Mattress Reviews
Every bed frame and base I have reviewed, and the specification that matters most is one most listings bury.
Verdict
Every bed frame and base I have reviewed, and the specification that matters most is one most listings bury.
Who this page is for
You are buying a frame to keep, and you have measured your slat gaps.
Who it is not for
You need daily access to under-bed storage. An ottoman is the wrong choice for that.
Other review categories: all reviews · pillows · toppers · protectors · duvets and blankets · bedding · bed frames · retailers
How I score a frame
Frames are scored on value, build, slat spacing, storage, assembly and sizing. Support, temperature and motion isolation are mattress criteria.
Slat spacing is scored first among the technical criteria because it is the one that can cost you a mattress guarantee.
Slat spacing decides whether your guarantee survives
The number to check on any frame
Most modern mattress guarantees require slats no more than about 7.5 centimetres apart. Wider gaps are a common exclusion and manufacturers do enforce it.
They also cause the problem: the mattress sags between the slats, producing exactly the body impressions the guarantee would have covered.
Frames and mattresses are usually bought separately, often years apart, from different sellers, and nobody raises the interaction at either point of sale because at neither point is it that seller's problem.
If you have a frame already, measure the gaps before ordering a mattress. Too wide, and a sheet of plywood or a slat conversion is a cheap fix compared with an unclaimable mattress.
What makes a frame last thirty years instead of five
Most frames sold in Britain are particleboard or MDF assembled with cam locks.
Cam locks loosen, and particleboard does not hold a screw a second time, so once a joint works loose it tends to stay loose. A creaking bed is almost always a frame problem rather than a mattress one, and if yours creaks, tighten every fixing before considering anything else.
A hard material bolted together can be tightened indefinitely. Check whether a frame bolts or uses cam locks before ordering; it is rarely stated prominently and it matters more than the finish.
A frame should outlast two or three mattresses. Judge the price over that period.
Storage: ottoman, drawers or neither
| Type | Volume | Access | Room needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottoman lift | Highest. The whole footprint. | Poor. You lift the mattress. | Ceiling clearance and the right lift direction. |
| Drawers | Moderate | Good | Floor space to pull them out. |
| Open under-bed | Moderate, using boxes | Fair | Nothing, and it collects dust. |
Ottoman for things you need twice a year, drawers for things you need weekly.
Three measurements before ordering an ottoman: lift direction, because a side-lift bed against a wall cannot open; ceiling clearance, because the mattress rotates upward through roughly its own length; and the strut rating against your mattress weight, which is the most commonly missed, because a 35 centimetre hybrid can be 50 kilograms or more.
Finally, add the frame deck height to your mattress depth. Around 55 to 65 centimetres to the top of the mattress suits most adults.
Every one reviewed, scored
| Product | Score |
|---|---|
| Origin Timber Bed Frame | 7.6 / 10 |
| Origin Storage Bed Frame | 7.5 / 10 |
| DreamCloud Bamboo Bed Frame | 7.4 / 10 |
| Emma Ottoman Bed | 7.3 / 10 |
| Simba Bed Frame | 7.3 / 10 |
| DreamCloud Ottoman Storage Bed | 7.1 / 10 |
| Emma Original Bed Frame | 7.0 / 10 |
| Emma Sofa Bed | 6.6 / 10 |
| IKEA Sofa Bed | Not scored |