On 2011-10-21, Steve B wrote:
Does anyone have one of those air beds? The expensive ones like Sleep
Number? Any recommendations? I got to get a better, different bed, but
that's a big chunk to spend without some input. I think they all have a 90
day free trial thing.

Input appreciated.

My senile mom, whom I care for, lives and dies for airbeds. Been
sleeping on them for years. OTOH, she goes through them like Snicker
bars. I've finally come to the conclusion it's her dog's nails that
keep causing the minor leaks that kill 'em and so have put a mattress
cover on this last one. We'll see if my suspicion is valid.

Anywaaaay..... my point is, I've seen a lot of air beds. A really
premium one is Aerobed. They're in the $100 range, but seem to be of
very high quality. They require a proprietary Aerobed inflator.
These Aerobed electric air pumps are amazing, being not much bigger
than a large orange and are available as plugin or rechargeable
battery models. Walmart sells several brands from $20-80 range,
depending on size. Are they better? I've never slept on one, so
can't say. They all will leak if not carefully protected, like any
inflatable. Some brands also leak cuz the air filler assy is not very
good. My mom's current Walmart cheapo uses a crude plastic cork
approach. I have to "top it off" every cpl weeks. This is not
uncommon for even the more expensive brands. Some have a back-flow
device that prevents air loss before the seal/cap is put in place. I
notice Cabela's has several seemingly high tech models, but have no
experience with them.

My advice is to try a Walmart cheapo and see if you like it. There
are even dbl high models. Then, decide if you want to ugrade from
there. Coleman sells a very inexpensive plug-in air pump. It has a
flexible hose and several nozzles that have worked with all the
airbeds I've run across, except Aerobed. Actually, it may even work
with an Aerobed, but my mom has two Aerobed inflation pumps and
they're so amazing I've never bothered.

nb