WAY ahead of cheap (junk) and less expensive than the premium (expensive) Aerobed-type products
Written: Jan 25 '03 (Updated Jan 25 '03)
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Pros: Affordable, thick, and comfortable, with FAST dual-use pump that makes inflating/deflating truly simple
Cons: If you like it firm, the uneven surface requires use of a mattress pad
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend this product. It's not the cheapest air mattress, but it's got all the comforts (and features) of the most expensive ones without the high price.
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| doublehelix's Full Review: Simmons Beautyrest Express Bed |
Like most people who have used air mattresses, I've tried several cheap ones before I gave in to a more expensive one. The cheap ones have all failed - they were too thin, they leaked the first night (leaving your hips on the hard floor underneath), the sheets slipped off, or they just didn't last long enough to be worth the money. Plus they were just air mattresses, never something I would choose to sleep on if I had a choice.
That's actually how I came into contact with the Simmons Expressbed. My guests had slept on my inferior air mattress the night before, and overnight it leaked out from underneath them and they woke up laying on the floor, on top of a flat mattress and scrunched-up sheets. We set out to replace it that day for the second night of their visit (they stayed for a week). The shelf at Wal-Mart had mattresses similar to the ones that had failed me time and again, priced around $30 for a queen. But next to these I saw the Expressbed, which cost $60 for a full and $80 for a queen. As I remember it, I bought the full because the box said it was 50% thicker than other air mattresses, and there was a picture showing the difference in thickness.
FAST, POWERFUL PUMP
First of all, my favorite part about this air mattress is the pump. Another reviewer has already said it's fast (though really loud), so I won't spend too much time on that aspect except to confirm that my experience is equally good. I didn't time the inflate/deflate rate (it's definitely longer than 30 seconds in my case because the bed is bigger), but it was fast enough that I wouldn't risk leaving it unattended. More on that in a minute.
The marvelous pump is reversible so it is also used to deflate the mattress. I always hated putting away air mattresses because you inevitably find yourself with arms and legs sprawled all over the place trying to roll it up to force the air out. Pumped deflation, however, is so simple because you're folding up a flattened bad, not rolling a half-full one. It's so easy to put away that I bought one for Grandma - she can put it away without crawling all over the floor to get it back into the duffel bag.
As I mentioned before, the pump is so powerful that you would never leave it running unattended for fear of overinflating the mattress to the point of permanent bulging (they claim you can't "pop" it), or burning out the pump (which would happen if the pump was left to deflate the mattress for too long).
THICK AND COMFORTABLE
My second favorite part about this mattress is the extra thickness. The box said it was 50% thicker than your typical cheap-o air mattress, and that's no lie. Your elbows and knees don't hit the floor if you toss or turn. Even if you're sharing the bed and the other person gets up, you don't sink to the floor. My overweight, bad-back dad slept on it when he visited me, and he actually asked to borrow it for his travels!
AFFORDABLE PRICE
My third-most favorite part about this mattress is that it's so affordable. The best price I've seen is at Wal-Mart and http://www.walmart.com - actually half the price I've seen everywhere else.
The manufacturer's website is http://www.expressbed.com and even the prices listed there are higher than the walmart.com price, so be sure to shop around. On some websites I've seen this mattress priced the same as an Aerobed, which is waaaaaay too much of a mark-up.
SHEET COMPATIBILITY
Other pros include the velour top. It really does hold sheets in place, but frankly that's been my experience with all velour-topped air mattresses. But what makes the Expressbed special is, again, its extra thickness. I usually use queen-size sheets (because that's all I have) on my full-size Expressbed and they fit just fine. But even though they're a little big, they don't scrunch up or slip off because the thickness makes the mattress *almost* the right size for the bigger sheets.
NEGATIVE: THE BUMPS
My only dislike is the uneven surface. It's got relatively high "hills" and low "valleys" that run horizontally across the whole length. You don't notice it if you keep the mattress soft, but I like it firm and so the bumps seem magnified. It's much more comfortable if you put a mattress pad or at least a blanket underneath the sheets to help even out the surface. With a mattress pad, I felt like I was in my own bed.
GOOD DURABILITY
The 1-year warranty states it's for "temporary use." I've used it that way for two years so far, which included camping out in our living room a few times a month, a few guests who used it in our house, two weekend camping trips in our tent (even though the directions say that this is strictly an indoor mattress), plus a couple of visits where my friends and relatives didn't mind if I brought my own bed.
Recommended:
Yes
Mattress Size: Full/Double
Amount Paid (US$): 60
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Epinions.com ID:
doublehelix
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Reviews written: 2
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