It’s been a while since we looked at Embark air mattress portfolio. We do like the brand because it brought something new to the market – a splash of color in a sea of grays and tans.
However, there is a good reason that we update this guide on Embark air beds. There’s been a lot going on in the market, and we’ve seen many new arrivals, so we had our hands full with testing those.
We finally got some time to update the reviews of the Embark air beds and, more importantly, see how they compare to products that are dominating the market today – both for home and outdoor use.
Embark air mattresses – top 3 picks
Embark Queen Air Bed Review - Raised Blue
It’s a given that people looking at Embark want a budget-friendly solution, but there is a difference between a cheap and a product that provides value for money. That’s why we’ll compare this Embark to an air mattress that’s in its price range and currently highest-rated in “value for money” category – Intex Durabeam.
Every time we review a product we do our best to contact the company to better understand the product and get answers to some basic questions. We do not accept free testing samples but talking to the people making the product is always helpful.
We failed to do that with Embark, their products are usually available at Target and on Amazon, and we usually find the information at the sellers profile online.
With Embark, the orders are fulfilled by third-party sellers. We did send a few emails, but it was all dead ends because the sellers can’t provide the kind of information we are looking for.
Information like:
- The type and thickness of the PVC used (whether it’s recycled or virgin) – again, at that price point we are assuming that it’s recycled vinyl
- Where are the products made exactly – the fact that something is outsourced is not a bad thing by itself in terms of the quality. We’ve been reviewing air beds for almost a decade now and know the “good and the bad” hubs for outsourcing
With all that said, these are the main PROs and CONs of this Embark:
PROs
- Cheap
- Fast inflation and deflation
- Modern, colorful design
- Solid weight distribution – meaning that it’s comfortable when inflated (the downside here is that the bed tends to lose air and this cause sinking to the middle)
- Packs compactly and comes with a handy carry bag
CONs
- Too many issues with the air retention and pinholes developing
- The air loss issue goes beyond pinholes – even with following all the instructions (inflating it and allowing it to stretch before use) we saw significant air loss
- Handling the valve – we had to use pliers to loosen it up the first time we inflated the bed
- Quality of the plastic parts is sub-par – that ties into the valve issue. Since the plastic is not sturdy enough, it tends to bend out of shape, making the valve feel as if it was stuck
Bottom line – as we said, is you are looking at this Embark queen air mattress, you are probably looking for something on the cheaper side. If it were us, in spite of the fact that we love the vivid blue flocked top, we’d spend our money on something else in that price range, like the mentioned Intex Durabeam.
Embark air mattress review – double-high twin with pump
What we expected (and hoped for) from the brand is an addition of an Embark Queen air bed with pump. When we say “with pump” we mean a built-in pump.
We didn’t find a model in that category that would be worth mentioning here.
If you already owned an Embark, this model will be a surprise for you. Our guess is that this model is an attempt from Embark to “bite in” into the mainstream chunk of the market – the part that used to be dominated solely by industry giants like Coleman, Serta or Intex.
This “main” chunk of the market is competitive like never before. And that’s not a cliché, its fact – the arrival of a few new companies like SoundAsleep with their Dream Series model and a few other “youngsters” in the industry, it all changed.
We’re mentioning it because we want to put into perspective the fact that Embark is having a hard time competing. We’ll illustrate that by comparing the quality ratings of this Embark air bed with a product that’s closest to it in terms of design, size, intended use and price point – the SoundAsleep Dream Series in twin size.
Bottom line – Embark is supposed to be a choice for those looking to spend as little as possible. That’s not the case with this model – the price ranges we’ve seen are close to some vastly superior products, our main pick among them being the above mentioned Dream Series.
Left to right, top to bottom, the Dream Series is the superior choice – especially when it comes to value for money.
Embark air mattress review – twin, low, with separate pump
The green flocked top is appealing. We know, we keep coming back to the color - because with our years in the industry we’re always on the lookout for some interesting new designs.
Having said that, being green and an eye-candy will not interfere with us taking an objective look at what this Embark has to offer…beyond being green and affordable.
The most efficient way to do that is to compare it to an airbed that’s similar in design, features and falls into the price range. Not surprisingly (since the company has been dominating the few main niches of the market) our top pick here is the Camping Series by SoundAsleep.
Let’s see how their quality ratings compare.
Bottom line – once more, the Embark gets the short end of the stick. The gap in ratings between the two “similar” models is far too big for us to recommend Embark with a straight face.
You can compare the prices and what users are saying about the two products in the links below.
Embark Queen air bed with pump – the options you have
Since the last time we published an update with the Embark air mattress reviews, the questions we received were mostly about how and where to get an Embark Queen air bed with pump.
So, we did our thing and dug through every corner of the web and online retailers, and we came up short.
We’re not sure what’s going on with Embark, but their products are not as widely available as the last time we updated this guide.
Amazon carries only a few models (all listed above), and we stumbled upon too many pages on the Target website saying that a specific Embark product in not available anymore.
Not for people on the heavier side
As we mentioned, Embark was always the option for people of average build that are looking to save money on the purchase.
One of the testers we used to test the Embark twin is on the heavier side. When we sent the inflatable out to him, he reported air leaks within the first few days.
We didn’t take the issue at face value because we know that the initial period of stretching can last up to a few days and, in that period, you can’t really say if the bed has a structural issue or if the vinyl is still stretching.
But the issues continued and the bed was unusable after a month. And it wasn’t just about the loss of air, one of the outer seams burst. If you know airbed you know that there’s no repairing an outer seam pop.
So, we sent another one to the same tester
The same thing happened, this time within two months. He reported the same air loss issues before one of the seams popped.
This meant one thing – the first test wasn’t a coincidence and there is an issue.
It all points to one thing
We see this kind of structural issues in models with a beam-based internal design. With beams, the weight distribution is sub-par, which in turn puts more stress both on the inner and the outer seams.
We didn’t expect this to happen with Embark because the internal chambers are not beams but air-coils, which are supposed to be superior.
Our conclusion from the whole process is that the issue is with either the vinyl itself or the binding of the seams. Whatever the case, we weren’t impressed…nor were our testers.
Manufacturing of the Embark air mattress
Embark is made in China, and that’s not news to us. Also, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Just last year, we sent one of our staff members, Ivan on a little road trip to China. The purpose of the trip was to visit the locations that we know airbed companies were outsourcing to, their manufacturing and quality assurance practices.
It’s fair to say that we were impressed. It won’t be in our lifetime that the label “Made in China” loses its negative connotations, but what we’ve seen in the field made us lose ours prejudice forever.
It was professional efficient and, most importantly, the products were thoroughly tested before leaving the manufacturing line.
Bottom line – it’s not whether you outsource to China; it’s about what specific facility you outsource to. We can’t pinpoint where exactly Embark is outsourcing to, but the results we’ve seen in this update aren’t favorable, to say the least.
We hope we have better thing to report back the next time we look into Embark inflatable beds, which will probably be in 6-8 months.
Conclusion - the good news
The growth in the industry is a good thing for the consumer because it means better products at lower prices.
It also means that people who would get an Embark now have other affordable options. You can see our top picks in 3 categories below – best overall, best value for money and the most durable.
The blog post Embark air mattress review – we compared it to top tier products Find more on: thesleepstudies
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