It’s simply the best space heater we’ve tested, which is why it’s been our top pick since 2018. We found the VH200’s analog dials easy to handle and intuitive to master, and we appreciate that it has a medium heat setting, whereas most heaters have only low and high settings. And although the VH200 is not particularly attractive, it’s definitely not ugly—a big win in a crowded field of unappealing design. Even its negative owner reviews are less of a red flag than those of some competitors, with reports of responsive customer service from the manufacturer, something you rarely see among reviews of other brands.
The Vornado AVH10 has a digital display, which delights some people and frustrates others because you have to manually tap a button numerous times to reach your desired temperature, up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. (On the VH200, all you have to do lasko heater is turn a knob, which is convenient, even though you have no way to know the exact temperature.) Luckily, the buttons on the AVH10 are large and easy to locate, even in the dark. It comes with a convenient cord-wrapping post for tidier storage.
Since 2017, we’ve focused more on real-world testing, running the heaters under controlled conditions in cramped apartments in Boston and New York. It has an automatic thermostat, which means the heater will turn off once the room reaches the desired set temperature. The unit also displays the current temperature, so you can easily increase or decrease the emitted amount of heat.
After an hour, we measured that the Designer used 1.3 kilowatts of energy. Using this figure and the average kWh price, we calculated that it would cost $1.71 to run this heater over 10 hours or $51.30 for 10 hours per day for 30 days. We tested the Vornado VH10, which is a glossier, newer generation of the VH200, but nothing set it apart from our less expensive top pick. It recorded similarly quiet decibel levels and performed just as well in heating our room. The VH10 also has only two temperature settings (the VH200 has three), and it has a concave dial, which we found much harder to manipulate than our picks’ raised dials. It’s still a decent option overall, if our other Vornado picks are unavailable.
If we were playing by The Price Is Right rules of closest-without-going-over, the Solaris Slim H3 would easily win. If you need an electric heater in the bathroom, the Lasko CD08200 and the Dreo DR-HSH004A are the ones we recommend to do the job safely. In response to reader comments, we’ve updated this guide to add some clarity around our descriptions of heating efficiency. The pull-out disconnects may not disable power to the air handler, posing an electrical shock hazard to individuals servicing the units. A broken motor mount can allow the electric heating element to come in contact with the interior plastic materials and ignite, posing fire and burn hazards.
One more expense, but, they would have replaced 2 of the 4 bad units…. One lady said that she could see that things had likely fallen out during shipping… They do not answer their phone supposedly “due to Coronavirus”… Online Chat has been attempted numerous times, all to no avail…
While some space heaters, such as wall heaters and baseboard heaters, are designed for more permanent installation, others are portable heaters that can be taken from room to room as needed. These portable heaters can result in energy savings if they’re only used when a room is occupied. A space heater is a self-contained appliance, usually powered by either electricity or gas, that’s designed to keep a space (whether indoors or outdoors) warm and toasty. Sam’s Club offers a variety of heating and cooling solutions. At first glance, the De’Longhi Comfort Temp Full Room Radiant Heater KH390715CB looks like our oil-filled radiator pick (also from De’Longhi) with updated controls and without the protective case around it.
The length of time in years the heater is covered by its manufacturer for defects or repairs. The relative loudness of the heater operating on its highest setting. Patio heaters are designed to be used outdoors and can be freestanding or mounted. Mounted patio heaters are easily installed on support beams or rafters of a patio.
All that being said, the FH500 is still technically a tower fan, which means it can be difficult to clean. We’re reassured by the fact that Lasko covers the FH500 with a three-year warranty, and we’re optimistic that the dust and dirt factor won’t be as much of a problem for a heater because lasko ceramic heater you’re more likely to be using it indoors with the windows closed. We’ve been long-term testing the FH500 since 2019, and it’s still holding up impressively well in both heating and cooling capacities. Like any radiator, the TRD40615T is larger than our other space heater picks.
The Lasko also lacks the option to use the blower as a room temperature fan without the heating element turned on. This means that this model will be useless during warm months and will need to be stored, or it will just be a waste of space. We love that the Designer has a thermostat from 60 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but the settings jump up in increments of five degrees. We prefer models that allow you to choose the temperature by the exact degree, which offers the maximum amount of comfort. The CD08200 and DR-HSH004A bathroom heaters performed comparably in our tests, as well, with the CD08200 raising the temperature by about 12 degrees over an hour, and the DR-HSH004A adding about 10 degrees of warmth in that same time.