The new Eve Hybrid offers something strangely traditional in the disruptive bed-in-a-box market. Unlike its predecessor, which is now known simply as “The Eve”, and rivals from Casper, Emma and Leesa, which are made entirely from foam, the Eve Hybrid uses 90mm pocket springs topped with a foam comfort layer.
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Put simply, what you’re getting here is much more pocket-sprung mattress, much more so even than the Simba Hybrid, which is largely foam with much smaller, 20mm springs. At £500 for a king size, the Eve Hybrid is also £200 cheaper than its all-foam counterparts and you still get the 100-day money back guarantee. The question is, is it any good?
Eve Hybrid Mattress review: What you need to know
The Eve Hybrid’s 713 pocket springs (in king size) are surrounding by 25mm of foam to give it extra stability. Above this, there’s a 30m foam layer made from “open cell hybrid foam” and a moisture-wicking sleeping surface that you can unzip and put in the washing machine. At 180mm deep, the mattress fits standard sheets but it’s considerably thinner than many other bed-in-a-box mattresses. Indeed, it gives up some 70mm to Eve’s all-foam mattress and the Simba Hybrid. This is presumably a practical consideration because the long pocket springs simply won’t compress to the extent foam can when packing it into a box.
Like most bed-in-a-box mattresses, the Eve Hybrid never needs to be turned, but you are advised to rotate it every thirty days for the first year, after which you can do so just twice a year. Eve claims its Hybrid mattress will work with any type of bed base but that wood slats or platform bed offer the most support.
It also recommends that, if you use a slatted base, the slats are no more than 70mm apart and, if you use an adjustable bed, that you leave the mattress flat when it’s not in use. The mattress is suitable for people weighing up to 114kg (18 stone).
You have up to 100 days in which you can return the Eve Hybrid if you don’t like it, after which it is covered by a ten-year guarantee if there are any manufacturing defects. If you’re really keen to try the mattress before you buy, there’s no Eve showroom, but the company’s mattresses are now available at some Next, Debenhams and Fenwick stores in the UK.
Eve Hybrid Mattress Review: Price and competition
Hybrid mattresses are nothing new, but you might struggle to find one as competitively priced as the Eve Hybrid, especially one that comes rolled up in a box. The Eve Hybrid costs £250 for a single, £400 for a double and £500 for a king, which is considerably cheaper than its most well-known rival, the Simba Hybrid, which is priced at £400, £600 and £700, respectively.
It’s worth noting that the Simba Hybrid offers a very different feel (read our full review here) because it’s mostly made of foam. Comparisons can more suitably be made with the SilentNight Eco Comfort Pocket 1200, which has 1,200 full-size pocket springs and a memory foam top layer. It’s somewhat pricier than the Eve Hybrid, though, at £369 for a single, £489 for a double, and £569 for a king but considerably deeper (280mm) and you have a choice between medium or firm spring tensions.
All-foam bed-in-a-box mattresses from Emma, Leesa and Casper are all similarly priced, with a king generally costing between £600 and £700. If you want a cheaper foam mattress, Ikea’s Morgedal in "firm" (not the "medium firm"– it's a very different mattress) is a good budget option at £185 for a king.
Eve Hybrid Mattress Review: Comfort and performance
After removing it from its vacuum packaging, the Eve Hybrid expanded more quickly to its full size than any other bed-in-a-box mattresses I’ve tested. Eve gives the same advice as it does for its foam mattress, that it can take 4-5 hours to fully expand but, in reality, it seemed much quicker than this and the company’s advice that it’s ready to sleep on right away seemed appropriate.
There was a slight plasticky smell at first, a standard trait for bed-in-a-box mattresses, but this was never overbearingly strong or unpleasant. It also faded quite quickly, perhaps because the Eve Hybrid contains much less foam than many of its rivals.
What struck me most was how much thinner the mattress looked than the Simba mattress sitting alongside it, and I was initially concerned that this might stop the Eve Hybrid from offering sufficient support. It also meant there was excess slack when using a standard fitted sheet. Fortunately, my fears were quickly allayed when I first laid on the mattress directly on the floor. It felt remarkably firm and supportive – perhaps 8 out of 10 where 10 is the firmest – but still comfortable thanks to the foam top layer.
The firm feel is hardly surprising because the Eve Hybrid uses a combination of 2mm and 1.8mm springs in different zones, wire thickness normally associated with orthopaedic mattresses. Despite its firmness, the Eve Hybrid is still easily identifiable as a pocket sprung mattress, quite simply because it has more ‘bounce’ than its all-foam competitors.
Unfortunately, my opinions took a slight turn for the worse when it came to sleeping on the Eve Hybrid, at least to begin with. I first tested the mattress on a bed frame with sprung wooden slats and although it wasn’t uncomfortable per se, it just didn’t offer the level of support I was expecting after first trying it on the floor. This led to a couple of slightly restless nights, as confirmed by the Nokia Sleep pad that I was testing the same week.
Although Eve sells its own bed base with sprung slats, my hunch is that it was the slats on my bed that were causing the problem rather than the mattress itself. The Eve’s lack of depth, combined with the fact it isn’t designed to be rigid meant it was simply flexing too much.
Next, I tried the mattress on the floor, and the difference was night and day (excuse the pun). I never woke feeling unsupported and was comfortable lying in any position: on my back, side or front. Again the Nokia Sleep confirmed what I’d experienced, concluding I’d had around three times more deep sleep than on the first nights on the Eve Hybrid. Of course, weight is highly likely a factor in my experiences. If you weigh less than I do (around 75kg) or have a bed with firmer sprung slats, you might feel adequately supported on this type of bed frame.
On the whole, temperature control was excellent. Unlike some bed-in-a-box mattresses, I was never excessively warm on the Eve Hybrid and although the foam comfort layer might have softened a little as its temperature increased, the firm foam casing and tensioned pocket springs beneath it meant I felt as adequately supported in the morning as I did when I first clambered into bed.
Eve Hybrid Mattress review: Verdict
If you’re looking for mattress that uses a combination of pocket springs and foam, the Eve Hybrid represents outstanding value for money. It’s supportive and comfortable and costs around £200 less than many of its all-foam, bed-in-a-box rivals. Best of all, its pocket springs mean it has a more traditional feel, which will appeal to those who don’t get on with all-foam varieties.
It is thinner than some of these mattresses, which affects the support it offers on some types of bed base. But when used on a solid platform, the Eve Hybrid offers the most comfortable night’s sleep I’ve had on a mattress costing less £500 or less.
