Mattress Base

Comfortaire beats Select Comfort Comfortaire Cerulean Mattress I have been a firm believer in air mattresses for over 8 years. From the standpoint of comfort and al...

Comfortaire Cerulean Mattress via nationwidemattress.com Comfortaire Cerulean Mattress I'd been checking out the "sleep number bed" for a couple of years before deciding to go with Comfort...

Original review published Dec. 16, 2001.

Update (at end) published Dec. 20, 2002.

Update on dealer information (at end) published Feb. 12, 2003

Update published Dec. 20, 2003.

Update published Dec. 20, 2004.

Update published Dec. 20, 2005.

Update published Dec. 21, 2006

This is my first review for Epinions and I’ll try to give you all the correct information and my honest evaluation.

First, since different beds suit different people and different people’s body styles and weights, I’ll describe myself. I’m a 44 year old male who is 6′4″ tall and weighs 220 lbs. My health is excellent. I do not have any back, skeletal or muscle problems.

I have owned the Comfortaire Cerulean HP bed for exactly one year now. Prior to this, for 15 years I slept on and was very happy with a waveless hard sided water-bed. Before that I had slept on several (5 or 6) Simmons higher-end conventional mattresses since childhood.

I slept well in my water-bed and really anguished about giving it up. But after five moves in the past 15 years and another nearing I didn’t relish all the hassle of taking it down, reassembling the frame, and filling it with water and the routine maintainence of periodically burping the bed of air, putting in water conditioners etc. Also I had gotten tired of the two or three occasions each year when I would stumble back to bed in the dark of night and bang my shin on the hard wooden frame. Add to this the fact that I was moving to a new home with all parquet wooden floors where a flood (if it happened) from a torn or leaking water-mattress would be most unpleasant as well as expensive.

So the search for a new bed began with looking at many different conventional mattresses. Some felt OK in the stores but I wondered how they’d feel after a few years of use. I remembered previous beds developing sags and depressions after six or seven years. The waterbed experience with it’s renewable support had pleased me. After 15 years it was just as comfortable as the day I bought it.

I had seen the Select Comfort infomercials and advertising for their adjustable air beds and I thought that might be worth investigating. After all, it seemed to have most of the same advantages of water as well as being adjustable at the touch of a button; without water’s disadvantages of being hard to adjust, weight, and flood risk.

I went to one of their Mall stores and tried their beds and found them to be very comfortable. I looked at all four models they carried, Classic(now called 3000), Elite(now called 4000) Ultra(now called 5000) and Imperial(now called 7000).

I liked the Ultra(5000) pillowtop the best. It was very supportive and comfortable without any pressure points. With it’s adjustability I could get it just right. The 4000 pillowtop I found to be a bit less comfortable probably due to thinner padding in it’s pillowtop and the fact that the ticking was all polyester (a little clammy and warm feeling to me). The ticking on the Ultra is a blend of Rayon and cotton (better breatheablility and skin comfort). The 7000 with it’s minimal addition of 1″ of visco-elastic memory foam was not as comfortable to me.

This memory foam addition appears to be a marketing gimmick in response to the Tempurpedic promotions. “Look we have memory foam too, in addition to air support. You can have the best of all worlds.” If air is supposed to support you so evenly and well, isn’t memory foam redundant? Not to mention the fact that it adds one more layer between you and the air chamber and thus isolates you more from the contouring qualities of the latex air chamber.

(By the way I tried a Tempurpedic mattress too. I felt like I was lying in a block of clay. When I went to turn in the same spot on the bed it seemed to take awhile till the mattress adjusted to my new position. Like I was moving in real time and the mattress was adjusting in slow motion. Not for me. Not to mention the many comments I’ve heard and read from others that it tends to retain heat and sleeps hot (a no-no here in Phoenix). Additionally Tempurpedic says you shouldn’t use heated mattress pads or electric blankets because they will negate the foam’s supportive characteristics while they are warm. So on a cold winter’s night (we do have them here in the desert) you have to climb onto a cold hard slab and wait till your body warms the foam up enough for it to conform to you. Not too inviting after a hard day.)

Anyway I really liked the Select Comfort Ultra (5000). The only thing I didn’t like was the price, $1400 for the Cal-King mattress, $500 for Select Comfort’s own foundation, $60 for a bed frame, plus $147 sales tax; $2107 total. (This was in December of 2000). (Incidentally Select Comforts $500 foundation, which they push strongly, is just a bunch of plastic pieces which you put together with bolts and wing nuts to form a box foundation - examine it if you go to their stores - this is IMHO a total ripoff)

So I did some research on the Internet and found that there are several companies that make similar air-beds to Select Comfort. I came across Comfortaire. It seems that Comfortaire was the originator of this type of mattress back in 1980. It also seems that the founder of Select Comfort, Bob Walker, worked at Comfortaire during that time.

He left Comfortaire in the mid 1980’s to start Select Comfort selling the same type of beds but with a massive marketing effort. Apparently Comfortaire didn’t believe in major advertising and just thought the product would speak for itself.

I found several Comfortaire dealers on the net that compared their mattress models to those of Select Comfort. They all said that the Comfortaire Cerulean HP was comparable to the Select Comfort Ultra(5000). The prices on the websites for this mattress at that time were listed at $1049. I found several sites that said to call for “the best price”.

I called one dealer in NY state who was very pleasant and right away with no cajoling or dickering offered to sell met the Cal-king Cerulean HP mattress for $849 delivered to my door. They also had a 90 day trial period (same as Select Comfort) during which time if I didn’t like the mattress I could ship it back to them for a full refund. They also said that I would have to pay the return shipping costs which would only be between $40 and $65.

I thought “hey this is supposed to be the same thing as Select Comfort Ultra(500), it is adjustable, I can return it for not too much shipping cost, why not try it?” I bought it from that first dealer in NY over the phone.

He was also honest and said that you didn’t have to buy a foundation (or box spring) from him. All any air-bed of this type needs is a firm flat base. The mattress provides all the support, it just needs a level even surface beneath it. You could put this type of mattress on the floor by itself and it would be just as comfortable. Or if you have an old box spring from a previous bed you could just place a sheet of 1/2″ plywood between it and the air mattress to get a solid level surface. For this type of bed the foundation or box-spring merely serves as a base for the mattress to get it up to a normal bed height off the floor.

These same Comfortaire dealers also said that if you didn’t already have a foundation or box spring, that you could buy a simple plain foundation from most local bedding stores at substantial savings versus buying one from them and having it shipped to you. That is what I did. I got a Cal-King split foundation and a Cal-King “Instamatic” brand bed frame from a local dealer. The cost: $80 for a fabric ticking covered all wood foundation, $85 for the bed frame, delivery charge of $45, local tax of $12; total price of $222.

So let’s total this up; I spent $849 for the mattress and $222 for the frame and foundation from local source: total cost $1071. Compare that to the Select Comfort price of $2107. A savings of $1036 or about 50%! That’s a huge difference for essentially the same bed.

Most of that saving I presume comes from not having to pay for infomercials, celebrity endorsements (Paul Harvey, Rush Limbaugh etc.) mall stores, sales commissions etc.

So far so good.

Now for my experience with the bed.

The bed arrived direct from the Comfortaire factory seven days after I ordered it from the NY dealer. It came in two boxes which held all the parts. There was plenty of room in the boxes so that if I wanted to return it there would not be a hassle of trying to fit everything back into it’s original packaging, like many Select comfort reviews on this site have complained of.

Set-up was easy and took me about 30 minutes (I always read assembly and instruction manuals carefully, it avoids a lot of problems).

Now that I have this bed how does it differ from the Select Comfort Ultra(5000)?

1) The air chambers are 8″ deep vs Select Comfort 6″ depth. Why does this matter? It gives you a larger range of firmness adjustment. Additionally if you are a larger or heavier person the added depth gives you more adjustment room without “bottoming out” on the foundation as can happen on a shallower air chamber.

2) The air chambers are each about 3 inches wider than those of the Select comfort. Why does this matter? It gives each person in the bed a bit wider adjustable sleeping area and more importantly both air chambers butt up right next to each other eliminating the need for the foam dividing piece that Select Comfort uses. This eliminates the ridge down the middle of the Select Comfort mattress. If I set both air chambers to approximately the same firmness I can roll across the bed and not feel that there are two air chambers beneath.

3) The hoses coming from the air chambers are permanently attached to them, they cannot come loose or slip off, like Select Comfort might.

4) The foam border pieces on the outside edge of the bed are solid rectangular blocks while those on the Select Comfort have a saw-toothed top surface. Why does this matter? From my experience the solid block design gives a firmer edge surface for sitting on the side of the bed. When I sat on the side of the Select Comfort with a low firmness level in the air chambers I found my self sinking down quite low on the side of the bed.

5) The outside ticking fabric on the Comfortaire bed is 100% rayon while that on the Select Comfort bed is a rayon/cotton blend. Supposedly rayon is like man-made silk and may have slightly better breathing properties. At least that is what Select Comfort says as they use a 100% rayon ticking only on their most expensive bed, the Imperial(7000).

6) The thickness of the Comfortaire mattress is 12″ while that of the Select Comfort is 11 1/2″.

7) The air pump. This is the only area where Select Comfort has an advantage. The Comfortaire pump (at least the one that shipped with the bed when I bought it) is just like the pump that comes with the Select Comfort Elite (4000) bed. The Comfortaire pump does not have a digital readout for reference. Also the pump is louder than the Select Comfort digital readout pump. When it is running it is about as loud as a hand-held hair dryer. [Note: some internet dealers of Comfortaire beds will allow you to upgrade to Comfortaire’s digital quiet pump but this could add about $400 to the price of the mattress; unnecessary in my opinion]

8)PRICE ! Comfortaire total $1071 vs Select Comfort $2107.

So how has this Comfortaire bed faired over the past year?

In a word it’s wonderful. I find it to be the most comfortable supportive bed I have ever slept on. I don’t miss my old water-bed at all.

Initially the first couple of days I played with different firmness settings of the air chambers. But after the novelty wore off I found that if I just followed Comfortaire’s suggestions of letting out 14 or so seconds of air from a full mattress and then adding air until I could feel the mattress firm up and fill in my lumbar area for support; that was perfect. Since then I have only adjusted the mattress two or three times either adding in one or two seconds of air or letting out one or two seconds worth of air to make minor fine tuning adjustments. This is why the pump difference between the Select Comfort and the Comfortaire is,in my opinion, of very little significance. While the Comfortaire pump is noisier I have only used it perhaps 45 seconds total during the past year. I suspect my experience is similar to that of most people. You get the bed to the firmness that best suits you and then you leave it alone. The digital readout is mostly an irrelevant bell and whistle. It is the “sizzle”; the mattress itself is the “steak”.

I have since gone back to the Select Comfort store and retried the Ultra(5000) bed. I find the Comfortaire Cerulean HP to be a bit more comfortable (slightly more cushioned pillowtop, deeper air chamber) and luxurious than the Select Comfort Ultra. They are both great beds but at half the price the Comfortaire bed is a no-brainer buy.

In the first year of ownership I have had absolutely no problems of any kind with this bed. It holds the air pressure I have set, no need to add more every week or two. The materials and design are of very high quality. The differences of this bed over the Select Comfort are where they matter most ,in the quality and comfort of the bed itself not in digital remote controls that are very rarely used.

In sum, this bed is the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in, let alone owned. Others have said this, and I agree, that I just feel like I am floating in it. I toss and turn very little because all positions are extremely comfortable. No pressure points even when laying on my side (I am primarily a back sleeper). Often I wake up in the same spot and position that I went to sleep in. I sleep very soundly in this bed and wake-up very rested and refreshed almost every day. The only bad part that I have found in sleeping in this bed, is that in the morning, while I have no trouble waking up, often it is just a real effort to get out of the bed because it is so exquisitely comfortable.

Get yourself a good high quality all cotton mattress pad and some high thread count (230 or more) all cotton sheets and you’ll be in comfort heaven.

That is my experience so far. If you are interested in an air bed at all I suggest you check this one out. I highly recommend it.

[BTW: I realize this review is extremely positive but it truly reflects my enthusiasm for this bed. I am in no way affiliated with Comoftaire or Select Comfort or any mattress, bedding or furniture company. I am not in sales of any kind for any product.]

UPDATE: DEC. 20, 2002

Another year has gone by and this bed is still just like new, providing wonderful comfort and sleep.

I did have one problem with the bed in January of 2002. One of the air-chambers started losing air and could not retain air-pressure. Slowly during the night it lost pressure and by morning I was sleeping on a deflated air-chamber.

I followed Comfortaire’s trouble shooting instructions to determine whether the air-chamber or pump was at fault. It turned out to be the air-chamber. I called Comfortaire and explained the problem. Their customer service representative was very helpful and they sent out a new replacement air-chamber by FedEx. As this was all covered by the warranty on the mattress, I did not have to pay anything except return-shipping of the faulty air-chamber to Comfortaire. (This cost about $6.00 from Phoenix AZ to the Comfortaire headquarters)

While the mattress is covered 100% for the first 5 years, after the first year, the customer is responsible for return shipping of any replaced parts. (Note: after the first 5 years, the mattress warranty coverage is pro-rated over the balance of the 20 year warranty)

So after another year of enjoying this mattress I have little to add to my original review except to comment that their customer service is very friendly and efficient.

I continue to highly recommend this mattress.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

UPDATE FEB. 12, 2003:

I have been contacted by many people asking where I purchased my Comfortaire mattress; here is the answer.

I originally purchased from a website called Sleepcenteronline.com. This was an intenet website for a physical retail store in NY state. That website no longer exists, but I recently came across their new site. It is called Airbedmattresses.com. It is, as far as I can tell, still owned and operated by the same individual (Todd). He was very helpful to me in my purchase. A nice guy. You might want to check with him when shopping around and considering a purchase.

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UPDATE DEC. 20, 2003

Yet another year has passed, and this bed is still like new. Just as comfortable and supportive as the day I received it.

No problems or difficulties.

This past year I did find out why these type of beds are often said to be of great help to people with back pain. Last spring I experienced a medical back problem (not related to the bed) that caused a lot of pain when I lay down. I suffered several sleepless painful nights, until I realized “hey, why don’t I try adjusting the bed?”. I played with the firmness controller and after a bit of trial and error I was able to adjust the bed to a point where my back did not hurt. It was very instructive. Once I got the bed where I was pain free, if I let out only one second of air, the pain would reappear. If I added only one second of air, then the bed would feel too firm and hard. It was eye opening, to see how a very tiny adjustment to the support could remove or exacerbate the pain.

There is no way that my pain problem could have been handled by a conventional mattress. If I’d had a conventional mattress when the pain occurred I could not have adjusted it at all, let alone in fine increments. I could have gone out an tried to find a new mattress that helped my back pain. But even if I did, how often do you hear of people purchasing mattresses, and when they are delivered, they do not feel like the one in the store.

Also several months later, after a doctor treated my back problem, I was able to readjust the bed for the optimum sleeping comfort for me rather than for the least amount of pain. What would I have done then with my new conventional mattress that I bought for the pain relief. Now that the pain was gone, I might not find it to be comfortable.

I won’t post any more updates to this review unless I experience any major problems. The bed holds up very well and still looks and feels like new.

Bottom line: This bed is terrific and one of the best purchases I have made. Extremely comfortable, adjustable to your desires and able to change as your body changes over time (due to age, injury, or illness).

Still highly recommended!

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UPDATE DEC 20, 2004

Even tho I said I wouldn’t update anymore, it has almost become a tradition. So here goes.

One more year of great sleep on this bed. There were no problems and it is still just as comfortable as when I first bought it. This is truly amazing. Four years on this mattress and there are no signs of wear. The comfort and support have not changed at all.

When I hear of so many people who have problems with their traditional innerspring mattresses (sags, valleys, body impressions, breakdowns), some after only 4-6 months of use, it only reinforces my decision to get this bed. Just fantastic.

Enthusiastically recommended!!

See you next year.

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UPDATE DEC 20, 2005.

Once again another year has passed. Time flies when you sleep well.

It’s now been five years that I have owned and slept on this bed. Still wonderfully comfortable. I appreciate the adjustability more and more as I get older. It’s great for adjusting to accomodate various muscle strains or spasms etc.

One observation that I have noted regarding wear on the bed. The pillow-top seems to have compressed or flattened-out a bit. Now I do not mean there are valleys or ruts or body impressions in the mattress. What I mean is that the majority of the pillow-top seems to be less fluffy or cushiony (is there such a word?) than it was originally. This is a pretty even process across the whole surface of the pillow-top. I suppose it is just from daily use. It doesn’t seem to have affected the comfort of the bed as I still sleep great. It is my understanding that if I wanted to, I could buy a new pillow-top piece from Comfortaire and just replace the old one. This would have to be purchased because the warranty does not cover the fabric top.

Anyway aside from this one observation, the bed is still great. I’m still sleeping well and I’m still very glad I purchased it. Without question I would buy it again if I had to.

Still highly recommended, and now with a 5 year track record to back-up the recommendation.

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UPDATE DEC. 21, 2006

The mattress is still great. No problems to report. Six years and still sleeping very well. I appreciate the adjustability of this mattress more and more as time goes on. It’s extremely useful to be able to change the amount of support in the mattress as our bodies change, and aches and pains come and go.

ONE IMPORTANT NOTE: It appears that Comfortaire has changed the construction of this mattress sometime in the last year or two. The air chambers now are 6″ deep instead of the 8″ deep ones on my bed. This change also affects the total thickness of the mattress. The current model is now 10″ thick instead of the 12″ thickness of my mattress. I’m not sure if these changes would affect the comfort of this new version of the Cerulean or not. My suspicion is probably not. However you should know that the mattress now being sold as the Comfortaire Cerulean is not identical to the one that I have reviewed here.

A side note: I don’t mean to nitpick here, but it really irks me when manufacturers do things like this. They make what I consider to be significant changes to a product, and still label that product with the same name or model number as before. I think this can mislead consumers into thinking they are getting the identical thing that was reviewed by Consumer Reports or Epinions or wherever. (I had this type of thing happen with a a great, top of the line, Whirlpool dishwasher that I own. I bought it five years ago. Cleans dishes perfectly. Told a friend, and he was impressed. Three years ago he bought the identical model number. His dishwasher looks the same but it performs poorly. Turns out Whirlpool made some changes to the way it cycles and functions, in order to obtain better energy ratings. He only found out about these changes after calling Whirlpool and asking why his dishwasher performed so poorly compared to mine.) If manufacturers make significant changes to a product they should give that product a new model number or model name. Sorry for the rant.

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