Intex Air Mattress Review
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Intex Air Mattress Models
Intex offers 95 different air mattress models in seven different categories. Having options is good, but are they really necessary when we’re talking about an air-filled chamber? Today I want to look into the six categories of their air mattresses, meant to be used indoors. The seventh category is for camping and outdoor use. I chose one model in each category—one with some reviews and customer feedback—to look into more deeply.
The Intex, indoor mattresses, come in queen and twin sizes (with a few models available in full), and all come with internal air pumps and duffel bags for storage. They also offer other types of pumps (battery-powered and hand-powered) for those times when you’re without electricity.
Intex has done the work to build a strong, comfortable unit. The fibers used in the multiple air chambers are reinforced. This design is what sets these air mattresses apart. There are multiple chambers so weight is distributed across the surface instead of concentrated in the middle as with other air mattresses. There are pillowtop options, headboard options, and pillow elevation features in different models.
Keep in mind that, because these are air mattresses, they are not necessarily built for regular, sustained daily use. So some of the feedback I share here will be about whether these models will stand up to temporary use and feel comfortable for your relatives and children, or in a dorm room or guest room, etc.
18-inch Queen Dura-Beam Headboard Airbed Overview
- Type: Airbed with built-in pump and headboard
- Price Range: $99.99 for queen
- Best for: Any temporary sleep situation, guest rooms
18-inch Queen Comfort Plush Elevated Airbed Overview
- Type: Airbed with built-in pump
- Price Range: $69.99 for queen
- Best for: Any temporary sleep situation, guest rooms
24-in Queen Dura-Beam Dream Lux Pillow Top Airbed Overview
- Type: Airbed with built-in pump and pillowtop
- Price Range: $74.99 for queen
- Best for: Any temporary sleep situation, mother-in-laws
18-inch Queen Dura-Beam Ultra Plush Headboard Airbed Overview
- Type: Airbed with built-in pump and headboard
- Price Range: $94.99
- Best for: Any temporary sleep situation, guest rooms, readers, people who hate losing their pillows at night
20-inch Queen Deluxe Supreme Air-Flow Airbed Overview
- Type: Airbed with built-in pump
- Price Range: $124.99
- Best for: Any temporary sleep situation, especially if you want to impress a visitor or two with an air bed that feels sort of like a regular mattress
18-inch Queen Dura-Beam Premiere I Elevated Airbed Overview
- Type: Airbed with built-in pump
- Price Range: $110.99
- Best for: Any temporary sleep situation, guest rooms
Which Model Is Best for Me?
18-inch Queen Dura-Beam Headboard Airbed Might Be Good For You If…
- You hate losing your pillows off the end of the bed
- You like a pillow top
18-inch Queen Comfort Plush Elevated Airbed Might Be Good For You If…
- You are a couple that wants the most sleep surface area possible
- You care about keeping your sheets from slipping. (Indentations between layers keep them secure.)
24-inch Queen Dura-Beam Dream Lux Pillowtop Airbed Might Be Good For You If…
- You want to give guests a more luxurious feeling air bed
- Need a pillow top for a more plush feel
18-inch Queen Dura-Beam Ultra Plush Headboard Airbed Might Be Good For You If…
- You need a bit of extra back support while reading or watching TV.
- That pillow thing bothers you. (The headboard helps!)
20-inch Queen Deluxe Supreme Air-Flow Airbed Might Be Good For You If…
- You want more air to flow across the mattress to keep it cool.
- You want to buy the closest thing to a regular mattress that Intex sells
18-inch Queen Dura-Beam Premaire I Elevated Airbed Might Be Good For You If…
- You want the most luxurious version Intex sells
- You’re concerned about durability because the fibers in this air mattress are reinforced for longer wear
Best Intex Mattress by Sleeping Position
Keep in mind that air mattresses are not built for specific sleep positions, but aim to offer you as comfortable a sleep experience as possible, in a portable and affordable package. They’re also not necessarily built to be used over a long period of time, so which direction you sleep may not be a huge deal anyway. Having said all of that …
Side Sleepers will definitely want to choose options with a pillowtop to get as much contouring as possible. They won’t get as much as a traditional mattress, but some contouring is better than none, even in a temporary situation.
Back Sleepers may have the easiest time adapting to an air mattress since they need the least amount of contouring, mostly around the booty, to keep their spines aligned.
Stomach Sleepers will also want an air mattress with a pillowtop to get that contouring around their tummies. They need some or their hips will be too high and thrown out of alignment with their back. Stomach sleepers can also adjust the amount of air in the chamber to give a little more relief from an intense, taut mattress surface.
Pros and Cons of Intex Mattresses
PROS
- Affordable
- Portable
- Fast inflation time (4 minutes on average)
- Quality materials
- Thoughtful construction, i.e. multiple air chambers that evenly distribute weight
CONS
- Not made for everyday use
- Air mattresses always come with concerns about air leakage
Pricing and Specs
NOTE
- Not all models come in all sizes.
- Intex sells twin, full and queen sizes for the most part, but even that varies by design.
- Every unit here does come with a built-in air pump and carrying bag.
Model Dimensions
- Twin 39W X 75L
- Full 54W X 75L
- Queen 60W X 80L
Price by Model
Model | Model | Size | Price |
Dura-Beam Airbeds | Headboard | Queen | $99.99 |
Dura-Beam Standard | Comfort Plush Elevated | Queen | $69.99 |
Dura-Beam Plus | Dream Lux Pillowtop | Queen | $74.99 |
Dura-Beam Deluxe | Ultra Plush Headboard | Queen | $94.99 |
Dura-Beam InHome | Deluxe Supreme AirFlow | Queen | $124.99 |
Premaire I | Elevated Airbed | Queen | $110.99 |
Construction
Model | Type | Firmness | Wt Capacity | Weight | Height |
Dura-Beam Airbeds | Headboard | Varies | 600 lbs | 24.86 lbs | 18 in |
Dura-Beam Standard | Comfort Plush Elevated | Varies | 600 lbs | 20.72 lbs | 18 in |
Dura-Beam Plus | Dream Lux Pillowtop | Varies | 600 lbs | 23.50 lbs | 24 in |
Dura-Beam Deluxe | Ultra Plush Headboard | Varies | 600 lbs | 26.86 lbs | 18 in |
Dura-Beam InHome | Deluxe Supreme Air-Flow | Varies | 600 lbs | 34.32 lbs | 20 in |
Premaire I | Elevated Airbed | Varies | 600 lbs | 20.10 lbs | 18 in |
18-inch Queen Dura-Beam Headboard Airbed Construction
There’s a pillow-top surface with the headboard on the surface of this air mattress.
The air chamber takes up most of the space inside the plastic outer layer. The interior is actually several chambers with partitions in between. It helps distribute your weight and keep an even surface from top to bottom and from side to side.
18-inch Queen Comfort Plush Elevated Airbed Construction
There is a pillow-top surface and plush flocking. The flocking are the ribbed or diamond areas on the surface. You should consider that a comfort layer
The support layer is the air chamber inside. It takes up most of the space inside the plastic outer layer. The interior is actually several chambers with partitions in between. It’s constructed with something called “Fiber-Tech Construction™” which makes it a stronger setup than just an air-filled chamber.
24in Queen Dura-Beam Dream Lux Pillow Top Airbed Construction
The outer layer is textured to make it stronger all around the outside of the mattress. It has a pillowtop and, again, the flocked sides that make the plastic casing more resistant to scrapes and punctures. Because it’s such a thick mattress (24 inches), it needs more materials and design features to hold up.
The support layer is the air chamber inside, made up of several chambers separated by fiber-constructed walls using a process called Fiber-Tech Construction™. The thicker mattress is also reinforced along the edges so you can use the entire sleep surface. This is good for couples.
18-inch Queen Dura-Beam Ultra Plush Headboard Airbed Construction
There’s a pillow-top surface with the headboard on top.
The air chamber takes up the rest of the space inside. The air chamber is actually several sections separated by fiber walls. That construction maintains an even sleep surface so you can use the entire mattress surface for sleep,
20-inch Queen Supreme Air-Flow Airbed Construction
The top, comfort layer has this collection of interconnected, beignet-shaped air cells, built into the surface. They’re meant to allow air to flow between you and the mattress surface, meant to keep you cooler. You are sleeping on plastic and need whatever airflow you can get.
It feels closest to a real bed because the support layer is made of two layers of air chambers inside the outer covering.
18-inch Queen Dura-Beam Premaire I Elevated Airbed Construction
The outer laminated PVC cover is two-ply to strengthen the outside. It also comes with a pillow top with air pockets for better airflow.
The inside support layer comes with the Fiber-Tech construction, the multiple air chambers that are sectioned off by the fiber tech walls to distribute weight and keep you up on the mattress, instead of sinking through it as with most air mattresses.
The Innomax Buying Experience
Innomax Trial-Period
You don’t really have a trial period in the traditional, bed-in-a-box sense.
If you purchase from Intex.com or over the phone directly from Intex and want to return a non-defective item, you have 30 days from the date of delivery to return it. It must arrive within 30 days. It must be sent back unopened and unused. You have to pay to get it back to Intex. You’ll get a refund minus the original shipping costs.
If something is wrong with the airbed you purchased or they sent you the wrong one, you have 15 days from the date you received it, to report the problem.
Innomax Mattress Warranty
Intex warranties vary by model and item. Some, like the Premaire 1, comes with a limited 1-year warranty, but Intex asks that you contact them with any warranty questions.
Shipping and Delivery
Intex ships to “virtually any address in the world.” There are restrictions on some products going to some international places. Intex figures out shipping rates based on the weight of the products. You can see an estimate when you’re checking out if the vendor you choose offers that information.
Availability
You can purchase Intex products on their website and places like Amazon, Walmart, and QVC.
Conclusion
Intex sells everything inflatable—from pools to spas to pool toys and air mattresses. Intex applies their knowledge about how to keep things filled with air to all of their products.
One thing that is similar through most of their home-use, elevated models are the air chambers inside the PVC outer covering. The chambers are made of woven fibers that help the mattress retain its shape. Because there are chambers, your body weight is distributed more evenly, so you’re not pressing down in one spot and wearing out the model before you’re supposed to.
So, when I look at their air mattresses, I know I’m getting more than a plastic bag filled with air. Their mattresses are more complicated and durable than that. While the mattresses are super affordable when compared to traditional models, you’re still getting a good, thoughtful design for the price.
If you’re seeking a durable option for guest rooms, vacation homes, and kids’ bedrooms, Intex has options from which you can choose.