Who the Tencel 1000 suits
The Tencel 1000 fills a genuine gap: a soft mattress that is also sprung. Most soft mattresses are all-foam, which means soft comes packaged with warm and with poor edge support. Putting a soft comfort layer over 1000 pocket springs gives lighter side sleepers the cushioning they need without the heat and sag that usually accompany it.
It suits lighter side sleepers, hot sleepers who want a soft feel, and anyone who found the Reverso Memory appealing but was put off by its temperature or its 7.4 support score. It does not suit back pain sufferers, front sleepers or heavier bodies – for those, the Pocket Reflex 1000 is the same price with a firmer comfort layer.
Construction and materials
Twenty-eight centimetres: a Tencel cover over a soft comfort foam layer, over 1000 pocket springs. Tencel (lyocell) is a cellulose fibre made from wood pulp, and its relevant property is moisture management – it absorbs and releases humidity considerably better than cotton or polyester, which keeps the sleeping surface dry.
That pairing is deliberate. A breathable cover over an open spring layer means both the surface and the body of the mattress can shed heat, which is the complete approach to temperature that all-foam mattresses cannot offer at any price.
Comfort and support
We score it 8.3 for comfort and 7.8 for support. The support figure is the one to pay attention to: this is a soft mattress, and the springs do not fully compensate for a soft comfort layer when a heavier body compresses it.
Lighter side sleepers get a genuinely good result – the shoulder sinks into the comfort foam while the springs hold the waist and hips, producing level alignment with low pressure. Back sleepers of average build will find it acceptable but not ideal. Anyone over about 14 stone will compress through the comfort layer and should choose a firmer build. Our firmness by weight chart sets out where the thresholds fall.
Temperature
One of the cooler mattresses we list, and by some distance the coolest soft one. The Tencel cover manages moisture at the surface and the 1000-spring layer lets heat escape from inside the mattress. If you want a soft mattress and you sleep hot, this is close to the only sensible answer under £400.
Edge support and motion isolation
Edge support is decent thanks to the spring perimeter, and markedly better than any soft all-foam mattress – a real advantage of this build. Motion isolation is moderate: the springs are individually pocketed, but a soft comfort layer over springs transmits more movement than deep memory foam would.
Durability, trial and warranty
The spring core should last well, but soft comfort foams take a set sooner than firm ones, so the comfort layer will soften further over time. Expect 7–8 years of nightly use at lighter body weights. The 100-night trial and 10-year warranty apply, and the trial is worth using properly on a soft mattress – give it at least three weeks before judging. Rotate head-to-toe quarterly.
Our verdict
A well-conceived mattress for a specific and underserved buyer: the lighter side sleeper who wants softness but not heat. At its recurring sale price of around £339 it is good value, and the Tencel-over-springs combination genuinely solves a problem that all-foam soft mattresses cannot. Check your weight and sleeping position against the 7.8 support score before buying – and if in doubt, use the 100-night trial.
