Ikea Hovag (UK) Review 2022
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The Ikea Hovag is a pocket sprung mattress that has a foam layering within it too. It is a relatively cheap mattress, ✅but has some features which make it worthy of being considered as your next mattress purchase🛌. We’ll look into what the Hovag is composed of, what it excels at and what its drawbacks 👎are.
The Hovag composition
Rating based on most reviews: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Price up to £229 in the UK
The cover
This is an elastic fabric which stretches over the top, sitting over the spring and foam layers. It consists of cotton🧦 and polyester. This fabric material choice gives the mattress added moisture-resistance. Cotton performs well with moisture-wicking and polyester is a hydrophobic 🚫material which means that it will lock out🔐 liquids that engages with it. This is due to the fibres being plastic and impermeable. Cotton and at times Polyester are also very breathable. Cotton is because it is a natural fibre which is very porous. The stretchy top is made to follow your movement as you sleep😴, which elevates the comfort, since there would be no resistance from the cover at your position changes. 4 handles are integrated onto the Hovag, fixed onto the sides of the cover, which facilitates and encourages rotation of the mattress.
IKEA Hövåg
Our grading of the IKEA Hövåg
You are interested in a low-cost matreess, which still offers quality.
The spring layer
The steel coil springs are constructed as two layers which arrive at 8 inches thick. This makes it the largest 🐳component of the mattress since the Hovag is almost 9.5 inches tall overall. It has a coil count of 190 per square meter in the spring layers. The higher the coil count generally speaking the higher the comfort quality of the spring structure as this gives it great responsiveness. As a pocket-sprung mattress, the coils used are sheathed in a fabric👖 that isolates the springs' movement. This ensures that they move freely and respond in accord with the varying pressure levels you create when you sleep.
As the springs are divided➗ into two sets, the absorption of the springs are increased since the stacking effect allows one level of coils to enhance the properties of the other level. Mattresses with a high coil count tend to do this. As pocket-sprung mattresses use the Hovag contains springs with a higher gauge. This article explains what that means and how it relates👨👧👦 to mattresses, but in short the Hovag has thinly wired springs which improve its compression qualities and will provide pressure-relief better 🏆than lower-gauge mattresses.
The foam layers
The Hovag consists of polyurethane foam layers. They are placed separately with one layer sitting on top of the spring structure as a comfort layer, whilst another layer folds around the spring layer, surrounding it. The polyurethane foam that is used as the comfort layer helps complement🤝 the adaptability of the pocket-springs, while not letting the harsh metallic coils be felt against you. Therefore this layer of foam acts as a partition🚧 that doesn’t undermine the coil qualities. The Polyurethane used in this mattress is of a low-quality which usually correlates to its density and this is low-density at 33kg/m3. With this level of density, the mattress is less resistant to wear than higher density mattresses. The foam layer will have a fast-response🏃 springiness which comes as a result of polyurethane foam, but due to it not including the chemical🧪 components that produce memory foam, it will not have the viscoleastic slow-conforming properties of memory foam and the comfort layer will not not shape🔷 and mould around your body. The quick springiness of the mattress prevents it from adapting to your shape. To see the differences between memory foam and polyurethane foam and how they contribute to mattresses, check out the link. Therefore, in this regards, the comfort layer does not enhance the pocket-spring layers, which do contour well to your body shape and pressure points.
Taking a closer look
Motion Isolation
Would your sleep be disturbed by a sleeping partner?
Since the Hovag uses a pocket-sprung core, it’s motion isolation is not its strongest suit. Coils tend to transfer motion🤸♂️ more than purely foam mattresses because of how they absorb and distribute energy. However since the coils are separated by sheaths, they will isolate motion better than the Hasvag Ikea mattress as an example which is based on an innerspring network of coils which transfers motion easily because all of the coils are interconnected.
Thermal-regulation
Does it get too hot?🥵
The Hovag mattress does not suffer with heat retention 🌞due to the pocket-sprung core structure. Since the coils have gaps in between them, air is able to move throughout the system freely. This air flow prevents heat from building up and stops temperatures from rising to uncomfortable levels. Since not all of the foam layers are packed on top of the coils and instead, one is wrapped around the sides, it is easier for heat🔥 to escape from above, so you can sleep quite cool in the Hovag. 😎
Firmness
How supportive is the mattress? Is it very hard? Are the sinkage depth levels extreme?
The Hovag’s firmness depends on the variation you go for. The medium-firm feel Hovag is considered to have enough firmness to stop ✋sinking into the mattress which can restrict motion. The other variation wich is the firm feel mattress is even firmer. This would lie somewhere on the IFD scale above👆 16 which indicates that it is of a high level firmness . The firm feel Hovag in particular is ideal👍 for heavy sleepers because it is better at resisting higher pressures than those of a lower firmness, bringing adequate support.
Pressure-relief
Does it support where it matters and alleviate pressure?
Since the Hovag mattress is made up of two sets of coil layers, it is able to able to absorb 🧽external forces better, so it will be able to help with pressure relief. However it’s pressure-relieving qualities are undercut✂ by the firmness of the Hovag variations which actually increase the tension of pressure points instead of reducing them, so overall it could definitely be a lot better.
Responsiveness and adaptability
Is it viscoelastic? Will it conform to your body? Is it quick to respond?
As the mattress uses a pocket-sprung structure it is quite adaptable and responds well to the size and weight of the body sleeping upon it, since the coils move independently, which brings adequate support. However since polyurethane is known for its springiness 🏀and lack of conformity it will not have the adaptive effect of memory foam. This is because it does not have the viscoelastic qualities to allow for contouring around the sleeper, with the foam reacting too quickly💨 to form a memory of the person’s shape.
Spinal alignment promotion
Will it support your back and neck?
The Hovag is initially well-suited for those who usually sleep on their front because the mattress’s firmness keeps the stomach 🤰of the sleeper from sinking too far and this negatively impacts the alignment of their back. However the mattress is susceptible to sagging and permanent deformation which occurs over the course of time 🕑and is due to low quality and low density materials being worn down by pressure. This sagging makes the shape of the mattress fall inward. This disrupts neutral spinal alignment and is likely to result in back pains.
| What people thought of the Ikea Hovag | Star rating | Reviewer location | Reviewer Gender |
| The mattress is very supportive and comfortable. I had lower back pain for years. However now I am wakng up with little or no back pain. There is a little smell from laying out the mattress for the first time, bt that is gone after 3 days. At this point I think the mattress is durable and can last for many years with a little bit of investment. Changing the mattress every year does not equate to how much these major retailers market their mattresses. I highly recommend the Hovag. 😍 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Liverpool, United Kingdom | Male |
| Consists lots of metal springs within the material of the mattress. Offers a lot of bounce and great temperature control. It provides support by pushing back with a similar amount of pressure that the body applies. 😊 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Sydney, Australia | Male |
| A firm Ikea mattress is very firm. Having a mattress this firm is an excellent way to train you to sleep on your back which is what I was trying to do. We have had no experience with sagging. Then again, my wife and I are a combined weight of less than 100kg. 😀 | ⭐⭐⭐ | North Queensland, Australia | Male |
Edge support
Is it sturdy around the edges? Does the mattress collapse on the sides?
Since the cuts of foam are not simply stacked on top of each other and one curls around the outer edges, this means the edge-support is boosted.🤩 Therefore virtually the entirety of the top🎩 of the mattress is supported by the firmness of the PU foam. As a result you won’t find the edges caving in or collapsing🧱 when you are on either side. This edge-support also helps to even out weight distribution. Since a greater area has more firm support, mass is spread across more of a range which reduces📉 pressure and increases📈 your comfort while sleeping.
Off-gassing
Does it produce gas? Does it have an unpleasant smell?
Since Polyurethane is used to manufacture the foam layers that sits above and around the spring structure, off-gassing will occur. This is because VOCs which are the compounds released when off-gassing occurs is a byproduct of the synthetic manufacturing of foam. VOC’s will create a smell that you are likely to find unpleasant and this is a common issue raised about foam mattresses.👃 However they are considered to be quite harmless. If off-gassing concerns you or you want to know📚 which mattresses will have a problem with it, check out the link.
Eco-cleanness and Hypoallergenic levels
Does it have pollutants? Will it resist allergens?
The mattress wasn't designed specifically to contain hypoallergenic materials. Also even though Ikea wants all their mattresses to be recyclable or renewable by the end of this decade, the Hovag doesn't come with special features which make it eco-pure.🌳
Breathability
Will sweat be wicked away?
The mattresses’ top layer, the cover is a key ingredient🥪 in making the Hovag perform well with breathability. Polyester is in many cases manufactured👷♂️ to be woven with micro-gaps which allow the passage 🏞of air. This means the mattress can essentially breathe because air is being circulated.
Durability
Is it resilient? Will it last for a long time?
Polyurethane is quite a resilient foam. This is demonstrated by the fact that most high-quality💎 mattresses incorporate Polyurethane into its production with another material above which makes up the comfort layer, whilst the PU is the base. However since the Hovag uses low-density polyurethane, this will translate㊗ usually to it having not much of a long-life span especially in comparison to higher density foams. An example of this is high-resiliency extra or HRX PU foam which the Emma original mattress uses, which has a lot of longevity. 👴To learn more about how this elevates the quality of the Emma original and whether it could the mattress for you check out the link.
Emma Original Mattress
Our grading of the Emma Original Mattress
Emma Original Mattress: The classic Mattress, a bestseller throughout Europe
Sizes and variations
The price starts at £129 for the standard sizes.
| Location sizes | Variations | Width X Length X Height (cm) |
| UK Sizes | Single size mattress | 90 X 190 X 24 |
| Double size mattress | 135 X 190 X 24 | |
| King-size mattress | 150 X 200 X 24 | |
| Super King-size mattress | 180 X 200 X 25 | |
| EU sizes | Single size mattress | 90 X 200 X 24 |
| Small double size mattress | 120 X 190 X 24 | |
| Double size mattress | 140 X 200 X 24 | |
| King-size mattress | 160 X 200 X 24 |
Are the Ikea Hovag's company policies helpful?
- Ikea offers a 25 year warranty on the Hovag which is at least double the time of the mattress selling company and is especially generous🎁 since it is recommended that mattresses not be kept for more than 12 years.
- Ikea does have a return policy, so if you have a problem with the Hovag you have, you can return it within 365 days, as long as it is not significantly marked or damaged🔨 and a replacement one will be offered. If you ordered it through delivery, then the collection of the one you don’t want will be free.
- You have a 90 day trial period📅
- Fast delivery🚚 with the potential for the mattress to arrive within 1-3 days.
- Cheap delivery if you order through Amazon.
The IKEA Hovag v The Nectar Mattress comparison
IKEA Hövåg
Nectar Mattress
3
4.5
4
3.5
4
4.5
4
2
3.5
4.5
Polyurethane, Pocket-sprung steel Marshall coils
Memory foam, Polyester
4
5
2.5
5
No
Yes
25
99
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