Nothing is more relaxing than snuggling into bed after a long day. But buying a mattress? That event is almost ZERO parts zen. There's much to consider when hunting for the centerpiece of your bedroom -- but the mattress-buying process doesn't have to be a nightmare. Here's a quick briefing that will ensure your shopping trip is as smooth as a midday nap. There is indeed a "cheapest" time to buy. Most experts recommend purchasing a mattress near a holiday -- like Presidents Day, Labor Day, the Fourth of July, and Memorial Day -- or in the month of May, when mattresses are usually marked down in showrooms. In January, you can start prepping for your mattress purchase at "white sales," which are deeply discounted sales for bedding. Higher prices does not mean better sleep. One of the biggest complaints when buying a mattress is price, and figuring out why they cost so damn much. This is usually attributed to large markups, which depends on the brand. We recommend staying in the $500 to $1200 range, as anything over that price doesn't necessarily indicate better quality or better sleep, and probably has the same amount of cushioning and support as more expensive mattresses.
You can negotiate your price. Though it may surprise most people, it is possible to negotiate the price at most of the bigger mattress chains. Robin Wilson, an eco-friendly interior design expert, says that if you bargain "at a department store, you might be able to get tax taken off the mattress price, or delivery for free." You'll also have a better chance of getting a discount or redeeming a coupon if you go to the store to purchase a mattress, rather than buying online. "Firm" mattresses are not the same "firmness" everywhere. Yes, labels may tout a mattress's level of firmness, but one brand's "firm" may be another brand's "soft," according to Consumer Reports Expert Shopper Tod Marks. "The only way to determine if the cushiness and the firmness is right for you is to lie down on the bed and try it for yourself," he says. It's harder to return a mattress than you think. Most mattress retailers (from IKEA to Tempur-Pedic) will allow you to try out your mattress for up to 90 days, but they differ on the amount of money you'll get back if you return it.
Other stores require an exchange fee or disposal fee, which can cost hundreds of dollars. There are organic options. The squishy foam on mattresses is often made from petroleum oil, which (not surprisingly) can cause health problems for some. Organic mattress brands like Keesa use their own foams that put plant oils into the mix. While they may be more costly, all-natural mattresses are worth it, says Wilson. "We spend one third of our lives sleeping," she explains. "Consider your mattress a health investment." You can order a mattress online as easily as you can order a pair of shoes. Yup, you'll find mattresses right in the Amazon store, many listed with free shipping. And a whole new suite of boutique mattress retailers (like the newly-popular Casper) operate solely online, sending mattresses to your door in a nice, neat box. These new online retailers often allow returns for a full refund, without any fees or charges whatsoever. But the old standby brands -- which you might find on discount sites like Overstock -- likely won't do the same, so it's smart to go test them out in a store first.
You don't need to buy your mattress from a brand you've heard of. The aforementioned Casper is an online retailer that aims to ease everyone's mattress-buying headache with a 100-day trial period and sleek design. Other sites like Saatva (which has an eco-friendly focus) and Novosbed (which also boasts free delivery, free trial periods and free returns) also deliver to your door in a snap. Hop on the bandwagon, because this is the future of mattresses.Welcome to the March update of the guide on the best air mattress and their reviews. March finds us on a kind of a high, because we finally have a change in the 3 TOP-rated airbeds. A new exciting (well, exciting for us) arrival to the market is now ranked 3rd behind the undisputed SoundAsleep. The Dream Series by SoundAsleep has been lounging comfortably at the top with a significant gap in ratings over the runner-up for more than a year now. You’ll understand the reasons of our (it might seem) frivolous excitement, as you scan and hopefully read the reviews of the air mattresses.
Alas, we don’t see that happening anytime soon, at least not for the title of the best-air mattress and the # 1 spot where the SoundAsleep Dream Series has, as we said, dominating for almost 2 years now. However, after 6 months of calm seas, any change is good. See the rankings just below the introductory video ( which explains who I am and what we do at BestAirMattressGuide). Make sure you take a minute to watch the video demo below, it’s crucial for understanding the advantages of the currently top-rated airbed. It will also help you understand everything discussed in the reviews. Let’s summarize and see the top choices side by side, along with their basic specs and overall ratings. Below, we’ll just go into some airbeds that were close but didn’t quite make it to the TOP 3 In other words, a few honorary mentions that we didn’t have the heart to leave out. The Serta Raised with the never flat pump is one of the air mattresses that never left the TOP 10.
Literally never when it comes to our website – since we started it back in 2012 it was below the place #10. It’s low point was at the very beginning when it was dancing from place 7-10 for about a year. But, to be honest, back then we were still trying to tweak our testing and rating methods to truly reflect the quality of the air mattress. As things settled, this Serta quietly found its way into the TOP 5 and, then, the TOP 3 where it stayed for over 6 months. Up to this month’s update, that is. Version of the Serta Never Flat with a flocked top * and a TOP CHOICE among EZ airbeds with a frame The Insta EZ is a high-end product with a price tag to match but if you want an airbed that will be the talk of the breakfast table What people who own it say: * and a top budget solution If you need an airbed that will be used often, this budget-friendly blow up bed might be the choice for you. Intex is one of the industry’s most established brands.
However, airbeds for home use are not their primary field, it’s stuff like lilos, above-ground pools, inflatable sofa and lunges and inflatable chairs. Among their air mattresses, this one is by far the best choice. Opposed to their outdated models that might be cheap but rightfully so, the Comfort Plus is different. Primary because of the new Fiber-tech technology. It was always our mission to be as precise as possible and that led to diversification of our guides. I am a brand man and if that makes me shallow so be it, it’s the simple truth that some brands simply make the best air mattress. I buy same brand jackets whole my life, same brand jeans, I simply like the “energy” surrounding certain brands. And I believe that I have now found my brand of air mattresses. I’ll tell you here and now, when it comes to inflatable beds, I like Aerobed. Nowadays, Most of the bigger brands like Intex, Coleman, Serta have similar models and it’s a rat race. And the rat race is good, it results in better products and more attention to what we, the customers, need.
And lately, some newbies, like Sound Asleep with their Dream Series have been shaking and baking in the market. These are your top picks when it comes to air bed brands. In the comparison tables we look at some other options because you can never have too much information, but in my honest opinion these brands are top notch, tested over time and passing the tests with flying colors. each of these brands has some fluke models, but we won’t be talking about those here. We’re interested in the best products. Now we are coming to the “meat” of this page – the top 5 airbed reviews (in no particular order) . Just five inflatable beds that I humbly concluded are the best all things considered. Please read it, I lost my eyesight in front of that screen to compile this info. Here, we wanted to mention the airbed that were at some point among the top 5 or 10 but have since seen a significant decline in ratings. We are trying to keep tabs on all the air mattresses we review here to better understand why quality declines happen so that we can better understand the industry trends and know what blow up beds need re-testing.
We do update our guides every two months but we don’t test the beds every two months, the updates are a result of updated reviews from our featured testers. Only when we see a significant decline is when we re-test the airbeds from scratch. These three have seen such a decline at some point over the last two years but we still can’t out our finger on the reason. All the indicators with these beds (primarily leak development after 1, 3 and 6 months) have gone up, and not by little, hence the drop in ratings. Ratings – 78 / 100 If you are here you are either looking for a guest bed for your house of camping gear like inflatable pads. If you are looking for the later, I’ve got you covered – here is my ultimate guide to sleeping pads. It’s where you’ll find comparison charts, recommended products and reviews of the best rated sleeping pads. But here, we’ll mostly deal with air mattresses, most of them to be used for around the house or for less extreme camping conditions.
And it is a big decision, granted. Especially for those who have people over a lot. If you are not going to pamper yourself in these kind of things that determine the quality of your life, where else? I am a perfectionist and at times very indecisive. My most recent search started with me having the feeling that I’ll go over to Amazon and order an air bed within 10-15 minutes. But this seemingly simple decision turned into hours and days of research, especially when I saw all the options, new brands, types and pros and cons of each of them. And let’s not forget here that I am an aged camper and I can safely brag that I do know a lot about air mattresses. Well, this is not gonna happen to you. Because you found this website. When things got complicated I started making notes and that turned into a notebook with tables and comparisons… OK, you must be thinking, “What a nut…” And you’re probably right. But be nice now, this nut is going to help you find the best air mattress for your money.