Sunbeam Royal Ultra Fleece Heated Blanket Dark Gray Full 84 x 72 in

Why it's worth it

Sunbeam's Royal Ultra Fleece is a full-size bed blanket with a backlit digital controller, 12 heat levels and an auto-off you can set anywhere from one to 12 hours. It's plain fleece rather than plush, it washes and dries in a normal machine, and it's the easiest one here to live with.

The controller is the reason to buy this one. It's a digital unit with a backlit display, so at two in the morning you can see what level you're on without turning on a lamp. You get 12 heat settings, which sounds like overkill until you find the one notch that's warm but not sweaty. The auto-off is selectable from one to 12 hours, so you can give the bed an hour of warm-up or let it run through a whole evening.

The Full size is 84 by 72 inches, which is a bed shape, not a lap shape. That's enough to cover a full mattress from top to bottom, and enough to tuck in if you're using it on a twin. The fleece is plain 100% polyester — not sherpa, not shag — and it's thin enough to layer under a comforter without adding bulk. At a bit over four pounds, it drapes instead of pinning you down.

From our review of 7 electric blankets and heated throws, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +The controller is the reason to buy this one
• +The Full size is 84 by 72 inches, which is a bed shape, not a lap shape
• +Washing is genuinely easy here
• +Sunbeam has been making these for a long time, and that matters more than you'd think

What to know

• –Owner feedback is more split than we'd like
• –This Full size comes with one controller, so couples get one temperature, not two