of the Origin Hybrid Pro Mattress has about 4750 springs.
I’ve not been able to determine how many of those springs are ‘regular’ size and how many are ‘micro’ springs but we do know that it uses a mix of the two.
What about the other layers of the Origin mattresses? What materials do they use?
Let’s start with the standard Origin Hybrid Mattress. This is cheaper mattress so it’s not a big surprise that it uses simpler materials.
The layers on top of the springs are: wool, Origin’s version of memory foam and another type of foam. Memory foam is an excellent material for giving you consistent support, but some people find that it make them feel a little warm. Origin tries to overcome this with a ‘cooling foam’.
Wool is a naturally breathable material that is very good at maintaining a consistent temperature.
The idea behind combining these three materials is that you get the best of both worlds: the cosy support of memory foam and the temperature regulating qualities of wool.
And what about the Pro version of the Origin Hybrid Mattress? What materials does that use?
That’s a great question, thanks for asking.
The posher Origin mattress ramps it up in a few ways. The most notable is probably the addition of a layer of latex combined with graphite. Latex is a natural material that comes from rubber trees. It is particularly good at keeping you cool and makes an excellent mattress material (Dunlopillo is the leader in posh latex mattresses). However, latex is an expensive material to produce so it tends to be an upgrade option rather than something standard.
There are other upgrades, including an extra layer of micro springs and a fancy type of foam.
What about firmness? How firm is the Origin Hybrid Mattress and the Origin Hybrid Pro Mattress.
According to Origin, the Origin Hybrid Mattress is ‘Medium-firm’.
Elsewhere, Origin say that the mattress firmness level of the Origin hybrid Mattress ‘adapts to the weight of the user, it can be anywhere between 6 – 7 (on a scale of 1-10)’. I’m assuming that 10 is firm and 1 is soft in this case. That’s a scale that lots of mattress companies use, although I have occasionally seen it the other way round!
It’s worth mentioning that there isn’t a global agreement on how mattress firmness should be measured. One company’s ‘firm’ mattress could be identical to another brand’s ‘soft’ mattress, although such an extreme example is unlikely.
My advice is to pick a mattress with a trial period (such as this one) or try a mattress in a store first. Buying a mattress online without a trial is tempting if it’s a bargain, but it’s a bit of a gamble.
Meanwhile, the Origin Hybrid Pro Mattress is described as ‘Medium-Plush’ in one section and ‘medium-firm’ in another section of the site. I found this slightly confusing, as the term ‘plush’ usually means a mattress that is soft. The term tends to be used in the USA more than in the UK.
I believe the reason is because the Pro version of the mattress has something called a ‘Hexagrid’ layer. This means that some parts of the mattress are firmer than others to compensate for the fact that your body has curves rather than being on straight lump. You may not feel that you body has curves, but it’s certainly the case that some parts of your body need more support than others.
What about the warranty and trial period?
Trial periods and warranty periods on mattresses have become a lot more generous in the last years.
Twenty years ago, your local mattress shop would likely have given you a funny look if you’d asked if could try it out for six months and then get your money back.
Over the last few years, lots of new mattress brands have turned up offering a very different business model. Origin follows the more modern model where you can’t try the mattress out in a shop, but you can send it back if it’s not right for you.
Some mattress trial periods are quite convoluted but Origin’s appears to be straightforward. They’ll pick up the mattress for free and give you a refund. I also can’t see any requirement that you use a mattress protector, which is sometimes the case. You can read the full terms and conditions here.
Origin’s trial period is also a pretty long one at 200 nights. Trial periods tend to range from 30 nights to 365 nights. My opinion is that the first 30 nights is the most important. However, there is something to be said for being able to try a mattress in summer and winter. Some people find that memory foam mattresses feel different throughout the year, as it responds to temperature.
The warranty on the Origin mattresses is also very generous at 15 years. Most modern bed-in-a-box mattresses that cost about the same come with a 10 year warranty. Exceptions include the Nectar Sleep mattress, that comes with a ‘forever’ warranty and REM-FIT, which offers 15 years. Posh pocket spring brand Vispring offers a 30 year warranty, but they cost a fair bit more than Origin mattresses.
One other thing to consider is that there has been a couple of occasions in recent years where mattress brands have ceased trading, which of course voids the warranty. Long-established brands such as Silentnight, Sleepeezee, Hypnos and Vispring can take pride in saying that they have been trading longer than the length of their warranties.
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