The journey to a perfect night's sleep often begins with the hunt for an impeccable mattress. This pursuit, while daunting as it might seem at first glance, can be a joyous endeavour when you find the right product for your specific needs. Today, we are diving deep into one such potential candidate for your dream sleeping companion - the Braunton Memory Support Mattress by Bensons for Beds. We have scrutinised it from every angle, testing it in-store, to give you the most thorough review possible. However, we have to emphasise, our testing was performed solely in store and didn't involve a home trial.
Design and Features
Designed with comfort and convenience in mind, the Braunton Memory Support mattress comes packed with features that seem almost too good to be true at first glance. Its 22cm depth houses a collection of deep open coil springs, paired with a layer of memory foam. This combination is touted to provide an ideal balance of sturdiness, comfort, and effective weight distribution. However, while the mattress understandably had to maintain a certain lightness for manoeuvrability and distribution purposes, its thin profile felt a tad underwhelming and may fall short in offering the deep, luxurious comfort that some sleepers might desire.
The mattress has a dynamic reinforced edge support, aimed at improving the mattress' durability while ensuring the entire surface is optimised for use. However, despite these claims, our initial reactions bear scepticism about its effectiveness, particularly for those that frequently use the edges of their bed.
One of the most worth mentioning claims made by Bensons for Beds for this mattress pertains to its 'I'm Green' packaging. The promise of eco-friendly packaging made from a minimum of 50% sugar cane and 30% recycled plastics is undoubtedly a solid endeavour in the current climate crisis. However, in the grand scheme of the product's overall lifecycle and environmental impact, this claim felt a bit gimmicky without transparent details about the efforts made in making the actual product more environmentally friendly.
Mattress Comfort
Looking beyond the design and the distinct features, we move on to the most crucial element of any mattress - comfort. This is where the Braunton Memory Support mattress shines, but not without a few minor hiccups.
The mattress is billed as a medium comfort choice, catering effectively to both back and side sleepers. Now, while our in-store testing echoed these claims to an extent, they also highlighted another angle. The mattress seems especially comfortable for side sleepers and average-weight individuals, offering a deep, pressure-relieving sleep experience.
The memory foam and spring combination works in harmony to deliver a personalised sleep, contouring to your body shape and helping dissipate pressure points. But the memory foam effect was rather generic, not adding that special touch of high-end memory foam mattresses. Concerns may also linger about this mattress's breathability. Even though it is concealed under a soft-touch, stretch knit cover featuring hypoallergenic and breathable layers, we suspect it might still struggle in warmer conditions.
However, you cannot dismiss that the feel of the Braunton Memory Support is distinctly comfortable. A surface that moulds subtly to your form, akin to being embraced by a soft, warm hug, provides the right balance between rigidity and plushness to deliver a thoroughly restful sleep.
Suitability
Every mattress needs a specific audience, a group of sleepers to whom it can cater flawlessly. The Braunton Memory Support, in my opinion, would find its perfect match among average-weighted side sleepers. Its medium tension, while still suitable for back sleepers, is at its best for those who find comfort sleeping on their side. However, suggestively, back sleepers who need more focused contouring and support might find a slightly firmer mattress more to their liking.
The easy-care, non-turn design, the bio-treated fabric promising reduced bacteria and deterred effects of dust mite allergens, all indeed add to its suitability for a larger audience. However, a slightly better support for back sleepers, a bit more bounce, might have broadened its reach significantly.
What Customers Thought
Comfort is what owners mention most, often in a few words: "Very comfortable. Really sleeping well." Several describe it as firm and are happy with that; one parent who bought a small double for a son's first big bed called it "comfy but firm. Great happy medium at a great price point". Many bought it for a child's bed or a spare room. Value comes up often too, and one owner wrote that it "keeps a good temperature" for memory foam.
The main complaints are about firmness and springs. One owner wrote "This is a hard mattress and could feel the springs", while another found "More springs than memory foam". Some bought a topper before they were comfortable, and one wanted "a bit more bounce". Others say it took a while to get used to. One advised "give the mattress time to break in and judge for yourself".
The Verdict
While the Braunton Memory Support isn't without its shortcomings, its comfort factor is hard to deny. The integrated memory foam and open coil construction create a plush yet supportive haven for sleepers, particularly for side sleepers of average weight.
Our concluding thoughts aren't glowing praises, but they're far from complete dismissals. The Braunton Memory Support mattress from Bensons for Beds is a reliable choice for anyone seeking a medium comfort mattress on a budget. Whilst it may lack in certain areas, it may cater very to the right audience. Regardless, it's always recommended to give your new mattress a suitable 'break-in' period before passing any form of judgement.
And so we draw our extensive in-store examination of the Braunton Memory Support mattress to a close, hoping it offers valuable insight into your quest for the ideal mattress. Remember, every sleeping experience is unique, personalised towards individual needs. It's with this thought in mind, we encourage you to look into this mattress with an open mind and a heart set on a good night's sleep.
