Home & Kitchen · Head-to-head
MAUS Portable Fire Blanket 72 in x 48 in vs Prepared Hero Emergency Fire Blanket
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Fire Blankets: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
MAUS is the only blanket in this group whose own paperwork names both the American and the European fire blanket standards, and it is the only one big enough for the size the Fire Industry Association recommends for clothing fires. Prepared Hero is the sensible cheap option to keep by a stove, as long as you understand you are buying a fabric lid, not a rescue blanket.
MAUS Portable Fire Blanket 72 in x 48 in
Buy itThe one blanket here whose own instruction sheet names both ASTM F1989 and EN 1869:2019, at the size fire bodies actually recommend.
- The instruction sheet supplied with the retail unit is headed "ASTM F1989-2005 - MAUS Portable Fire Blanket - 72" X 48" - EN 1869:2019", naming both the US and European fire blanket standards.
- At 72 by 48 inches it matches the 1.8 m by 1.2 m size the Fire Industry Association says should ideally be selected to smother clothing that is being worn.
- Sewn-in corner pockets take your hands, and the same blanket comes in a hard wall case (model 5001-1) or a lighter soft case (model 5002-1) so you can put one in each place you need it.
- MAUS does not publish a temperature rating for the fabric, so you cannot compare it on that number.
- The instruction sheet says "SINGLE USE ONLY. DISCARD AFTER USE.", so any deployment, however small, costs you the blanket.
- The retail spec table at one large chain lists the product as "Class A:B:C - Multiple Use", which contradicts the single use line printed on the sheet inside the box.
Prepared Hero Emergency Fire Blanket
Buy itThe 40 inch square everyone already owns: a good fabric lid for a small contained fire, and honest about very little else.
- At 40 by 40 inches per the maker's own support page it drops neatly over a pan, a toaster or a bin, which is the job the Fire Industry Association assigns to smaller blankets.
- Woven fibreglass with a pull tab release and a hanging pouch, so it can live within arm's reach of the hob rather than in a cupboard.
- The maker answers the certification question directly and states that its blankets are not certified to ASTM F1989-05 and that UL testing is not applicable to fire blankets.
- The standards story changes page by page: the XL product page says it "meets EN-1869：1997 standards", the withdrawn edition, the support pages claim EN 1869:2019, and one large retailer's own certification field for the product reads "No Certifications or Listings".
- The maker says that as long as it is undamaged "it can be reused", which is the opposite of what EN 1869:2019 covers and of what MAUS tells its own buyers.
- At about 1 m square it is below the size the FIA lists for a clothing fire, and MAUS states that even for a frying pan fire a 1 m by 1 m blanket is not enough to smother it completely.
Side by side
The 8 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| MAUS Portable Fire Blanket 72 in x 48 in Our pick | Prepared Hero Emergency Fire Blanket | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Anyone who wants one blanket in the kitchen and wants it to be the right size and the documented one. | A stovetop, a workbench or a caravan, where the fire you are realistically covering is smaller than a pan lid. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $ · budget |
| Standards named by the maker | ASTM F1989-2005 and EN 1869:2019 on the supplied instruction sheet | Varies by page: EN 1869:2019, EN 1869:1997, and one retailer field saying none |
| Size | 72 in x 48 in (1.8 m x 1.2 m) | 40 in x 40 in (about 1 m square) |
| Material | Woven fibreglass | Woven fibreglass, polyester and PVC pouch |
| Temperature claim | Not published | Over 1,000 F in support pages; 1,076 F (580 C) on product pages |
| Hand protection | Sewn-in corner pockets | Pull tabs only; maker recommends gloves |
| Reuse | Single use only, discard after use | Maker says it can be reused if undamaged |
| Large enough for a clothing fire | Yes, matches the 1.8 x 1.2 m guidance | No |
| Where it belongs | Wall mounted in the kitchen | Counter, drawer or hook beside the hob |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the MAUS Portable Fire Blanket 72 in x 48 in if
anyone who wants one blanket in the kitchen and wants it to be the right size and the documented one.
Know before buying: mAUS does not publish a temperature rating for the fabric, so you cannot compare it on that number.
Pick the Prepared Hero Emergency Fire Blanket if
a stovetop, a workbench or a caravan, where the fire you are realistically covering is smaller than a pan lid.
Know before buying: the standards story changes page by page: the XL product page says it "meets EN-1869：1997 standards", the withdrawn edition, the support pages claim EN 1869:2019, and one large retailer's own certification field for the product reads "No Certifications or Listings".
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the MAUS Portable Fire Blanket 72 in x 48 in - The one blanket here whose own instruction sheet names both ASTM F1989 and EN 1869:2019, at the size fire bodies actually recommend. Choose the Prepared Hero Emergency Fire Blanket instead if a stovetop, a workbench or a caravan, where the fire you are realistically covering is smaller than a pan lid.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Fire Blankets: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).