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In this review:
  1. Cheap Air Mattresses
  2. Air Mattress Reviews
  3. Queen Air Mattress, Twin Air Mattress
  4. Air Bed Pump
  5. Best Air Mattresses
  6. Discount Air Mattresses Features Comparison Table
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Queen Air Mattresses and Twin Air Mattresses

The size of an air mattress is measured by height, length, and width. The first measurement gets lots of attention in air mattress reviews (and in ads) because many buyers assume thicker is better.
While this may be true for regular mattresses, it isn't necessarily so with air mattresses. A taller mattress that sits on the floor is certainly easier to get on and off of than a shorter mattress, and in theory, the lower you are to the ground, the colder you'll be. But a reading of air mattress reviews indicates that consumers select twin air mattresses and queen air mattresses based on their needs -- thinner and narrower for camping or young guests, thicker and wider for two-by-two sleeping and older visitors -- so there are few size-related surprises that become cause for complaint.

The average air mattress is 8.5 inches high, while those considered "raised" stand at least 18.5 inches tall. Deluxe air mattresses, such as the Air Cloud High Rise (starting at $150 for this queen air mattress, Amazon) are as much as 25 inches thick. Four of the cheap air mattresses we researched blow up to below-average height: 5 inches for the Coleman 4-in-1 Quickbed, 6 inches for the Coleman SUV Quickbed, 7 inches for the AeroBed EcoLite, and 8 inches for the AeroBed Guest Choice; the Intex Raised Downy, a queen air mattress, stands a full 22 inches high, as does the Wenzel Insta-Bed. Reviews of the Intex Raised Downy on the Target site give a thumbs-up to the height, which is close to the combined height of a standard mattress and box spring. The Coleman 4-in-1 is praised for its versatility in air mattress reviews at Walmart, where one user notes that being near the ground works well for young children and being high up (when the mattresses are doubled over) works well for adults.

The length and width of air mattresses varies by model. The Intex Raised Downy is a queen air mattress and measures 80x60 inches; dimensions for the Wenzel Insta-Bed are the same. The AeroBed Guest Choice is available as a queen air mattress (78x60 inches) and as a twin air mattress (74x39 inches); ditto for the AeroBed EcoLite (78x60 inches for the queen air mattress and 74x39 inches for the twin air mattress). Each of the Coleman 4-in-1 components is a twin air mattress whose dimensions are 74x39 inches; a few users grouse on the Coleman site that 74 inches is too short for comfort, an assessment that caught the attention of a customer service representative who expressed an intent to forward the comment up the management chain. Short is also the word for the Coleman SUV Quickbed, whose 70-inch length is the shortest of the air mattresses we researched but not unusual for a model meant for outdoor use. It measures 41 inches across, which makes it a tad wider than a twin air mattress. An air mattress review on Walmart says this model feels a bit thin (comfort tip: try placing a blanket underneath) and some say this slightly-larger-than-twin air mattress is a really tight fit for two people (snug is another way to look at it).

by Maralyn Edid (Google+ Profile)

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