Most Durable Heated Electric Blanket -- Award Winner [Editor's Choice]
Harry recently wrote us: I have been using electric blankets for 47
years. Believe it or not, one lasted for 10 years but after that it has been all downhill. If I am lucky they are averaging 2 years. Mostly it has to do with the remote controller not working correctly.
Unfortunately for our industry, we hear similar complaints way too often. The evidence leads us to the opinion that there are two main factors involved with the durability of a heated blanket or a heated mattress pad:
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Cost cutting pressures; and,
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UNINTENTIONAL consumer misuse.
1) Large retailers engage in constant pricing wars which means their buyers have to pressure their suppliers to cut prices. Obviously the chains want high quality durable heated blankets and mattress pads but unfortunately don’t seem to realize that their suppliers are unable to reduce prices without either revolutionary ideas (not always possible) or shaving product costs. Sometimes cost reductions are brilliant but sometimes they just don’t work out as hoped. It’s a shame but we Americans have all seen this reliability trend getting worse over the years. It seems to be especially true with “seasonal” merchandise since store buyers rarely have the time it takes to really understand these products anyway.
2) Due to these pricing pressures, sometimes manufacturers don’t invest enough time or money in their product design or in their product instructions so that the consumer can easily understand how to handle their product. The result is that some people unknowingly use their products improperly either while on the bed or while storing them for the summer. Part of this misuse is due to many consumers not reading their product Use and Care Manual. To improve your electric blanket or electric mattress pad durability, read your Owner’s Manual and our article about taking care of it.
In our opinion, the most durable electric blankets and the most durable electric mattress pads are the SoftHeat Low Voltage ones. Their good understandable design and their clear and easy-to-read User Manuals plus our abuse testing and the user comments we receive support this conclusion. The Soft Heat products are not the cheapest ones on the market but we think they are the most reliable and worth the extra cost. See our product review of the SoftHeat Blanket or the SoftHeat Mattress Pad.
We would love to know your experiences with heated blanket or heated mattress cover durability – good and bad. How long do yours last?