Argos Home Open Coil Mattress Review – Best Cheap Bed?

I recently moved house and decided that rather than dragging my old Sealy Posturepedic mattress with me (which has lasted me for well over 10 years but really needs replacing), I decided to buy a new one.

I’m a big fan of buying a bed in a box online because you can save so much more money when compared to shopping in-store.

However, in my case, I actually decided to buy a brand new mattress from my local Argos store here in the UK because I wanted to get a new mattress that very same day and set it up without having to wait for a delivery driver.

At £109 this was by far one of the cheapest double mattresses that I could find to buy in person so I decided to buy it there and then, put it into my car, take it home, and set it up.

But can such a cheap mattress really offer a quality sleep experience?

Check out my full Argos Open Coil Mattress review below to discover if this is the best cheap mattress that you can buy in the UK and find out if this is the right mattress for you.

Alternatively: if you’re not interested in the Argos Home mattress, then have a look at my list of the best mattresses in a box to order online for some high-quality alternatives.

Argos Open Coil Double Mattress Review

Overall, the Argos Home mattress offers excellent value for money because it provides excellent support and comfort for single sleepers and couples under 100 kg (each) in just about every sleeping position.

But is this the best cheap mattress that you can buy on a budget in the UK?

The Argos Home mattress might be one of the best cheap mattresses that you can buy for under £100 (single size) in the UK due to the affordable quality that it offers which makes it especially suitable for those looking to buy a quality mattress at a low price.

See my full Argos Home mattress review below for more details.

Recommended For

  • Back and front sleepers – the springs provide good support for average weighted front and back sleepers up to around 100 kg.
  • Side sleepers – the pressure relief provided by the foam should be sufficient for side sleepers in the 60 – 100 kg range.
  • Combination sleepers – the springs and the thin comfort layer makes this a bouncy mattress that allows for easy transitions between sleeping positions.
  • Warmer sleepers – the spring core and thin top layer allows the air to flow through the mattress which can help to dissipate heat and keep you cool.
  • Couples – this is a very quiet spring mattress that also absorbs movements quite well so that you and your partner can sleep undisturbed.

Considerations

  • Heavier sleepers – if you weigh more than 100 kg then you may find that the mattress isn’t thick enough to support your weight which may lead to discomfort (but this may not be true for every type of heavier sleeper).

Argos Home Mattress Video Review

To see inside the mattress and hear my personal thoughts, check out my Argos Home Mattress Video Review below that I uploaded to our YouTube channel:

Argos Home Mattress Review – Best Cheap Mattress in the UK Under £100? (Bedroom Style Reviews)

Specs

Below are the key specifications for the Argos Home Open Coil Double Mattress:

DesignPolyfoam + springs
Price£89 (single), £109 (double), £149 (king)
SizesSingle, double, king
No. of layers2
Flippable?No
FirmnessMedium
Thickness6 inches
Max weight capacityUnknown
Cover100% polyester
Comfort layerPolyfoam
Support coreOpen coiled springs
Edge supportNot reinforced
Warranty1 year
Sleep trial100 nights (exchange only)

Design Analysis

The Argos Home mattress is 6 inches thick (discounting the extra depth created by the cover material) and is comprised of a 5-inch layer of open coiled springs that sits under 1 inch of polyfoam, as per the picture below:

A Look Inside the Argos Home Mattress - Springs and Foam
A Look Inside the Argos Home Mattress – Springs and Foam (Bedroom Style Reviews)

1: Cover

The Argos Home mattress comes with a 100% polyester zip-off cover.

HOWEVER you can NOT wash, bleach, tumble dry, iron, or dry clean the cover according to the label (it’s located inside the mattress cover next to where you can unzip it).

Instead, you should only sponge clean the Argos Home mattress cover according to the label.

2: Comfort Layer

The upper comfort layer of the Argos Home mattress is made from polyfoam that’s just 1 inch thick – there’s no memory foam or latex foam in this mattress.

3: Support Layer

The support layer of the Argos Home mattress consists of a single layer of open coil springs that are 5 inches tall – the coils are not individually wrapped pocket springs.

Comfort Analysis

I weigh 82 kg and I have slept in the Argos Home mattress for just under a month now and I’m comfortable in every sleeping position (front, back, and side) – I also find it easy to switch positions thanks to the bounce of the springs and the thin layer of resilient polyfoam.

To help you understand if the Argos Home mattress is right for your sleeping style, I’ve extrapolated the knowledge that I’ve acquired from reviewing mattresses and provided some insights on how I’d expect this mattress to feel for different body weights and sleeping positions relative to its qualities.

These are not hard and fast rules because mattress comfort is a highly personal thing that’s open to subjectivity, but they should provide you with some guidance.

Read across the table below to find an estimate of how firm or soft the Argos Home mattress is likely to feel based on your physical characteristics (with more detailed explanations further down):

Under 60 kg60 – 105 kgOver 105 kg
FrontFirm – idealIdealIdeal – soft
BackFirm – idealIdealIdeal – soft
SideToo firm – firmFirm – idealIdeal – soft
ComboEasy to moveEasy to moveDeeper sinkage
EdgeFair supportReasonable supportLess support

1: Front Sleepers

If you’re a front/stomach sleeper then I think that if you weigh up to around 105 kg (16.5 stone), you should feel adequately supported with your hips neutrally aligned and free from back pain.

However, as you creep beyond the 105 kg mark, you may find that the relatively thin 6-inch profile isn’t deep enough to provide the depth of cushioning required to stop you from sinking too far into the mattress – which may or may not lead to discomfort (it’s sleeper dependent).

But overall, I think that average and lighter weighted front sleepers will be able to rest in this mattress comfortably and feel well supported.

2: Back Sleepers

If you tend to sleep mostly on your back then much like the front sleeper, I would expect you to have enough support for your spine and joints up to the 105 kg mark and potentially beyond (since less pressure is naturally being applied to your lower back when compared to the strict stomach sleeping position) but again, this will be dependent upon each individual sleeper type.

3: Side Sleepers

If you’re an average weighted side sleeper in the 60 – 105 kg range then you’ll most likely find that the Argos Home mattress is fairly comfortable on your shoulders and hips, but you probably won’t get that deep contoured feeling that comes with a memory foam mattress (if that’s what you’re currently used to sleeping on).

If you’re a lighter weighted side sleeper under 60 kg then you’re more likely to feel the compression forces in your joints because your lighter body weight means that you’ll naturally rest more on top of the mattress and the thin polyfoam may not be deep enough to dissipate your body weight evenly across the materials (but this might not be a deal-breaker unless you have very sore joints or condition that affects your musculoskeletal system).

As a heaver weighted side sleeper over 105 kg, you may find that the mattress sinks in a bit too much around your shoulders which may cause you to sleep in a less than ideal posture – although this might not be the case for every side sleeper of this weight.

4: Combo Sleepers

If you tend to switch positions often during the night or you’re a restless sleeper then I think you should have no problem moving around in this mattress if you weigh less than 105 kg because the 5-inch coils are quite buoyant.

Heavier sleepers over 105 kg may have a more challenging experience, but this may not be as much of a problem when compared to an all-foam mattress of the same depth because the springs can provide greater resilience.

5: Edge Sleepers

If you tend to sleep near the edge of the bed then even though the Argos Home mattress doesn’t come with reinforced edges, you should be well supported up to the 105 kg mark and potentially beyond because of the robustness of the springs and the support provided by the foam corner supports.

Benefits

Below are some of the benefits of the Argos Home mattress based on my own experience and how I think this mattress will perform based on its qualities and my knowledge of mattresses.

1: Good Quality for the Price

For such a cheap mattress I’m really surprised at how comfortable and sturdy the Argos Home mattress feels – I couldn’t tell much difference between this mattress and my old Sealy Posturepedic.

2: Good Support

Even with only 5-inch open coils, the mattress is able to keep my 82 kg of bodyweight well supported and maintain a good posture in all sleeping positions (front, back, and side) – I would expect this to apply to most sleepers up to around the 100 kg mark at least.

3: Easy to Move Around In

I personally found the Argos Home mattress really easy to move around and switch positions in due to the thinner top layer that allows the buoyancy of the springs to bleed through and guard against sinkholes.

4: Sleeps Cool

With this being a thin spring mattress with just a 1-inch layer of polyfoam on the top, the Argos Home mattress tends to sleep cool because it allows the air to flow through it better than a solid foam or memory foam mattress might.

5: Very Quiet

Spring mattresses are known for being noisy but I have found the Argos Home mattress to be silent so far – which is great news if you’re a sensitive or autistic sleeper (like me) that hates having a noisy mattress (make sure that you pair it with a good quality and well put together bed frame to minimise creaks and squeaks).

6: Good For Couples

In addition to being quiet, the Argos Home mattress is a good choice for couples in the double and king sizes because it absorbs movements very well for a spring mattress which means that there’s less chance of you and your partner waking each other up as you move around during the night.

7: Potentially Suitable for Floor Sleeping

Whilst this mattress isn’t indented for floor use (and I generally recommend NOT putting your mattress on the floor) I did actually sleep in my Argos Home mattress on the floor without a bed frame for several nights quite comfortably.

Because whilst this did decrease the amount of ‘give’ that the mattress had, I didn’t find the mattress to be so firm that it gave me back pain.

Considerations

Based on my experience and knowledge of how mattresses tend to perform, here are a few things that I think you should take into consideration before buying the Argos Home mattress:

1: Thin Profile

The Argo Home mattress is relatively thin at just 6 inches (the average is 10 inches) – this hasn’t been a problem for me, nor do I think it will be an issue for average weighted sleepers in general.

However, some sleepers weighing over 105 kg may find that the mattress isn’t thick enough to accommodate the extra depth of compression that their weight causes.

But with that said, the resilience of the springs is quite good – which means that I would expect a heavier person to feel more comfortable on this mattress when compared to an all-foam mattress of the same thickness that compresses more easily (unless the foam is very high quality and well put together).

2: Some Off-Gassing

When I first unboxed this mattress, I noticed quite a strong chemical smell due to the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that were trapped during the compression process escaping.

Thankfully, around 80% of the smell was gone within 24 hours when I opened a window (VOCs always smell more in an enclosed room due to particle build-up) and the smell was gone completely in a few days.

3: You Can’t Machine Wash the Cover

Although you can unzip the cover, you can’t put it in the washing machine – only sponge cleaning is advised by the manufacturer.

4: The Return and Sleep Trial Policies

Although the Argos Home mattress comes with a 100-night sleep trial, only an exchange for another mattress is permitted if you’re not comfortable in your mattress and wish to get rid of it.

However, the standard 30 day return policy also applies – see the full terms here.

Final Ratings

Below are my final qualitative ratings for the Argos Home mattress:

Pressure reliefFair – good
Overall supportFair – good
Edge supportFair
Moving around Easy
Motion isolationGood
NoiseAlmost silent
Allergy controlFair
Off-gassingFair
Pain reliefVariable
DurabilityFair
Sagging riskLow
Indentation riskLow
Price v valueExcellent value for money
Best sleeping positionBack or front

Conclusion: Excellent Value for Money

Overall, based on my experience sleeping on the Argos Home mattress, I think this bed offers excellent value for money and provides a surprising amount of support and comfort for such a thin mattress.

I highly recommend the Argos Home mattress for both couples and single sleepers who are shopping for a quality mattress on a budget.

But if you’re not interested, then click the button below to see some high quality alternatives now.


Image Attribution and Licencing

All product images were taken in house by Bedroom Style Reviews – all rights reserved.