Best Budget-Friendly: Sunbeam Heated Mattress Pad

Most folks know that heated blankets are a good way to keep warm on a cold night—but the secret to staying more toasty is using a heated mattress pad.

Why?

When you heat from below, more heat stays trapped between the person and the blanket. Heated blankets, on the other hand, lose some heat to the room—that makes them less comfortable and efficient.

So what are the best heated mattress pad? Here at the home ranch in Colorado it gets mighty cold. So we tried out several brands. And then we asked our parent readers for their favorites.

For the best budget-friendly heated mattress pad, we liked the Sunbeam model MSU1GQS. No, it isn’t as plush as other models—but it does the trick (heats up quickly and stays toasty warm), at a price that doesn’t break the bank.

Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Quickly warms up.

• Auto shut-off after 10 hours.

• Machine washable.

• Dual controls—dial the heat differently on each side of the pad.

• 10 heat settings.

What Needs Work

• Thin pad so wires may be noticeable. We didn’t find this to be an issue, but some folks find the wires uncomfortable. 

• Hard to adjust the controls at night in the dark. While the heat setting is lit on the control, the controls themselves are not lighted—as a result, it is hard to adjust the setting in the dark.

• No pre-heat function. If you are willing to spend extra, that’s a nice feature. See the next recommendation for a heated mattress pad with a pre-warm function.

Best Pad With Preheat: Degrees of Comfort Dual Control Heated Mattress Pad

When you ask fans of heated mattress pads for their favorite feature, most folks say: preheat! 

Preheat lets you quickly warm up the bed prior to bedtime . . . and that is wonderful on a cold night.

For the best pad with a preheat feature, we’d recommend Degrees of Comfort Dual Control Heated Mattress Pad. With one touch you can preheat the pad in just 15 minutes. We loved this pad for its thick, soft feel.

Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Long power cord (12.5 feet).

• Dual controls.

• 5 heat levels.

• Preheat! This takes about 15 minutes.

• Thick, soft plush pad. As a result, you don’t feel the heating wires.

What Needs Work

• Some users say the heat can be uneven. We didn’t find that in our testing, but we see some folks felt this blanket’s heat was too uneven.

• Requires two outlets. That can be a problem if you don’t have two nearby electrical outlets to your bed.

Best Plush Heated Pad: Sunbeam Heated Mattress Pad Water Resistant

One of the biggest complaints about heated mattress pads are the wires—if the pad is too thin, then you can feel the wires through your sheets. That’s not very comfortable, although it bothers some folks more than others.

For the most plush heated mattress pad, we’d recommend Sunbeam’s model MSU5SQS . . .  wow, is this pad super soft! All that padding helps hide the wires. Bonus: it’s also water resistant. 

Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Preheat feature!

• Water resistant backing.

• Very warm.

• Machine wash and dry.

• Super soft.

• 20 heat settings.

• Skirt fits up to 19″ mattresses.

What Needs Work

• Hard to see controls in the dark.

• Pricey.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do hands-on testing—we buy the products with our own money and evaluate with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!