I tested Brook + Wilde's Elite mattress and found its medium-firm tension to be a crowdpleaser

Our Brook + Wilde Elite mattress review puts the brand's bestselling hybrid mattress through its paces to see how it compares to the best mattresses Ideal Home has tested so far.

Quick review

The Brook + Wilde Elite is a hybrid mattress that combines an open-cell memory foam comfort layer with a base of 1,000 pocket springs and 2,000 mini pocket springs. It's also the brand's bestseller, no doubt helped by its mid-range price point that makes it more affordable than the Brook + Wilde Ultima mattress which we rate as one of the best mattresses you can shop.

The main difference between the Ultima and the Elite is that the Ultima mattress is available in three tension options – soft, medium, and firm – whereas the Elite mattress only comes in a medium-firm tension as standard. (Although the brand states you can enquire with them as to the possibility of other tension options).

However, many experts recommend a medium-firm tension as the best mattress for back pain, so the Elite could well be a crowdpleaser.

As a 5ft 8 side sleeper who tends to prefer a medium-firm mattress, I'm certainly one of the Elite mattress' target customers, and I found it comfortable. I also found it offered good breathability. The main areas where I found the mattress a little lacking were motion isolation – I noticed each time my husband rolled over in bed or got in and out of bed, and he said the same about me – and edge support – I found I sank quite low when I sat on the edge of the bed, and, when my toddler climbed into bed too and I was lying next to the edge of the mattress, the edge support didn't feel as stable as other mattresses I've tested.

Overall though, I think this mattress is a decent investment. Plus, a 200-night sleep trial and great delivery options – Brook + Wilde's mattresses are delivered to the room of your choice and unboxed with its two-person delivery service as standard – make testing out this mattress for yourself a stress-free experience.

Brook + Wilde Elite mattress review

Overall I considered nine factors when I tested this mattress. I then used these factors to score the mattress out of five. The Brook + Wilde Ultima mattress scored a solid 4 out of 5. Read on to find out why.

Specifications

Type: Hybrid
Main construction materials: Memory foam, springs
Sizes: Single / Double / King / Super King
Firmness: Medium-Firm
Height: 28cm
Flip or rotate: Rotate
Side handles: Yes
Manufacturer sleep trial: 200 night

1. Comfort

Thanks to its hybrid construction and memory foam top layer, I found the Elite mattress comfortable yet supportive. However, it did take a few nights for me to find my groove. My previous mattress was the REM-Fit 600 Lux Elite Hybrid mattress which had a firmer feel.

As a side sleeper, I found the Elite offered a decent amount of squish to nestle my shoulder and hip into, but I did find the mattress softer than I would normally opt for. That said, I am 9 months pregnant at the time of testing, so being slightly heavier in weight may mean I sank into the Elite more than I would during normal circumstances.

Weight can play a big part in how a mattress feels for you, which is why the Brook + Wilde Ultima mattress with its three tension options can be such a great option for a lot of people. However, if you're of a medium weight range and you prefer a slightly softer feeling mattress, the Elite could be a good option for you. Plus, Brook + Wilde's 200-night sleep trial makes it easier to test out if it suits you, or not.

To my mind, this mattress would be too soft for front sleeping due to its cushioned memory foam top layer, but if you're a side or back sleeper like me it offers a good mix of cushioning and support.

2. Responsiveness

If you're someone who changes position frequently in the night, or someone who has mobility issues, then mattress responsiveness is important, as this relates to how easy it is to roll over and change sleeping position on the mattress.

In my tests, I tried sleeping on my back and side to see if I felt 'stuck' in the memory foam at any point during the night. I found I felt comfortably cushioned in my preferred position, but it wasn't too hard to switch position when I wanted.

When I placed my hand on the surface of the mattress and applied some pressure, the upper layers of the mattress almost followed my hand as I released it, meaning the mattress' responsiveness is pretty good.

I also found the mattress had a little bounce which made this hybrid mattress feel more 'alive' and less 'dead' than the pure foam mattresses I've tested.

3. Motion isolation

My next test was for motion isolation. Why is motion isolation important in a mattress? Because when we co-sleep it reduces the transfer of movement from one side of the bed to the other.

Motion isolation is particularly important for me as not only do I share a bed with my husband, but our toddler also regularly joins us during the night.

While neither my husband nor I are big fidgets, we do roll over every now and then during the night, and I found that movement much more noticeable on the Brook + Wilde Elite mattress than on the Brook + Wilde Ultima mattress or the REM-Fit 600 Lux Elite mattress which I'd previously been testing. Due to my being pregnant, I'm a light sleeper at the moment, so each time my husband rolled over, I felt it.

Being the size we both are (husband 6ft 4, me pregnant and 5ft 8) we found there was some tendency for us to roll towards each other into the centre of the mattress too.

This sadly means that, in terms of motion isolation, for us the Elite did cause some disturbed night's sleep.

4. Temperature regulation

Whilst I'm usually pretty cold when I climb into bed, I do tend to warm up quickly, so good breathability and temperature regulation are important to me in a mattress as I don't want to wake up all hot and bothered in the middle of the night.

Standard memory foam mattresses can often sleep warm. That's because memory foam tends to lack breathability which can cause the heat and humidity that all of our bodies release during the night to become trapped with nowhere to go. However, Brook + Wilde has used open-cell memory foam in the Elite's construction, and paired with the spring layers, this increases airflow throughout the mattress.

Thankfully, this means I can vouch for the Elite mattress's effectiveness at keeping me warm but not hot. I didn't sweat nor did I wake up overly hot whilst I slept on this mattress. The Elite definitely seemed to deliver better temperature regulation than I've experienced on other mattresses such as the pure foam Tempur Sensation mattress or Emma Original mattress.

5. Edge support

Sadly it was less good news when I tested the mattress's edge support. I found that when I perched on the edge of the Brook + Wilde Elite I sank quite low.

If you have any sort of mobility issues then this lack of edge support might make pushing up from the mattress to a standing position a little more difficult, but it can also impact you if, like me, your bed is regularly shared with the smaller members of your family.

Funnily enough, my bed can feel quite cramped with me (pregnant), my husband, my 12ft pregnancy pillow, and our toddler who often dives in. This means I can often end up lying on the edge of the mattress at the moment, so good edge support is a must so I don't feel in danger of rolling out.

6. Ease of care

The Brook + Wilde Elite mattress is a hybrid mattress that only has foam layers on one side. This means that it can't be flipped. Instead, it should be rotated regularly to ensure even wear and tear.

The side handles (two on each side) make rotation easier but, perhaps because of all those springs inside, this mattress is still mega heavy to manoeuvre. Whilst it isn't impossible to move, I'd say it requires two people.

The mattress also has a top cover that can zipped off and machine washed on a gentle, 40°C wash. I always use a mattress protector anyway, but it's a nice extra feature to have.

7. Sleep trial

A mattress sleep trial can be a really useful benefit. A sleep trial generally means you can try out a mattress in your own home – usually for anywhere between 30 and 365 nights – with the option to return the mattress either for a refund or to try something different if it doesn't suit your sleep style.

At the time of writing, Brook +Wilde offers a generous sleep trial of up to 200 nights on the Elite mattress. This isn't quite as long as Nectar's 365 night sleep trial, but it is on a par with the likes of Simba,Emma and REM-Fit, and should be plenty of time to assess whether the mattress is a good fit for your needs.

After all, it can take your body around four weeks to fully adjust to a new mattress.

8. Delivery

A few days after our order for the Brook + Wilde Elite was placed, I received a text and an email from the courier team to arrange delivery. I followed the link provided in the communication and opted for the delivery date that suited us best.

The day before the delivery I received a confirmation text and email from the courier team which gave me a time slot. This time could not be changed but thankfully we were up and about by 7 am on our delivery day to receive it.

The Elite mattress arrived rolled and in a box, which can be a bonus if you have awkward access or are wondering how you'll get a mattress up a tricky twisting flight of stairs.

And, even better, the brand offers 'premium' delivery as standard. This means that, unlike some brands, the Brook + Wilde delivery team will deliver your new mattress to the room of your choice, and they'll also unpack it and install it onto your bedframe for you if you wish.

This is a great service, as many budget mattress brands – such as Emma – often only deliver the mattress to your doorstep, which can mean a lot of heavy lugging.

Because the mattress is delivered vacuum-packed and rolled, I was advised by the courier team to leave the Elite to expand overnight once it was unpacked. This would enable it to reach its full height of 28cm.

However, after just a few hours it was up to its full height. I did notice some slight off-gassing which is common with vacuum-packed mattresses, but this quickly faded overnight, and it wasn't too unpleasant to sleep through.

The only potential downside I encountered with a Brook + Wilde delivery is that the brand's mattresses are made to order (in Manchester in the UK). This is a good thing as it makes for more sustainable manufacture, but it does mean you may need to wait up to four weeks for your new mattress to be made and delivered.

9. Value for money

As of writing, the Brook + Wilde Elite costs £900 for a double mattress at full price. That certainly isn't cheap, but it is around standard for a mattress of this construction and quality, and it's almost half the price of the Brook + Wilde Ultima which starts from £1,400 for a double.

Of course, this pricing of the Elite doesn't take into account discounts. Brook + Wilde does offer occasional sales which can reduce prices. Our mattress deals page has a wealth of information on the best time to shop for a mattress discount, with Black Friday usually seeing the lowest prices.

How I tested

Jennifer Oksien

I'm Jennifer, the editor of Top Ten Reviews and a frequent mattress reviewer for the Ideal Home team. For this review, I put a double Brook + Wilde Elite mattress through Ideal Home's mattress testing process on a bed base with wooden slats. Here are my sleep stats:

Sleep position: side sleeper
Tension preference: medium firm
Sleep problems: hot sleeper, shoulder tension

During our mattress testing process, my husband and I assessed nine factors that the Ideal Home team deems vital to any mattress purchase.

I assessed the mattress for comfort, responsiveness, motion isolation, temperature regulation, and edge support through at home testing. This means that we slept on the mattress for a minimum of four weeks before I wrote my review – the recommended amount of time you should give a mattress before making a decision on whether it is to be kept or replaced.

I also took into consideration ease of care, the delivery process, any sleep trials available, value for money, and, where possible, third-party feedback from other verified owners before writing my review and giving this mattress a star rating.