Comfort - Several of our testers found this bed to be very uncomfortable. As a consequence, their sleep was inturrupted several times during the tests. For a few of the testers, who slept entirely lying on their back, no problems arose. However, amongst those who slept on their side, some encountered aching upper arms, resulting in sleep inturruption. This was caused by one arm being squeezed between the body and the extremely firm mattress. Upper arm pains were reported by several testers following use of this bed.

Softness - The mattress on test was the softest of the three available (described by the manufacturer as 'Softer Springing'). However, the Herald Supreme failed to achieve a soft rating in our surface compression test.

Practical Use - The mattress is extremely heavy. Some of our testers found that it was very difficult even to lift the edge of the mattress for bed making. All of the women who took part in our testing were unable to move the bed, because of it's considerable weight. Our turning the mattress test had to be abandoned. The weight made it too dangerous for only two people to attempt.

Dimensions - The base height is 14.25". The mattress height is 9.5". This produces quite a high bed, at almost 24" above floor level.

Result - This bed was found to be uncomfortable and is therefore only considered suited for people whose weight is considerably above average. The extreme weight of the mattress also caused practical problems. The height of the bed may not be suitable for everyone.

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Points to consider.
A bed is a consumer product that cannot be properly tested by prospective buyers before purchase.

Bed manufacturers often produce a wide range of apparently similar products. This can result in prospective customers being confused.

Prices quoted by bed manufactures sometimes bear little relation to actual retail selling prices. This may give the impression of a price reduction.

Brochures make all sorts of claims and often use very reassuring language. Make up your own mind and do not be influenced by the 'marketing speak'.

There is no standard within the bedding industry to describe how soft a bed is. For example, on this test the manufacturer stated 'Softer Springing', but our compression test revealed it was actually harder than some other manufacturers medium sprung beds.

Did you know?
Many beds sold to private buyers cannot be used in hotels. Fire regulations are more stringent for hotels.

Those old clothes you gave to a charity shop. They might have been used as a filling for the mattress you buy.