Few items in your home are used as often – or for as many hours – as your bed, so the importance of choosing the best mattress can’t be underestimated.
But when entrepreneur and Otty founder Michal Szlas began exploring the mattress industry on the quest for his own perfect night’s sleep, he was disappointed with the options before him. With echoes of Goldilocks ringing in his ears, he found memory foam too hot and unsupportive but springs lacking on the comfort front, and set out to find a happy middle ground – ideally with an actually attainable price point, even when using a mattress deal.
He achieved his goal with the creation of the Otty original hybrid mattress (from £499.99, Otty.com) – a double whammy of gentle foam and sturdy springs intended to work in harmony to suit every type of sleeper, conveniently packaged in a cardboard box for fuss-free delivery regardless of the size of your door frames.
It all sounds well and good, but the bed-in-a-box market is ultra-competitive, with dozens of companies claiming that their take is the ultimate in night-time comfort. So why should you consider the mid-priced Otty original hybrid for the vacant position in your bedroom? I put it to the test to find out.
How we tested
This mattress was tested over the course of a month by myself and my partner, as I wanted to see how comfortable and supportive the mattress would be for different kinds of sleepers. One of us is a dedicated side sleeper, while the other prefers to roll onto their back. From delivery to firmness, we assessed Otty’s mattress on the following criteria.
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Previously the executive editor of Indybest, Eleanor Jones has tested dozens of products for us, from the best coffee tables books and to eco-friendly shower gel, and has a keen eye for products that offer genuine bang for buck. For this review, Eleanor and a co-tester slept on the Otty hybrid mattress for a month. Keep reading for her honest verdict.
Otty original hybrid mattress
Sizes available: Single, small double, double, king, super king, emperor
Material: Memory foam and springs
Mattress depth: 25cm
Trial period: 100 nights
Guarantee: 10 years
Design and features
The Otty original hybrid arrives rolled up tight in a sturdy, recyclable box – the cardboard is reassuringly thick and secured with staples to keep your mattress free from damage in transit. The delivery team will also drop it off in any room in your home for a £10 charge, which I’d say is well worth the money if you want it shifting up some stairs. It’s pretty weighty, and you’ll definitely need two people to lift it if you decline this offer.
The packaging means a bit of elbow grease is required to roll the hybrid from its container, but once you do, you’ll find that Otty has thought of the finer details from the get-go, including a handy paper guide and your very own comma-shaped cutting tool to release it from the inner plastic without any accidental nicks to the fabric.
Forgive my excess enthusiasm, but watching this mattress “reinflate” is actually, if I’m honest, really fun. It comes out flat as a pancake with a slight curl, but once the shrink wrap is cut, it instantly begins to puff up proudly – think of it like watching one of those slow-mo dough rising clips in real time and you’ll get a sense of why I found it quite so satisfying. Otty says it can be used 2-4 hours after opening, but I was seriously impressed with how quickly it plumped itself back to life (there was barely any of the slightly odd, lingering scent you get with competitors I’ve tried in the past, I must note).
Read more: This Simba mattress transformed how I sleep – here’s why I’ll never look back
Its 25cm height is ideal for a standard fitted sheet, and the exterior of the Otty original hybrid is a washable thick-knit cover that you can zip off and wash at 40C – a handy way to keep your investment clean with fairly minimal effort and no mattress protector. But as anyone who’s ever slept on a rubbish mattress will know, it’s what’s on the inside that really counts when it comes to upgrading your sleep space. And happily, this one delivers on that front too.
On top is a 3cm layer of temperature-controlling memory foam, which I definitely noticed the benefit of during an unseasonal week of heatwave during testing. This is followed by another 3cm of high density reflex foam, intended to offer superior support for your joints in any number of awkward positions.
Then come the springs – 2,000 of them in my king size, to be precise, with a 16cm height that’s pretty sizeable when compared with the rest of the market (Eve’s springs measure 12cm, Simba’s 2.5cm, and Emma’s just 2cm, for example). Otty says this gives it a medium-firm feel, although from my experience I’d say it skews further towards the firm end of that definition. Followed up with airflow side support and an HD base foam foundation, this is a strapping high-spec mattress that’s built to last the duration of its 10-year guarantee.
Comfort and performance
My first impression upon sitting on the Otty original hybrid was that it offers just the right amount of bounce – it doesn’t simply sink beneath you like a memory foam mattress, but equally doesn’t feel excessively “springy” like some of its more enthusiastic companions. These first impressions only improved when I lay down on it – it supports you from head to toe with equal weighting, with no sagging and minimal give.
Whether or not the Otty is the right fit for you will depend on your firmness preference. If 0 is very soft and 10 is very firm, for instance, I’d rate the Otty at around 7.5 or possibly even an 8 on that scale. It’s dense and relatively rigid, which takes a little bit of adjustment if it’s something you’re not used to. However, this is not to the detriment of its comfort – those generously-sized springs really do make all the difference, and I found it snug rather than stiff throughout the four weeks of testing.
Another factor that got a tick from me is its motion transfer, or lack thereof – when my partner gets up for a 5:30am alarm, I stay sound asleep, and have to reach out to check if they’re actually gone in the morning. We don’t even feel each other fidget in the night.
Read more: Emma vs Simba: Which hybrid mattress is best?
Maintenance-wise, you’re not supposed to flip this hybrid mattress, simply rotate it once a month for the first year, and periodically thereafter, to ensure even wear. Again, this is a job that I think requires two people (or one rather strong one!), so that’s worth considering before you click “add to basket”.
Overall, as a package that costs substantially less than some of the luxe options in the current bed-in-a-box arena, with prices from £499.99, and frequent offers that mean you can often get as much as 40 per cent off, it represents good value for money – especially when backed by a 100-night trial, which means you can return it if you find it’s not for you.
Buy now £749.99, Otty.com
The verdict: Otty original hybrid mattress
The Otty original hybrid undoubtedly falls on the firmer end of the mattress scale, and if you sleep on your front or prefer a bit more squish beneath you while you sleep, it’s probably not the best mattress pick for you. Outside of those parameters, I think it’s a great all-rounder that most people will find comfortable, and at a price that beats many of its rivals by quite some way.
Looking for more expert advice? Read our review of the best mattresses
