Whilst Memory Foam and Latex are the main foam bed contenders, If you look around you also will have seen other materials, gels and foams, in your search for the perfect mattress.
Both Memory Foam and Latex have been around for over 20 years commercially and in the meantime a number of other ‘Hybrid’ foams have been created. Many bed retailers will only refer to these with their brand names or will incorrectly classify them as a Memory foam again confusing the area.
Here at John Ryan we class any foam that is not technically Memory Foam (viscoelastc) or Latex as a ‘Hybrid’ Foam. Referring to any of these foams as Memory Foam or equivalent to Natural Latex is itself misleading.
As you may have guessed there are again a number of different Hybrid Foams that offer similar properties and benefits to Memory Foam and Latex. In addition to being similar a number of them have managed to remove the disadvantages of Memory Foam such as heat retention and rebound characteristics.
We wont baffle you with pseudo-science about gel crystals or intelligent mattresses that some how manage to regulate your body-heat for you, what we will do is explain in plain English why these Hybrid Foams are a cut above Memory Foam and why we endorse them. Then its up to you to decide.
We offer two types of Hybrid Foams that we have tried and tested to our satisfaction. We only use British Vita’s foams. British Vita are a UK Foam Manufacturer, we only use UK manufactured foam and don’t user cheaper imports.
Laygel – a ‘synthetic Latex’ equivalent manufactured using advanced foam not Latex. Medium 60kg density/firmess
Coolblue -An advanced Memory foam equivalent without the heat and a faster recovery time. It still has a similar firm Memory Foam feel. Medium to Firm 75Kg density/firmness.
Whilst we are aware of a number of other foams with gel beads, intelligent heat dispersal and so forth, the only two Hybrids we will recommend are Laygel and Coolblue at this stage. They have been tried and tested and truly do what they say on the tin. Remember there are hundreds of Memory Foams and Hybrid Foams out there with varying qualities, so each supplier is trying to come up with a new way to say or sell the same idea. As always there are varying qualities of these foams and we only provide quality foams we have tried and tested ourselves.
Rebecca
Looking at the Hybrid 4. I am 5’9″ and about 12 stone, my husband is 6’2″ and 14st. The bed we have is Super King size bed therefore just looking for a mattress. Do you think this would be the most suitable hybrid? I quite like a soft warm mattress, unfortunately he is the opposite, preferring firmer and cooler!
Hi Rebecca, You’ve raised an interesting point about your somewhat opposing mattress needs! What I would advise is that although the Hybrid 4 is a soft / medium mattress its true softness is in the top comfort layer. the support of the mattress is medium. Given the softer sink you get in the top layer will satisfy you but the medium support will also satisfy your partners need for a more firmer feel.
Due to the fact we use hybrid lay gel in the top layer this will keep the mattress cooler than say a memory foam layer but its still going to retain some heat. Heat in mattresses is very subjective what I would say is that lay gel isn’t heat retentive so it maybe that your partner is ok with this. I can’t say for definite!
Unless you go for two completely separate single mattresses you’re never going to get a perfect match for both of you. I wouldn’t even recommend this as you will end up with two completely different mattresses i.e. a latex or traditional for your partner and a hybrid for you. This would make for quite an uneven looking mattress!
I would say for your weights and the feel you want the Hybrid 4 would be fine. – Lee
Brian
I am looking for a quality king size bed with mattress comparable to a Temput cloud de-luxe thanks – Brian
Hi Brian, Our Tempur cloud comparator is our Hybrid 4 mattress which can be found here. Its a significantly deeper mattress that the standard clouds and comes with a removable topper which can be fully turned and rotated increasing the life of the mattress over all. If you need any more help please give us a call on 0161 945 3757.
Chris
My wife and I are looking for a new mattress as the one we bought from Hypnos 3.5 years ago has become uncomfortable for her.(pillowtop 1400 pocket). We visited a retailer who stocked Vi-Spring,Harrison and Tempur.She has a back complaint, which makes her hips painful and cannot lie on one side and she does not sleep easily on her back.My wife weighs 8.5 stone and I weigh 15st.I seem to be able to sleep on anything so it is my wife’s comfort that is utmost.She found lying on the Vi spring ones displayed(priced fron £1700 to £6000 mainly medium support) hurt her hip as does our Hypnos but when she lay on a Tempur Cloud 22 deluxe her hips did not hurt even after an extended period of approx 20 mins.I must admit that I found the bed very soft and would ask what you suggest. Many thanks Chris
Hi Chris Given the weight difference between you and your partner you’re going to be battling between something that’s too soft for you vs something thats too firm for your wife I’m afraid! Given that you’ve been trying beds you’ve already managed to narrow down the search to the tempur cloud mattress you’ve already done most for the difficult work!. You’re right that it’s probably great for your wife but a bit too soft for you.
We do have a comparator to the tempur cloud with our Hybrid 4 mattress which is a mix of memory and hybrid foam giving that cloud like sink. Given its going to be really soft for you I’d ask you to have a look at the Hybrid 5 mattress which is slightly firmer a comparitor usually to the Tempur sensation mattress, but is a very deep mattress which I’d argue will give your wife enough sink to allow her painful hips and back to sink without it being too firm for her. It also would give you a slightly firmer top layer making it not as soft as the cloud or Hybrid 4. It maybe the best compromise for you.
I’d also advise that any foam mattress will be warmer than a traditional pocket sprung mattress; its a game of trading off the benefits and drawbacks I’m afraid. Everyone is different with the heat of mattresses.
If you want to speak further please give us a call Chris. – Lee
Comment via email
What are the differences between coolblue and laygel hybrid foams apart from the fact coolblue can help with people who get warm during the night? I’m torn between which one to choose! Please help!
Coolblue is cooler than memory foam and laygel is cooler still. All foams however will be warmer than traditonal mattresses as they are denser and retain heat more readily. The main difference is the feel of these two foams. We’re going to publish some videos soon to show people the difference.
If you think of cool blue as a slightly faster and less heat retentive version of memory foam. It gives that slow sink and moulding feeling. Some people call it quicksand others a hugging feeling. Laygel is a synthetic version of synthetic latex, soft, bouncy and very fast to recover. It moulds but isn’t as dense to the feel so its softer and lighter to the touch. Its cooler as its got a really low heat retention rate but not as supportive as say cool blue. Confusing I know. If you put it in the middle of a mattress like our hybrid 4 and 5 it acts as a spring. If you put it on top its s soft comfort later.
Simply put; cool blue has the slow enveloping sink whereas Laygel has the springy bouncy soft sink feeling. – Lee
John
Hi I wonder if you can advise the best mattress for me.
I am 6′ 2″ and 17 stone, my wife 5′ 5″ and about 8 stone.
We currently have 2 mattresses on a king size wooden slatted framed bed, 1 is medium and the other firm.
My wife says she can sleep on any mattress and doesn’t suffer any back ache, whereas I do.
I sleep on the medium mattress and have also tried the firm one but it makes no difference, I still suffer with lower back ache in the early hours and also pain in my hip and keep turning over to lie on either side but the ache continues until I get up and then quickly goes.
The mattress we have is made by Dreamworks and to be honest after a few days I soon started aching in my lower back and hips while laying on either side of my body.
I wondered whether a Hybrid or Latex mattress would be something to consider and if so what type, soft to medium, medium etc?
I remember many years ago working away and staying in a B&B I was given a room with a very soft mattress ( I sank right into it) and at the time thought I am going to suffer in this bed, in fact it was the best weeks sleep I have ever had.
I have read that a firm mattress is best but have found them worse for me.
Hopefully you can suggest something that will allow me a complete nights sleep? John
Sorry to hear you’re suffering with your current mattresses, I wish it was an uncommon problem but it is not I’m afraid!
Given your weights and the details you’ve given you require a supportive mattress which has deep comfort layers to give you the sink you require to take the pressure off your pressure points.
For your weight and requirements I’d recommend the Medium Fusion range, our solid core latex mattresses. This is due to the fact you’ve given a preference for a softer mattress. The Fusion 1 or 3 come with a medium latex topper. Meaning you get the sinking feeling before medium support. These are excellent for pressure reliving and are incredibly durable. They are also fully turnable compared to the hybrid range which only has a turnable topper.
Now for your wife. Given her weight I wouldn’t recommend a firm mattress unless she really likes a firm nights sleep. I would always recommend a medium if no preference is given. This means you could have one mattress rather than two.
This leaves you with two options if you want to progress down the latex route.
1. A full size medium fusion. This maybe ideal for your wife but would be soft to medium for you. That said comfort is subjective and if you like a soft mattress this maybe ideal. I would ask that you consider the firm as well because although the guesthouse bed was comfortable there’s a big difference between sleeping on a soft bed for a few nights and full time. What you could do to trial a softer bed is put a doubled up duvet under your current sheets to soften the bed you have and see how that feels for a few nights?
2.Two different fusion models ie the fusion 1 and 2 side by side with one full size topper. This will give you two tensions on each side a medium and a firm with a matching one piece topper to cover the two. This means if you and your wife can decide whether medium or firm suits you better, given she has no preference it may allow you to try them both and decide. This would be a bespoke bed and so we cant unfortunately offer the 30 day love it or return it guarantee. It may however give you the most flexibility.
The reason I’ve discounted the hybrid range is its not as easy or preferably to mix and match them like the solid core latex. Latex is far more forgiving and adaptable for split tensions etc.
I hope that’s given you some food for thought. Lee