Why our sleep experts loved it
The Zante Ortho Traditionally Sprung Mattress is sold as a budget friendly, medium firm orthopaedic model with classic open coil springs and a thin layer of Advanced Comfort Foam on top for additional cushioning. It is UK made and rolled and vacuum packed with MattressNextDay’s free next day delivery and 100 night sleep trial, which makes it an easy mattress to source and receive quickly.
Before I go any further into the details of the Zante Ortho, I should state my personal bias up front. I am not a huge fan of traditional open coil support units and their box spring foundations, and I think that does affect the analysis below. Open coils are typically rougher, less sophisticated than pocket springs, with a higher degree of motion transfer and less precise support, and you can see that here. It is a decent enough mattress for the price, and there is certainly a market for it, but it is not a mattress I would personally shout about as a main long term bed if you can stretch the budget a little.
Construction & Materials The Zante Ortho is built around a traditional open coil spring unit made from high tensile steel, arranged in a lattice and connected together. The idea is to create one consistent, uniform support surface and allow the springs to distribute weight evenly across the whole mattress. It is a tried and tested approach, but also the most basic type of spring system available with far less individual response than pocket sprung designs.
The top layer of the Zante Ortho is Advanced Comfort Foam. This is a type of breathable polyurethane foam designed to gently contour to the body and relieve pressure, without creating something soft or squishy to sleep on. It is then covered by a quilted cover where the fabric and fillings are stitched together to create a smooth, patterned sleeping surface with a little extra padding.
Overall depth is around 24 cm, so not an especially chunky profile but thick enough for most standard bed frames and fitted sheets. Personally, I do not see that as a major issue. 20 cm plus is generally fine for most everyday use and 24 cm comfortably sits within that usable mid depth band.
The Zante Ortho is double sided, so there are comfort fillings on both sides and it is designed to be flipped as well as rotated. The sewn on flag handles help with this, because coil mattresses can be surprisingly heavy to move, so that is welcome.
Aside from that, a couple of other practical points. The Zante Ortho is vacuum packed and rolled for delivery, which makes it much easier to manoeuvre through narrow spaces like stairwells and tight hallways. It is hypoallergenic and vegan friendly, so no animal derived fillings, and made in the UK to the usual domestic fire safety standard for low hazard use.
Firmness & Feel The Zante Ortho is sold as medium firm, with a slight orthopaedic leaning, and that does chime with my experience. It starts with a firmer initial pushback from the open coil unit, before the comfort foam smooths things over a little and takes some of the edge off. It is not rock hard, but it does sit comfortably on the firmer side of medium.
That firmness level works well for most back sleepers, because it is a safe zone. Your hips are not aggressively sinking, and the springs help to keep your lumbar area lifted fairly well. For me, as a side sleeper, it was ok but not sumptuous. Lighter and average weight side sleepers are likely to find it about right, but if you are on the broader or heavier side you may notice more pressure build up in places. There just is not a thick stack of foam or multiple comfort layers to sink into here.
Open coil units are also going to have more bounce than modern pocket sprung systems. All the springs are connected, so when you move there is more of a single piece wobble than the damped feel of pocket springs. Some people prefer that traditional bouncy feel, but if you are used to modern hybrids it can feel quite basic.
Performance & Support On the support side of things, the Zante Ortho does a reasonable job for the money, but it is limited by the open coil core. The single continuous lattice of springs helps to distribute weight evenly across the mattress and holds the spine in a good alignment, which is why it can be marketed as orthopaedic. It is particularly serviceable for lighter to average weight sleepers who sleep on their back or regularly switch between back and side.
Where it starts to fall short is finer body contouring. As all of the coils move together, they cannot hug the natural curves of the body as effectively as pocket springs. If you have more pronounced curves in your spine and hips, or ongoing joint or back issues, you may find the support feels a bit broad brush rather than targeted. Open coil units also have a greater tendency to sag or become uneven under heavier sleepers over time, as compared to higher quality pocket sprung designs.
Motion transfer is another drawback here. Because the spring unit is connected, movement on one side travels more easily across to the other. If you share with a restless partner, you are more likely to feel them moving around or getting in and out of bed than you would with a pocket sprung or foam mattress. There is a bit of bounce that makes it easy to change positions yourself, but you are trading that off for more disturbance control.
Edge support is usually one of the strong points of open coil mattresses, simply because the edge is supported by the same continuous frame of springs. Sitting on the edge to put on socks or trousers feels reasonably secure and you are not being pushed off the side. It is not luxury hotel stiff at the edge, but for a budget coil mattress it is adequate.
Temperature Regulation The Zante Ortho does fairly well for an inexpensive foam topped coil mattress on the temperature front. The open coil core allows plenty of air movement through the mattress, which is inherently cooler than a solid block of foam. The Advanced Comfort Foam is also described as breathable, and the quilted cover helps to draw air through the surface layers of the mattress for a fresher feel.
In practice, it is not especially warming. I would not put it in the same league as some dedicated cooling hybrids, but I also do not expect most people to overheat on it unless they are very hot sleepers in a warm room with heavy bedding on top. If you do run hot, it is still better than a dense all foam mattress of similar price simply because the coils offer that built in airflow.
Practical Features One of the big upsides of the Zante Ortho is the convenience. It is rolled and vacuum packed for delivery, so you can carry it yourself to an upstairs room without wrestling an unmanageable full size mattress around tight bends and stairwells. You do need to give it a few days to fully expand and air out once unrolled before it really starts to feel its best, but that is typical of rolled mattresses.
It is double sided, which is always good to see at this price point. Regularly flipping and rotating the mattress, if you follow that routine, can help to spread out wear and reduce the impact of body impressions, which matters more with open coil designs. The sewn on turning handles are actually useful here, not just decorative.
Hypoallergenic and vegan friendly is also worth a mention. You have no animal derived fillings if you are trying to avoid them, and it is hypoallergenic if you have mild dust or pet hair sensitivities. Made in the UK and by an NBF approved manufacturer is also reassuring for quality and safety standards.
From a value perspective, the Zante Ortho typically comes in at the lower to middle budget bracket, often around the £200 mark for a double, depending on any current promotions or retailers. With MattressNextDay’s free next day delivery and 100 night sleep trial, it is being positioned as a relatively low risk, low hassle step up from a very old or tired mattress.
Who it suits I see the Zante Ortho Traditionally Sprung Mattress suiting a fairly specific audience.
Budget conscious shoppers. If you want something firmer leaning than a basic soft mattress, and you need to stay under a tight budget, the Zante Ortho does give you a reasonably supportive surface, double sided construction and a branded foam comfort layer for the money. It is not a premium feel, but a step up from ultra cheap thin coil mattresses.
Back and combination sleepers of lighter to average build. If you mostly sleep on your back or regularly move between back and side, the medium firm feel will hold your spine well aligned and keep you lifted, without feeling like you are sleeping on a plank. Your hips are not aggressively dropped and the foam takes the edge off pressure just enough, especially if you are not a particularly heavy person.
Guest rooms and occasional use. As a spare room mattress, the Zante Ortho makes more sense. It is only ever going to be used for a few nights at a time, not years, and the mattress feels tidy and supportive enough for that kind of occasional usage. Rolled delivery also makes it much easier to install in awkward spaces or loft conversions.
Those who like a traditional bouncy feel. If you grew up on open coil mattresses and actually enjoy that slightly bouncy, responsive feel, this will suit you much more than a dense, motion damped hybrid or memory foam mattress.
Who it does not suit On the flip side, there are several groups I would steer towards a better specified mattress and away from the Zante Ortho.
Couples sensitive to movement. If one of you is a restless sleeper, you will feel every movement on the other side because of the connected coil unit. In that case, an entry level pocket sprung mattress would be a massive upgrade in terms of motion control.
Heavier or predominantly side sleeping users. If you are a heavier person, particularly above average weight, or if you are almost exclusively a side sleeper, the relatively modest comfort foam layer and medium firm coil core are likely to feel a bit unforgiving over time. You are more likely to notice pressure at the shoulders and hips and some loss of comfort as the years go by.
Anyone wanting long term, main bed comfort. For a main bed you are going to sleep on every night for years, I would personally rather spend a little more and move to a pocket sprung or hybrid mattress with more zoned support and deeper comfort layers. The Zante Ortho will do a job, but it does not have the refinement or durability I would want as a long term primary mattress.
Final verdict The Zante Ortho Traditionally Sprung Mattress is, on many levels, exactly what it seems to be, a budget friendly, traditionally sprung orthopaedic mattress with firmer, medium firm feel and a thin but helpful layer of comfort foam on top. It is practical, rolled for easy delivery, double sided, hypoallergenic and made in the UK, and at this price point that combination is not to be sniffed at.
However, my personal bias against open coil systems prevents me from giving it a wholehearted recommendation. The support is broad rather than precise, motion transfer is noticeable, and comfort for side sleepers and heavier bodies is only ever adequate. The 24 cm depth is perfectly serviceable and the price is attractive, but for many buyers I would suggest looking at pocket sprung alternatives instead that are often not dramatically more expensive but offer a far more stable, tailored feel.
In short, I would not put the Zante Ortho high on my list for a main everyday mattress, especially if you already know you do not like traditional springs. As a stopgap, spare room option, or firmer budget mattress for lighter sleepers, it does its job. If you can stretch the budget, though, I would nudge you towards a pocket sprung or hybrid mattress that will deliver better support, better motion control and a more forgiving comfort layer over the long term.
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