It is a measure how much the mattress sags as weight is applied. To allow reproducibility they have a mechanical bum. No it it isn’t an old politician but a machine:
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Yes, I get the meaning of the concept but not what each rating indicates. I imagine the standard might tell me something but I can only access that at my state capital library.
If you live in SA you should check out Galligans mattresses for quality and value for money… we bought 4 of these a year ago after doing all of the research (not just on Choice but on other well known product review sites)
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Hi Ziggy, That’s a difficult question to answer. If I understand you, you’re looking for an analogy to understand what the different definitions of each mean (from very soft to very hard).
So say you dont want (or can’t) to go into a shop to test what the retailer calls hard or soft, is there a frame of reference you can use mentally to understand what that reference actually means?
If you want a video showing the actual test, at mark 36 sec on this video. The deeper the weight goes, the softer the mattress.
As for a reference, I may actually have to contact the lab to find this out and get back to you.
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Is it at all possible to translate that to human fit?
We are all slightly different shapes and sizes, body padding, muscle tone, sleeping preferences etc.
When the wiser one and I tried out mattresses together there was total disagreement about what was soft or not so soft. How a mattress responds to a streamlined body shape verses one with more bumps and curves must leave two different impressions. 
I hope you are successful.
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Yes, exactly.
Thanks.
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There’s also the problem of individual perception of what hard, medium and soft mean to various people. Something I consider to be firm, you might think is soft. There are variables that the testing cannot control for, alas.
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Did you mean Goldilocks?
We each have a subjective understanding of soft, medium or hard but you want to an objective standard, something that would transfer without individual feelings getting in between. The best I can come up with is to calibrate your reaction to EN1957. If you cannot get to a shop to experience any mattresses at all then this is not possible - there is no way to assess your perception against the outside world so no way to match your need.
However if you can get to a shop that has mattresses that are rated by the standard, even if none of them are what you want, then you have a chance. Take yourself to such a shop and test all the mattresses that are rated, preferably several of each rating. Establish which rating is your preference and then use the Choice guide to choose among those of that rating. I cannot guarantee that this will work as there are various inaccuracies along the way but it will be better than assuming that what you mean by some named rating is the same as other people or the standard.
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Following on from what @syncretic posted, there is an additional variable that multiple mattresses with the same technical firmness, that respond the same to a ‘sack of potatoes’ as a reference, may have widely disparate comfort levels as assessed by multiple individuals. A memory foam will feel different from a foam will feel different from an innerpring will feel different from a pocket spring will feel different from a gel, all that might have the same firmness result in an objective test.
The gold standard is auditioning the mattress in one’s home over weeks with a very liberal return policy, and the silver standard is visiting and revisiting a shop to have a lie down.
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Exactly!!
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Thanks for your thoughts.
Looking at the Choice mattress reviews, it would appear that few shop ratings match the Choice tests against the standard, so I’m assuming that all shop ratings can’t be taken as standard-compliant.
Some mattresses of interest can be tried in the shop. The last time I did so I worked off the rule of thumb that on your side, your spine should be straight. When I asked the assistant to look at mine, they declined. I made the decision myself but after a week’s experience with it at home it was clearly too soft. It wasn’t returnable.
It’s made messier by the fact that the same mattress may be labelled differently according to shop, so transferring a brief in-shop experience may not be possible.
Memory foam is a can of worms in this context as its firmness varies by body heat.
Maybe I need to sneak into a shop overnight and test drive a likely model illicitly.
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All,
This company as in the title says that their mattresses are made from mainly natural products. Has anyone bought one and can say something about it?
The missus wants something that is “organic” if you get my drift.
Ta
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Hi @vytis
I have moved your post to this existing one on Mattress Reviews. There is a lot of good info here but your specific request should gather more detailed answers. Typically natural would be things like wood, latex rubber, cotton. There are some out there that meet your criteria but as to sleep quality that will depend on trialing some to find out which suits you both better. I mean just because it is made from “natural” products doesn’t mean it will be nice to sleep on because of it’s firmness, it’s weight which may affect if it is easy to change the covers or not, and whether it gets too hot or cold during Summer and Winter.
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I returned my ecosa mattress because it got a bit hot but overall there was no bounce ! To help one turn over . I now own a chiro top spring mattress plush and am happy . Cheaper as well $550
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So in the end I bought a mattress in a box that was recommended by Choice.
Choice rated it as Soft, lower than what the maker claimed which the review didn’t report.
I opted for Firm, confident that the offer of a change or zone customisation over the first 100 days would allow a correction if needed.
In practice it works for me so far. I’d rate it as Medium on my own ‘seat of the pants’ rating system.
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We just bought a Makin Mattress Bellisimo Duet 4000 medium (pocket spring) after some shopping around, and after a week (early days) are very happy with it. Some productreview posts are scathing about MM in various ways but our sales experience at Thomastown was pretty good. The Bellisimo was apparently redesigned in 2016 in response to customer feedback so comments on pre-2016 product may not be relevant to the new product. The once-off ‘comfort promise’ is not a sleep test but still reassuring a ‘fix’ is available up to 5 years.
We only became aware of MM from a TV ad even though we drove by their local shop regularly and thought it to be one of the many local mattress floggers. MM claim to be a major manufacturer/seller (puffery) but Choice might consider adding them to the next mattress update @PeterZaluzny.
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Are you onto something with that thought, only in a more practical way?
Most of us will not blink at sleeping on what ever mattress a motel or hotel provide. Is there an opportunity for fair dinkum mattress sellers to offer a similar service. Come stay a night or two in our luxury beachside appartments. Your choice of mattress, fit out of your room with up to 3 choices from the product range. Accommodation discounted if you buy a mattress from us. And lots of like minded consumers sharing their experiences.
It’s not as if it’s a free weekend with seminars and a request at the end of day two to invest in a million dollar property scheme. They are just a mattress after all.
A Choice slumber party with the next batch up for review might be another thought. 
P.S.
Our next mattress if we ever need one is going to be one of those that joins down the middle. That way each side will accommodate differences in shape, body pressure and temperature. Hope it’s not too hard to obtain.
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One local family mattress maker has standard mattresses, but has lines they customise on request. If local one can attend to finalise customisation before they sew it up! I imagine there may be a similar one in most metro areas.
We did not buy from this company mainly because the mattresses were too heavy for us oldies to rotate and flip on schedule, but we were suitably impressed by their product, quality of springs and foams, and workmanship although the idea of wading into the customisation aspects seemed daunting. This link is an example.
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