Dreamaker Multi-zone Electric Blanket – Personal heating review

01/08/2024
By Ray Shaw
In Reviews

The Dreamaker Multi-zone electric blanket has separate foot and body zones and two sleeper side zones. Nothing is better than sliding into a warm bed on cold winter nights.

Following our 2024 guide update Winter is here – time to think about portable heaters we received lots of feedback to explore personal heating – where the device heats the person, not the air around it. We also got feedback that we needed to cover electric blankets, throw rugs, rechargeable hot water bottles, pillows and ‘hugs’.

So, we looked for items with some tech – not just plug-in ‘blankies’. This is the first of several personal heating device reviews.

Aussie company Dreamaker seems to lead the field in electric blankets and throws (thank goodness no one has added AI to that equation).

Options galore

We were surprised at the options. Most have dual side controls (apart from the single bed), and some are classic (lowest cost), 100% cotton quilted, fleece top, wool fleece, Sherpa fleece, anti-microbial, infused, hydro flow, and bamboo. Some are washable, requiring a detachable controller. Then there are sizes (bed size excluding a poly-knit mattress skirting):

Single: 91 x 193cm
Long single: 91x 203cm
King single: 107 x 203cm
Double: 137 x 193cm
Queen: 152 x 203cm
King: 182 x 203cm
Super King: 203 x 203cm

Ensure the skirting fits your mattress—the low-cost ones are 30 to 40cm, and the better ones are 50cm. A long skirt is better than one that keeps slipping off the bed.

Controls include

Single side (for single beds), but some only have one zone
Heat settings: Most have three (minimum usable), and some have more.
Zones for feet, body and optionally head.
Some have pre-heat settings, but we could not find any that worked on a schedule (e.g. set for 30 minutes before regular bedtime).
Many do not have timers – look for ones that allow at least 9 hours
Many use multi-position sliders (rheostats – lower cost variable resistors that create heat), and the better ones use buttons and transistors to regulate the current (better as less heat is created)
Most have a single LED display, and some have multiple LED or LCD readouts.
Most are not easily washable (you should wash blankets at least annually), and some have removable controllers for hand or machine washing.
Some have Wi-Fi apps – we think this is overly complicated for an electric blanket.

Coverings include (remember that you do not see this, so coverings are less important)

Most are not padded, whereas the better ones are woven/padded to avoid feeling the wires inside, a.k.a. the princess and the pea syndrome.
Blanket weights vary from a thin 200gsm (grams per square meter) to over 500gsm – the higher, the better.
Fleeces and synthetic covers may be hotter than 100% cotton.
Few are waterproof, so bedwetters cannot use them. You cannot put a plastic sheet over the electric blanket.
Antibacterial and hypoallergenic fabric for hay fever and asthma sufferers can be handy.
Take the blanket off during the months you don’t need it—it will extend its life by years.

Dreamaker pointed to its HealthGuard Anti-Allergy Dust Mite Protection Cotton Quilted Electric Blanket – Multizone, which should help my hay fever sneezing at night, and it does.

The key to this review is whether they can provide adequate personal heat to replace portable space heaters and air conditioners and how easy they are to use.

Now, a disclaimer: Neither I nor my wife have used an electric blanket or throw. So, part of the equation is whether we really needed them and whether they were better than the cheapie Kmart specials.

Australian Review: Dreamaker Multi-zone Electric Blanket

Model as tested: King Size HealthGuard Anti-Allergy Dust Mite Protection Cotton Quilted Electric Blanket – Multizone

Website	Dreamaker Electric Blanket page – see all the options Healthguard product page
Price	$279.95 Queen (currently on sale at $160) $299.95 King (Currently on sale at $179.95) Look for event sales for the best pricing Free shipping over $100
Colour	White
From	Dreamaker Online, Myer, Temple and Webster, Sleep Solutions, Fantastic Furniture, Woolworths, Big W, Bunnings (basic models)
Made in	Designed in Australia and made in China
Warranty	3-year ACL
Company	Since 1987, Dreamaker has been making bedding. Its focus is on comfort, quality and reliability.
More	CyberShack heating news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. From now on, Pass, for example, means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

First Impression – well made, and quite a big box – Exceed

Having visited Kmart to look at its range, we realised that Queen-size was the biggest stocked.

Then, after visiting several bedding stores, we found a king-sized one. To give you a practical example, its carry bag was 175mm deep versus the Dreamaker’s 270mm deep—a pretty good indication of the weight and quality. We also started to see the difference between the Dreamaker’s quality and the rest.

Setup – Simple – Pass+

It may sound like unnecessary advice, but strip the bed and vacuum the mattress first. You will be surprised at how much ‘stuff’ comes out, especially when using the Dyson vacuum mattress attachment.

Dreamaker has three pages of safety instructions, but in summary:

Not for futon-style mattresses or waterbeds.
Not waterproof and must not be put under a plastic or rubber waterproof mattress protector.
Do not use if the mattress or bedding has been exposed to massage oils, etc.
Take extra care with foldable, adjustable angle beds so the cord is not caught or creased.
Caution is advised when using a memory foam mattress. Most are fine, but some foams can be affected by heat.
Plug directly into a 240V socket (more a precaution to avoid overloading a power circuit).
Appropriate cautions about unsupervised use by young children or infirmed.
Buy the right size for the bed. We have a thick mattress, and the 50cm skirt is ideal.

A long skirt is great for thick matresses.

The Controller – Simple

On/off switch
Foot zone (four heat settings shown by LEDs)
Body zone (ditto)
Timer – press for 1-9 hours and 11 hours.

Simple push button controller and easy to see at night.

Heat settings and power use – four

Setting four is for pre-heat and should be used 30-60 minutes before bed. These figures are approximate and for a king-sized blanket per side. The ambient temperature ranged from 17-19°.

Setting	Temperature °C	Power use Watts
1	27	32
2	29	42
3	32	47
4	34	70

How effective was it as a personal heater, and at what cost?

Remembering that neither of us had used an electric blanket before, the experience was 100% positive.

My wife preferred to pre-heat at setting four and turn it down to setting two. I preferred to preheat at setting two and turn it down to one. Both of us were very comfortable sleeping on the blanket.

Over 8 hours, my side used 220Wh (9 cents), and my wife used 340Wh (14 cents).

That is pretty good economy, considering we usually use a 2.5kW air conditioner at 22 cents per hour ($1.76 for 8 hours) to heat the room – not just us.

After a week of use, we can safely say we will not need the air conditioner or space heater.

Maintenance – easy – Pass+

The best advice is to remove the blanket for the months you will not use it. The controller is removable. It recommends either cold-water handwashing (a chore for a king-size) or cold-water gentle cycle with no spin cycle.

Dry by draping over a table or shaded clothesline (never pegged). Storage is either rolled or folded, avoiding folding over the heater wire lines.

CyberShack’s view – Dreamaker Multi-zone Electric Blanket is a very effective personal heater

I guess you get what you pay for, but we think the Dreamaker is a superb choice for quality, reliability, warranty, and features. It is fully certified with R-NZ C-Tick, so you know it is safe.

I particularly like the timer’s simplicity and the fact that you cannot feel the wires (a problem with thinner blankets). Detachable controllers also mean washing is easy.

I am sold, and the electricity savings are substantial.

Dreamaker Multi-zone Electric Blanket Rating

As this is our first electric blanket review, we won’t formally rate it but will comment on each rating segment. Consider it a 9/10:

Features: This thick, well-made, fully featured, multi-zone (body/foot), hyper-allergenic blanket has a three-year warranty.
Value: Having extensively looked at blankets from $50 to $500, I can confidently say they are great value, even better on sale. The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.
Performance: Not knowing what to expect, let me say that slipping into warm sheets on a cold night is heaven. It is simply a matter of finding the setting you want to use for the rest of the nights.
Ease of Use: The manual was more confusing than the actual use and could use a good dose of wordsmithing. In reality you press the body and foot buttons up to four times and set the timer. Easy.
Design: Having seen the cheapies to the most expensive, the HealthGuard Anti-Allergy Dust Mite Protection Cotton Quilted Electric Blanket meets or exceeds all similar brand designs.

Pro