Dreamland Scandi Sherpa Mattress Warmer Review: Super warm

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A super-warm heated blanket

Cold sleepers will love the Dreamland Scandi Sherpa Mattress Warmer: it's the ultimate in keeping warm in bed thanks to its fleecy top, multiple heat settings and versatile timer. Its Intelliheat+ function will also appeal to those who want to sleep with the warmer on at night, as it offers temperature adaptability that many electric blankets don't. However, on test, I found a tendency to overheat while in bed even when the blanket isn't on: meaning that its fleecy polyester surface is best reserved for truly Arctic temperatures rather than just taking the edge off a chilly night.

When the heat from an average electric blanket doesn't cut it, Dreamland's Scandi Sherpa Mattress Warmer is the one to turn to. Not only does it warm up quickly, with a choice of six heat settings and three preset timer durations, its fleecy surface on one side means you’ll always stay cosy. Plus, as it's available in four sizes up to Super-King (the size on test), there's no compromise on mattress coverage. It also comes with a three-year guarantee. Each of its controls is 150W, meaning that running both at maximum for an hour (based on a 34p per kWh), will cost just over 11p.

It's safe to say that Dreamland has done everything possible to make the Scandi Sherpa Mattress Warmer cosy. Not only does the Super-King size measures up at 180 x 200cm: covering an average mattress perfectly (6ft x 6ft 6in or 180 x 200cm), even below the pillow area, on one side it's covered with fleecy polyester for maximum snugness. The other side is quilted, making it reversible for the months when it's not as cold.

The controls are straightforward: there's one large button for flicking it on and off, plus temperature and timer buttons for toggling between heats 1-6 and up to 9 hours duration. The default is an hour and the maximum temperature of 6, which is also the one to choose for the ‘fast heat-up’.

Handily, there's a guide to temperature settings on the back: with only 1-3 recommended for all-night use. While the LED screen is quite bright when in use, it dims after about 15 seconds, so there's no risk of it keeping you awake with its glow. Plus, there's a 1.5m cable for plugging each control in. A final thoughtful touch is the reusable zipped bag for storage, complete with handles.

Wide elasticated straps at each corner keep the Scandi Sherpa Mattress Warmer in place on the mattress below, making it easy to attach and remove. This is fortunate, because of the warmer's reversible design, with a fleecy surface on one side and a quilted one on the other.

I’m a relatively cold sleeper, yet found the Sherpa surface too hot to sleep on during milder nights, even with it turned off. During the period of testing, I reliably woke up feeling too hot in the middle of the night, until I flipped it over onto the quilted side. This was still quite warm to sleep on though: the thick polyester blanket covering the entire mattress being more insulating than smaller or thinner blankets. That said, I can imagine that in very cold rooms, the Sherpa surface would be a blessing.

Another plus of this blanket is that I didn't feel wires or where the controls attach as I slept: the fleecy Sherpa surface was especially soft and snuggly. For the fastest heat-up, setting 6 was recommended: this takes between 5 and 10 minutes to start feeling warm. However, the blanket will still heat up on a lower setting: I found that 4-5 medium resulted in a longer preheat but meant there was less possibility of finding the bed too hot to fall asleep.

The ‘Intelliheat+’ technology, where the blanket temperature adjusts to your body temperature throughout the night, isn't terribly noticeable, but generally, I didn't find myself feeling too hot or cool with the blanket on the lower settings. More of an appreciation of the difference is keeping the blanket clean: both controls detach easily, and it can be both machine-washed and tumble-dried on delicate cycles.

If your home is often draughty or noticeably cold at night, or you’re cutting back on your whole property energy use, this is a great choice.

If you’re a hot sleeper, you may want a different model: this blanket reflects warmth back into the bed even when turned off.

There's no getting away from the fact that the Dreamland Scandi Sherpa Mattress Warmer is an investment, considering that cheaper electric blankets can cost a fraction of the price. It could potentially cost more to run than some, too. However, it does offer a lot: easy care, quick to pop on and take off, plus possibly the toastiest night's sleep you’ll ever experience. If you don't need such heat, the Slumberdown Wonderfully Warm Electric Blanket could be a better choice.

Unlike other sites, we test every fridge freezer we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.

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We test for at least two weeks.

We use temperature sensors to monitor the internal temperature to help us accurately compare models from different manufacturers.

There are dual controls, one for each side of the bed, on sizes larger than single.

Yes, but the entire blanket, rather than just a cover have to be washed.

You can buy it in single, double, king and super-king sizes.

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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

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.

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.