Buy the Hypnos Marlow Ortho Deluxe Mattress if you sleep on your back or front, like a firm bed and want natural fillings you can turn. It's a well-made Hypnos at a fair price, and it's built the way I wish more mattresses still were. Side sleepers who like to sink in should look softer, and you can ignore the "Ortho" in the name. It's a label, not a standard, and I still can't tell you what it means.
The case for a mattress you turn
Most mattresses sold now are one-sided. The trade calls it "no turn" and sells it as a convenience; to me it's a mattress with only half the life it could have had. The Marlow is double-sided. You flip it as well as rotating it, so the fillings on both faces share the wear and settle evenly, and it lasts longer for it. Hypnos fits turning handles, and one owner found it easy enough to flip even at 28cm deep, though in the bigger sizes it's a job for two.
Inside, the support is 1,200 of Hypnos's ReActive pocket springs, each with seven turns of wire. On both sides sit cotton fibres, a layer of British wool and a comfort pad of eOlus recycled fibre, all hand-tufted so they stay put. The border is hand side-stitched, with air vents, and the whole thing is 28cm deep and firm.
Wool and cotton are the other reason I like it. They sleep cooler and drier than foam, which is why natural fillings are what I'd point most hot sleepers towards, though one owner still found it warmer than they expected. Bodies are like that.
Firm, with a soft face
Owners call it comfortable, and those who mention firmness call it firm. One couple who like a firm bed sleep on it with a feather topper and wouldn't change a thing. Another owner described it as medium-firm, supportive yet plush, which is the best short description of it I've read: firm underneath, a softer surface on top, not a plank.
Not everyone was won over. One owner found it less firm and less supportive than they'd hoped and said it hadn't helped their lower back in the mornings. Another thought it fine for occasional use but not as a main bed. If a bad back is why you're here, please don't buy it because of the word "Ortho". A firmer bed isn't a treatment, and for most people medium-firm is the place to start.
Who should look elsewhere
Avoid it if you're a light side sleeper, if nobody in the house can help you turn a 28cm mattress, or if you want a bed you never have to think about.
What to buy instead
If firm is too much, look for a Hypnos with the same wool and cotton build in a medium tension. If you want the same firm feel for less, find another double-sided pocket-sprung mattress with natural fillings and handles. There aren't many left, so when you see one, give it a proper look.
