Natural Form Airbed Review and Ratings

Based on 44 Actual Consumer Experiences

Updated January 4, 2012

What You Need To Know

Owner Satisfaction: The Natural Form air bed has 74% owner satisfaction.

Price: $1000-$4000 depending on model (Horizon, Garden, Equinox).

Pros: Pain relief and comfort potential; no pumps or motors unlike other airbeds; adjustable firmness; above-average longevity; little heat build up.

Cons: Average durability; air leaks possible; somewhat limited firmness adjustment; history of questionable customer service.

What Is It?: The Natural Form air bed (formerly known as the SATbed) features an air chamber system that replaces conventional innerspring coils. The system uses self-adjusting technology and is designed to allow the mattress to automatically adjust to a person's body regardless of size, weight or sleeping position. Some models allow for a customized firmness setting for each side of bed without the use of pumps, motors or electricity.

Competition: Main competition is often other air bed brands, especially the Sleep Number Bed. Competition may also include Tempurpedic and to a lesser extent waterbeds. See how the Natural Form mattress compares to other airbeds in the Airbed Reviews – Summary.

Where Buy? Natural Form mattresses are sold largely online. See buying a mattress online: what you should know.

Natural Form Air Bed Ratings

The ratings below are based on the experiences of 44 owners of Natural Form air bed mattresses, including the models Horizon, Garden and Equinox. The data was gathered using an unbiased, accurate methodology.

Owner satisfaction	b-	Natural Form air beds have 74% owner satisfaction. This is similar to the average rating for air beds overall as a group (78%). The more expensive Natural Form models (Garden and Equinox) tend to rate somewhat higher than the cheaper model (Horizon).
Durability	c	Even though the Natural Form air bed is less mechanical than other air beds because it does not use pumps, motors or electricity, it still has significant durability issues. About 20% of owners report at some point during ownership leaky air bladders and or air valves. About 14% report sagging problems related to the foundation, foam rails or wool topper. As is the case with other air bed brands, about one-third of owners question whether their bed has good craftsmanship and quality materials.
Longevity / lifespan	b	The mattress can be, often easily, repaired by an owner with replacement parts sent from Natural Form. This ability can give the bed an extended lifespan. Based on the collected data, owners keep their bed for 6+ years on average.
Price	c-	Prices range from $1000-$4000 depending on model. The higher priced models are more expensive mainly because they have greater thickness and more air cylinders than the cheaper model.

Less pain	b	At least 25% of owners say that their bed relieves pain, including back, hip and shoulder pain. This percentage is similar to what is reported by owners of other airbed brands. The Natural Form bed appears to be especially helpful for those who have serious pain issues, including spinal disorders and osteoarthritis. A significant number of owners, however, (about 15%) report having increased pain from their Natural Form bed. This pain usually results from an inability to find a suitable firmness setting or from excessive firmness. (See mattresses and pain relief for general analysis.)
Firmness variety	b-	Equinox and Garden models have a dial that allows the sleeper to control the amount of air passing through the valves. This allows for adjustment to be made to the firmness of each side of the bed. However, at least 30% of owners say that the dial allows for only limited firmness adjustment, and that the bed at any setting is quite firm. (Less than 5% of owners consider the bed to be soft.) By contrast, other airbeds, such as the Sleep Number Bed, allow for greater range of firmness adjustment.
Easy to move on	b	There are few complaints about the Natural Form mattress being difficult to move on and get up off. Increasing the firmness reduces most difficulty of movement. The Equinox model, however, uses high-density memory foam which may result in some difficulty of movement.
Motion isolation	b-	Motion isolation – the isolating of movement made by one person so that another person on the bed is not disturbed – does not seem to be a strength or weakness of the bed.
No initial odor / off gassing	b	Less than 10% of Natural Form owners report their bed giving off an initial odor. Most odor complaints have to do with the wool topper.
No sleeping hot	b+	There are few complaints on the issue of the mattress acting as a heat trap.
Good for sex	b-	Owners of king-size Natural Form air beds occasionally report that the middle of the bed where the two main air chambers meet has a noticeable channel which can make lying on it uncomfortable. This, say owners, can interfere with romance.
No noise	b	Unlike other air beds, the Natural Form mattress uses no air pumps or motors to make noise. A small number of owners, however, say the air bladders make noise when moved on.
No rotating / flipping	a	The beds are largely maintenance free in the sense that they do not need to be turned or flipped.
Lightweight	b	Since an air bed consists of air to a significant degree, it is often lighter and therefore easier to move and maneuver than other bed types.
Warranty	b	The warranty is for 20 years with the first 10 years non-prorated. This is similar to the warranty of other mattresses in Natural Form's price range. (See mattress warranties: what you should know.)
Return policy	a-	Natural Form offers a 30-day trial period. Return shipping is free. Historically, some owners have reported difficulty in getting permission to return their mattress to the company. More recently, however, there are few complaints regarding returning a mattress.
Customer service	c	Customer service appears to have improved at least somewhat in recent years. Historically, a significant number of owners have complained of rude, unhelpful and even dishonest customer service.
Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings	A+	Natural Form is a division of WCW. WCW has an "A+" with the Better Business Bureau.

About our unbiased Natural Form air bed review and research

Our ratings are based on over 40 Natural Form consumer reviews, including reviews for models Horizon, Garden and Equinox. Most consumer data was collected from online message / discussion boards.

Learn more about our mattress research methodology and sources.

Remember

– The Natural Form air bed uses no pumps unlike conventional air beds. Rather, the bed uses self-adjusting technology which allows the mattress to automatically adjust and adapt to a sleeper's body.

– While the Natural Form air bed allows for adjustable firmness, at least one-third of owners say that the adjustment is limited and that the mattress tends to be firm on any setting.

– Like other air bed brands, Natural Form has the potential to leak air due to defective parts or materials.

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