Air-Pedic 500 by Selectabed
Firm, gel-infused memory foam mattress
Of the current adjustable airbeds by Air-Pedic (a Selectabed brand), the Air-Pedic 500 is their entry level gel-infused memory foam design model. It is compared by Select-A-Bed to the p5 (now the 360 p5) by Sleep Number. Some of its features were changed when the Air-Pedic brand was revised in November 2018.
It is also one of only two models not compared by Selectabed to Sleep Number models.
The Air-Pedic 500 is 10” high, with 3” of foam comfort layers above a 6” high air support core. The foams are encased separately from the air chambers (which is why it is described as a Euro-top). The foam does not get caught between air chambers as mentioned in reviews of some other airbed brands. The remaining inch of height is from the base pad at the bottom of the airbed.
The air chambers are made of medical grade urethane, which are made resistant to bacteria by RF welding. This is dual control, now standard for adjustable airbeds, with a separate control for each side.
Air Support
This is a 6-chamber bed, meaning that in all sizes but Twin XL, it has six air chambers, 3 for each sleeper. This is standard in all Air-Pedic airbeds, which do not come in Full size, but Twin XL, Queen, California King, Eastern king, and (for some models, including the 500) Split King. The advantage of the 6-chamber system over two chambers (one for each sleeper) is no hammocking. The middle chamber supports the heavier center section of the body. With a single chamber, at lower pressure settings, as the mid-section pushes down, the displaced air pushes up on the head and the feet, as shown in the following pictures and this video.
Airflow Transfer System
The patented Airflow Transfer System is optional on Selectabed mattresses and is a standard feature for TempFlow mattresses and Snuggle-Pedic mattresses and pillows. It is so effective at moving air through a mattress for cooling and freshness (see this video) that a number of mattress manufacturers have tried to duplicate the performance through different design details.
Kool-Flow Fabric Cover
Around the Air-Pedic 500 is the patented Kool-Flow™ Micro-vented stretch knit fabric cover. The fabric is a blend of 43% bamboo rayon, 56.4% polyester, and 0.6% spandex. The micro-vents are knitted in. These vents, which let more air go through, are part of the optional Airflow Transfer System.
Comfort Layers
The comfort section of the Air-Pedic 500 has a 1” layer of memory foam atop a 2” layer of Resili-Flex. Resili-Flex is supportive polyurethane foam. It is not as firm as the base foam used in the support core of a memory foam mattress.
The memory foam is a 4-lb. density, like that in the top layers of Tri-Pedic mattresses. It has a quicker response to the sleeper than 5-lb. memory foam. When it warms up, it does conform for better pressure relief. It also makes it easier for the sleeper to move than on the 5-lb. foam.
Air-Pedic still has its memory foam models. By contrast, Sleep Number has discontinued the models in their memory foam series and has taken the memory foam out of the i10 mattress model. Sleep Number now has only one model with memory foam, the i7, a 360 Smart Bed. One reason could be memory foam heat build-up, dealt with in Air-Pedic airbeds by the Airflow Transfer System. However, perhaps memory foam itself is not the main problem, but hammocking, for which memory foam could not compensate.
Marketing and Shipping
Unlike Tempflow and Snuggle-Pedic, which have websites of their own (Snuggle-Pedic is also sold on Amazon), Air-Pedic adjustable airbeds are sold only on the Selectabed website and in Relief-Mart stores. These mattresses are not stockpiled waiting for purchase, but are made to order. Consultation with customers allows for customization.
Air-Pedic airbeds are shipped already assembled. This avoids problems related to customer assembly, a subject of complaints in reviews of Sleep Number beds. Also, they are not compressed and rolled for packing into parcel-sized boxes.
Returns and Warranty
Selectabed has a 120-day return policy and a 30-year warranty on its Air-Pedic adjustable airbeds, including the Air-Pedic 500. The first three years of the warranty are non-prorated.
Customer Reviews
We calculate our ratings in accordance with our Verified Review Policy.
Mining remarks by owners on several sites, Sleep Like the Dead lists Air-Pedic as the adjustable airbed brand with the highest customer satisfaction rate.
Since Air-Pedic airbeds are not sold on Amazon, the only customer reviews available are on Viewpoints, GoodBed, Yelp, and Reseller Ratings.
The ratings for Air-Pedic beds on Viewpoints are very high, all 4’s and 5’s. However, only seven of the 25 reviews name the model (all 5 stars), and none of these is for the Air-Pedic 500. Taking these seven reviews out of account, still leaves us with an average review rating of 4.86 (97.14%) for all the rest.
In the seven Air-Pedic ratings on GoodBed, the now-discontinued Air-Pedic 400 is the only named model. Neither is the 500 named on Yelp.
On Reseller Ratings, two customers rated the Air-Pedic 500 at 5 stars. However, one hadn’t yet received and used the mattress leaving only one review of mattress experience.
The pros & cons we have for the Air-Pedic 500 are from only one review – not a significant sample size, but it was specific. The mattress owner said he and his wife found the Air-Pedic 500 to be “super comfortable.” It sleeps cool. They like being able to adjust the firmness levels separately. He also said that, according to his sleep tracker, he gets “6 hours a night of deep restful sleep.”
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