There's nothing quite like an air bed to leave you feeling flat.
But Fair Go’s done the homework to try and help you have a better night’s sleep this summer.
The programme looked at a range of entry-level beds that cost less than $100.
Intex's Classic Downy inflatable was the cheapest buy at $30, but it didn’t include a pump. Fair Go picked one up for an extra $12.
The Anko King Single was $37 at Kmart and did come with an in-built foot pump.
And for those who don’t want to work for their sleep, Bestway’s $69 single bed came with an electric pump.
Fair Go timed how long each bed took to inflate.
The Intex bed, with the external foot pump, took approximately five minutes.
The Anko bed with the inbuilt pump got the job done in three minutes and 17 seconds. Unsurprisingly, the Bestway bed with the electric pump blew itself up in just one minute 30 seconds.
Intex told Fair Go a bed’s inflation time “varies greatly depending on the type of external pump used and the user’s skill”.
When it comes to the 'right' amount to inflate a bed, manufacturers say that comes down to personal preference.
“When you buy a proper mattress you can choose soft, medium or firm. Some people like it really soft and to someone else [they] would think that it's leaking,” explains Bestway Australia’s Edmond Yip.
Edmond thinks it'd be almost impossible to overfill a bed “unless you're using a gigantic air compressor, the airbeds are very durable".
"There's no way you can use a hand pump or electric built in pump to overinflate the bed."
Intex was more cautious, saying overfilling would put seams under stress which may lead to leaking or bursting.
After Fair Go’s beds were inflated, they were left over a weekend - each holding 20kg of paper weight.
All three stayed up. The Bestway bed, which had nearly twice the height of the other two beds, was noticeably squishier, but its maker explained the bed wasn't losing air, it was just getting bigger as the fabric stretched - which happens to most beds on first use.
“Because it's double layered, there's more PVC that it can stretch."
Bestway has started putting stickers on its beds with advice on what to do before using them – including pumping them in advance of being used so that they stretch to their full size.
During production, Bestway and Intex also carry out 24 hour inflation tests on each bed and any that are found to leak are pulled from the batch.
Intex described Fair Go’s comparison as "very basic" and not an “apple to apple comparison”, with different size and features between the beds.
Keep in mind that no matter what bed you buy, one thing you can't control is the weather. When it’s cold, the air inside a bed compresses – leaving the air bed feeling softer. In warmer temperatures, the air will expand and the bed will become harder. In this situation, Intex says it’s a good idea to release some air to avoid damage to the bed.
Other tips include placing a protective layer, like a tarp, underneath an air bed in order to prevent damage. And finally, make sure the bed stays dry - if it's a bit wet when you've packed it away, the materials can stick to each other, so next time you take it out and unfold it, it could tear.
SHARE ME