I retailed mattresses for 25 years
Normal springs in mattresses used to cost under £4 for the springs 4'6 size
I used to pay £57.50 retail at £99
£137 retail at £299

I bought one cost price for £370 which was a top of the range £900 mattress
Pocket springs and well padded top
So was normally double and half the vat for making up the retail prices

I'm not convinced by memory foam ,having slept on a few as I find they are too hot in the summer as no ventilation going through them aslo the foam will eventually stop rising up as the foam. Softens
You can't beat pocket springs with a well padded top
Toggles through the padding was a great indication of how thick the padding is and it used to cost about £60 for the extra matting and materials which makes a mattress last longer

You change your mattress when you feel the springs hence a better and thicker padding will last a lot longer 10 years plus on a better mattress

The best buys in a bed shop is a floor model
They are always a grade A quality mattress when ordered for display and are normally bough at a a bigger discount for a retailer
They soon get Dirty quickly on the shop floor hence retailers need to clear them fast as they look bad so look out for showroom modles and offer even less to take them

The link with the mattress man compared to debonhams is a fine example of how much a retailer can charge and still sell them at that price
I used to have a manager who when desperate for business pour some tea on a mattress and rub mud on the cover so he could use that as an excuse to sell it cheaper for a instant cash sale to help him achieve his sales targets :D

Stay clear of roll up mattress too
Vispring is the rolls Royce of mattress but any retailing over say £700 is going to be decent and will last for years ,as long as you turn them side by side and top to tail

Thanks guys.

Thanks LHarding. I couldn't agree more abour MF/latex etc, I just want a well made pocket spring one.

I'm very happy to get out and try them but that's where I've got stuck. I went to Bensons and Dreams but both relabel their mattresses so I can't find the equivalent on line. I'm usually happy to pay a high st outlet a little more (than on line) for their troubles but not double.

I rang two of the local independant retailers listed on the Sleepeezee website and neither have the backcare 2000 on display

Sleep on wood every night for 10 years and then tell us how your back, and general health is :rolleyes: