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.
Pump
The type of pump that the product is equipped with.
Nowadays,
built-in electrical units are the most popular. Much less common is furniture supplied with separately made pumps — both
electrical and
mechanical. In addition, quite a few products are
not equipped with pumps at all; such a configuration also has its advantages. Here is a more detailed description of each of these options:
— Electric built-in. The pump is in the form of a module built directly into the shell of the product (usually in one of the ends). The popularity of such equipment is due to a number of practical advantages. Firstly, such a pump is always at hand — you can only lose it along with the furniture itself. Secondly, it practically does not take up extra space. Thirdly, the pumping procedure is extremely simple and convenient — you don’t need to fiddle with the connection and waste energy on pumping air, just plug the device into a power outlet and start the process. Fourthly, the built-in pump in many models is able to work not only for pumping, but also for releasing air, accelerating the folding of the shell; this is especially convenient given that inflatable furniture usually has a significant volume, and the release of air in the usual way (without a pump) can take a considerable amount of time. At the same time, even a breakdown of such
...a unit does not disable the product — in this case, usually, the design provides for a spare valve for an external pump.
The main disadvantage of the built-in module is the relatively high cost, but in most cases it is more than offset by the advantages described. In addition, for the operation of any electric pump, power is required (usually from a socket), but this point in this case is not critical — after all, inflatable furniture is most often used in everyday situations where there are no problems with sockets. In extreme cases, the shell can be pumped up in another way, through the aforementioned spare valve.
— Electric. Electric pump as a separate accessory supplied with the furniture. This option is somewhat cheaper than the built-in unit described above; while pumping, again, does not require any physical effort. On the other hand, for a number of parameters, a separate pump is less convenient than a built-in one — in particular, it takes up additional storage space and can be lost. So such equipment in inflatable furniture is not popular.
— Mechanical. Separate mechanical pump supplied with the product. Such a pump works due to the muscular strength of the user; it can have a manual or foot drive, however, anyway, significant efforts must be made to pump. The advantages of such devices include, first of all, low cost and independence from sockets. At the same time, the price of a pump (both mechanical and even more expensive electric) is usually only a small fraction of the price of the entire product; and “out of civilization” inflatable furniture is used extremely rarely, and the possibility of pumping without sockets for such products is not particularly relevant. For these reasons, mechanical pumps have not received significant distribution — they are even rarer than individual electric ones.
— No pump. The absence of a pump in the design or delivery of the product. In most cases, the meaning of this configuration is that the user can choose the pump at his discretion, without relying on the choice of the manufacturer; it will also be useful in cases where the farm already has a suitable pumping unit. However, there is a more specific option — products that do not require a pump to fill with air at all; these are, first of all, the majority of the so-called bivans (see "Type").Cup holder
The presence of a
cup holder in the design of furniture. Most often, it is a characteristic cylindrical recess in the armrest, in which you can install not only a glass, but also other objects: a bottle, a bag of snacks, and even a mobile phone or a TV remote control. Typically, a similar function is provided in models designed for a sitting position — armchairs and sofas (see "Type").
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.
