When we tested out the Silentnight York Miracoil Ortho Sprung Mattress it was being sold for £369 in the single size or £429 in the double size. The king size model was £479 and the super king size model was £549.

This is at the budget end of Silentnight’s range of sprung mattresses so we were keen to see how it performed. We’ve tested lots of Silentnight models at the more expensive end of their range, but this one uses quite a different design (more waffle on that later).

The version we tried is only sold by United Beds and Carpets. You can also buy one with a similar specification from Mattressman.

Firmness rating of the Silentnight York Miracoil Ortho Sprung Mattress 

I was taken aback when I sat on this mattress at quite how firm it is. Perhaps I should read the description first! The word ‘ortho’ is used to indicate a very firm mattress in the industry.

Interestingly, there is no real evidence that a very firm mattress is better for your back. It’s actually a much more complicated relationship than that because you also need to take into account your own weight and build. 

Overall, I would give this mattress a score of 9/10 for firmness. That is with 1/10 being soft and 10/10 being very firm. It’s also one of the springiest and bounciest mattresses that I’ve tried in a while. I was tempted to see if I could do a somersault on it, but decided against it. 

For my weight and build it was much too firm but that’s not to write it off for everybody. I carried out my usual tests starting with the one where I lined my back and put my hand underneath my spine (The Spine Test). There was a notable gap underneath my back, which suggests it wasn’t getting the support it needs. Indeed, a mattress this firm does feel rather like you are lying on a board. On my front and on my side it also felt much too firm for me. 

This isn’t a criticism of the mattress and if you are significantly heavier than me and sleep on your back or front than it may be about right for you. 

Construction and design of the Silentnight York Miracoil Ortho Sprung Mattress 

This mattress is part of the Miracoil range by Silentnight. That essentially means that it has an open coil design where one long piece of metal is wound around and around to create lots of spring shapes. 

The general consensus (and my own opinion) is that pocket springs are much better than open coil springs. Silentnight has a range called Mirapocket, which is a very similar design to the pocket spring mattresses made by lots of manufacturers.

Edge support on the Silentnight York Miracoil Ortho Sprung Mattress (and the Custard Slice Test)

Our next test was to lie on our side on the very edge of the mattress and to see if it perform just as well as the middle of the mattress. I would say that this mattress was slightly softer at the edges of the mattress than in the middle. Ideally, you want a mattress that feels the same all over. I certainly wouldn’t say that it was poor in this regard, but it is perhaps not surprising that a mattress costing two or three times as much will offer slightly better edge support. 

I then sat on the mattress as if I was tying my shoelaces. Again, there was a fair amount of compression on the mattress. I call the the Custard Slice Test, as it reflects how some mattresses behave when you bite into them.

Motion transfer – or the Wibble Wobble test – on the Silentnight York Miracoil Ortho Sprung Mattress 

I have generally found that mattresses using an open coil design tend to have a little more sideways movement than solid foam mattresses or pocket sprung designs. I would say that this mattress did indded have a little more sideways movement and springiness than most pocket sprung mattresses that I have tested. Again, it was not a poor performer, but it is something to consider if you share a bed with someone who is quite a light sleeper.

Our test for this is what I call the Wibble Wobble Test. We get one person to lie on the mattress whilst a second person gets in and out to see what they can feel. 

Handles on the Silentnight York Miracoil Ortho Sprung Mattress 

The next thing we always examine is the quality of the handles on the side of the mattress. We think these offer a useful indication of the quality of the stitching throughout the product. Of course, they are also useful for rotating or turning the mattress depending on the design. 

Unfortunately this mattress does not have any handles on the side. We only tested the double size version though, so it may be that they are provided with larger versions of the mattress. It is less of an issue with a mattress such as this, which is quite lightweight than it would be with a very heavy and solid mattress. 

Final thoughts on the Silentnight York Miracoil Ortho Sprung Mattress 

This mattress was a little bit too firm for me. It also didn’t offer quite as much edge support as some Silentnight mattresses that I have tested. However, we do have to take into account that this mattress was a half or a third of the price of those mattresses. For this price tag, you would often expect to get a mattress without a recognisable brand name on it. If you want the Silentnight name without paying too much then this may well be one to put on your short list.