Snuggledown Intelligent Warmth Supreme Comfort Heated Topper Review
A fully featured electric blanket
Verdict
While it’s one of the more expensive electric blankets available, Snuggledown’s Intelligent Warmth Supreme Comfort Heated Topper comes with everything you might need to ensure a cosy sleep for both partners: dual controls, a breathable cotton top and multiple heat options. However, it does need time to get up to temperature on the colder nights, meaning that if you savour a warm bed that suits exactly how you sleep, you’ll need to plan ahead a little.
Pros
- Timer in hourly increments
- Independent feet and body heating
- Nine heats
Cons
- Confusing controls
- Expensive
- Can lack power
Availability
- UKRRP: £115
Key Features
- SizesAvailable for single, double, king and super king sized beds.
- PowerDual 65W controls on the double and larger, 65W single control on the single mattress.
- HeatNine heat settings split across two controls on the double and larger, with separate body and feet controls.
Introduction
When it comes to electric blankets, warmth and comfort can sometimes be different things. Small-sized blankets and prominent wires don’t always make for a good night’s sleep, even if the bed is toasty warm.
Snuggledown’s Intelligent Warmth Supreme Comfort Heated Topper seeks to bridge the gap by offering a comfy cotton quilted top that zips off to be popped in the washer on a regular basis, as well as multiple heat options. Available as single, double, king-size, and super king size (the size on test), each of its controls is 65W, meaning that running them at maximum for an hour (based on a 34p per kWh), will cost around 4p.
Design and features
- Quick to fit elasticated straps
- Dual controls
- Zip-off washable quilted layer
For anyone who’s ever struggled with cords to fit an electric blanket, Snuggledown’s Intelligent Warmth Supreme Comfort Heated Topper is a breath of fresh air. It has four elasticated straps, one at each corner, so can be added and removed in seconds. Its quilted cotton cover is zipped on, so is equally easy to remove for cleaning, while the blanket itself is washable on a 40°C wool cycle. Its control attachment is a simple four pin plug design, which detaches easily.
It has dual controls on the double and larger sizes (single controls on the single), so each partner can choose their preferred heat from 1-9, for both their body and their feet. So, for example, you could have a low heat for your body but choose to have toasty toes. Each control also has an hour-by-hour timer from 1 to 9 hours, plus an ‘H’ setting, which is 12 hours – something that isn’t obvious if you don’t have the manual to hand. With this much choice, there are a lot of buttons. The LED display aims to make it easier with a visual of what area of the body you’re heating, at what temperature and for how long. The super king-size measures 180 x 200cm: covering the average dimensions of a mattress from edge to edge (6ft x 6ft 6in or 180 x 200cm) and comes in a zipped storage bag. There’s also a two-year guarantee.
Performance
- Easy to fit and remove
- Controls could be simplified
- Slow to warm up
Some electric blankets, especially those without toppers, can warm your bed up in five or 10 minutes. However, whether it’s the zipped-on topper slowing down the diffusion of heat or the 65W controls, I found that the Intelligent Warmth Supreme Comfort Heated Topper could take a while to heat up, especially on the colder nights. Sometimes, even after switching it to the highest setting, the bed would only be lukewarm after 20 minutes.
It is, however, very comfortable to sleep on – the topper meant that I didn’t feel the wires, or the control attachment, which is something that’s been tangible when using other electric blankets. I liked how quick it was to fit and remove too. The display lights up when any of the buttons are pressed, which is handy for altering the settings in low light, and fortunately, doesn’t stay bright for long, so it won’t disturb your sleep.
One bugbear is the design of the controls. When the blanket isn’t on, the display still shows the words ‘temp’, ‘hrs’ and the body shape – at a glance, it looks like it might just be on. Similarly, the control turns on with a confusing slider switch, which displays the word ‘on’ when it’s in the on position, and displays ‘off’ when it’s already in the off position – this runs contrary to the logic of sliding a control towards the command you want (either on or off), rather than away from it.
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Should you buy it?
There’s nothing you like more than slipping into a comfy bed at just the right heat – while your partner sleeps at a hotter or cooler temperature.
You’re watching the pennies – while this electric blanket costs less to run than others of a similar size, the initial cost is more than most.
Final Thoughts
There’s no getting away from the fact that Snuggledown’s Intelligent Warmth Supreme Comfort Heated Topper is more of an investment than most. However, it does deliver plenty of desirable features: choice over heat and duration for both sleeping partners, ultra-low maintenance for a hygienic sleep and a comfy cotton topper: a nice touch considering that many are non-breathable polyester fabric. That said, its controls could use a tweak, and for the price, you’d expect a fast heat-up option. If you like comfort and dual controls, but want a bit more heat on demand, Slumberdown’s Wonderfully Warm Electric Blanket could be a good choice. Otherwise, check out the guide to the best electric blankets.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every heated blanket we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main heated blanket for the review period
We record how much power the blanket will use on maximum.
We see how evenly the blanket is heated and if there are cold spots.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
