Ergoflex 5G Mattress review: A supportive memory foam mattress for 50% less
A well-rounded choice for back sleepers with just a couple minor drawbacks
Pros
- Supportive
- Decent temperature regulation
- Good movement isolation
Cons
- Short 30-day trial period
- A little firm for side sleeping
Ergoflex has been in the mattress business for well over a decade now, putting its own unique spin on the memory foam formula. Rather than spread itself across a range of products, Ergoflex concentrates on producing a single flagship mattress: the Ergoflex 5G.
Read on for our full review of the 5G, and check out our best mattress roundup for a full rundown of our favourite tried-and-tested mattresses.
The Ergoflex 5G is marketed as offering head-to-toe pressure-relieving comfort through its multi-layered memory foam construction. As a bed-in-a-box mattress, that comfort is delivered direct to your door with a short, but handy, risk-free 30-day home trial.
While this is certainly a competitive market, the 5G, with its back-sleeper friendly blend of support and pressure relief, is likely to tick just the right boxes for many.
Ergoflex 5G Mattress review: What you need to know
The Ergoflex 5G is a full memory foam mattress with a relatively simple three-layer construction. On top there’s a layer of high-density visco-elastic memory foam, which at 90mm thick is noticeably deeper than the comfort layers found on most similarly priced rivals. Next up there’s a 50mm cool-sleep airflow layer, followed by 90mm of denser, “high-resilience” foam that makes up the base.
The entire mattress is wrapped in a protective cover, and a machine-washable TENCEL vented cover sits on top. All materials come with OEKO TEX 100, Centri-Pur and Ultra Fresh certification, so you can be sure they’re free of harmful chemicals and are hypoallergenic.
As with all memory foam mattresses, the 5G is designed to be slept on one way up so it never needs flipping. Ergoflex does, however, recommend rotating the mattress head-to-toe every three months in order to evenly distribute wear. There are handles built into the base to help you with this, but the weight of larger sizes means it’s a job for two people rather than one.
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The Ergoflex 5G can be used across both solid and slatted bed bases and, while Ergoflex says any slats should be no greater than 6.35cm apart, that’s not an unusual stipulation for memory foam mattresses.
Ergoflex mattresses come with a 30-day home trial, allowing you to test the mattress out for a month risk-free before committing. While this is decidedly shorter than the trials offered by some rivals, with 100-, 200- and even 300-day trials not uncommon, it’s better than the exchange-only policy found at many high street retailers.
Ergoflex 5G Mattress review: Price and competition
The Ergoflex 5G starts at £499 for a single, moving up to £739 for a double and £819 for a king. European sizes are also available, and sizing runs all the way up to super-king.
As far as competitors are concerned, slightly softer, slightly deeper and at £699 for a double and £799 for a king, the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress is worth considering. Nectar mattresses also come with a whopping 365-night home trial so there’s no pressure to decide within a month.
Emma’s Original memory foam mattress is priced similarly at £699 for a double and £799 for a king. The Emma Original provides an excellent balance of comfort and support for back and side sleepers alike and comes with a 200-night home trial.
I’d also recommend taking a look at the Otty Pure Hybrid. Combining layers of memory foam with traditional pocket springs, the Pure Hybrid offers great comfort and temperature regulation. The Otty Pure Hybrid will set you back £799 for a double or £899 for a king, and it comes with a 100-night home trial.
The best alternatives and where to find them:
- Nectar Mattress | Buy now from Nectar
- Emma Original Mattress | Buy now from Emma
- Otty Pure Hybrid | Buy now from Otty
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Ergoflex 5G Mattress review: Performance and comfort
As with all bed-in-a-box mattresses, the Ergoflex 5G arrives compressed and vacuum packed, and quickly expands to a more recognisable mattress shape once unsealed. While the mattress starts expanding immediately it can take up to four hours before it’s ready to sleep on.
It’s common for vacuum-packed mattresses to exhibit a chemical odour upon arrival, and while that was true of the Ergoflex, I found it dissipated quickly following an afternoon with the windows open. If you’re particularly sensitive to smells, you may benefit from airing it in a spare room for a night, but I think most people will be fine right away.
Accurately describing mattress firmness can be tricky as the feel and feedback of a bed can vary depending on the bed frame you use as well as your weight. Ergoflex places the 5G in the medium-firm category and, based on my experience, I’d tend to agree with that assessment. On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the firmest, I’d place the 5G somewhere around a 7 used on a sprung slatted frame. Unlike some foam mattresses, I didn’t notice a great deal of difference while swapping between different bed frame types, with just a touch more firmness and a little less bounce when used on a solid base.
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When lying on the Ergoflex 5G, the foam layers moulded around my body shape nicely. On my back I found the 5G performed very well, with just the right amount of relief around my upper back and hips and plenty of support across my lower back. While some foam mattresses can feel a little marshmallow-like, the 5G felt tightly structured and left me waking up free of aches throughout testing.
If you’re a committed side sleeper then you might not fare quite so well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s far from an uncomfortable option but, personally, I prefer just a touch more give to better relieve my shoulder. As someone that varies between back and side sleeping positions I got on with the 5G just fine, but if you’re exclusively a side sleeper you may be better served by a slightly softer mattress, such as the Nectar mattress or Brooke + Wilde’s soft Lux mattress.
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I found that the Ergoflex 5G regulated temperature well and, while it isn’t the coolest bed-in-a-box mattress I’ve tested – that honour falls to the Otty Pure Hybrid – I never found it got overly hot. Switching straight from a pocket sprung mattress, you may find it still retains a little more heat than you’re used to, but a lighter duvet should even out the difference.
The 5G is also a good shout for light sleepers. Memory foam characteristically excels at absorbing motion transfer vibrations produced by tossing and turning and I found I had no trouble moving around freely without disturbing my partner.
Ergoflex 5G Mattress review: Verdict
The Ergoflex 5G is an attractive, well-rounded option for back sleepers, offering good levels of comfort and support, decent temperature control and excellent motion transfer absorption.
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It’s let down a little by its slightly less comfortable performance for side sleepers and comparatively short home-trial length, but it may still be worth giving a whirl as long as you don’t mind making your mind up within 30 days.