Valid Reasons to Buy a Low Cost Heated Mattress Pad?
What's your reason for wanting one of the low-price heated electric mattress pads? From time to time we hear: I want a good cheap electric mattress cover because:
• It’s for a guest room and will be used only once or twice per year -- possibly a valid reason.
• It’s for camping -- possibly a valid reason.
• I need it for only one season -- probably not a valid reason.
• I want to save on my heating bill but don’t have much money -- probably not a valid reason.
• I just like a deal -- probably not a valid reason.
• They’re all basically alike. I just want to keep warm -- probably not a valid reason.
• Doesn’t matter what it looks like as it’ll be under a bottom sheet anyway -- probably not a valid reason.
Safety Caution about Cheap Electric Mattress Pads
First of all, a caution: Be very hesitant to buy a used electric mattress pad, especially without a thorough inspection. It could be unsafe to use.
How To Find a Low Priced Warming Mattress Pad
As is common with so many seasonal items, heating mattress pad prices, especially the loss-leader ultra-basic ones vary from week to week. You will have to look around. Look for the Sunbeam and Biddeford products. Sunbeam also sells under their SlumberRest and Imperial brands and Biddeford also sells under their Cannon, Sealy and Delightful Nights brands.
But you don’t have to drive all over town! You can shop from your computer at web stores and have your choice delivered to your doorstep. Most web stores offer free shipping on electric mattress pads and their merchant service provider will guarantee secured credit card information. Obviously try Wal-Mart.com, K-Mart.com, DealYard.com, etc. You can see a list of retailers selling warming mattress pads from each major manufacturer at our Retailers page.
What You Will Get with a Cheap Electric Mattress Pad
Be aware that when you purchase the cheapest electric mattress pad, you will get:
• Polyester FELT fabric that will not be soft. There will be no padding over the heating wires.
• Fewer performance features although you will of course have an ON-OFF switch and a heat adjustment.
• Still you will get a multi-year (typically five years) guarantee against design and workmanship errors.
Reduced Energy Costs with All Electric Mattress Pads
And remember that whatever you pay (low end or high end) for your new heated mattress pad, you will save the purchase price many times over in reduced energy costs. Even the fully featured luxury models will pay themselves in just a few months assuming regular use.
Electric Mattress Pad Evenness of Heating (Hot and Cold Spots)
All warming mattress pads heat quite evenly due to their heater wires being held more precisely in their correct heat distribution pattern. Some brands of electric blankets are designed such that their heating wires are free to "float" somewhat inside the blanket. However all brands of mattress covers have their wires held securely in their intended heating pattern.
This is a photo of the bottom side of one brand of mattress pad illustrating how the heat wires are secured in place.
The only major difference between brands of warming pads as far as evenness of heating is found on the Sunbeam heated mattress pads. Many people like the Sunbeam feature of "directing heat where the body needs it" ("Smart Blanket Heating" or "Blanket with a Brain"). However many users complain that this feature actually makes for uneven heating.
Have you experienced any uneven heating with your electric mattress pad?
In addition to regular and even high cost heated mattress pads, both Biddeford and Sunbeam
produce low cost heated electric mattress pads under several different brand names. Perfect Fit (SoftHeat Low Voltage) competes only in the high-end category, while WestPoint's seem to be in the middle. We publish our opinions of each producer’s cheaper entries so that, if you are in the market for a low cost warming mattress pad, you can pick the one that’s best for you.
For detailed information on ALL the major heating mattress pad producers, refer to our Buyers Guide Heated Mattress Pads Ranked by Feature or to our Buyers Guide Heated Mattress Pad Reviews.
Electric Mattress Pad Safety
Without going into several pages of detailed reasoning, we think the Biddeford’s “Sensor Wire Technology” provides better overtemperature protection than Sunbeam’s “Positive Temperature Coefficient” (PTC) technology. That being said, warming mattress pads almost never need any overtemp protection since they are held flat to the mattress by the skirt and do not get bunched up like a warming blanket might.
Electric Mattress Pad Comfort
None of the low cost products is truly soft because they are made from polyester FELT and have no padding over the heating wires. However we give the comfort edge to Biddeford due to their smaller and more flexible heating wires. Since heated mattress pads will pay for themselves in short order by saving your home heating costs, we think you should weight this comfort factor heavily before purchasing a low cost one.
Electric Mattress Pad Fabric Quality
Low cost electric mattress pads have inferior outer fabrics compared to the higher cost ones. Expect some pilling and shedding as well as a nominal amount of shrinkage after washing/drying with the lower cost products. None of these can be dried completely in your dryer and all must be re-stretched to size. We rate this category a tossup.
Electric Mattress Pad Controller Durability
Neither manufacturer has much to brag about in this category. We rate both a tie here too.
Electric Mattress Pad Evenness of Heating (Hot and Cold Spots)
Both the Biddeford and the Sunbeam mattress pads heat evenly due to their heater wire being held more precisely in its proper heat distribution pattern. Many people like the Sunbeam feature of "directing heat where the body needs it" but just as many complain that this feature produces undesirable uneven heat.
Electric Mattress Pad Warmth
The Sunbeam electric mattress pads use more wattage (rated and actual) and wattage equals heat output. However due to the way in which heat is transmitted to the user, in our minds, an even better indicator of warmth can be obtained by comparative sleep testing. Sunbeam also is warmer in our sleep tests at least during the first year. However the Sunbeam does lose heat over the years (inherent in its PTC wire technology).
Conclusion:
The choice in low cost heated electric mattress pads is yours. Our own preference is to pay a little more and get something more deluxe that will be more comfortable and fully featured. After all you are going to spend an enormous amount of time on your pad over the next few years.
Where to Buy the Biddeford Low Cost Heated Mattress Pads
You can find the Biddeford (sometimes branded Sealy or Cannon) low cost mattress pads at K-Mart.com, DealYard.com, Buy.com, Sears.com.
Where to Buy the Sunbeam Low Cost Heated Mattress Pads
If you prefer the Sunbeam (sometimes branded Imperial or Royal) low cost warming mattress pads, you can find them at DealYard.com, Buy.com, and Wal-Mart.com.
Do you have a preference in low cost electric mattress pads? Tell us about it below.
The SoftHeat Low Voltage heated mattress pad has no controller wires running under your bed from head end to foot end. Though not essential, this is one more nice feature of the well-designed SoftHeat mattress pads. This company seems to have thought of everything, even minor details.
How is this accomplished? By smartly locating the controller wire connectors at the head of the bed instead of at the foot of it. Since no one would appreciate rubbing their head on a connector, they have cleverly located their connectors on the skirt instead of on the sleeping surface.
Figuring a sketch to be worth a thousand words, here is what the SoftHeat mattress pad setup looks like:
Five factors affect Heated Electric Mattress Pad Comfort:
- The design and construction of the pad itself including the fabric used.
- The size and flexibility of the heating wires.
- The size and placement of the wire connector(s) where the controller wires are attached to the fabric part of the product.
- Evenness of heating
- Heat adjustments available
1) BASIC CONSTRUCTIONS OF HEATED MATTRESS PADS:
The polyester felt electric mattress pad has no real fill or padding. All the major producers except SoftHeat produce one or more varieties of these felt mattress pads. The benefit is that they are very economical. The negative is that they are uncomfortable since there is no padding to absorb the feel of the heating wires plus the felt itself is stiff and rough feeling.
Padded heated mattress covers employ batting such as polyester fill over the heater wires. The fill cushions the wires of course. The top fabric can then be polyester (plain or plush) or cotton or some blend of the two depending upon what the manufacturer thinks their customers will want. All manufacturers make some variation of this construction.
2) HEATER WIRE SIZES IN ELECTRIC MATTRESS PADS
In addition to the constuction, the size and flexibility of the heating wires in an electric mattress pad affects comfort. You can read our whole separate article on heating wire sizes and flexibility
here.
3) CONNECTOR BOXES IN ELECTRIC MATTRESS PADS
Comfort is also affected by the size and location of the controller wire connector in the pad itself since if not designed properly, your feet can bang or rub on it during your sleep.
- Sunbeam uses the largest connector in the industry. All of th
eir connectors are located at the foot end of the bed in the center on the sleeping surface Their dual controls on the Queen and King and CalKing models also use just one very large connector and plug located at the foot end in the center. We judge this configuration to be the worst possible.
- Biddeford's connectors are located in the same places as Sunbeam (on the top surface at the foot end of the bed) but their connectors and plugs are somewhat smaller. Additionally their Queen, King and CalKing models use two connectors - one for each side located on each side instead of one in the center. This approach is better.
- WestPoint also has medium size connectors but they have located them on the skirt of the pad at the foot end of the bed. Their King and CalKing models use two connectors - one for each controller located on each side instead of one in the center. However their Queen models use the one connector for two controllers and it is located in the middle.
- The SoftHeat Low Voltage heated mattress pads use the smallest
connectors of all but go even further by locating them on the skirt of the pad, not on the sleeping surface. Then they additionally place them at the head end of the bed so that no controller wires have to run under the length of the bed. They also use one connector for each controller. We judge this approach to be the best by far.
4) EVENNESS OF HEATING
Electric mattress pad heating wires are held in specific assigned patterns by relatively narrow wire channels or by affixing them permanently in a variety of ways. The result is that unlike electric blankets, American heated mattress pads of every brand will produce an all-over even-heating pattern.
5) HEAT ADJUSTMENTS AVAILABLE -- DIGITAL AND ANALOG CONTROLS
The number of heat adjustments available from the controller(s) obviously affects comfort. For example, if a controller had only two heat settings, HI and LO, the heating would not be comfortable most of the time.
Good design requires multiple heat settings. Almost all heated mattress pads sold in America with digital controls have 11 settings referenced as LO, 1-9 and HI (WestPoint has only 5 heat settings). All manufacturers except SoftHeat design some of their products with digital controls. Any product with an analog controller (i.e. knob instead of push button to set the heat level) has an infinite number of actual heat settings. Their knobs will be marked with a reasonable number of heat references, most commonly LO, 1-9 and HI. All manufacturers except WestPoint design some of their products with analog controls.
So the obvious winner of the Most Comfortable Heated Mattress Pad is the SoftHeat Low Voltage.
If you are concerned about today’s heated blankets not being warm enough for you, we
always recommend considering a heated mattress pad. ANY HEATED MATTRESS PAD WILL BE WARMER THAN ANY HEATED BLANKET. So the consequences of having an electric mattress pad with a lower level of heat are not nearly so important.
Why? With an electric blanket, unless you add something like a comforter or spread on top of the electric blanket, roughly 1/2 the heat generated will travel up toward the room ceiling. But with an electric mattress pad, the heat will remain around your body since it is trapped by the mattress itself on the bottom and whatever bed covers you use on the top. This means that you can be significantly warmer with any heated mattress pad.
Sunbeam produces the absolute warmest mattress pad sold in America, at least at the start of its life. However, Sunbeam's mattress pads will lose warmth each year due to their unique design. The other brands start out about 70-80% as warm as the Sunbeam but do not lose heat over the years due to different heating technologies employed.
Although electric blankets can save substantially on your heating costs, you will use somewhat less electricity with the warming mattress pad. For detailed information, see our Actual Energy Use page. Within the past few years the percentage of heating mattress pads sold in the United States seems to be increasing somewhat as more and more people learn of their existence and learn of their superior therapeutic value too.
If you feel that your mattress pad may not be heating properly, perform this easy test. Turn it ON (one side only if a Dual Control model) with the pad in a FOLDED UP condition. After about 5 to 7 minutes, carefully place your hand within the folds. If it doesn't feel quite warm at that time, your pad is not working properly. THIS IS ONLY A TEST. DO NOT LET IT HEAT FOR A LONGER TIME WHILE FOLDED SINCE IT COULD OVERHEAT.
What are your experiences with electric mattress pad heat?
One of the most frequent questions we are asked is: Which heating blanket
or heated mattress pad has the smallest wires? When people ask this question, the most obvious thing on their mind is comfort. So we measured each manufacturer’s heating wire sizes.
Heater Wire Sizes Compared:
Each manufacturer uses the same heater wire in ALL of its models of electric blankets and electric mattress pads. Here are the results:
|
Manufacturer
|
Wire
Shape
|
Cross-Sectional Area
|
Compared to the Winner - SoftHeat
|
|
SoftHeat
|
Round
|
.0016 sq. in.
|
Smallest
|
|
WestPoint*
|
Round
|
.0044 sq. in.
|
2.8X larger
|
|
Biddeford
|
Round
|
.0077 sq. in.
|
4.8X larger
|
|
Sunbeam
|
Oval
|
.0082 sq. in.
|
5.1X larger
|
*No longer produces Heated Blankets, only Mattress Pads.
The SoftHeat Low Voltage wires were the smallest by far.
Heater Wire Flexibility:
Most people are concerned with the size of the heater wires. Just as important in our thinking is the flexibility of the heater wires.
The SoftHeat due to its small size is also clearly the most flexible. The Biddeford and WestPoint heating wire comes in the middle and lastly we found the Sunbeam heater wires to be quite stiff and inflexible.
Randy sent us this email regarding his personal experiences with both arthritis and fibromyalgia:
I'm in my late fifties now. During the last twenty years I've suffered from arthritis of the spine and fibromyalgia. I've taken a variety of medications for these conditions, even anti-depressants. However, the best suggestion I received for my pain came from a ninety year old friend.
She recommended that I should think about using a heated mattress pad to ease my arthritis and fibromyalgia pain. Usually I can ignore my aches in the spring, summer and fall. But during the winter I hurt the most. The cold air lights up my fibromyalgia and makes my arthritis throb. So last winter, I gave it a try and I was surprised and pleased at how much relief I received from doing so.
I did some research on electric mattress pad use for arthritis or fibromyalgia. I discovered that arthritis is caused by tissue inflammation in the spine, arms, and legs as well as other parts of the body. I learned that fibromyalgia can cause pain in the same areas of the body through over sensitive nerves. Apparently warming mattress pad use can give comfort to my body. The heat reduces my pain. It worked for me! In the mornings, when I woke up, I was more rested. I didn't wake up with the same old terrible pain that sometimes made life seemingly worthless.
This winter I'll be using my heated mattress pad again. I'm glad my very dear old friend told me to think about using an electric mattress pad to ease my arthritis and fibromyalgia aches.
Randy’s experiences are further supported by hard scientific research. As we state in the Health Benefits section of the Consumer Guide to Electric Bedding, The Arthritis Helpbook which is authored by Kate Loring and James Fries and which is recommended by both the Arthritis Foundation® and the Arthritis Society® states: Heat is most effective for reducing the pain associated with muscle tension and stiffness, and when there is little or no inflammation. It works by increasing the blood flow to the skin and muscles around the painful area. This, in turn, enhances muscle nutrition and relaxation. When the muscles relax, pain and stiffness decrease…. Warm baths, showers, a hot tub, sauna, or electric mattress pads are good ways to help soothe the whole body; these methods may be particularly beneficial for the person with fibromyalgia. (Cf. page 241, “Pain Management” in the 5th edition.) Additionally you can pre-warm your bed if that would help prevent any muscle spasms. Warm beds are just nice to get into anyway.
The book Arthritis 101, an official publication of the Arthritis Foundation, states: Use an electric blanket or mattress pad. Turn it up before you get out of bed to combat morning stiffness. (cf. page 53, “Other Treatments for Arthritis”.)
So doesn’t it make sense to at least try a warming mattress pad if you suffer from either of these hardships?
Send us your comments please. Has your or a friend's arthritis or fibromyalgia been helped by using an electric mattress cover?
If you keep a few simple safety tips in mind, you can use an extension cord or power strip with your SoftHeat electric blanket with complete peace of mind. Many SoftHeat customers love the dual controls of their heated blankets, but sometimes find that having to plug two cords into the wall is inconvenient, especially in homes that never seem to have enough wall outlets. You can solve this problem by plugging both of your controllers into a multiple-outlet extension cord or power strip.
Extension Cord Safety Tips
• Your SoftHeat controllers have 3-prong plugs, so use only a 3-prong ex
tension cord or power strip with your heated blanket.
• Extension cords can overheat and cause fires IF they are overloaded. So be sure to use an extension cord or power strip that is rated for more than the maximum current you will be running through it. (See our easy tips on how to do this below.)
• Don't overload the wall outlet by running more devices on the power strip than the circuit can handle. Typical household wall outlets are on 15 amp fuses or circuit breakers.
• Use the shortest extension cord you can find that will reach the wall outlet from your electric blanket controllers.
• Be sure to run the extension cord under your bed or behind other furniture so that it does not present a tripping hazard to you or your visitors.
• If you have dogs or cats, train them to never chew on electrical cords.
• Never use an extension cord that is badly worn or has exposed wires.
Choosing a proper extension cord or power strip
1) Assure your cord or strip is UL-listed (look for the UL mark on it).
2) Add the amps (from the rating plates) of all the high powered devices you wish to plug into this cord or strip. The highest powered SoftHeat blankets will use less than 3 amps even with both sides on HI.
3) If the amps are not shown, the wattage will be. To derive the amps, simply divide those watts by 110.
4) Then as noted above, make sure your total amps are less than the rating on the extension cord.
Have you ever spent a cold winter evening wishing you could be just a little bit more comfortable without having to crank up the heat? With energy costs going through the roof, we could all use a more affordable way to stay warm and cozy, right?
Why Choose Heated Throws?
Heated throws are a great solution! Also known as electric throws or warming throws, these plush little blankets are a practical and economical way to stay warm. At a cost of less than 2 cents for 4 hours use, a heated throw provides targeted warmth for a fraction of the cost of traditional central heat. And heated throws are great gifts, so your friends and family can also enjoy soft, luxurious comfort year round.
Most heated throws measure about 45 x 60 inches, so they’re just the right size for an evening on the couch or easy chair. And, with a multitude of available colors and patterns, warming throws offer an attractive accent to any décor. Just “throw” one over your favorite chair and it’s always within reach when you need it!
The Gift of Warmth
Electric throws are basically small electric blankets, and they work in the same way. Any throw that’s UL-rated will plug into a standard 120v outlet so it’s safe for everyday use. Of course, as with any electric warming blanket, throw or pad, it’s always best to read manufacturer’s instructions and never allow your heated throw to bunch up or the heating elements to get pinched.
Tens of thousands of electric throws are given as gifts every year in the U.S. Why? Heated throws are great gifts that offer warmth and comfort when temperatures dip. They are attractive, economical sources of heat that last for years. And best of all—they remind loved ones of your thoughtfulness every time they use theirs.
So don’t touch that thermostat! Instead, reach for the plush, luxurious warmth that only a soft and cuddly heated throw can deliver. And don’t forget-- heated throws are great gifts for all those people in your life who deserve a little pampering (and who doesn't?)
Have you gifted a heated throw to anyone?