Silentnight Comfort Control Electric Blanket review: the ultimate budget solution to keeping warm at night?

Price on writing: from £29 | Buy now from Amazon

How I tested

I tested the Silentnight Comfort Control Electric Blanket at home over the course of 10 nights. Taking detailed notes on quality, comfort and heat levels, I fitted and used each of the settings on the electric blanket, sleeping with it fitted to my Emma Thermosync Mattress.

To measure how hot the blanket got and how quickly it heats up, I used an infrared thermometer to get an exact reading 10, 30 and 60 minutes after turning on the electric blanket to its highest setting. I also took temperature readings in three different spots after an hour on, to measure how evenly the heat is distributed.

Read next: Best electric blankets

Silentnight Comfort Control Electric Blanket: our verdict

• Performance: 10/15

• Quality and durability: 10/15

• Ease of use: 14/15

• Value for money: 15/15

• Fit: 3/10

• Heat settings: 8/10

• Heat distribution: 5/10

• Design: 7/10

• Total: 73/100

Electric blankets have made a comeback in the last few years, thanks to the cost of living crisis, as they're an excellent way to stay warm at night while cutting down on your central heating use. Silentnight's Comfort Control is the budget electric blanket Mumsnet users recommend most frequently as a no-frills, affordable way to stay warm at night throughout the winter.

The long elastic straps secure the blanket to the bed really well - there was no budging it. However, the size of the blanket was nowhere near the size of the mattress, leaving big gaps all the way round. While the heat from the blanket gets trapped under my duvet, the gaps in coverage made a big difference to how cosy my feet felt.

There's also the matter of the hard plastic clip in the top corner of the blanket. I experimented with having the blanket aligned with the top of the mattress, so the clip was under my pillow, but this left a huge gap at the other end of the bed, and left me with cold feet.

The fabric is soft and lies flat under my bedsheets - I couldn't feel the wires through it. However, it did feel quite itchy and sweaty to sleep next to.

There's no getting away from the fact that this blanket is a serious bargain. At just £36 for a king size (at the time of writing), this is one of the cheapest ways to warm yourself up without central heating - and at just 2p per hour to run on full, it's not going to break the bank any time soon.

In short, if warmth and value for money is your priority, this is a great electric blanket. If you're looking for a luxury feel or you prefer a different temperature at night to your partner, the Dreamland Pure Comfort Bamboo Electric Blanket is the best of the best, with prices from £90.

Related: Best electric heaters

Who is the Silentnight Comfort Control Electric Blanket for?

The Silentnight Comfort Control Electric Blanket is a highly-rated electric blanket designed for those who are looking for a comfortable and warm sleeping experience during cooler periods. You place it on your mattress under your duvet to warm you through, so think of it less as a decorative throw, and more of a practical bedsheet that heats up – although we do have a guide to the best heated throw if that sounds more like what you’re after.

It currently has over 23,000 five-star ratings on Amazon, and is ideal for cold sleepers, or those who just want to stay extra nice and snug in bed.

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Ease of use

This electric blanket is simple to use and intuitive, thanks to the controls being straightforward and easy to operate. All I had to do was place the blanket under the bed sheets, slip the elastic straps around the corners of my mattress, plug it in and set it to my preferred setting. As the blanket is kept on the bed under the duvet, there’s no special storage requirements when not in use – although you may want to stash it away when summer comes around, as the fabric can feel itchy through my bedsheets.

As the blanket is so much smaller than the mattress, the hard plastic clips that connect the blanket to the power cords sit under the pillows on my bed. This isn't a very comfortable placement for me. However, I couldn't feel the clips through my memory foam pillow.

Temperature settings

Now onto the important stuff: how warm and toasty was the blanket? Similar to how a heated gilet works, the warmth comes from elements throughout the blanket, the temperature of which is controlled by the user.

The blanket warms up quickly, getting to 32°C after just ten minutes on the highest setting. After an hour, it had reached a toasty 37°C. There are three heat settings.

The choice of heat settings does offer versatility, although it’s worth noting that many other models offer more settings, usually about six, so if you’re fussy about what temperature you rest at, you may want to go for something with a higher number of settings – this will likely cost you more though. Overall, we think you can’t go wrong with the Silentnight for a great value option that still offers a good range of temperature levels.

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Price: is it worth it?

In the midst of the cost of living crisis, many of us are looking for ways to cut costs around the home, particularly when it comes to energy bills. Cranking up the thermostat and leaving it blasting all night is not an option for most, not to mention it can be uneconomical to heat a whole house in comparison to warming the person instead. That's why many people are turning to other cost-effective options like electric blankets, along with insulating rooms with the best draught excluders or thermal curtains.

With the Comfort Control blanket's reasonable price tag (£35 for a single or £40 for a double), it provides an economical solution to keep warm on chilly nights. Silentnight also claims it can heat your bed from as little as 1p (this will vary depending on time used, setting, and the size of blanket you are using). We certainly think it's a significant upgrade from traditional blankets, not only because of its warming capabilities, but also its energy efficiency.

All in all, I would recommend the Silentnight Comfort Control Electric Blanket to anyone looking for a comfortable and warm sleeping experience through the winter. It's a great value way to stay warm at night during the winter, and I particularly rate its quick warm-up time and easy-to-use controls.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She researches and reviews the products Mumsnetters swear by, with a particular focus on home essentials.

From a highly recommended retractable washing line to the best quiet fans money can buy, and Mumsnet's favourite dehumidifier to the steam generator iron that'll cut your ironing time in half, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the very best products on the market.