Electric blanket/throw recommendations

September 26, 2022 3:42 AM

Do you like your electric blanket/throw? Why or why not, and what brand is it? Especially curious about cheaper brands but interested in all.
posted by needs more cowbell to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

IMO, all electric blankets are made in the same factory in China and there is no difference between brands. The reviews are always horrific. I ordered one on Amazon and later ordered a second from the same company and it was made from a different plush [sic] fabric and the control unit was different. I don't care what they look like (they're always covered up) but if looks are important to you, buy in person.

I treat them like they are spun from spiderwebs. I roll them up gently when not using, I don't ever sit on top of them, I've never put them in a washing machine, etc etc. The only thing to remember is to attach the control unit to the blanket first before plugging it into the wall outlet which is hopefully nearby.

If you want a better guarantee of quality, LL Bean sells a very expensive one which, if/when it stops working, you have recourse to complain.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 4:34 AM on September 26, 2022

I have the cheap, ubiquitous Sunbeam throw. I've washed it in the machine, my dogs have slept on it, I crumple it and wad it without a second thought, one of my dogs even chewed the power cable all to heck when I brought him home from the shelter. It's fine, still all works no problem.

Mine is several years old so I searched a bit, but I think it's this exact one just in a different color. There's no way I would have paid that much for it. I know I got mine at Costco, and $30 or under is about the price point I would have said yeah let's try an electric throw.
posted by phunniemee at 5:24 AM on September 26, 2022

We bought a Sunbeam electric blanket, with dual controls (so that I could control the heat on my side, and my spouse could control it on his) but for whatever reason, his side only wants to heat up about 15% of the time. You often have to lay the blanket out and straighten the wires/coils, but that hasn't seemed to solve our dual controls issue. When it works, it works great, though! Ha. That being said, we do have a Sunbeam heated throw, and that one's been fantastic and reliable. If you need a blanket that's big enough for two, your best bet may be to buy two separate Sunbeam throws and let each person use one for themself. Otherwise, just stick to a single throw. I think the bigger, bed-size heated blankets have so many wires that it's just more vulnerable to things breaking.

As far as safety, the electric blankets of today are far more safe than those of the past, and have auto shutoff. The issue is more the fact that blankets are malleable objects and it's too easy to bend the wires and find yourself without reliable steady heating.
posted by nightrecordings at 6:18 AM on September 26, 2022

I also have the ubiquitous Sunbeam throw. We keep our house cool in the winter and make good use of heated blankets, small heating pads (awesome for feet) and - most magnificent of all - a heated mattress pad for the bed.

I think that, technically, one is supposed to lightly drape the heated blanket over oneself and avoid placing any weight on it. But there's nothing better than wrapping oneself up in a heated blanket like a burrito and settling in to watch the snow fall. We have one draped over the office room's computer chair for working from home. They all have auto-shutoff so we don't worry about leaving them plugged in when we're not around (we'll turn them off if we're leaving the room, but if we forgot at least they wouldn't stay on forever in our absence). During the warm months we fold them up lightly and put them in a closet.
posted by Gray Duck at 7:08 AM on September 26, 2022

I agree that they're mostly the same but the controllers are very different. I have a variant of this Sunbeam throw which just has a single button and three settings. Long cord so you don't have to sit right next to a power outlet. Turns itself off after some predetermined time. I kind of hated it at first because it's super plush which is not always my jam but it's snuggly and the simple button means I'm not fussing with it, don't need my glasses on. I was never a heated throw person (though I've lived with an electric mattress pad warmer for decades and highly recommend them) but now that it's heating season I can turn my heat on later on the day if I spend the morning reading under this one.

Only downside with this one is that the button can be clicked accidentally so you have to be a little careful near the controller.
posted by jessamyn at 7:26 AM on September 26, 2022

Pay attention to where the cord and controls attach to make sure it will work for you. Mine has them in a position that means if you want to be able to reach the controller during use, the cord is basically in your face.
posted by metasarah at 8:13 AM on September 26, 2022

A couple other tips. The heat radiates outward as well as inward so I cover my sofa throw with a lightweight Sherpa fleece throw. Also if you keep the controller at the foot of your throw (breathlessly waiting for a kind of WiFi device to eliminate that clunky part) and you have wood/bare floors, wrap some styrofoam packing material around it with a rubber band so it doesn’t clank every time you shift position.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:14 AM on September 26, 2022

If you're in the US, Target has a handful of heated throws they stock seasonally (any minute now) that have long been my preferred heated throw. Looking at their site, I'm guessing it's the Biddleford brand. They are generally a bit whimsical (in the past I've had snowflakes, trees, and red buffalo plaid). In any case they are a silky plush, I was forced to give up several of them to my dogs, and I am anxiously awaiting their return so I can get a fresh one.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:58 AM on September 26, 2022

In my experience sunbeam heated pads and blankets work for one fall-winter-spring of daily use, then fail. I just expect to replace them annually.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:49 PM on September 26, 2022

Wow, mine is not a Sunbeam! I got this Figerm heated throw (about $43 for the 50"x60") and I've been very happy with it. I wrap up like a burrito, as Gray Duck says: I drape it around my back, nearly to the floor, then wrap it snugly around me, so it opens in the front (but I keep it overlapped, not open). I then stick a heating pad under my feet, and I am utterly toasty at my desk all day. That means I'm sitting on it all the time. It's held up fine for the year or so that I've had it.

I bought a space heater before I got the throw, and now I hardly ever use it because the throw keeps me so warm.

I have no idea why I bought this one instead of one of the others; probably I liked the color. I suspect any brand would be fine, but as a single data point, I've been very happy with this one.
posted by kristi at 7:08 PM on September 27, 2022