Eve Original mattress review: the mattress-in-a-box that's all about comfort

As I type this Eve Original mattress review, I’m laying in bed. Not because it’s late at night. I haven’t been bedridden from a bad case of man flu. It’s because I have the comfiest mattress in the world. This Eve Original mattress review has been excellent for my back but terrible for productivity.

• Check out the rest of the best memory foam mattresses around
• See how it matches up to our #1 picks: Eve vs Emma mattress
• Eve Premium Hybrid review: see what we thought of this mattresses fancier sibling

If you've travelled on the tube, watched television, or browsed the internet recently, chances are you’ve seen an advert for a mattress-in-a-box company (Eve, Caspar, Simba, etc). 

These companies sell just one type of mattress and don’t own any physical stores, helping to keep costs down (and an Eve mattress deal can help make things even cheaper). They also have developed some impressive new sleeping technology, which has the comfort of memory foam, without the expense and drawbacks.

Keen to discover what all of the fuss is about, I’ve been sleeping on a double mattress from Eve for over a month now. How did I get on? Read on to find out in my Eve mattress review...

• Browse the best cheap mattress deals from all brands

Eve Original mattress review: What is it?

The term mattress-in-a-box really says it all. Eve is an online company, you order a mattress in the size you want, they’ll send it to you. Vacuum packed in a box. This isn’t a box-spring, though, it’s packed with the latest mattress technology.

Eve is composed of three layers. The top layer is 3cm of memory foam, then there’s a 3cm cooling layer, which is 30 times more breathable than memory foam, and finally, there’s a sturdy, solid base foam. It’s all wrapped in an elastic polyester and dorlastan material.

Eve Original mattress review: How does it work?

Other mattress-in-a-box companies use different recipes, but all have a similar design philosophy. They create what they believe is the perfect mattress, manufacture it using high-quality materials, then sell it online directly to customers, cutting out the middleman. This allows them to offer a quality mattress at an affordable price.

Eve Original mattress review: Is it any good?

It’s very good. Three centimetres of memory foam may not seem like much, but it’s the perfect amount to keep you comfortable. The high density base layer actually means the mattress is firm, but the top two layers reduce pressure points, so your supported but not uncomfortable. I used to always wake up with back pain on my old IKEA mattress, but that’s stopped now I’ve switched to Eve. (If you prefer something even firmer, you might prefer the Nectar mattress – see how they compare in our Eve vs Nectar mattress showdown.)

The top layer is also very good at isolating motion, so you can sleep soundly while your partner tosses and turns all night, and the cooling layer wicks away moisture and heat, helping to keep you at a stable temperature.

It’s not perfect, however. Some may find it too firm, it’s very heavy, making it difficult to rotate, and while it's better at cooling then its memory foam counter part, it can still get quite hot.

Oh, and it absolutely stinks for a couple of weeks when you first open it (of M&Ms, strangely).

Eve Original mattress review: Pros

• Incredibly comfortable
• Affordable
• Isolates movement
• Yellow

Eve Original mattress review: Cons

• Can smell when first opened
• Very heavy
• Maybe too firm for some

Eve Original mattress review: Prices & Alternatives to consider

The Eve Original mattresses costs £440 for a single, £685 for a double, £797 for a king and £890 for a super king. You can buy directly from Eve, or from Amazon.

If you want something like the Eve Original but fancy a different brand, the best alternative is the Emma Original mattress. Both Emma and Eve Originals are bed-in-a-box memory foam mattresses, have a cheap-ish price, and offer three layers of foam to provide comfort and support. See more information in our Emma Original vs Eve Original showdown.

Another option is the Nectar Memory Foam mattress. Both the Eve Original and Nectar Memory Foam are affordable and all three mattresses from Eve, Emma and Nectar are pretty similar in make-up.