Air Mattress Review

Comparing inflatable beds

Forget the rubbery, huff-and-puff products of the past, today's inflatable mattresses offer a slew of convenient features, all designed to help sleepers catch more Zs.

That said, we admit that the following reviews are a bit old. Air-bed manufacturers are currently flushing out old stock. Because of this, several of our past Best Reviewed products have been discontinued with new replacements not available until early next year. The bottom line: This report strives to highlight what's currently available and provides a solid overview of popular brands and product traits, as well as some comparative reviews.

We found the most recent air-bed reviews in Good Housekeeping magazine. Experts evaluate six air mattresses critiquing each bed's comfort, usability and ability to hold air overnight. Testers praise the Eddie Bauer Insta-Bed for its comfort and convenience. Unfortunately, the magazine doesn't list every model tested.

The Wall Street Journal also conducted two separate inflatable bed reviews. In December of 2004, catalog critic Kara Swisher reviewed five air beds, and in November 2005, writer Charles Passy did the same. But both reviews are old enough that several of the discussed air mattresses have been discontinued.

The New York Times takes a more casual stab at air bed reviews. Writer Michelle Slatalla asks a group of teens to decide between an AeroBed and an inflatable mattress by REI. In the end, Slatalla vaguely implies that the AeroBed, "a puffy muffin of a bed," is the preferred option.

Beyond this, reviews are rather slim. Surprisingly, ConsumerReports.org, which last evaluated air beds in November 2004 (covering only four now-discontinued products), has not done an update piece.

User reviews may be king when judging currently available air mattresses. Air-bed owners are in a better position to evaluate a product's long-term comfort, durability and ease of use. We discovered a solid selection of user reviews at Amazon.com and Walmart.com (though this site was more difficult to navigate.) A smaller number of reviews is also featured on Epinions.com, but only a few air mattresses are highlighted each attracting over a dozen reviews.