Casper Hybrid review: A great mattress worth springing for

Update: Due to the company’s UK closure, the Casper Hybrid mattress is no longer available – along with all other Casper mattresses. 

While you can’t buy them directly through the company, you might be able to get your hands on a Casper mattress from Mattress Online. However, this comes at the risk of having no guaranteed warranty or free trial.

If you want to be safe, see our Best Mattress roundup here for some great alternatives.   

Despite starting out with a single product, Casper has followed in the footsteps of other bed-in-a-box manufacturers in making more than one mattress. Along with its original mattress – now known simply as “the Casper” – the company now makes the Casper Essential and Casper Hybrid.

The Casper Hybrid is the newest model and it combines springs and foams to simulate the feel of a traditional pocket-sprung mattress. It isn’t a new approach. Eve, Simba, Otty and Sealy all have hybrid models of their own. But is there any advantage in buying a hybrid mattress over an all-foam variety and more importantly, is it worth forking out more cash for?

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Casper Hybrid review: What you need to know

The Casper Hybrid has similar four-layer construction to the company’s original mattress. The main difference is that the final 126mm support layer comprises “resilient-yet-gentle coils” encased in firm foam. This design not only ensures firmer edge support but the springs are also “zoned” so that there’s firmer support under the hips than beneath the shoulders.

On top of this base layer, there’s 38mm of transition foam, 38mm of responsive memory foam and finally 38mm of open-cell foam, which combine to make a mattress that’s 240mm deep. Last, but not least, there’s a removable machine-washable cover that has handles on the underside to help with moving the mattress around.

The Casper Hybrid is made in the UK from “CertiPur” materials, which means it’s certified to conform to a particular set of specifications, which includes emitting only low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).  It’s also protected by a ten-year guarantee against manufacturing defects and like all of the company’s mattresses, it comes with a 100-night trial so you can return it at any time in that period for a full refund.

Casper Hybrid review: Price and competition

How much does a layer of springs cost you? Unfortunately, the answer is as much as £200. Where the Casper original starts at £400 for a single and rises to £600 and £700 for a double and king, the Casper Hybrid will set you back £500, £800 or £900 depending on which size you pick.

With this price structure, the Casper Hybrid is one of the most expensive spring-and-foam mattresses we’ve tested. Only the Sealy Hybrid Fusion, which doesn’t arrive packed in a box, has a higher starting price, costing £750 and £850 in double and king sizes.

The Simba Hybrid is considerably cheaper than the Casper Hybrid at £650 and £750 in those sizes and the Otty Hybrid is yet more affordable at £550 and £650.

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Casper Hybrid review: Performance and comfort

The main effect of the spring foundation is that the Casper Hybrid is noticeably firmer than the original Casper. In many ways, that’s a good thing because the biggest problem with the all-foam model is that it can feel a little lacking in support when used on a sprung slatted bed and it also becomes noticeably softer when the mattress warms up.

If you don’t get on with softer mattresses, then, Casper Hybrid could be just the one for you, delivering noticeably more support than the all-foam model but without compromising on comfort.

To elaborate, I’d say it’s less firm than the Otty and Eve hybrids – there’s noticeably more give when you push down on it with your hand – but it’s still very much in medium-firm territory. That makes it well suited to a range of sleeping positions, although I found it most comfortable when sleeping on my front and back.

Much like the Otty Hybrid, the Casper Hybrid doesn’t feel especially like a sprung mattress. There’s simply not that much bounce. However, it does benefit from greater edge support thanks to the way the springs are encased and it continues to deliver excellent levels of support when the ample foam layers have warmed up.

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I expected the Casper Hybrid to feel a little less warm than it does, however, especially given its hybrid construction. The Otty Hybrid and Eve Hybrid are noticeably cooler than most of their all-foam rivals but, thanks to its 100mm or so of foam layers, the Casper Hybrid still felt very warm when I tested it in July 2019.

For the most part, this can be kept under control by using appropriate bedding but if you’re unsure if it’ll be a problem for you the best way to find out is to simply try it for yourself – and hand it back if you don’t like it. Having said that, if you know you get particularly warm at night, foam best avoided anyway.

The only other notable impact of the additional layer of springs is that the Casper Hybrid weighs considerably more than its all-foam counterpart. That not only makes unpacking the mattress more arduous but also makes rotating it a tougher task.

Casper Hybrid review: Verdict

Overall, those are complaints that are fairly typical for hybrid mattresses, however, and the Casper Hybrid is, on the whole, a superb product. There’s just one thorny issue: the price.

If you can afford to spend £900 in a king size then definitely don’t rule it out – it’s probably the most comfortable medium-firm hybrid mattress I’ve ever tested. However, if value is a key priority, then you’re better off looking elsewhere, namely with the Otty Hybrid.