Like all of Emma’s mattresses, the Original Hybrid can be used across all styles of base, solid and slatted, although Emma recommends slats that are no more than 7.5cm apart. Should you be in the market for a new frame, Emma produces a range of frames ideally suited to pair with its mattresses.
As with all bed-in-a-box mattresses, the Emma Original Hybrid comes with a home trial – indeed, you can return the mattress for a full refund within the first 200 nights if you’re at all dissatisfied. While it’s not quite the longest trial period around, it’s highly competitive and allows you to try the mattress risk-free for more than six months.
Emma Original Hybrid Mattress review: Price and competition
At the time of writing the Emma Original Hybrid is available in four sizes, starting at £699 for a single, £899 for a double, running up to £1,059 for a king and £1,159 for a super king.
The obvious alternative is the firm’s older hybrid, simply named the Emma Hybrid. This features a more basic construction, with fewer foam layers and uses a micro-coil comfort layer in place of the Original Hybrid’s full-sized pocket spring support layer. Crucially, it comes in slightly cheaper at £809 for a double or £919 in king size.
As for rivals, the is £800 for a double and £900 for a king. The Pure Hybrid offers a similar level of firmness, uses 2000, taller 160mm pocket springs and I also found it notably cooler than the Emma Original Hybrid. Its trial period is shorter, though, at 100 nights.
Eve Sleep’s identically named Original Hybrid is also worth considering. It’s priced at £769 for a double and £869 for a king, and sizes run from single to super king. I found the Eve Original Hybrid to be firmer and so perhaps less well suited to side sleepers, but cooler than the Emma. Like the Otty Pure Hybrid, Eve’s trial period only runs for 100 nights.
Bed-in-a-box mattresses are frequently discounted and so it’s always worth checking on current pricing and any available deals when weighing up your options.
The best alternatives and where to find them:
- Emma Hybrid | Buy now from Emma
- Otty Pure Hybrid | Buy now from Otty
- Eve Original Hybrid | Buy now from Eve
READ NEXT: This month’s best mattress deals
Emma Original Hybrid Mattress review: Performance and comfort
Like all bed-in-a-box mattresses, the Original Hybrid arrives at your door rolled, vacuum-sealed and boxed. Once the seal is broken, the mattress quickly expands and takes on a more traditional mattress shape. Emma recommends leaving the mattress up to six hours before sleeping on it but says it could take up to 48 hours for the mattress to round out fully.
Bed-in-a-box mattresses can often suffer from a chemical off-gassing odour when first shipped, and the Emma Original Hybrid is no exception. I left the windows open while it expanded throughout the day but found the chemical smell still hung around for a day or two. Having reviewed more than my fair share of mattresses, I’ve grown quite used to the new-mattress smell, but if you have a particularly sensitive nose you may benefit from letting it air in a spare room for a couple of nights.
Mattress firmness can be highly subjective with the same mattress feeling different depending on your weight and the type of bed frame you choose to pair it with. With that said, Emma advertises the Original Hybrid as having a medium firmness and I’d tend to agree. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the firmest, I’d personally rate it at around a 5.5 while on a sprung slatted base and a touch firmer while on a solid base. I found it a little stiff when it first arrived, but after a few nights it settled, softened and became noticeably more comfortable.
I tested the Emma Original Hybrid on both a solid and sprung slatted base and found it comfortable across all sleeping positions. I did find, however, that its character noticeably changed depending on the base. It was decidedly more supportive on the solid base, with the base layers feeling tighter and more resistive. I found that the solid base provided the best combination of comfort and support while laying on my back. By contrast, while used on a sprung slatted base, the mattress felt a little looser and squashier. Although less supportive across my back, ultimately the sprung slatted base proved more comfortable for side sleeping as it offered a little extra give around my hips and shoulders.
