Which heating pad is good

This Sunbeam option is in the running for the best heating pad, based on Amazon customers' feedback. One of the bestselling heating pads on the site, it's earned 4. One side of the heating pad is covered in micro-plush fabric and the other a soft polyester fabric. You can use it dry or spray the fabric with water before use for moist heat therapy.

Research suggests moist heat penetrates deep tissue faster and can cause a greater pain reduction than dry heat. The downside to using a lot of the top heating pads? You can't move around too much while still keeping them in place.

Enter this version from the brand Comfier that wraps around your waist like a large belt with velcro closure. It features a detachable element that recharges with an included USB cord, so you won't even be tethered to an outlet. In case you're still not convinced, it has four built-in vibration massage motors.

When you're sore all over, you might find yourself constantly adjusting your heating pad to relieve a new spot. You can minimize that urge with this extra-large weighted heating that warms your back, neck, and shoulders at the same time.

It features six temperature settings and three auto-shutoff settings, and it ties around your waist so you can use it lying down or sitting up. This is one of the best heating pads for back pain for those who want all the bells and whistles. It's weighted with clay beads and offers nine vibration massage settings and three heat settings.

Choose from a four-pound, 12" x 24" option or a wider five-pound, 20" x 24" version. Be aware, though, that putting a heating pad on a new injury generally within 72 hours can worsen pain-causing inflammation.

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. 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.

Because of confidentiality policies, UL is unable to share temperature readings on the pads it has tested. 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 cord stays firmly plugged into the pad and will not come loose, unlike the cord 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.

One tester thought the PureRelief made louder crinkling noises when bent than other pads, but others found it quieter.

The cleaning instructions for the PureRelief are admittedly a bit fussier than those for other pads wash in cold water on a delicate cycle, dry on low heat or on a line , but it dried out more fully on a line than other pads within a couple of hours.

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 24, reviews by verified purchasers since September After noticing an uptick in negative reviews, specifically citing nonfunctioning units, during early fall , we contacted the company.

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 PureRelief, plus the same warranty. Four Wirecutter staffers have used the Sunbeam King Size XpressHeat for backaches, menstrual cramps, and occasional cat appeasement, two of them for at least two years. None have had any problems with its function. It can be used as either an ice pack or a heating pad, and its physical flexibility in either frozen or hot form makes it easy to wrap around various body parts.

Although at 14 inches by 11 inches the gel pack is smaller than our top pick, this size is more than adequate for most body placements, and it ensures the gel pack will safely fit in even a compact microwave. People looking for more coverage could consider buying this set of two. Unlike some of the gel packs we tested, the gel within the Ohuhu pack is segmented into compartments, which makes it easier for even heat distribution when conforming to body parts.

The gel packs we tested and looked at tended to be around the same size and for some reason the same color blue , but what truly set the Ohuhu apart from the competition is its unique and useful pouch, which comes with attached Velcro straps that enable the Ohuhu to be wrapped around targeted body parts and used hands-free.

Like most gel packs, the Ohuhu can be heated up in either the microwave or a pot of boiling water. Use instructions are conveniently, if garishly, printed directly on the gel pack, and while the company suggests the Ohuhu will stay either cold or hot for 20 to 30 minutes, in our testing we found that it retained its heat for about 20 minutes but that its cooling ability lasted for over an hour.

And thanks to a hour auto-off feature, you can sleep with peace of mind. The machine-washable pad is made with a luxuriously soft microfiber that lets off both dry and moist heat and large enough to cover your entire lower back.

Sunbeam created a travel-sized version of its trusted heating pads, and more than 7, reviewers agree it lives up to its full-sized predecessors. The compact pick heats up in just 30 seconds, offers 6 different temperature presets, and is completely machine-washable. To use, simply attach the pad to a body or chair using the fastening straps and press the power button for two hours of continuous pain relief. Multitaskers will be obsessed with this wearable heating pad shaped like a medieval vest.

The unique shape is comical, but it allows you to simultaneously soothe your neck, shoulders, and back in just one dry heat treatment. Better yet, the soft flannel is machine-washable.

But dry heat offers its own benefits, like feeling good against the skin and lasting longer. Luckily, this top-rated pick offers both, along with a 9-foot power cord, 2-hour automatic shut-off, and 6 heating settings. Skip wires and plugs by opting for this microwavable pad instead.