Who are iGel Mattresses suitable for?
The entire iGel Mattress range focuses on comfort first with it’s supportive and comfort properties. This does come at a price, these are not budget mattresses and should not be treated as such. They would often be unsuitable for a guest room due to the cost but would be a viable consideration for those looking at their sleep as a long term investment. Remember, we spend a third of our lives sleeping and with a lifespan on the iGel mattresses of around 7 years, that’s plenty of usage for the costs involved.1 If you find that you like the idea of memory foam but don't like the idea of getting too hot during the night, then the iGel range is the best option on the market right now.
Who makes iGel mattresses?
iGel mattresses are produced exclusively for Bensons for Beds. Their origins are not made public, perhaps suggesting that they are not manufactured in the UK. We’ve reached out directly to Bensons for Beds on clarification surrounding the iGel origins but as yet are unaware. That said however, the origin is largely secondary to the quality and with a 10 year guarantee across the current range, the production quality of the product can't be called into question
Choosing an iGel mattress
Bensons for Beds, the sole distributor of iGel mattresses, has been busy in recent months expanding their popular iGel range. As a result there is more selection than ever before of these high quality and durable mattresses. So what exactly is the right one for you? It all comes down to suitability because what is right for you might not be right for me. Fortunately we have got this one nailed. Simply navigate to any one of the iGel mattresses below and take the mattress wizard quiz, a staple of this website that will ask a series of questions to determine suitability in regard to support layers and firmness. A combination of that and the insights gained through this page will suffice to determine suitability.
iGel vs. Tempur® mattress
Many in the industry will quickly attest to the fact that there are only so many different materials, fillings, comfort layers and supports with which to build a good quality mattress. To that end, many luxury suppliers often have products that offer many of the same benefits and perks. With that said, we’ve had a couple of people reach out asking about the core differences between the two line-ups.
iGel, as the name suggests, offers a gel layer which offers many of the benefits of memory foam without the downsides. Tempur, while offering their own “spin” on traditional memory foam, is still ultimately memory foam and in our opinion has many of the same difficulties surrounding temperature regulation. To that end we would recommend iGel over Tempur for those that find themselves getting too warm at night. After all, the cooling effects of gel don't necessarily make the mattress cold, rather, just right and most suitable for all-round deep sleep.
iGel mattress customer reviews
We’ve been tracking iGel mattresses for a number of years now and while the product lineup has changed a few times, the reviews are mostly happy ones. Comfort is what owners mention first, and a good number say the aches they used to wake up with have eased (“no more pain in hips”, one wrote). Combine this with the impressive workmanship and crafting of the range and it’s easy to see why Bensons for Beds have made it their primary offering.
The gel layer is where owners disagree. Plenty say it keeps them cool, and one wrote that “the cooling gel layer works well”. Plenty of others bought an iGel for the cooling and found it no cooler than their old mattress, or warmer. One owner said that in a heat wave theirs “was like sleeping on a hotplate”.
The other complaints are about firmness, weight and smell. Some owners found the mattress that arrived firmer than the one they tried in the shop (“Much harder than the one we tried in store”), and a few who ordered a firm found it too soft. These are deep, heavy mattresses, so turning one is “definitely a two man job” and your old fitted sheets may not fit. A chemical smell that takes weeks to clear comes up too, as do couples who roll together in the middle.
The iGel Guarantee
As is the case with many mattresses we review on this website, it isn't uncommon for them to feature a 1 year guarantee. That isn't the case with iGel which is the backbone of the Bensons for Beds premium lineup and consequently features an impressive and industry leading 10 year guarantee across the entire range. When you consider the average mattress is replaced after 7 years, this means you are getting the mattresses typical lifespan covered under guarantee should anything go wrong in that period. It is both confidence inspiring and a sign of the sheer quality on offer.
How the iGel range breaks down
We've had several iGel models through over the years and Bensons keeps refreshing the lineup. Right now it's built around the Nanotech family, with tiers stepping up by spring count, cover quality and how thick the gel comfort layer is on top.
The entry tiers pair a standard pocket spring base with a thinner gel layer. Good enough for anyone who wants the cooling without paying for the premium build. Step up to the higher tiers and you get pillow top construction, more springs, and a thicker gel layer that - I'll be honest - feels noticeably different from standard memory foam when you press into it. If you can get to a Bensons showroom to compare the two tiers side by side, it's worth the trip.
How the range has evolved
We've been following iGel long enough to see what's changed and what hasn't. The earlier models had a thinner gel layer and leaned more heavily on the temperature-regulating cover to do the cooling work. Current Nanotech models use a thicker gel layer that holds its cooling through the night rather than fading after an hour or two. That's a real improvement, not a spec sheet update.
The warranty extension tells a story too. Earlier models carried a 5 year guarantee. Several of the newer ones run to 10. Bensons wouldn't extend that unless they were confident the current production is holding up better than what came before. To be fair, based on what we've seen, they're right to be.
iGel against the other gel options
iGel isn't the only gel mattress on the UK market, but it's the most established. Silentnight Geltex, Coolflex and Otty all use gel-infused materials for similar cooling. Where they differ is in feel and where you buy them.
Geltex sits on Silentnight's Mirapocket springs and runs a bit firmer. Coolflex through MattressNextDay is the budget route - works well, costs less, no showroom though. Otty gives you gel foam over pocket springs delivered in a box, which suits buyers who'd rather order online than visit a store.
iGel is the one to look at if you want proper gel cooling, prefer buying from a bricks-and-mortar retailer where you can try before you commit, and don't mind paying a bit more for the thicker comfort layer and longer warranty. If any of those things don't apply, one of the others might suit you better.
