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Mattress Ratings >> Airbed Reviews > Comfortaire Mattress Reviews
Comfortaire Mattress Review and Ratings
Based on 184 Actual Consumer Experiences
What You Need To Know
THE GOOD: Comfortaire has one of the highest owner satisfaction ratings among established mattresses. Comfort and pain-relief potential, longevity and return policy all tend to be above average. Like all airbeds, Comfortaire offers adjustable firmness / comfort for each side.
THE BAD: Air leaks, mechanical problems, so-so warranty coverage, noise from air pumps, and topper deterioration / compression are the top consumer complaints. Some models can be pricey.
THE BED: Comfortaire mattresses are entry- to luxury-level permanent-use airbeds. They use air and often foam instead of innerspring coils. An electric air pump operated by a hand-held controller can adjust firmness / comfort by adding or removing air from the mattress.
THE COMPANY: Comfortaire – founded in 1981 – pioneered bringing adjustable air supported sleep technology to the retail market. The company refers to itself as the "original airbed company" as its founding predates competitor Sleep Number / Select Comfort by six years. Comfortaire is headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina.
THE COMPETITION: Sleep Number / Select Comfort Bed and several lesser-known airbed brands. See how Comfortaire compares to other airbeds in the airbed reviews – summary and all mattresses overall in the mattress ratings summary.
THE RETAILERS: Comfortaire is available in most areas but sometimes as a house brand under a different name. The most prominent retailer is likely Relax The Back which sells Comfortaire under the name "RTB Airbed Sleep System." The mattresses are also available online at ComfortaireDirect.com.
Comfortaire Mattress Ratings
The Comfortaire ratings below are based on over 180 consumer reviews of various models including oc (200, 300, 400, 500, 600), cc (800, 1000), elite (euro, 1, 2, 3, 4), Comfort, Optima, Sona, Premier, Imperial, Opulence, Elegance, Bella, Luxor, Allure, Platinum and discontinued models. The data was gathered using an unbiased, accurate methodology.
| Owner satisfaction | b | Comfortaire mattresses overall have 83% owner satisfaction. () This is higher than the rating for both airbeds overall including Sleep Number / Select Comfort (78%) and all beds overall (innerspring, memory foam, air, latex, futon, water). Currently available owner experience data is inconclusive in regard to which Comfortaire model or models rate best. It is likely, however, that higher priced models have at least slightly higher owner satisfaction than base models. See model prices and specs below. |
| Durability | c | Similar to other airbed brands, at least 25% of Comfortaire owners report mechanical problems at some point during ownership, such as faulty pumps and leaking / problematic air bladders. And about the same percent of owners report a fairly quick deterioration / compression of the topper. These problems and others, however, can be fixed. (See next entry.) |
| Longevity | b+ | Airbeds, including Comfortaire, often have a longer lifespan than other mattress types because any problem with the bed can be repaired with a replacement part. With other bed types, such as innerspring or memory foam, if something goes wrong with the mattress it often needs to be largely if not entirely replaced. Also, Comfortaire's air support will not sag over time as will innerspring support. |
| Price / affordable | c- | Prices typically range from $550-$7000 for a queen. The more expensive models have toppers, air chambers, pumps, controllers and warranties that are superior to what is available on the cheaper models. |
| Value | b- | At least 15% of owners praise Comfortaire for its value or "bang for the buck" because it is often priced the same or less than the Sleep Number bed yet has similar or better specifications and features. |
| Comfort / less pain and pressure points | b+ | Owners generally praise their Comfortaire bed for its ability to relieve or prevent pain, including back, hip and shoulder pain. The ability of the air chambers to contour to one's body helps to provide above average support for many pain sufferers. Comfortaire touts its Box-Top Air™ Design for providing superior contouring support and comfort. Our collected owner experience data, however, does not currently show this to be a clear advantage over more conventional designs, such as that used by Sleep Number. (See mattresses and pain relief for general analysis.) |
| Adjustable firmness | b+ | The mattress can be made more firm or less firm by adding or removing air through the use of an electric pump. 65 to 100 unique settings are possible. A model with dual air chambers can have separate firmness adjustment for each side, allowing each person to have his or her own firmness level. |
| Firmness variety | b | While firmness / comfort can be adjusted by adding or removing air, the general firmness of the bed is largely determined by topper thickness which can vary by model. The less expensive models have less thick toppers making them firmer than the more expensive, thicker models. |
| Even and unobstructed sleep surface, i.e., no middle problem | c+ | About 7% of Comfortaire consumers report that the bed can sag and or slope in the middle where the dual air chambers meet -- causing a sleeper to roll or slide toward / away from the middle. This problem tends to be more noticeable when the firmness setting of the two air chambers is very different. While this "middle problem" is fairly common among all airbed brands, Comfortaire tends to have fewer complaints on this issue than others, including the Sleep Number bed. |
| Motion isolation | b- | A mattress that has good motion isolation absorbs one person's movement so that the other person is not disturbed. Motion isolation is usually a moderate strength for Comfortaire and airbeds in general. |
| Easy to move on | b | Increasing the firmness of the mattress often makes the bed easy to move on and get up off. Pregnant women especially tend to appreciate this. Models with thick memory foam toppers may be somewhat more difficult to move on than less padded models. |
| No initial odor / off gassing | c+ | Comfortaire models with memory foam generally have the most complaints for off gassing which is a chemical-like smell a mattress can release when new. For general analysis, see memory foam off gassing. |
| No sleeping hot or cold | b- | Less than 5% of Comfortaire owners report a sleeping hot or sleeping cold problem. Models with little or no topper are more likely to sleep cold, while models with a thick memory foam topper or latex topper are more likely to sleep hot. |
| Good for sex | c+ | The lack of a significant middle problem helps Comfortaire rate better on this issue than Sleep Number / Select Comfort. (See the mattress and sex comparison.) |
| No noise | d+ | About 15% of Comfortaire owners say that the air pumps are too loud, especially if used during the night because they may wake one's partner. Most owners, however, do not regard air pump noise to be a problem. |
| Ready to use | d | Like all airbeds, Comfortaire requires assembly. For a fee Comfortaire can ship beds pre-assembled or provide in-home setup. Owners who assemble their beds themselves usually find the task to be of easy to moderate difficulty requiring about one to two hours. |
| No rotating / flipping | b | The air chambers do not need to be flipped or rotated, but the toppers may benefit from the occasional flip / rotation. This can usually be performed by one person. |
| Lightweight | b- | Comfortaire mattresses consist of air to a significant degree making them relatively light and consequently easy to move and handle. |
| Availability | c- | Comfortaire is often available at one or more mattress showrooms in most major areas but perhaps as a private label under a different name. Model selection at these retailers may be limited. Online retailer ComfortaireDirect.com, however, has an extensive model selection. |
| Warranty | c- | The warranty is for 20 years with the first 2-4 years non-prorated depending on the model. After this period, owners will pay 20% or more of repair costs / replacement parts. (See mattress warranties: what you should know.) |
| Return policy | b+ | Policy may vary by retailer. ComfortaireDirect.com offers a 60-day trial period and will pay return shipping. (See returning a mattress: what you should know.) |
| Customer service | a- | Comfortaire gets good ratings for its customer service by the clear majority of owners who comment on the issue. |
| Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating | a+ | Comfortaire is accredited with the BBB and currently has an A+ rating. The company currently has 11 BBB complaints. |
| BBB rating stability | A | Comfortaire has maintained a high rating for at least the past several years. |
Comfortaire Model Prices and Specifications
Actual prices may vary significantly by retailer. Foundations are not included in the prices below unless otherwise indicated.
| Price Twin | Price Full | Price Queen | Price King | Overall Thick- ness |
Comfort Layer | Air Chamber | Firm- ness |
Cover | Retailer | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comfort / OC200 | $390 | $530 | $550 | $900 | 8" | 2" regular foam | 5.75" 24 gauge latex / cotton | medium to firm | cotton | Comfort - comfortaire direct.com; OC200 - various retailers | likely not well suited for side sleepers due to minimal padding |
| Comfort Plus / OC300 | $650 | $900 | $1000 | $1250 | 8" | 2" regular foam | 5.75" 24 gauge latex / cotton | medium to firm | cotton | Comfort Plus - comfortaire direct.com; OC300 - various retailers | has more advanced controller than Comfort / OC200. likely not well suited for side sleepers. |
| Optima / OC400 | $910 | $1150 | $1250 | $1530 | 9" | 3.25" regular foam | 5.75" 24 gauge latex / cotton | medium to firm | cotton | Optima - comfortaire direct.com; OC400 - various retailers | good value |
| Sona / CC800 | $1020 | $1300 | $1380 | $1660 | 12" | 5" regular foam | 5.75" 24 gauge latex / cotton | soft to firm | cotton | Sona - comfortaire direct.com; CC800 - various retailers | good value |
| Premier | $1620 | $1900 | $2000 | $2300 | 12" | 5" regular foam | 5.75" 24 gauge latex / cotton | soft to firm | coolmax | comfortaire direct.com | coolmax is a moisture management smart fabric |
| Imperial | $1790 | $2220 | $2300 | $2640 | 12" | gel memory foam | 5.75" 24 gauge latex / cotton | soft to firm | bamboo | comfortaire direct.com | gel foam tends to sleep somewhat cooler |
| Opulence | $1790 | $2220 | $2300 | $2640 | 12" | 2.25" Outlast & 3" synthetic latex | 5.75" 24 gauge latex / cotton | medium to firm | outlast | comfortaire direct.com | outlast is a temperature and moisture management fabric |
| Elegance / CC900 | $2400 | $2810 | $3000 | $3330 | 13" | 2.25" regular foam & 4" gel memory foam or latex | 5.75" 24 gauge latex / cotton | soft to firm | outlast | Elegance - comfortaire direct.com; CC900 - various retailers | likely a cool-sleeping model due to gel foam and outlast cover |
| Bella | $2560 | $3000 | $3200 | $3450 | 13" | regular foam & synthetic latex | 3.5" urethane chamber | soft to firm | bamboo | comfortaire direct.com | -- |
| Luxor | $2800 | $3200 | $3450 | $3700 | 14" | regular foam | 3.5" urethane chamber | soft to firm | outlast | comfortaire direct.com | outlast is a temperature and moisture management fabric |
| Alure / Elite 1 | $2930 | $3300 | $3525 | $3750 | 15" | regular foam | 3.5" urethane chamber | soft to medium | organic pulp | Alure - comfortaire direct.com; Elite 1 - various retailers | -- |
| Platinum | $3750 | $4050 | $4275 | $4500 | 17" | regular foam & synthetic latex | 3.5" urethane chamber | soft to medium | organic pulp | comfortaire direct.com | summer side and winter side cover |
| RTB 900 | $2100 | $2600 | $2800 | $3200 | NA | NA | NA | soft to firm | NA | Relax The Back | -- |
| elite euro*** | $2800 | $3000 | $3300 | $3700 | 9" | regular foam | 2" urethane chamber | medium to firm | knit | various retailers | low profile |
| elite 2*** | $4300 | -- | $5800 | $6600 | 17" | gel memory foam & regular foam | 3.5" urethane chamber | medium to soft | knit | various retailers | questionable value |
| elite 3*** | -- | -- | $6300 | $7100 | 19" | gel memory foam & regular foam | 3.5" urethane chamber | medium to soft | knit | various retailers | questionable value |
About our Unbiased Comfortaire Mattress Review and Research
Our ratings are based on 180+ Comfortaire owner / consumer reviews of models oc (200, 300, 400, 500, 600), cc (800, 1000), elite (1, 2, 3, 4), Comfort, Optima, Sona, Premier, Imperial, Opulence, Elegance, Bella, Luxor, Allure, Platinum and discontinued models.
The owner experience data was gathered from diverse sources using an unbiased, accurate methodology.
Remember
– Comfortaire's warranty is for 20 years with the first 2-4 years non-prorated. After this 2-4 years, owners will have to pay 20 percent or more for replacement parts.
– Comfortaire mattresses have 83 percent owner satisfaction which is somewhat higher than the Sleep Number Bed (78 percent).
– About 15% of owners praise the mattress for its value because it can be priced the same or less than the Sleep Number / Select Comfort bed yet have similar or better features and specifications.
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