Select Comfort Air Bed Review

Overall 3.79 of 5 view all 96 reviews

Don
Batavia, IL

A nice water-bed upgrade

quality conscious

Pros

it is adjustable, it is very comfortable

Cons

It was expensive

JAN

2008

Select Comfort Air Bed —

A little over a year ago, after considerable shopping around, we upgraded from our queen-sized water-bed to a Select Comfort mattress. It fit nicely within our existing frame and we both find it extremely comfortable. We'd have liked to try the Temporpedic, but there's no "test driving" one of those -- once you buy it, you own it. That being the case, we went with the Select Comfort and haven't regretted it.

Of course, the ability to control the firmness is the whole big deal with these beds, but truth-be-told, we seldom change the setting. We've each played with our individual settings, but always end up back within 5% of where we started. So take that into consideration before paying the extra bucks just for the controlability this product offers. If you're not a finicky sleeper, you may not need this luxury.

Being used to a temperature-controlled bed, we bought the heated padded-mattress-cover as well, and that does the trick nicely.

I don't believe mold is an concern in the current line of mattresses, as the air chambers are treated. I believe it's also covered under warranty, so that pretty much makes it a non-issue.

These mattresses and any extra goodies you might want are expensive, but then so are the competitors'. We did find that we could have purchased a heated mattress-cover significantly cheaper at Sam's, but have no idea if their version was as high-of-quality as the one purchased with the bed.

If the store has specials that you can benefit from when you purchase a mattress, take advantage of them (including 0% financing). Thereafter, the best deal we've ever seen is an occasional 15% off sale.

Select Comfort Air Bed is recommended by Don

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Comments about Don’s Review

In response to Scarlett-O's comment from Jan 3, 2009 at 7:16PM:

I stand corrected, Scarlett. Returns weren't an option at the time we were looking a couple years ago, however, apparently you can, now, return your Tempur-Pedic, BUT... be very careful to read ALL the details from the place you make your purchase. Find out if there's the equivalent of a restocking fee. If it doesn't say, ask. Of the two places I checked, one charged $250, the other charged 10%! Either of these, on top of the shipping charge are just plain outrageous in my view. Who's going to pay that much money to end up with nothing in the end?

I don't know where Don went to look at the Tempur-Pedic line of mattresses, but apparently he was not told that Tempur-Pedic has a 90-day in-home trial on any mattress purchased by a customer. Should the buyer choose to return their Tempur-Pedic mattress, it does cost $150 to ship it back to the manufacturer...but that amounts to $50 a month to see if you really like Tempur-Pedic. I'm glad that Don is happy with his Sleep Number bed and I hope it continues to give him reliable and comfortable sleep. As someone in the business, I can tell you that there are an awful lot of people who buy a Sleep Number because of the advertising and then end up hating the bed for any number of reasons. If you are thinking of buying a new mattress set, go to a reliable bedding dealer and get all the correct facts before making a decision about which bed to purchase.

Granny

In response to sandman52's comment from Jul 15, 2008 at 1:57PM:

Here's what the Select Comfort site has to say about mold:

"Select Comfort is a leader in the industry in the use of materials that inhibit the growth of allergens or microorganisms that, in rare circumstances, can form inside any mattress, bedding, pillow or upholstered product.

"Advanced antimicrobial safeguards are incorporated into every Sleep Number® bed. Key components of the mattress have been treated to protect the bed from contaminants such as mold, mildew and bacteria growth.

"An added benefit of owning a Sleep Number® bed is its unique zip-open design, which allows you to open, view and ventilate the inside of the mattress. This provides a particular benefit to allergy sufferers who may choose to vacuum or clean inside the mattress on a regular basis.

"In rare instances under the right conditions, mold can form inside any type of mattress, bedding or upholstered product. Should this condition occur in your mattress, please contact our Customer Service department via e-mail or at 1-888-580-9237. If you have acute sensitivities to dust mites, mold or other allergens, please tell your Customer Service representative. Select Comfort is dedicated to your sleep and satisfaction, and we will be more than happy to remedy the situation for you. "

I would be concerned with the "Heated" blanket, warming the air in the chamber and throwing off the digital readout. If there is a "Food Source" for mold, then it will grow. ALL surfaces, inside the bed, would have to be treated, correct?

MOLD IS STILL AN ISSUE, AS OF 7/15/2008.

In response to duckyone's comment from Jun 20, 2008 at 7:22PM:

Absolutely, duckyone! Sam's and other places have them as well. The only reason we bought ours with the bed was because of the deep discount for buying it all together. I will admit that the quality of the pad is top notch, but the ones purchased elsewhere may be as well.

I'd advise pricing the add-ons in advance, so when you purchase your mattress you can compare your discounted bang-for-the-buck. We, of course, did NOT do this, so we had to decide on the spot and, in the end, the discount, plus being able to 0% finance it all for a year, was the deciding factor.

The only difference I would offer to the "heated mattress pad" Dan spoke of, is to go to K-mart, W-mart, or wherever you wish to shop and buy an inexpensive electric blanket and place it under your fitted sheet and get the same heat for much less money.

I haven't yet purchased one of these beds, but I know for sure that when I do, I will certainly enjoy it. I too think that a S/C bed would be a quality replacement for the 30yr old water beds. If the thing gets a small hole, I think it would bve easier to repair than a water bed.
I can't see spending $$ on a foam rubber mattress that will eventually sag. They did fifty years ago and I feel certain that just becuse they are a new 21st century "cellular" foam, these will eventually do the same.

This sounds like a great option! Thanks for sharing your experience!

Mattress shopping is so much fun--NOT! We have been looking around here but haven't made a decision. --Karen

In response to Don's comment from Jan 4, 2008 at 1:12PM:

lol trying to sit up gives me a work out all right. But as I get older it is getting harder to do and my back hurts more now. If I could convince my wife I would probably get a different one. Good luck with your new bed! Ron

In response to kid-kansas's comment from Jan 3, 2008 at 4:58PM:

I thought we'd have quite an adjustment to make after 20+ years on our water-bed, but neither of us had a problem. In fact, I discovered there were two things I don't miss about the water-bed: Sitting up in bed is no longer an issue and I'll never miss the acrobatics of fitting the (DEEP-pocket) bottom sheet. Too, a water-bed is going to stay where you initially plant it for a VERY long time. Still, all that aside, they're hard to beat for comfort.