I stopped using chair kits (like the Thermarest'r series) when the Helinox folding chairs came out. I never had a problem with the self-inflating pads and chair kits, and used them for a lot of years. I never had any issues with inflatable air pads, either, but only used them for a couple of years. (As chairs, the inflatables never seemed as stable or comfortable as the self-inflating pads to me, but I never had any leaks or other issues with them.)

From my limited experience with inflatables in chair kits, I never had any issues related to baffles. The direction (horizontal or vertical) never seemed important: I used the NeoAir (horizontal) and the Big Agnes Q-Core (vertical) with equal success. I've also used the Sea to Summit Comfort Plus pads with the Thermarest kits; those have a dimpled surface that creates x-shaped baffle pattern; again, no issues.

I'm curious: what was your current pad make and model, and how did you find out the r-value was overstated?