Mattress Reviews
Every mattress topper I have reviewed, with the one measurement to take before buying any of them.
Verdict
Every mattress topper I have reviewed, with the one measurement to take before buying any of them.
Who this page is for
Your mattress is structurally sound and simply firmer than you want.
Who it is not for
Your mattress has dipped more than about 25 millimetres. No topper solves that.
Other review categories: all reviews · pillows · toppers · protectors · duvets and blankets · bedding · bed frames · retailers
How I score a topper
A topper does not provide support, so it is not scored as though it did. The mattress underneath does that job, and scoring a topper on support would mislead.
Softening is what a topper is for. Temperature is what people get wrong. Stability is whether it stays where you put it, which decides whether it gets used at all. Durability matters because a topper takes concentrated wear.
Edge support and motion isolation are mattress criteria. A topper sits inside the perimeter and does nothing for edges.
Measure the dip first. It decides everything.
The 25 millimetre rule
A topper changes firmness. It does not change support.
If your mattress has a dip of more than about 25 millimetres, a topper will follow that dip within a few weeks and the money is gone. Lay a straight edge across the mattress and measure the gap at its deepest point.
Two more free checks before spending. Measure your slat gaps: over about 7.5 centimetres and your base is causing the sagging and voiding the guarantee, and a sheet of plywood is a fraction of the cost of a topper. Check your pillow height, because a great deal of discomfort blamed on a mattress is a pillow at the wrong loft.
And do the arithmetic. A good topper is a meaningful fraction of a decent budget mattress, so one bought for a mattress with a year or two left is money thrown away with it.
Softening and warmth move together
| Type | Softens | Effect on heat |
|---|---|---|
| Dense viscoelastic foam | Very strongly | Considerably warmer |
| Memory foam | Strongly | Warmer |
| Latex | Moderately, with bounce | Neutral |
| Micro-spring or spacer mesh | Moderately | Neutral to cooling |
| Wool | Mildly | Regulates moisture |
There is no topper that changes a lot and cools. Softening means conforming around you, and conforming means less air moving. Decide which of those two you care about more, then pick the row.
A foam topper on a hybrid is the worst pairing available: it sits above the springs and cuts you off from the airflow that was the reason you bought the mattress.
Every topper slides. Plan for it on day one.
A topper is a separate slab sitting loose on a mattress, and it moves every time someone gets in or out of bed. Within a week it is diagonal with a corner hanging off.
Three fixes. Elastic corner straps, if the topper has them. A deep fitted sheet sized for mattress plus topper together, which is the most reliable: a 28 centimetre mattress with a 5 centimetre topper needs a 33 centimetre sheet. Or a thin non-slip grip mat between the two.
A topper that is annoying you by week two ends up in a cupboard, which is money spent for nothing.
Every one reviewed, scored
| Product | Score |
|---|---|
| Simba Mattress Topper | 7.5 / 10 |
| Dorma Topper | 7.4 / 10 |
| Silentnight Airmax Topper | 7.4 / 10 |
| Dormeo Topper | 7.2 / 10 |
| Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress Topper | 7.2 / 10 |
| Origin Contour Mattress Topper | 7.1 / 10 |
| Rem-Fit Halo Mattress Topper | 7.0 / 10 |
| Mlily Premier Mattress Topper | 6.9 / 10 |
| Emma Mattress Topper | 6.8 / 10 |
| Inofia Mattress Topper | 6.8 / 10 |
| Tempur Topper | 6.8 / 10 |
| Eve Mattress Topper | 6.7 / 10 |
| Otty Bamboo Charcoal Mattress Topper | 6.7 / 10 |
| Simba Cool Foam Mattress Topper | 6.6 / 10 |