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- Comfortable for a range of sleeping styles and body weights
- Superb support and spinal alignment
- Huge range of sizes
- Some motion transfer
The quality of the Odd Company Blenheim 1500 mattress – handmade in the brand’s Yorkshire factory, as with all its bespoke mattresses – was immediately evident to me when I first received my review sample. This is a traditional pocket sprung mattress, something I’ve been reviewing more of for Expert Reviews, and what struck me was just how comfortable it was to sleep on from the off.
This is a premium mattress, but I wouldn’t think twice about investing if I was in the market for a new one. It’s one of the best mattresses I’ve tested recently and it competes favourably with even more expensive options. But will this excellent all-rounder suit your sleep? Read on to find out more…
The Odd Company Blenheim 1500 mattress: What you need to know
The Blenheim 1500 mattress is 30cm deep and made from a variety of natural and synthetic materials. Its sprung core is made up of 1,500 individually pocketed springs, either side of which are layers of 800gsm of British lambswool, 1,000gsm recycled cotton, and a 900gsm recycled polyester insulator pad. Because of this dual-sided construction, the Blenheim 1500 can be rotated and flipped in order to even out wear and extend its lifespan. The mattress is upholstered in a polycotton blend (90% cotton and 10% polyester), with hand side stitching and a tufted rosette finish.
Unlike many bed-in-a-box brands, the Odd Company doesn’t use firmness ratings on a 1-10 scale. Instead, you have a choice of medium or firm tension, with the medium (which I tested) being recommended for those up to 16 stone and the firm for those weighing between 16 and 18 stone. Soft and extra firm tensions are available on request and – for larger sizes (UK king and above) – there’s also a zip-and-link option for couples who don’t want to compromise on firmness. On the subject of sizes, you’ve got an awful lot of choice here. In addition to UK single to super king, you’ve a wide range of both EU and US sizes.
Do note that mattresses are made to order, so you can expect up to a seven week wait after ordering. Delivery is free, and is handled by a two-man team, who will also carry the mattress to your bedroom.
The mattress comes with a 10-year guarantee covering faults and defects (but, crucially, not wear and tear, accidental damage or “wilful damage and neglect”). You also get a 45-night sleep trial: this is an exchange-only trial, rather than a money-back guarantee such as those offered by many bed-in-a-box brands. If, within 45 nights, you decide that the mattress isn’t for you, the Odd Company will replace it with a different one.
Price and competition
Being made-to-order, the Odd Company Blenheim 1500 is a premium mattress with prices to match. It starts at £970 for a UK small single or £1,000 for a single. This rises to £1,545 for a double, £1,685 for a king, £2,145 for a super king and £2,245 for an emperor. As I mentioned above, there are a number of EU and US sizes available, as well as a UK small double (£1,425) and small super king (£2,145). The most expensive option is the US California king, which will cost you £2,480.
These prices put the Blenheim 1500 in a similar bracket to other traditional pocket sprung mattresses, such as the Sleepeezee Regency Kennington 4200 at £1,999 (double), and those also made with natural materials, such as the Simba Natural Hybrid Escape (£1,799). Natural mattresses are usually more expensive than synthetic alternatives, and the Blenheim 1500 falls somewhere in the middle of this premium range: for instance, it’s more expensive than the REM-FIt Natural Lux Hybrid (£950 in a double), but considerably cheaper than the Hypnos Inspired by Nature 05 mattress (£3,600).
Other similarly priced mattresses that we’ve reviewed recently include the Origin LumbarCloud at £1,999 (double) and the Tempur Ease at £1,200.
How I tested the Odd Company Blenheim 1500 mattress
First and foremost, I test mattresses by sleeping on them. But in doing so, I take into account a number of factors: comfort, support (including at the edges), temperature regulation and motion isolation. And when determining value for money, I’ll compare the price tag of a mattress with those of its closest competitors.
As anecdotal testing isn’t sufficient on its own, I also run standardised tests to obtain objective data that can be compared across all mattresses tested at Expert Reviews. I gradually place four 2.5kg weights on the bed, measuring the sinkage as I add more weight. I do this at shoulder height and at 3 inches from the edge of the bed to assess edge support. I also measure how much the total 10kg of weights causes the edge of the bed to tilt.
I carry out two tests with a digital thermometer – one for body heat and another using a heat pad – to see how much the mattress retains heat. For the former, I sit on the mattress with the thermocouple probe placed underneath me, until the thermometer reaches 30°C. After getting up, I then record the temperature decrease at one minute intervals for ten minutes. The heat pad test follows a similar process. After heating up the pad in boiling water, I place it on the surface of the mattress to heat it up. Once the temperature has stablilised and fallen to 50°C, I remove the heat pad and, again, record the temperature at one minute intervals for ten minutes.
Our standardised tests
At shoulder height, sinkage was 28mm under 10kg of weights. This is quite high when compared to the other mattresses I’ve reviewed: the Hypnos Inspired by Nature 05 sank by 20mm, while the Sleepeezee Regency Kennington 4200 sank 29mm. Alternatively, one of the firmer mattresses I’ve tested – the REM-Fit Natural Lux Hybrid – only sank by 12mm under 10kg.
Interestingly, though, after repeating this test three inches from the edge of the mattress, sinkage was considerably lower at 20mm, which is suggestive of particularly impressive edge support.
My heat pad test saw temperatures drop from 50°C to 28°C after three minutes, falling further to 26.8C after 10 minutes. In the body temperature test, the temperature dropped from 30°C to 24.9C after three minutes and to 24.5C after 10 minutes. These readings won’t rival the Dreams TheraPur ActiGel Glacier 3000 Combination mattress, which dropped to 21°C after ten minutes in both tests.
However, I should caveat this by saying that I tested the Blenheim 1500 during a heatwave (ambient temperature in my bedroom was 24.8°C), which makes it very difficult to compare results. With that said, you can read on for my subjective impressions when it comes to temperature regulation.
Is it comfortable?
When it comes to comfort and support, I thought nothing would beat the Hypnos Inspired By Nature 05 I’ve been sleeping on recently. However, I have to say that the Odd Company’s Blenheim 1500 is just as comfortable (and half the price). This is an exceptional mattress, providing excellent levels of lumbar support where it’s needed, making it a great option for those suffering with back pain.
I also found there was absolutely no uncomfortable adjustment period when I first started testing the Blenheim: I slept wonderfully on it from night one, waking up completely ache- and pain-free. The medium tension model I tested is blissfully comfortable in a range of sleeping positions – for side sleepers, back sleepers and stomach sleepers alike – thanks to the way the springs and comfort layers adjust to the body as needed.
Temperature regulation, motion isolation and edge support
Our standardised temperature tests aside, the Blenheim 1500 mattress impressed in our anecdotal testing. My hot-sleeping husband found it cool and comfortable throughout the night, which is perhaps thanks to its use of cotton and wool: both breathable materials that are reliable when it comes to temperature regulation. The pocket springs also help to keep air circulating.
Edge support was particularly good on the Blenheim 1500 – as noted by the results of my sinkage test. You can sit comfortably on the edge or lie right up to it with no discernible dip. I did note, however, a fractional amount of motion transfer, whereby I could feel my husband rolling over in the night (though I should add that he’s a particularly restless sleeper who approaches rolling over in bed much like a walrus trying to get onto dry land).
Verdict
As I said earlier, I wasn’t convinced that any mattress would impress me as much as the Hypnos mattress I tested in April did. However, the Odd Company Blenheim 1500 is just as comfortable and supportive to sleep on. It’s an exceptional, well-made mattress that felt comfortable from the first night I started testing it.
Of course, it is in the premium price bracket. But if you’re anything like me, you only need to lie on it once to agree that it’s well worth the investment. I can’t imagine anyone who would be uncomfortable sleeping on this.
