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Relieving aches, soothing cramps, warming kittens: These are just a few of the many reported uses for a heating pad. We tested seven plug-in heating pads and found that Pure Enrichment’s PureRelief XL King Size Heating Pad is the best for those who want rapid, reliable heat. It warms up quickly and has twice as many heat settings as other pads, its backlit controller is easier to grasp and operate, and testers preferred the overall experience of using this pad to that of all others we tested. Arch Support Massage Insoles
A comfortable, top-rated pad with six heating levels to choose from.
It has the same feel and features as our pick but is a bit pricier.
This flexible, microwaveable hot/cold pack has a unique hands-free wrap.
May be out of stock
We focused on heating pads certified by the two main labs that test electrical products: Underwriters Laboratories and Electrical Testing Labs.
Heating pads with a timer that can automatically turn the heating pad off can prevent burns.
We looked only at heating pads with multiple heat settings.
Our electric heating pad picks are both warrantied for five years.
A comfortable, top-rated pad with six heating levels to choose from.
A quality electric heating pad is safety-certified, quickly reaches and maintains desired temperatures, and is equipped with an auto-shutoff function as well as a machine-washable cover. The PureRelief ticks every box plus offers added comfort and conveniences such as a plush—but not excessively sweat-inducing—cover, six heat settings, a grip-friendly controller with a backlit display, and a storage bag. It’s also covered by a five-year warranty.
It has the same feel and features as our pick but is a bit pricier.
If the PureRelief is unavailable or jumps significantly in price, Sunbeam’s King Size XpressHeat is essentially the same heating pad (and appears to be made by the same manufacturer). Like our pick, this pad offers six levels of heat, a comfortable cover that can be machine-washed, and a backlit controller. The cover texture, plug, and controller shape are not as nice on the XpressHeat, though, and it sounds more “crinkly” when bent or adjusted, according to some testers. It’s a top-rated, best-selling product from Sunbeam, the most prominent heating pad brand in the US and, like our pick, is also warrantied for five years.
This flexible, microwaveable hot/cold pack has a unique hands-free wrap.
May be out of stock
If you’d prefer a microwaveable heating pad that can also be used as an ice pack, we recommend the Ohuhu XL Reusable Gel Pack for Hot & Cold Therapy. It’s flexible enough when hot or frozen to conform to various body parts, fits easily in compact microwaves, and comes with a unique wrap that has Velcro straps attached, enabling hands-free use.
We consulted the following experts for this guide: sports medicine specialist Michael S. Freitas, MD, medical director for the University at Buffalo Athletic Training Program, team doctor for Daemen College, and consultant for the Buffalo Bills; Joel Hawk, a principal engineer manager within the small-appliances division of UL; and journalist Cathryn Jakobson Ramin, author of Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery.
People use electric heating pads to relieve muscle pain associated with menstrual cramps, arthritis, injuries, and other ailments. Heat increases blood flow where applied, helping to dilate blood vessels and improve circulation. The increased blood flow to a treated area can help soothe muscular cramping, spasms, aches, and soreness.
Be aware, though, that putting a heating pad on a new injury (generally within 72 hours) can worsen pain-causing inflammation. (The Cleveland Clinic has helpful information on choosing between heat and ice for treating pain.) Frequent, prolonged, or otherwise improper use of heating pads has been associated with burns and other ailments. If in doubt, consult a doctor before treating yourself with cold or heat.
After interviewing experts, reading hundreds of reviews, and talking to people who regularly use heating pads, we determined our criteria for picking out electric heating pads worth testing. We considered top-rated heating pads certified by the primary labs used to test electrical products, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and Electrical Testing Labs (ETL), all of which offer:
These criteria left us testing seven models. We assessed each heating pad by doing the following:
In response to reader and tester complaints of our electric heating pad picks not feeling hot enough, we spoke with the manufacturers; both encouraged us to return any lukewarm-feeling pads for replacements. Sunbeam told us (and UL’s Joel Hawk confirmed) that there is no way for a layperson to accurately test a heating pad’s temperature, as heating pad makers use proprietary technology to assess the amount of heat each pad emits. Because of confidentiality policies, UL is unable to share temperature readings on the pads it has tested. As Hawk, who has been measuring the safety levels of heating pad temperatures for nearly 30 years, explained: “We are not there to judge if what manufacturers are saying is true. We are there to make sure that the pads aren’t above a safe temperature.” Thus, when testing heating pads, UL does not test to see if the pads reach manufacturer-stated temperatures (it only confirms the pads do not exceed safety limits). Anecdotally, Hawk shared, electric heating pad manufacturers have been lowering the highest temperatures of their pads over the years for safety reasons, which may account for people’s chilly experiences with not-so-hot devices.
For a 2020 update to this guide, we tried five non-electric, microwavable hot/cold pads, looking for top-rated best sellers that did not have numerous reports of leaking, skin burns, or microwave explosions. We did not consider hot-water-bottle devices or water-circulating hot/cold therapy devices for this guide.
A comfortable, top-rated pad with six heating levels to choose from.
The PureRelief XL King Size Heating Pad was the consensus favorite pad of our testers and offers features found in no other heating pad that’s similarly priced. The smooth and plush sides of its cover were our testers’ overall favorite, and although it does make a bit more crinkling noise when bending than some, it’s reasonably quiet. The PureRelief’s six levels of heating (between 105 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit) fall within the same general range as other pads’ minimum and maximum levels (give or take 5 degrees) but offer the smallest gaps between temperatures. This addresses a common complaint among the heating pad users on our panel who noted “medium is too low, but high is too hot,” and makes this pad easier to adjust to the right temperature than pads with a narrower range of options and larger jumps between settings. The larger version of this heating pad, the XXL Extra Wide, features the same heating levels and is just as plush, but is nearly double the size.
The PureRelief’s controller is simple to use, allowing you to turn the heat up or down, turn the auto-off timer on or off, and turn the pad on or off. Other pads require you to cycle through settings (such as off/low/medium/high), making it more likely that you’ll accidentally leave the pad on, or just force you to click multiple times to simply go down one level. The PureRelief’s LCD screen has big numbers and backlighting, as opposed to the tiny red lights and lettering on most controllers. The PureRelief cord stays firmly plugged into the pad and will not come loose, unlike the cords on some pads we tested. Its cover dried faster than most pads after washing, it comes with the minor convenience of a storage bag, and it is warrantied for five years.
Our testers preferred the feel of the PureRelief’s plush side, as it seemed gentle against the skin but not, like another pad, so dense that it would cause excessive perspiration or feel “like a sweaty pillow,” one said. One tester thought the PureRelief made louder crinkling noises when bent than other pads, but others found it quieter.
The PureRelief’s cover requires gentler washing than others we tested: washing on the delicate cycle with cold water and drying on the delicates cycle rather than the medium setting most pads can tolerate. While its plug stays firmly connected to the base of the pad, its locking tabs could be tough to disengage for people with large hands or pain in their fingers.
One of our long-term testers found that the PureRelief can have problems maintaining temperatures for long periods of time. In their experience, after about 30 minutes of use, the PureRelief tends to cool down, requiring them to increase the number in order to start the heat again.
The PureRelief has maintained an overall rating of above four out of five stars after more than 72,000 reviews by verified purchasers since September 2016. After noticing an uptick in negative reviews, specifically citing non-functioning units, during early fall 2018, we contacted the company. Terry Cox, speaking for the heating pad’s maker, Pure Enrichment, said negative reviews were increasing because overall sales increased as winter approached, but the percentage of negative reviews remained roughly the same. Cox said Pure Enrichment would provide money-back returns for non-functioning or underperforming pads 60 days beyond Amazon’s standard 30-day return period; customers can email help@pureenrichment.com to start the process. This policy is in addition to Pure Enrichment’s five-year warranty, which covers defects including a failure to heat up.
It has the same feel and features as our pick but is a bit pricier.
If the PureRelief pad is unavailable or becomes more expensive than Sunbeam’s King Size XpressHeat heating pad, we recommend the latter model. It is nearly the same pad: The Xpress Heat has six heating settings, a very similar texture on both sides, a controller with a backlit LCD screen, and an identical button layout to PureRel