Hottest Electric Blanket Award [Editor's Choice]
Recently William wrote: Do the newer blankets give out less heat? Years ago a
Sunbeam blanket got really toasty. I purchased over the last few years 2 Sunbeam blankets that come nowhere close to the heat as the old ones. They have a feature that's supposed to warm up only where your body is, instead of the whole bed. They are not warm enough for me. Any advice you can give me? Thanks.
Modern heated blankets intended for the American market are not as hot as those of 20 or more years ago. Since around 1990, electric bedding in the USA has been designed at a lower wattage i.e. low heating. Why?
1) Mainly to prevent many of the fires that used to happen in this country and still do occur in some other countries which continue to use higher wattage products.
2) Additionally to gain therapeutic benefits from multi-hour use of low heat - see our Health Benefits article for more information on this.
Also as noted in our Consumer Guide article on today’s level of heat, almost all electric blankets designed for the US market are made to be used with other (non-heated) blankets, spreads, comforters, etc. over them (read your User Manual). If you want to add an additional cover on top, a whole lot more heat from the heated blanket will be retained around your body.
In the American market, the warmest heated blankets are those made by Sunbeam, at least at the start of their life. Unfortunately, Sunbeam blankets, due to their unique technology, will then lose heat each year (actually a tiny fraction every time it is used) for its life. 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.
Two Other Thoughts About Electric Blanket Level of Heat
1) 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. See our comparison of the electric mattress pad with the electric blanket.
2) One simple way to be sure your blanket is actually working is to perform this easy test. Turn it ON (one side only if a Dual Control model) with the blanket in a FOLDED UP condition. After about 5 to 7 minutes, carefully place your hand between the folds. If it doesn't feel toasty at that point, your blanket is not working properly. DO NOT LEAVE IT ON FOR A LONGER TIME WHILE FOLDED. IT MAY OVERHEAT. THIS IS A TEST ONLY.
Do you have any comments about Today's Level of Heat from Electric Blankets? We'd love to hear them.