A good night’s sleep is essential to your health, and temperature plays a very important role in your overall rest. Sleep too hot, and your body is unable to fall into the deep, reviving sleep so important to both mental and physical function. Sleep too cold and you may find yourself waking chilled, which interrupts your sleep cycle.
Recently I had the pleasure of trying out two pretty innovative personal heating and cooling systems for your bed: The Chilipad Cube and BedJet V2. Both have some seriously neat features to help provide you with a desired sleep temperature no matter what the season, but the cooling features are especially comforting during the heat of the summer.
Neither are meant to replace an air conditioning or central heating system, but both do help save on energy costs by placing personal climate control in the palm of your hand. This keeps you from having to set a thermostat for an entire room (or house) and keeps your comfort right where you need it- in your bed.
Chilipad Cube Rundown
The Chilipad Cube is a personal climate control system that includes a thin pad that fits under your fitted sheet to provide a cooling and heating experience through a system of medical grade silicone tubes. These tubes circulate through a cube that sits near your bed which can heat water to approximately 110 degrees fahrenheit, and cools it down to 55 degrees, depending on ambient temperature, humidity levels, as well as how much space you provide the cube.
The Pros and Cons
Pros
- Temperature range of 55 to 110
- Excellent control of temperature
- Wireless remote included
- Dual control options
Cons
- Cube needs 24 inch clearance on all sides
- Suggested to use a waterproof mattress protector
- Takes some time for temperature to hit setpoint
Setup
The setup in fairly simple in nature, although it requires a bit of planning and maneuvering of the included components. To start, your cube (or cubes if you have a dual side system) needs a 24 inch clearance on all sides. This means it cannot sit under your bed as it will not be able to draw and expel air correctly. This may be problematic for some people, and I found that the only place that truly worked for me was next to the bed and against the wall. By angling them I was able to give it more of the required air space and found it affected how it ran very little (see my results here).
The pad fits nicely under your fitted sheet and has elastic straps to keep it in place, but it is connected to the long tubing that transfers the water to and from the cube to the bed. The tubing to transfer water from the cube to the pad is situated to be either placed at the foot or head of the bed. They are definitely long enough to reach just about any sort of setup you decide upon as well, so it is somewhat important to determine the placement of the cube in advance of setting up the pad itself.
How it Works
The process behind this is very simple. The pad has a series of micro tubing that carries the heated, or cooled water, under your initial sleeping surface, which then heats or cools your immediate sleeping area. Using a blanket of some sort is recommended since the insulation helps keep the temperature even and consistently near your body and not dissipated into the surrounding room.
The cube itself draws in the surrounding air to help heat and cool water which then circulates it through the tubing and pad. If the cube pulls into too warm an ambient air, then the cooling may be slightly affected. I found this to be somewhat true, although had very little problem getting it to an acceptable temperature even in a fairly warm room. Watch this video for my results:
Cooling Capabilities
The cooling capabilities truly are affected by the ambient air and cube placement. A room warmer than 80 degrees may not get you a 55 degree temperature, but you should be able to reach at least 60 to 65 degrees which I found was a comforting temperature to sleep upon.
The cooling feature is also affected by your body heat and it may take longer to reach your desired temps if you get it first started while you are in bed. I found it really does work best if you allow it to begin cooling before getting into bed so you can reap the benefits immediately.
Heating Capabilities
The bed warmed easily to the temperatures I set it at within a 40 minute window of time. 110 degrees was attainable, although may not be comforting for long periods of time. I can see it being a great asset to ease the pain of sore joints or as heat therapy for those who have bed comfort issues. It also will warm a chill bed rather quickly in the winter!
Sound
Obviously the cube is run with a fan, which is noticeable, but is not loud by any means. The sound is relatable to the fan of laptop, or a box fan on low in another room. If you enjoy white noise to fall asleep to, then this may be the perfect low, background noise many prefer.
I am not particularly fond of white noise, but found this not to be at all disturbing after initially getting used to it. It didn’t cover up any noises I may want to hear from my children’s room or outside, but did provide a nice steady low background noise.
My Experience
Other than a little frustration with attempting to get it all set up and organized how I liked it, I was very happy with the temperature control, ease of use through the wireless remote, and simple maintenance. The pad goes on very easily, but running the large, silicon tubes to the cube was a bit frustrating, especially since i ran them against the wall behind the headboard. You have to be careful not to kink the tubes which is hard to manipulate in a tight work area.
I also refused to place the cubes out in the open since my room is somewhat limited in space, but as mentioned, found a solution that worked well. Overall, the time it took to problem solve and setup was well worth it as I found myself sleeping comfortably cool and looking forward to using the pad in cooler weather to take full advantage of the heating capabilities.
I very much enjoyed the temperature controlled sleeping surface and found it very comforting. My favorite use of the pad was to cool off my bed before getting into it at night and then leave it running while I read or watched tv. Once I was ready to sleep I turned it off and enjoyed the cooling effect that takes time to dissipate, especially if you have made sure to insulate it well.
BedJet V2 Rundown
The BedJet is a forced air system that circulates air under your covers (or above your body if you use their optional comforter) to help wick away body moisture and create a consistent air temperature pocket to sleep within. The system uses the concept of convection and evaporation to help keep your body cool by allowing air movement around your body. This provides a cooling effect, but the unit does not actually cool the air itself.
It does, however, heat air, which you can use to control temperature settings to help warm your bed with. It also uses a very innovative bluetooth enabled app to create systematic sleep timers based on your personal needs and preferences through the night.
The Pros and Cons
Pros
- Provides both cooling and heating effects
- Fits under the bed
- Specific to reduce body moisture
- Fast and easy setup
- Instant temperature change.
Cons
- Blowing noise may be loud on higher settings
- Sheets can pull loose
- Cord may be too short for all placement options (air hose extensions are available for this issue)
Setup
The setup is incredibly simple and easy to use. The BedJet can sit right under your bed as long as you have a 7 inch clearance under the bed and at least 3 inches beneath any side rails. The flexible tubing and clamp system is easy to adjust to any height mattress, at the foot of your bed. You can also place the unit on the floor (although it is kind of in the way there) or invest in an inexpensive floor mount that help put the unit flush up against the side of the bed.
The only issue I ran into was the cord length. For my preferred placement it wasn’t long enough to reach the one outlet at the head of my bed, so I had to run it to the opposite wall- and across my floor. The company does have a solution for this by adding on another length of flexible tubing so you can place your unit closer to an outlet. And no, you cannot use an extension cord with this type of energy pull safely.
How it Works
The BedJet takes in air through a vent at the back of the unit (which is easy to remove and shake dust out of) and then forces it though the hose and nozzle that you place flush along the top of your bed, under a loose sheet. To see it in action, watch this video:
You can only control the unit through the included wireless remote, or through the bluetooth app available for all iPhone and Android compatible smartphones. This App unlocks many features the remote cannot, such as personal temperature controls, timers, alarms, and even a memory function to change your experiences throughout the night for the best controlled sleep possible.
Cooling Capabilities
As mentioned the BedJet doesn’t actually cool any air, but uses forced air circulation to provide cooling through its contact with your skin. The system was actually designed to help with accumulated body heat and moisture trapped under the covers, and I found it to be rather effective. Depending on your unit placement preferences and airflow strength, you may feel more cooling at your feet than towards the head of the bed, but the many different settings does allow for many variations to find your comfort level.
Heating Capabilities
The BedJet actually has two separate heating capabilities. The Turbo setting can reach up to 109 degrees and blow at a high rate for rapid heating of your bed. Because of this is has a default timer of 10 minutes, after which you can take advantage of a maximum temperature of 104 degrees on any air strength flow you desire.
I found the heat settings to be incredibly effective to both heat your bed quickly, and for long term temperature control. With the smartphone app you can even set varied temperature controls and fan strength to stay comfortable through the night.
Sound
The loudest the BedJet gets is similar to a box fan on low. This is also at the highest fan setting and puts out a pretty strong stream of air. These higher settings are excellent for quick heating and cooling of the bed but may not be what you are looking to experience while falling asleep or through the night.
The lower the fan blows, the lower the sound is until it truly isn’t noticeable at all. Using your BedJet at these lower settings are suggested for longer, more sustainable temperatures through the night. Since I am not the biggest fan of background white noise, I found that I noticed the fan less at below 40% while it could still put out a stream of air comparable to a ceiling fan set on high.
My Experience
Those of you who enjoy the feeling of circulated air will love this product, but even if you do not like air blowing on your body, you can- and will- find a setting you are comfortable with. I am not one to enjoy long term use of blowing air, but was pleasantly surprised that at 30% I could not feel the blowing air around my body, but could feel that the air was consistent, and cool.
The fan also ‘billows’ your sheets depending on the strength setting. On high this is very noticeable, but on the lower settings you don’t even notice and I was shocked to think that my sheet was resting upon me, but that in fact there was a thin layer of air between me and the sheet. This only strengthens the company’s claim to circulate fresh air and provide moisture wicking effects.
I also tried it out with the dual comforter, which traps the air within the comforter itself, also allowing you to have dual temperature controls for both sides of the bed. Basically, you end up sleeping under a comforter that is not filled with poly or down, but air. It was pretty cool, and did provide a cooling effect, but perhaps maybe not quite as much as if you were using it directly under your sheets.
Overall I was very happy with my experience with it and found it comforting at night, and look forward to being able to better utilize it once the weather begins to chill this winter.
Chilipad vs BedJet Comparison Table
| ChiliPad Cube | BedJet V2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cools: | 55 Deg F | Depending on ambient temperature |
| Heats: | 110 Deg F | 109 degrees |
| Dual Temperature Options: | Yes | Yes |
| Time to reach temperature | Give 30 minutes before sleep for temperature to reach setpoint. | Instant |
| Sound: | Consistent | Changes Based on Blower Speed |
| Automatic Time/Shutoffr: | After 10 hours | 30 minutes to 12 hours |
| Wireless Remote: | Yes | Yes |
| App: | No | Yes |
| Setup & Maintenance | Some setup and minor maintenance with the distilled water but very simple once initial setup is complete. | Easier setup and some minor maintenance with the air filter. |
Conclusion
If you are looking for ways to experience a cooler night sleep, or are in need of a way to warm your bed and provide therapeutic warmth, than both the Chilipad Cube and BedJet are products you may want to take a closer look at.
After trying them out, it’s pretty hard to determine which is better than the other since my experiences with both were incredibly positive. I truly had no issue with either that raised any concerns, and any small problems I ran up against were easily solved. They both cooled my bed comfortably, provided consistent heating, and have dual temperature control purchase options if needed.
If you are looking for a temperature controlled sleeping surface that can be more personalized to exact cooling temperatures and heat transfer for soothing warmth to sore joints, then the Chilipad Cube may be the better choice. Although the setup takes a bit more planning and thought surrounding placement, once situated only requires very minor maintenance to keep the water fresh and filled for optimal use. The cube can run off both the unit and a wireless remote, and does have an automatic shut off after 10 hours.
The BedJet provides a very simple, low maintenance setup that works both under your bed, as well as next to it if needed. Although the air is not forcibly cooled, it does provide a soothing cooling effect, and definitely is very effective in warming your bed surface and temperature control experience through well circulated air beneath an insulating cover. It’s important to note that the Chilipad also requires an insulated surface to work correctly as well. You also have more control over your all night sleep experience and can set specific strengths of air movement and temperature if needed with the use of the app.