I test mattresses for a living –here’s the one that finally cured my back pain

The Rem-Fit 500 Ortho Hybrid mattress is one of the best mattresses in the UK – from one of the most-trusted sleep tech brands. Here, a writer who specialises in sleep put it through its paces for 30 days.

Testing mattresses used to get me pretty excited. Want me to sleep on a mattress for side sleepers that’s held a royal warrant for a month? Sign me up. A new hybrid that’s designed to promote recovery in Olympic athletes? An easy yes. But as with any game, the longer you’re in it, the more you can become bored with it. It takes a lot these days to get me actually hyped up about a new mattress. That was until recently, when Rem-Fit’s Ortho 500 got me intrigued.

I’d tested the brand’s viral gel pillow before, a total lifesaver that got me through the heatwaves that hit London last summer, but despite hearing plenty of chatter among my fellow mattress writers, I’d yet to give one of their mattresses a go. The longer I waited to try one, the more I heard people talk, and the more I was finally convinced that there was enough hype here to get involved. Anticipation was building, and in all honesty, this was the most excited I’ve been to hear my doorbell ring in a good while (no joke). The Rem-Fit 500 Ortho had finally landed on my bed. Let’s get into how it went.

Rem-Fit 500 Ortho mattress review: at a glance

• Tested by: Daphne Bugler, Senior Commerce Writer at GQ.
• Tested for: 3 months. You can find out more about how we test products here.
• Firmness: 9 out of 10.
• Pros: Very firm (9/10) support with 2000 pocket springs and zoned tensions offers excellent spinal alignment, pressure relief, strong edge support, and minimal motion transfer.
• Cons: The very firm feel may be too hard for some sleepers.
• Price: From £449.99.

Glamour road test: comfort and design

One of the biggest selling points of the Rem-Fit is that it actually is firmer than a lot of hybrids. Medium-firm is the buzzword that most brands swear by these days, but I do often question how much this is just a marketing choice to lure in both the medium and firm-loving sleepers. This one at least takes a stand one way or the other, opting for a 9/10 firmness, something anyone who wants a bit more support or structure will more than appreciate.

As you might have guessed from the firmer design, this mattress is also all about its orthopaedic elements. It’s designed specifically to help relieve the pressure that’s built up in your body during the day, relaxing aches and pains and supporting your joints to the right amount so that you don’t leave your bed with more crankiness than you got in it with. The materials also play a big part in this with open-cell memory foam to help keep your back aligned as you sleep, and a zoned support system that makes sure certain parts of your body receive the support they need, without feeling akin to a wooden plank. Throw in the 2,000 pocket springs and you’ve also got a cradling feeling, giving you a bit more in return when you lie down, rather than just the sinking sensation you can get from memory foam.

So was it worth it? The verdict:

In short, yes. I can’t tell you how long I’ve spent testing mattresses that, by and large, are all too similar. Hybrids with pocket springs that come in a box and feel somewhat soft, somewhat firm, with decent temperature regulation. They’re all great, yes, but we don’t need 10 of these on the market at the same time. What Rem-Fit has done here is offer something different. Firm enough to actually satisfy those people hoping their medium-firm will be on the higher end of the scale. And properly designed to be suitable for anyone in need more orthopaedic support. It’s consistently won awards for how it can combat back pain, and while I’m not an orthopaedic expert myself, just a mattress connoisseur, if there was ever a mattress I felt might have this impact, it would be this one.