Number of seats
The number of people who can comfortably use the product when placed in a regular way (for chairs and sofas — sitting, for beds and bivans — lying down).
Modern inflatable furniture is mainly made
single or
double ; but the specific meaning of this characteristic is largely determined by the type of product (see above). So, sofas, by definition, have two seats; this also applies to folding models — two people can not only sit comfortably on them, but also lie down (unfolded). Armchairs, on the contrary, are mostly designed for one person, but there are single exceptions here — designs for two seats, as well as sets of two seats that can be used separately. But beds and bivans can have a different number of places — it all depends on how many people the width of such furniture is enough for.
Maximum load
The maximum load allowed for a piece of furniture; in other words, the maximum allowable total weight of people using the product.
It is definitely not recommended to exceed this parameter — even if the shell does not burst immediately, it will be subjected to abnormal loads, and an “accident” can occur at any time. And ideally, you should have a weight margin of at least a couple of tens of kilograms — this will give an additional guarantee in case of unforeseen situations. With regard to specific values, a permissible load
of up to 100 kg is found exclusively in single furniture; values of
100 – 200 kg are also typical mainly for products for 1 person, although double solutions are already found here (the actual minimum for them is about 175 kg); and the most durable and “hardy” models, which can withstand
more than 200 kg, are already mainly double.
Stiffening rib
The type of stiffeners provided in the design of the bed (this item is relevant for this type of inflatable furniture).
Stiffeners externally look like a special set of protrusions and depressions on the surface of the product, however, the matter may not be limited to external details (see below). Anyway, such structural elements increase the resistance of the surface to bending and, accordingly, increase strength and reliability. In modern inflatable furniture, you can find the following types of similar parts:
— Longitudinal. Stiffening elements in the form of a set of protrusions and grooves directed along the product; the ridges and grooves can be zigzagged for transverse efficiency, but even such elements resist mainly lateral deformation. Anyway, this is the simplest and most inexpensive form of stiffeners. As for practical properties, such a design works well at small and medium loads, but at high loads it is inferior to the transverse one (see below) both in terms of efficiency and durability. In addition, for some users, the longitudinal elements are inconvenient purely for subjective feelings.
— Transverse. Stiffeners of this type may look different. The most obvious, traditional option is a set of protrusions and grooves directed across the recumbent place; in other words, it is an analogue of the longitudinal ribs described above, differing only in direction. This provides, above all, resistance to transverse deformations, whic...h is especially useful for double products used by people who differ significantly in weight. Another, more advanced type of transverse ribs is a set of special recesses located in the correct order on the surface of the product. Under these recesses, partitions are hidden that connect the upper and lower sides of the inflatable shell. Such a design is quite expensive, but it has a number of advantages: in particular, it works effectively not only in the transverse, but also in the longitudinal direction, and also optimally distributes the load on the body of a lying person, providing maximum comfort.
Size (unfolded)
The overall dimensions of the product in the working position — fully inflated, and for folding models (see "Type") — also unfolded.
In general, this is a fairly obvious parameter; we only note that the size of the space available for sitting or lying down may be somewhat less than the overall length or width of the product — due to the presence of a backrest and/or armrests. These elements usually account for about 20 – 25 cm of space.
Weight
The total weight of the product.
The ease of transportation depends primarily on the weight. However in the case of inflatable furniture, this point is not critical: most of these products are still designed for constant use in one place. However, sometimes a piece of furniture is also bought with the expectation of being able to quickly move from place to place — for example, from home to the country house and back. In such cases, it is worth considering that light weight makes it easier to carry, but for the same performance, lighter products usually have either less reliability (due to the thin shell) or more cost than heavier ones.
