The Missouri Backcare Mattress is Bensons' own firm, double-sided pocket-sprung bed, one of the own-brand mattresses I'd happily send you to look at. Our tester tried it in a Bensons store and found the support under her back stood out, while on her side she wanted more give at the hip and shoulder. So it's good for back and front sleepers, wrong for lighter side sleepers, and wrong for you if nobody at home can turn a mattress over.
What our tester found in a Bensons store
Our tester tried it on the shop floor at Bensons in August 2025. She weighs 66kg and moves between her back and her side through the night, so she lay in both positions and turned between them. The firm feel was obvious straight away. The support under her back was the best thing about it, but on her side she wanted more give at the hip and shoulder, and at her weight she felt a medium firm would suit her better.
Turning over took a bit of effort, which counts if you're a combination sleeper. The cover felt soft and breathable and the surface felt cool, which she liked because she tends to run warm. A short lie-down is best at ruling things out, which is what this one did for the light side sleeper. If you're heavier and sleep on your back, you'll press further into the springs and probably get on with it better than she did.
Two seasons, two sides, and you do turn it
The support is 1000 pocket springs, with edge support round the border, hand tufting and a damask cover. One face has a wool layer for winter. The other has a breathable comfort layer made with 75% recycled material for summer, which Bensons calls hypoallergenic, though no certification is named, so read that as a label word. It's 26cm (about 10in) deep.
I like a mattress you can turn because it lasts longer, and this one turns with the seasons as well as for wear. I'd be on the wool side in January for my feet alone: I sleep in socks in winter even though the rest of me runs hot. A thousand springs is a little light for a double, though pocket springs are what I'd want at this price. To my mind Bensons' own beds are hit and miss. This is one of the hits, because it's pocket sprung and turnable.
It used to be called the Penzance Backcare. Nothing in the specification has changed but the name, so the owner reviews, all written under the old name, are about this bed.
The unhappy owners argue about firmness
Most owners are delighted, especially the ones with bad backs, and "firm but not hard" comes up again and again. The complaints split in two directions. Some found it far too hard, with sore hips and knees, or back pain after the first night. Others say it isn't as firm as the label and softens with time. That split is normal for a firm bed. Lie on it in store before you buy if you're between grades.
Two complaints are more specific. One owner of a single found the tufts ran straight down the middle and left a dip, having tried a double in the shop. Another reported body impressions on a single. Neither is a pattern, but ask the store how the tufting is laid out if you're buying a single. One older owner found turning it a struggle, so plan who's going to do it before it arrives.
Avoid it if you sleep on your side and weigh under about nine stone, or if you'd be turning a double on your own. Read Bensons' comfort guarantee before you order, too. It's short, it swaps the mattress rather than refunding you, there's a charge for the swap, and you need to have used a mattress protector.
What to buy instead
Heavy back sleepers who want it harder can step up to the Missouri Ortho Backcare, which is this bed in Extra Firm. Side sleepers should look at a medium pocket-sprung bed with natural fillings, such as the Hypnos Cawthorne Luxury at Mattress Online: it's one-sided, but its comfort trial gives you longer to decide.
