Sunbeam Quilted Fleece Heated Blanket Review

Sharing an electric blanket might seem as challenging as agreeing on a thermostat setting, but the Sunbeam Quilted Fleece Heated Blanket comes with two controllers for its full, queen, and king sizes. That means two users can choose their own heat levels. Is the top-rated electric blanket as wonderful as it sounds? We tested the throw alone and with a partner, and here’s what we found.

The Sunbeam queen-size blanket is made of 100 percent polyester fleece, a synthetic fabric that retains warmth, resists moisture, and is known for durability. It dries quickly, so water spills are no big deal (although the pale nude “seashell” color we tested may not be the most forgiving option for dark spills like wine).

The brand’s ThermoFine technology is designed to distribute heat evenly throughout the wiring system inside. Sleepers on either side can personalize the experience with individual controllers, and the heat shuts off after ten hours for safety. Visually, we thought the throw made a seamless addition to the other bedding we already owned, and while we could feel the wires through the fleece, they didn’t bother us.

The Sunbeam Quilted Fleece Heated Blanket isn’t the softest option out there. We found the texture to be a little bit stiff, but it’s still reasonably pleasant to the touch. According to Sunbeam’s softness scale of “soft” to “premium soft,” this blanket falls somewhere in the middle at “extra soft.” It’s not that fluffy, cloud-like blanket you might dream of, but it packs a lot of warmth for a relatively thin blanket, and its moisture-wicking abilities are important for when the heat gets just a little too high and you break a sweat.

This blanket is machine-washable and dryer-safe. However, to be mindful of the wires inside, we washed in cold water on the gentle cycle and tumble-dried on the low or delicate setting, as recommended. The blanket came out of the wash looking exactly the way it went in, but it felt slightly softer and less stiff.

The Quilted Fleece Heated Blanket is available in seven shades, all earth or jewel tones. The options are Acorn, Garnet, Ivy, Mushroom, Newport Blue, Seashell, and Walnut. We chose Seashell, because we felt like it was the most versatile color that could work in any room in our house. There are no patterns available, possibly because this blanket is meant to add to your existing bedding set and is more about function than appearances.

With two controls, one for each side, this blanket is great for sharing. We could see this blanket being a great option for partners with differing opinions on optimal sleeping temperature. Those who prefer a cooler bed can opt to leave their side off, while their counterparts can get toasty. We loved the idea of hopping into a pre-heated bed, but one side of our blanket didn’t seem to get as hot as the other, even when we set them both to the highest of the 10 heat settings.

The Sunbeam Quilted Fleece Heated Blanket is larger and offers more complex features than similar options that cost significantly more. While this product comes at a great price for a queen-size blanket with dual controls—it retails for $89.99—we have concerns about the consistency of heat distribution as well as the longevity of the product.

Our blanket continued to work for the month that we tried it, but we’ve read stories where users complained that theirs stopped working after a few months. Sunbeam does have a five-year limited warranty on this product, but the buyer is responsible for shipping, and repairs can take weeks to complete.

Sunbeam’s Quilted Fleece Heated Blanket and SoftHeat’s Micro-Fleece Electric Heated Blanket share the same purpose: providing supplementary warmth throughout the night. Both have 10 heat settings and shut off automatically after 10 hours.

But while SoftHeat offers dual control for queen and king sizes, its full-size blanket only has one control and is triple the price of Sunbeam’s. Both blankets took about 10 minutes to fully heat, and both seemed somewhat uneven. SoftHeat’s blanket is softer, thicker, and feels more like a true fleece—plus, we couldn’t feel the wires inside.