Soft Heat Low Voltage Heated Mattress Pad Review The non-profit Electric Mattress pad Institute™ presents a professional, scientific and unbiased review of the Perfect Fit SoftHeat Low Voltage heated electric mattress pads. We tell you the advantages and the disadvantages as we see them so that you can decide if these products are right for you. Brief History of Perfect Fit and the SoftHeat Mattress Pad Perfect Fit Industries, a respected American textile company founded in 1932, has been producing top-of-the-line warming blankets and mattress pads since the year 2000. In 2004, they converted their entire line of warming mattress pads to their newly patented Safe & Warm® low voltage technology. Unlike the larger companies which make pad models for all price points, SoftHeat makes only a few models and the variations between them are solely in the top fabrics. They use the same patented low voltage system and the same controllers across their entire model line to keep costs down.
Their market is the premium niche. Review of the SoftHeat Electric Mattress pad – the Pros and the Cons Their electric mattress pads are the only ones in the USA conforming to the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) classification “Non-hazardous Low Voltage”. It is most improbable ever to get an electric shock even if the mattress pad becomes wet (for example from incontinence or spilled drink) or even if the heater wire insulation becomes cut or punctured (for example from a pet’s claw). Their heater wires are far smaller and more flexible than any other UL-listed producer’s. Their evenness of heating is excellent. Their mattress pads are machine washable and the only ones that are fully machine dryable without re-stretching to size. Their top fabrics (Cotton Blend and especially their Microplush) are soft and do not pill or shed. Soft Heat Warming Mattress pad Controllers: Have an easy-to-use rotary dial with large, brightly lit heat-level numbers.
Automatic lamp dimming whenever the room lights are low or off. Have automatic pre-heating to whatever temperature is selected. Feature an auto-off at 10 hours. Their small controller wire connectors are located on the skirt (not the sleeping surface) at the head end of the mattress pad which results in no wires running under the length of the bed. All of their Queen, King and Cal-King sized mattress pads have Dual Controls so that each person can control the heat level on their side of the bed. Dual control models feature one connector for each controller (makes controller mix-up unlikely). Extension cords and power strips of proper rating are allowed with these warming pads. They can lower your home heating costs substantially. All are Underwriters Laboratories listed and conform to UL 964, the recognized electric bedding safety standard in the United States. All their mattress pads carry a 5 year warranty against design and manufacturing defects.
Lastly, of importance to RVers and Boaters: The Soft Heat electric mattress pads are the only ones that will work consistently with modified sine wave inverters. Higher cost than many heated mattress pads. Their heat output is about 20% less than others at max (but quite sufficient for most people). The product has a power supply adaptor unit box (approximately 6” X 3” X 2”) that converts wall outlet 120VAC to low voltage DC prior to the control and the mattress pad. The company says that this box can be permanently located under the bed, out of the way and out of sight. Dual control models have two. People with very sensitive hearing and very quiet rooms sometimes complain of a high-pitched power supply humming. (The vast majority of people including those of us at the Institute have never heard it during normal use.) The Dual Control model’s connector design means two wall outlets (or extension cord sockets) are needed. Their controller plugs require three-hole outlets in the wall or extension cord.
Who Are These Mattress Pads For? SoftHeat’s electric mattress pads cost a little more than most but are an excellent value for those wanting a premium, completely safe, durable, comfortable, easy-to-care-for and easy-to-use heated mattress pad. 1. Before You Buy – A MUST Review: the Lead Page of the Buyer's Guide offering: Major considerations before your purchase; Links to all of our Reviews and Ratings sections 2. Ready to Buy? If you want to see a list of retailers carrying each of the major brands of Heated MATTRESS PADS this year, click Heated Mattress Pad Retailers OR for Heated BLANKETS, click Stores Selling Electric Blankets. The Electric Blanket Institute’s Consumer Guide and Blog text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 3.0 United States License. For any reuse or distribution you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. The best way to do this is with a link to this web page. This information has been developed over many years of testing and is presented freely for educational use only and without any warranty of any kind.
It is not a substitute for the safe usage practices of your individual product. See our Policies Page for other information including advertising and affiliate linkage. Sorry, all information presented applies only to products sold in the United States. We cannot help with other products.I’ve always been amazed how a bed can look so cozy and inviting in the winter, yet give you an unpleasantly shivery surprise when you sleepily climb into it. A cold bed is no fun, so in those long winter nights it’s great to heat your bed and avoid the feeling that you can’t move for fear of rolling onto another icy spot. There’s no better way to keep your bed warm throughout the night than with a heated mattress pad. It’s an energy efficient, cost effective and safe way to ensure personal warmth while you sleep. In this review I’ll be looking at products from the three major players in the heated bedding industry. To help you make the best choice, I’ll compare them on these key factors:
Hopefully you’ll find one which meets your needs and your budget, and helps you sleep in comfort while the world outside is freezing over. Best overall for comfort and reliable heating Sunbeam is an industry leader in designing heated bedding, and its vertical quilted heated mattress pad is the most comfortable and reliable I’ve tried. There isn’t actually a lot of diversity in the heated mattress pad sector. Most manufacturers employ a standard template that includes 10 settings, dual controls, an auto-off feature, and a pre-heat feature. Because of these similarities, picking the superior product comes down to going beneath the surface. The Sunbeam has two things going for it that set it apart in the industry. It’s as comfortable to lie on as a plush mattress pad, and it has a reliably even heating spread from wires which you won’t feel when you’re in bed. It has the full range of heating settings, including pre-heat and 10 different temperatures.
And with dual controls on larger sizes, you and your partner can choose the exact temperature you need to sleep best. Here are the key points to consider: The main downside is that the connector isn’t right on the end of the pad, but a little way up. So if you’re very tall, the connector at the feet may bother you. But if your bed swallows you up, the quality and design are superb and you won’t be disappointed. This is a heated mattress pad that will keep both you and your partner reliably warm throughout those chilly winter nights. The Soft Heat Micro-plush heated mattress pad is made of some of the softest material out there, meaning it not only keeps you warm, but also adds an extra layer of comfort to your bed. Compliment that with its ultra-thin wires and it’s unlikely you’ll even notice the wiring is there. Safety is something Soft Heat evidently like to focus on, and it shows here with a low-voltage converter and an auto-off function. The main point it has in its favor compared to the Sunbeam is the cord placement.
The connector is tucked out of the way at the head of the bed on the side, so you won’t feel it with your feet, and the cords can easily reach sockets behind or to the side of the bed. Here are the key points to note: A potential downside is that on larger pads you need to plug in two transformers, which might require an extension cable. Furthermore, the transformers use energy even when switched off so it’s best to unplug them during the day. The Soft Heat Micro-plush heated mattress pad comes very close to getting everything right, but does have flaws, notably using two transformers on mattresses queen size and larger. The quality of the design is otherwise excellent. The connectors are in a great place and the design allows you and your partner to be happy with the freedom of temperature choice. The Serta Damask heated mattress pad shares much in common with the previous models, but is weaker in other areas – notably price. It doesn’t appear to have anything about it that would warrant a higher price than the Soft Heat or Sunbeam, yet still commands one.
Perhaps the best point is that like the Soft Heat the connector placement is well thought out. The connector sits near the corner at the head of the bed, which is practical both for reaching a plug socket and also not feeling it when you’re in bed. Like the Soft Heat it has the noteworthy AC to DC current conversion feature, though again that involves dealing with transformers. Generally, it feels comfortable to sleep on due to the ultra-thin wires and a soft exterior material. And the heating is reliable, with dual zones for your and your partner. Here are the main points to consider: The main downsides are that the pad might slide around on the bed if you don’t use straps or have a perfect fit, the transformer can be a little noisy if you have sensitive hearing and it’s more expensive than the other heated pads in this review. Overall, the Serta Damask is a good heated mattress pad with sensible cord placement, a good range of settings, and reassuring safety features.
As long as you don’t have an unusually thin mattress and don’t mind the transformers, then you’ll find it a good choice for two people who have different heat requirements for their separate sides. Just be prepared to pay more for it than the other heated mattress pads. The Sunbeam therapeutic pad takes the concept of dual controls for two people sharing the bed to the next level. Smaller sizes have 3 individual temperature zones, while the queen and king sizes have 6 in total. The idea being that you can choose to keep your feet toasty, your body warm and your upper body cool – or any other heating combination you choose. If you have any particular aches and pains, you can therefore provide targeted relief, without necessarily heating your entire body. I think if you do have any medical needs, or specific problems such as painfully cold feet, it’s potentially a practical way to address those issues. Here are the key points to take into account: The main downside involves the way the way the controls work.