What To Look For When Purchasing
Electric Blankets or Heated Mattress Pads
Read what the experts think BEFORE you buy. The Electric Blanket Institute’s Buyer’s Guide helps you determine what might be IMPORTANT TO YOU, presents reviews of products by type and brand and finally lets you know which retail stores are carrying the brand of product you decide is right for you.
PRICE vs. FEATURES
A good heating blanket or mattress pad should last 5 to even 10 years and will save you many times over what you pay for it in energy costs, assuming you turn your furnace thermostat down at night. (See Energy Savings for details.) Therefore initial price should become a less important factor in your decision while comfort, durability and ease of use should become more important ones. When selecting the product, the purchaser or gift-giver should consider which features will be important to the person who will be using the product over the next 5 to 10 years.
EASE OF USE
Before purchasing an electric blanket or mattress pad, one should consider how easily the particular user will be able to operate the controls. For example, a person with poor grasping ability should look for a large easy-to-turn knob or at least an easy-to-push digital control button. A person with poor eyesight will want to purchase a control with large heat setting numbers that are bright enough to see but not so bright that they disturb sleep. Likewise it is important to be able to see the setting numbers on the control when the control is placed in its intended location (e.g. on the nightstand or on the floor). If there are two people in the same bed, individual heating controls (i.e. dual controls) will be extremely important. Some people will not want a heavy blanket pushing down on their bodies all night and should therefore look for a lightweight heated blanket or even switch to a heated mattress pad.
In other words, think through your needs and wants BEFORE you select so that you will purchase a product that has the features important to the USER.
SAFETY AND UL LISTING
One should never purchase an electric blanket or electric mattress pad that does not show the UL or the ETL Mark on it. UL has developed the only comprehensive set of electric bedding safety regulations for the United States. Some manufacturers get their products certified by ETL to the same UL standard, number 964. UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories and their safety standards are the most accepted and recognized ones in the United States. All the models of the major brands of warming bedding meet the UL964 standard. If you see the UL or the ETL mark on a blanket or mattress pad, you can be sure it has passed those tests. (Note: Occasionally we get asked about the 4 character alpha-numeric under the word "LISTED". That is a control number for UL's use. That 4 character number is NOT the UL standard number or the product's model number.)
All the major manufacturers sell under many different brands (see the other sections of this Buyers Guide for information on each brand). There are also small 12V electric blankets (throws) for sale that are designed for use with car power outlets ("cigarette lighters"). These are rudimentary devices and none of them is made by the major manufacturers. NONE OF THEM ARE UL LISTED for good reasons (e.g. the cord could become entangled in the accelerator or brake pedal mechanisms or more importantly they may have poor overheat protection). If you decide to use one of these 12V car outlet warming blankets, use it with the utmost caution.
Choosing the Best Electric Bedding For YOU
- Before You Buy – A MUST Review: 5 Keys to Selecting the Most Appropriate Electric Bedding for YOUR Needs!
- Unsure which kind to buy? Our Reviews in the Buyers Guide section can help.
- Still unsure which to buy? Try our new FREE Personalized Recommendations service.
- Ready to Buy? If you want to see a list of retailers carrying ALL the major brands of heated MATTRESS PADS this year, see Heated Mattress Pad Retailers. If you want to see a list of retailers that are carrying ALL the major brands of heated BLANKETS this year, click Stores Selling Electric Blankets.
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