Getting what you DIDN'T pay for!
Pros:
Price, Heat Output, Footprint (size), One touch, Hi/Low/Thermostat, Plastic casing, 2X backup shutdown safetys
Cons:
Higher electric bill (and that's pushing it)
The Bottom Line:
There hasn't been an underdog this impressive since Rudy. For pennies on the dollar, you can heat single rooms into almost a sauna. Don't let it's size fool you!
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I'm normally a big believer in "You get what you pay for". That said, I received this little heater for an Chistmas present, and almost immediately returned it for a store credit towards a bigger one. I was only looking to heat a large bedroom, but didn't think it'd be up to the task, as price almost always reflects quality/power. However, my fiancee talked me into holding onto it to at least try it out...and am I glad I did.
The little heater is rated at 1500 watts on high setting and 1000 watts on low. It also comes with a built in thermostat that ranges from 60 to 80 degrees in 5 degree increments.
In my findings, to heat a room your getting ready to spend some time in, the high or low setting is optimal, as you'll find the thermostat does exactly it's job...it turns the heater on and off at a preset temperature. Being a space heater by nature, its thermostat is based on only the area directly around it, thus making the temperature biased to the small area surrounding it. The thermostat is however, a great setting for bedtime when your sleeping, as it closely maintains a preset temperature while keeping the power bill respectible.
I've also found that the high or low setting, much to my amazement, will over a few hours, create an almost uncomfortable amount of heat for sleeping! My bedroom, being on the back end of the house, was sitting at 57 degrees in the 19 degree weather this morning. 30 minutes on high with this heater on high brought the entire room(approximently 15x20") to 68 degrees! I haven't been this impressed with an underdog since the story of Rudy!
As for the unit itself, it's on a swivel base, although it's not to be confused as oscillating. Although space heaters don't come with BTU ratings due to so many different factors surrounding it, I found the math to be roughtly equivalent to about 5500 BTU's from this small little warrior.
I've heard numerous reviews talk of how hard the unit is to turn off...which amazes me. Hold the single button down for 2 seconds...off. One touch operation couldn't possibly be any easier.
In the end, that's just about all there is to say about this heater. 3 modes (low/high/thermostat), 5 thermostat settings, and off. 1500 watts per hour on high, 1000 on low. More then good enough to heat a single room of almost any size. While I had my doubts, this heater will definately be spending the rest of it's days in my bedroom! And with an average price tag of only $20, how could you possibly say no?