Slumberdown Sleepy Nights Electric Blanket Review: Simple and straightforward

Verdict

Slumberdown Sleepy Nights Electric Blanket is one of the brand’s more basic offerings but it does most things well: it’s easy to maintain, the controls are a cinch to use, and you can put it on and take it off in a flash. However, you can’t help but feel that for the price, it should have a timer and maybe a second control so both partners don’t have to agree on a temperature.

Introduction

If you’re the sort of person who likes to keep things simple, the additional features found on some electric blankets, such as dual controls, numerous heats, or separate body and feet warming, probably won’t appeal.

In which case, Slumberdown’s Sleepy Nights Electric Blanket may be the one for you: it has a simple control combined with three heats and the ability to be popped in the washer if grubby. Available as single, double and king-size (the size on test), its control is 90W, meaning that running it at maximum for an hour (based on a 30p per kWh), will cost around 3p.

Design and features

• Easy-to-use control
• Thick straps
• It doesn’t fully cover the mattress

While it doesn’t have much in the way of additional features, what Slumberdown’s Sleepy Nights Electric Blanket does have is the noticeable quality you’d expect from a well-known brand.

It’s a pleasingly thick polyester blanket, with one control attached right at a corner rather than further down, where it can clash with shoulders.

With the control detached, it’s washable on a 40°C wool cycle, although the blanket can’t be tumble dried, so you’ll need to find somewhere suitable for it to air dry. And, rather than slim elastic straps that are prone to twisting, it attaches to the mattress with two long thick straps, so it can be fitted and removed in seconds.

Keeping with the fuss-free theme, its control has a straightforward slider for selecting a heat level. There are three settings, with 0 at either end, so whichever way you push the slider, it’ll switch it off.

You can also go straight to 3 if the slider is already at the top. A dim light illuminates to show when it’s on.

The king-size measures 142 x 150cm: not covering the pillow area like many others, but coming up a little narrower than the average width of a mattress (5ft x 6ft 6in or 150 x 200cm). There’s also a two-year guarantee.

Performance

• Heats up quickly
• Comfy to sleep on
• Indicator light stays on

Rather than relying on corner elastics, that can potentially pop off as you sleep, Slumberdown’s Sleepy Nights Electric Blanket has two long straps. This means that it might move a little from side to side if you’re an active sleeper, but it should stay attached.

Once fitted, I noticed that it had fairly prominent wires but they’re decently buried and I didn’t feel them as I slept.

Overall, it was comfortable to sleep on, and its corner control attachment tended to be covered by my pillow, so I didn’t collide with it.

It heated up quickly, on average taking about 10-15 minutes to take the chill off and about 30 minutes to be toasty warm. Although a single control meant that the bed was the same temperature throughout.

This wasn’t so bad initially, but if I wanted to keep the blanket on low all night – something that’s possible with the Sleepy Nights – my partner had to enjoy/endure the same warmth too. The only other observation is that the indicator light stays on to show it’s on. While it’s not very bright, and most people won’t notice it, those who prefer total darkness may need to tape over the status light.

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