TheraTherm Digital Heating Pad

(This review, by me, is also posted on CoolTools here)

Finally a digital heating pad that can maintain a temperature you set -- not just one of three arbitrary settings. This heating pad has a range from 86 to 166 degrees F that can be adjusted in 2-degree increments. I don't have any particular injury or ailment, other than occasional mild back pain, but I use this unit daily (actually nightly). This is probably not recommended use, but I have developed the habit of sleeping with a heating pad. Instead of running all the time like older units, though, this one has an auto-off function that lets you set it to stay on up to 60 minutes at a time. Also it only turns on the heating coils to bring it up to temp and when it falls below temp. Once it reaches the desired temp, it shuts off. The heat generally continues to rise 2-3 degrees, peaks, then starts to fall, then kicks back on. And so it cycles for the amount of time you program into it (the default is 30 minutes). I prefer 118°, which seems to work best for me. You can also switch the display to a 'monitor mode' and see the actual temp it's reading from the pad instead of what you've set the thermostat to. I have no idea about the "moist" aspect of the heating pad, since I only use it as a dry heating pad. At about $60, it is a bit expensive if you're used to the $20 pads. Also the cord to the controls could be longer and there's no back-light on the controls, so it's harder to use in total darkness. But once it's set at night, I don't have to fiddle with it or remember to turn it off anyway. The pads come in various sizes. The one I have is the 14"x14" blanket pad.
-- Jay Harrison
TheraTherm Digital Heating Pad