Ergo Flex Mattress Review

So which memory foam mattress do we at bedsforhome.com recommend?

Here at bedsforhome.com, we understand the mattress marketplace and I'm sure many of you have wondered what we sleep on?

Well, for those that have had this thought, we sleep on the Ergoflex memory foam mattress. And I'll explain why.

Firstly, mattress buying is all about personal preference and criteria. So, what's right for us at bedsforhome.com, may not be right for you. For example, Ergoflex have a weight limitation placed on their mattresses at 18 stone for a single user. So it's not an option for everyone.

We do though understand enough about beds and mattresses to discount the recent entries to the market of what we call the 'hybrid mattress'. The 'hybrid mattress' is a mattress made of a spring core with a memory foam top layer - you will find these available in various depths and density ratings. Many manufacturers would have you believe this is a 'new product' but in reality these mattresses have been around for a long time. Most of us have slept on a sprung mattress, and very many of those will have had a top layer of polyurethane foam - not dissimilar to what many retailers now call 'reflex foam'. So, the likelihood is, you've used something similar before. Firstly, 'reflex foam', as it's often referred to, is actually a brand name of basic/standard polyurethane foam made by a major foam manufacturer. The correct, generic name for this is simply 'polyurethane foam' or 'PU' foam for short. Think 'Hoover' and 'Vacuum'.

Ok, so we don't personally like the hybrid mattresses and I'm sure you're wondering why. Well, each of us at bedsforhome.com has used a sprung mattress for most of our childhood and adult life. Remember, 'memory foam' wasn't around back then, or so we were led to believe. However 'memory foam' was actually around back then and has been for years, it was simply too expensive a material to be added to a mattress for the humble bed.

Anyway, each and every spring core based mattress we at bedsforhome.com have collectively used eventually started to creak, sag, and become anything but a comfortable place to sleep after a only a few years of use. Some were never that comfortable to start with. This is why we fail to see that the addition of 'memory foam' to the top layer of the mattress is going to change the inevitable break down of the spring core system. (I am referring to both open/continuous coil and pocket sprung systems - pocket sprung was certainly a big step forward from continuous sprung sleep systems, but they are easily damaged, and it only takes one or two to 'go' before your dream mattress is rendered unusable).

This is why we favour a full foam-core mattress. Just like the mattresses Tempurpedic or Tempur as they are known in the UK produce. A full foam core mattress is generally more expensive to produce as it essentially uses a full foam core. You can purchase a continuous spring system for a Queen size mattress for as little as $18 so you can see why a 'hybrid' mattress manufacturer would like us all to think this is a better option than full foam core.

Ok, on to the Ergoflex memory foam mattress.

Out of the team at bedsforhome.com I was the first to buy an Ergo Flex mattress. On trying mine, quite a few of the team have now followed suit. For us, it simply represented the best quality and performance we could buy for the price. It's also going to last a lot longer than many cheaper (and more expensive) alternatives. This is due to the quality of both the impact resistant polyurethane support foam and the 9cm high-density Ergoflex memory foam layer.

Lets break down the experience and specification overall.

Cost: This is an important factor for all of us. Each of us is always looking for the best item for the best price. This is what we would call 'value for money'. The Ergoflex certainly delivers on this front. You get a high quality, high density, body temperature-sensitive memory foam mattress for less than half the price of it's real and genuine competitor, Tempur. (Please note that we did buy at Ergoflex sale prices of £430 for a UK King mattress - normally £830).

Delivery: Quite incredibly, order on a business day and receive next day. Received email and text message to track delivery the day prior to 'D Day'. Great communications and no problems with the courier - TNT.

Arrival: The mattress arrived in a small but long box, which initially had me concerned - I thought they'd sent a mattress topper by mistake. The box was clearly labelled 'UK King Size Mattress' so I went ahead and opened it. (Be warned, whilst small, it is extremely heavy!)

Un-boxing: The mattress is vacuum-compressed, rolled, and sealed inside the box. The box was roughly 50cm x 50cm x the width of the mattress I'd ordered. In my case, the UK king is 1.5m wide - so the box was roughly 1.5m long.

Opening and Installation: It took two of us to safely carry the rolled Ergoflex mattress to our bedroom, as it is very heavy. Whilst heavy, it was actually pretty easy to carry. (Especially in comparison with trying to remove my old mattress from the bedroom, through a relatively small doorway, around a tight corner, and down the stairs. My old mattress was collected for free by my local councils large refuse dept. Colleagues at bedsforhome.com in another borough had to pay for collection, but this was only £7) When opening the mattress it is best not to use scissors or a knife as it is very difficult not to damage the outer mattress cover when cutting the protective plastic packaging. I found it better simply to tear from the top of the packaging, ensuring I didn't damage the mattress in the process. (It clearly states not to use a sharp implement when opening and I can imagine many would be tempted. So my advice would be don't expect a replacement mattress if you sign for it as 'ok' but somehow cut or damage it when opening...)

Settling in: Ergoflex state that the mattress will take '4 hours to recover to it's natural depth' after opening the vacuum seal. I found that it was pretty much at the desired 21cm depth within only 40mins or so. I was genuinely quite amazed at how this mattress was packaged, as when first opened it looked like it would never reach 'full mattress' status. Top marks Ergoflex. Very clever.

Memory foam odour: I know from experience that most memory foam mattresses have a very distinct smell that many can find highly unpleasant. Especially when the mattress is vacuum-sealed, as this will exaggerate the unpleasant odour as the mattress has not had chance to 'air off' prior to the purchaser opening it. Vacuum packing clearly has its advantages for cost savings however, both for the manufacturer and the buyer - transport of the mattress for example is significantly cheaper and the chance of the mattress being damaged in transit is almost completely removed.

It has also been reported that some budget memory foam mattresses have triggered allergies and asthma attacks. Memory foam produced by a reputable manufacturer should not however be a concern. For example, many believe that this odour is a result of the addition of fire retardants to the foam itself. This is often incorrect. Visco-elastic polyurethane foam or 'memory foam' as it is better known has a rather distinct and unpleasant smell when first produced. Therefore, if your mattress has been vacuum packed, this is what you are likely to smell when opening.

The Ergoflex had a slight smell on opening, but is certainly one of the less unpleasant I have experienced. The odour lasted in all about 2/3 days but the mattress was fine to use on the first night of arrival.

First sleep: Not as awkward as I’d anticipated. I know from staying in hotels and at friend’s houses that I personally seem to find it more difficult to adjust to a new mattress than most. It can often take me a few nights to adjust to an unfamiliar bed. The Ergoflex however performed well with an impressive level of comfort evident from the start.

Performance:

It’s probably easier to break this down into the main areas most would associate with memory foam mattresses.

Comfort:

The Ergoflex is marketed as ‘medium/firm’ and I would say this is fairly ac curate. The mattress is definitely ‘firm’ when first getting into it but after only a minute or two starts to soften and shape around you. I weigh around 13 stone with my partner a much more petite 8 stone. Both of us found it very comfortable and providing excellent support. (I have had a lower back injury for some years and found the Ergoflex to deliver the correct amount of support to the right areas. Many other less dense foam mattresses I have used seem to be softer and whilst provided reasonable support to me upper back, left me feeling painful and unsupported lower down). Along with the Tempur HD mattress, the Ergoflex is the only other mattress I have used which seems to have overcome this problem).

Heat retention:

The Ergoflex incorporates a ‘cool-sleep airflow system’ in its layered compostion alongside what they call ‘a 3rd generation’ open-celled breathable memory foam upper layer. I certainly have found many previous memory foam mattresses to be overly hot but whilst I can’t scientifically explain what Ergoflex have done here I can certainly say that it works. It just didn’t seem too warm at all.

Moving around:

Many believe that some memory foam will inhibit your ability to move around in bed with many reporting that after spending a while in one position, they found they had ‘sunk’ to a level that made it difficult to turn over. The Ergoflex certainly does not have this problem, the memory foam layer seems to compress and contour around you just enough to provide the desired support and comfort without feeling like you are sinking too far.

Our verdict

After spending some time with the Ergoflex I can confidently say that it delivers a high quality, premium memory foam experience, and the value price gives it a clear advantage over the other leading performers available.

So, for us at Bedsforhome.com it’s a ‘Recommend’.

We award the Ergoflex mattress 5***** stars for quality, performance and price.