Flex or Pikolin mattress: the real price of a 105x180 size

Flex or Pikolin mattress: the real price of a 105x180 size

Buying a 105x180 cm mattress costs between €250 and €400 depending on the manufacturer and the retailer. The unusual size is the main factor driving up the price: stores treat it as "special" and apply surcharges that don't exist for standard sizes. The average buyer spends weeks comparing models, visits around ten stores and ends up choosing between the Flex Crepúsculo (€376), Pikolin Giga (€396) or Pikolin Mariner (€377). The gap between the cheapest and the most expensive is less than €20. The problem isn't the mattress: it's the process.

Why the 105x180 size makes a mattress more expensive

Most manufacturers mass-produce 90x190, 135x190 and 150x190. The 105x180 falls outside the standard catalogue and requires a specific cut that stores bill as a "special size". This surcharge can be around 15-20% on the base price, although no store breaks it down in writing. The result: mattresses that would cost €300 in 150x190 sell for €400 in 105x180.

Some argue the surcharge is legitimate because it involves a different industrial process. Against this is the argument that the actual difference in material between one size and another is minimal, and that the term "special" works more as a sales tool than as a production reality. Comparing stores reveals that the same mattress can vary by up to 30% depending on the retailer.

Flex, Pikolin or Eurocolchón: what the prices say

The price range for 105x180 runs from €250 for Eurocolchón's Visco Arena model to €396 for the Pikolin Giga. In between are the Flex Crepúsculo (€376) and the Pikolin Mariner (€377). The difference between the cheapest and the most expensive is €146, 58% more.

The key question isn't which is cheaper, but what's inside each one. A €250 mattress with 2 cm of memory foam and a single usable side isn't comparable to a €400 one with differentiated layers. The density of the memory foam, not its thickness, determines durability. A mattress with 2 cm of low-density memory foam can sag within two years; one with 4 cm of high-density foam lasts ten.

The problem with in-store service: "they ignore me because I look young"

The shopping experience adds an invisible cost. In several stores, the buyer reports being ignored because of his age or being pressured to close the sale immediately. "In the other stores I've been to, they either ignore me completely because I look young or they push hard for me to take it right away," he sums up. Unhelpful staff, lack of technical information and the feeling of being judged on physical appearance are recurring complaints.

This unequal treatment has economic consequences: the buyer who doesn't receive clear information ends up paying more for less, or postponing the purchase. In the case analysed, the buyer spent weeks finding a store where someone explained the differences between models.

Pikolin's ERE and the offers that don't add up

Pikolin's aggressive offers in the second round of sales have an explanation: the company is preparing an ERE (a collective redundancy plan under Spanish law) and needs to clear stock. That context explains why prices drop without quality doing so. It's not a customer-acquisition strategy, it's a clearance sale.

The informed buyer can take advantage of it, but with caution: a stock mattress may have spent years in a warehouse, and the manufacturer's warranty doesn't always cover wear prior to sale. The recommendation to buy at the factory or an official outlet reduces the risk, but doesn't eliminate it.

Memory foam, pocket springs or hybrids: which suits you by weight

For a 97 kg buyer, pocket-sprung mattresses with a memory foam layer offer better support than pure memory foam ones. Low-density memory foam sags under heavy weights and loses its ability to recover. Pocket springs distribute weight better and maintain firmness.

The most common mistake is buying memory foam because it's fashionable. A mattress with 2 cm of memory foam over a low-density HR foam base isn't a memory foam mattress: it's a foam mattress with a thin layer on top. The price difference between the two can be €100, but the difference in durability is years.

---

The buyer ended up choosing the Flex Crepúsculo for €376. The decision wasn't based on price, but on the trust the salesperson inspired. That's the fact no comparison chart captures: the cheapest mattress isn't always the one that gets bought. Sometimes, the one that gets bought is the one someone explained properly.