Firmer mattress for great support and comfort (Ikea Sultan Hasselbäck Mattress)

Member Name: jamesontheroad

Product:	Ikea Sultan Hasselbäck Mattress
Date:	15/01/09 (805 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great comfort, 90 day return policy, 25 year guarantee

Disadvantages: If you live outside online ordering area, you have to go to Ikea & manhandle it to delivery or van

Seasoned Ikea shoppers will be familiar with the general Ikea store concept: first the long snaking route through a series of a rooms, demonstrating furniture and homewares in-situ; followed by the piled-high market place and then the piled-even-higher warehouse. An essential rest point half way round the first stage of your Ikea odyssey is the mattress centre. Rest your tired feet with a healthy bounce on Ikea's best selling mattresses.

It has been estimated that one in ten Europeans were conceived on an Ikea bed. While I have yet to contribute to that statistic, I can report that 10% of our continent had a great start in life. Leaving university and setting up at home, we finally scraped together the cash to upgrade from a hand-me-down mattress to an Ikea Lillesand bed (see my DooYoo review, forthcoming later today) and Sultan Hasselbäck mattress.

Available in a range of Ikea (European standard) sizes to match with their bed frames, the Sultan Hasselbäck is a active pocket sprung mattress with strong foam and a thick layer of wadding. It is comparable in price to many brand name mattresses elsewhere, but is in my humble opinion quite superior. We deliberately chose what we felt to be a firmer mattress (although Ikea rates it as mid firm on its three point scale) and it does not disappoint. Excellent support for back and side sleeping (although especially for the latter you should be sure to partner it with the right pillows), yet soft and comfortable. We've bounced around and sat on various edges, and the mattress always returns to shape instantly. The small pocket springs apparently help provide precise body support, and the construction of the mattress (visible in a cutaway in-store) helps air to circulate within the mattress.

Mattress is 28cm thick. Available in 80x200, 90x200, 91.5x200, 137x190, 140x200 (our choice), 160x200 and 180x200 cm. Prices currently range from around £180 to around £270 (quoted at 17.5% VAT). 90 day returns policy subject to condition, and a 25 year guarantee. Check stock online at ikea.co.uk before travelling to store; non-standard sizes not usually kept in stock at some stores. We rented a standard roof Vauxhall Vivaro (aka Renault Master) van to collect ours, and it only just fitted by being slid diagonally into the back. See my review for 1car1.com to find out where and when to rent one for just £25 a day. Home delivery available in most non-rural areas, online ordering also available in England.

Summary: Best mattress I've ever slept on (that's not been in a fantastically expensive hotel)