Vornado TouchStone Vortex Heat 500 Heater -- Ah, feels like I'm in Florida... oh wait....

I must attest -- before last winter I had never used heat in my home. I live in Florida for pete's sake -- there really is no excuse to actually use your furnace, ever. Then I had a baby at the end of November and apparently it's not good to have the home be 64 degrees while said baby is sleeping. We used the furnace a lot last year, sending our electricity bills skyrocketing. Towards the end, I noticed that the heater was on virtually all night long... and the temperature in the house still wasn't where it was supposed to be. I chalked it up to the nature of furnaces and forgot about it. Then came this year. We had an early cold snap in October that required the use of heat and again I noticed the same phenomena. I had a friend come out and look at my furnace and he graciously let me know that I'd probably need a whole new interior unit -- about $800 - 1200 for a good system. You have to be kidding me.

I decided I was going to boycott replacing the furnace -- after all, the only room I would need to keep warm is my son's and with Christmas coming up, we simply don't have $1200 around to magically replace something that gets used a few times annually. Making our disaster fund disappear on something that isn't really a disaster would trigger Murphy's Law -- a sort of cascading mass of one expensive horror after another (kind of like how last year, right after Aidan was born our pool pump and well both broke within a month of each other). In addition, using the heater to heat the whole house cost me an extra $100 a month last year, so that is another added bonus to scrapping the whole replacement idea. But the big question remained: how would I heat Aidan's room?

Enter a Space Heater

Ah yes. Those evil of evils. Kills hundreds of people every year. Not only was I seriously considering BUYING one, I was going to run it at night. While my child was sleeping. Gasp. That being said, safety is the first (and only) requirement. I wanted an electric (no carbon monoxide for us) one that had a built-in thermostat, cool-touch exterior, a sensor that would shut it off if tipped over or if something blocked the air intake, was tested by a certified laboratory, and really an overall excellent safety record. You really do have to be careful with space heaters, though (all humor aside). Carbon monoxide can kill, hot grates can cause severe burns and the heater itself can cause fires.

However, not all space heaters are created equal. Not every heater out there poses such harsh threats. Trust me when I say that I would never, ever put something in my son's room that I did not trust implicitly to be safe. That is why I purchased a $150 space heater with a leading name and as many safety features as can possibly be crammed into one machine.

Enter Vornado

Vornado is a leading name in air circulators -- fans, humidifiers, heaters, you name it. They have a number of models on the market, ranging from around $70 to $150. The Vornado TouchStone Vortex Heat 500 Heater is their latest, most safety-concious space heater -- obviously, it is the one that retails for $149.99. I believe the model ID is the TVH500, though the model number is EH1-0032-28. In Florida, I found it extremely hard to actually locate a retail outlet that not only carries space heaters but also had this new model. Most stores listed on Vornado's website (http://www.vornado.com) didn't actually carry this model -- I called Linens N Things, Ace, Wal-Mart, True Value and Bed, Bath and Beyond with no success. The only place I found it was at Sharper Image. Luckily I had a $30 coupon (search around on the web... you can find them), so I only paid $119.99. Just to note -- the only two stores that actually HAVE the TVH500 listed on their websites are Bed, Bath and Beyond and Sharper Image. You can also purchase this model on Vornado's website -- which is good if you can't find it in your area.

Product Specs:
*Remote control operation
*Cool to touch exterior
*Vortex action warms the entire room in minutes and eliminates hot and cold spots
*Top-mounted controls and digital panel for easy use
*LCD lit screen
*Quiet operation
*Ideal exit air temperature
*Tip over protection automatically shuts off the heater if unit is tipped to the front/back
*Overheat protection automatically shuts off heater if airflow to the unit is blocked in front/back
*Tight grill veins
*Digital thermostat
*Timer (can be set in hour increments up to 9 hours)
*Lightweight, compact design
*Can heat up to a 16X16 room in minutes
*Has three settings -- high (for large rooms), low and fan-only
*Costs around $0.15/hour to operate (assuming 1500 watts, or the high setting)
*Certified by independent testing labs

Why I like this space heater

Two things impressed me right out of the box -- first, the heater's appearance. It's a nice looking machine, clad in fire-resistant steel in a charcoal color. Very handsome, very modern... this lady's very impressed. It even has a carrying handle to make transportation easier. The unit is also fairly lightweight. Secondly, the owner's manual. I was expecting the manual to be the size of a tv owner's guide, but this was a pleasant surprise.-- at 7 pages (including warranty), this was easy to understand and concise. It took me a few minutes to read everything thoroughly, but essentially operation is plug-in, turn on, adjust temperature. It really is that easy to use -- the Mode controls the high/low/fan options, the up and down arrows control the thermostat (which displays current room temperature as well as the target temp), and you can press the timer button to set the timer for up to 9 hours. The remote (with batteries included, how nice!) is labeled clearly with the same buttons as the actual unit itself.

The LCD screen is easy to read, even from an angle (though it is easier to read if you're standing in front of the machine rather than in back). The light is bright enough to serve as a nightlight and it even has a red light alerting you to when the heater is actually working.

Usually I cast doubt on the advertising claims on products -- I mean, how "cool to touch" can a HEATER be? But the TVH500 really impressed me. When they say "cool to touch," they mean it. The first time I used it, I tested it to warm Aidan's bathroom. It was right before bathtime and the room was frigid. I plugged it in, turned it on and within a few minutes had a nice and toasty room for bathtime. I turned it off (you aren't supposed to use it in the bathroom while water is running) and was pleased to find the outside still felt cool -- even the grates where the hot air comes out. However, that was only for a few minutes... what about the whole night? The first time I used it in Aidan's room, I kept sneaking in there to touch the stupid thing (just to make sure it would be ok). It was on from 7 pm until 11:30 and the outside stayed at room temperature. This truly convinced me that everything would be ok that night (though I did leave the monitor on). The next morning, I felt every part, from the base to the sides to the grill, and it was room temperature. Not even a little bit warm. To me, that is the best safety feature you can buy. That means you can even place it on carpet without any worries (since the base won't get hot enough to cause a fire). Look, let me just tell you that my mother-in-law was impressed (because she didn't believe me)... and if it can impress her, then you know it's good.

I was also a bit worried about the potential noise the heater would make. Most models I'm familiar with, even the good ones, make a rumble that might keep a child up at night. The TVH500 makes almost NO noise! I was also worried it would interfere with my Fisher-Price monitor (creating static or background noise) but I can't even tell when it is on and when it's not. This heater is quieter than any air purifier I've ever had in my house (especially the one in Aidan's room). I have tried it on both the LOW (bathroom) and HIGH (son's room) setting and it honestly is "whisper quiet." How nice!

It really does warm the entire room quickly -- though it depends on how warm you want it and how cold it started out at. My son's bathroom can be heated from 66 to 72 within about 3 - 4 minutes (regular bathroom size) and my son's room can be heated in about 5 - 7 minutes (11 X 10). I've also noticed that the room's temperature is fairly consistent throughout the entire room -- some space heaters will leave the floor colder than the middle and have random "cold" pockets... but not this heater. The room is consistently warm and toasty. The "ideal exit temperature" is also a nice feature. The air comes out at 120 degrees, which is warm enough to warm a room but cool enough to not burn. I've held my hand in front of the heater for a while without becoming uncomfortable with the heat. For those of you who have your heat coming out of the floor, that's how the Vornado feels... nice and toasty, but not too hot. I will say that, despite the thermostat questions I'll go into below, every morning I use the heater... Aidan's room is much warmer than the rest of the house. I'm not aiming for "toasty" in any way, just around 70 and that's what it gives me.

This heater requires NO maintenance, how about that for user-friendly? The only thing they request is to vacuum the front and back grates on a regular basis and to store in a bag (to prevent excessive dust) when not in use for an extended period of time. Other than that, there's no water to fill... no oil to lubricate... nothing. I like easy.

Oh, one last thing... The other safety features -- the tip-over and over-heat protection... they really do work. The TVH500 is so broad at the base, it would take a good blow to knock it over... so I performed a few more experiments on it. When I tipped the machine over to the front or back, the machine would completely shut itself off. It didn't even need to be completely flat, the heater would shut off at an approximate 45 degree angle (that way the heater wouldn't be directed at the floor). The over-heat protection shut the machine down a few seconds after the airflow was blocked, meaning no potential for a fire here. By the way to answer the question you're all thinking right now: Yes, I have no life.

What I dislike about the space heater

First, how hard was this darned thing to find? Maybe it's because I live in Florida and we have a limited need for space heaters... but no place actually carried this model. I found other, cheaper Vornado models at the stores listed... but not the TVH500.

While the remote is easy to use, it doesn't really work from a good distance away. I was playing with the remote a few days ago and I'd say it works in a 5 ft radius around the machine. It doesn't work through doors (I was kind of hoping I could change the settings by remote without having to open Aidan's door at night) either.

Another thing is that I can't really figure out how accurate the TVH500's thermostat is. I have a feeling it reads rooms a little warmer than other thermometers do. I checked it with both my home thermostat and a portable digital thermometer and while home thermostat read 67, the digital read 68.7 and the Vornado read 69. However I don't really trust the digital thermometer because it has been reading things oddly for the past week -- for example, this morning my house thermostat read 64 and the Vornado in Aidan's room read 71, but the digital thermometer read 66.5 in Aidan's room and 66.4 by the home thermostat. It probably wasn't 71 in Aidan's room, but I highly doubt it was 66.5 either. I would guess that the TVH500's reading was about 2 to 4 degrees warmer than the actual room temperature. Now that I know this pattern is happening, I can adjust the temperature to suit my wishes (ie: instead of setting the desired temp to be 70, I'll set it for 72 or even 74). The thermostat in the Vornado also thinks the room warms up a lot faster than it really does -- something tells me the thermostat inside the heater isn't in the best spot to calibrate the room's temperature. However, in the TVH's defense... it's hard to tell how accurate ANY thermostat is... since they all seem to have different readings even in the same spot. In addition, I really have no reliable inner thermostat. Sometimes I'm cold at 76 but burning at 72... so in all fairness, the room could very well be 70 and I wouldn't know it.

Next, Vornado is VERY clear that they are the only authorized repair service for their heaters. That gives them carte-blanche to charge as much as they'd like to fix it. In addition, their 2 year warranty might cover parts and labor... but not shipping. You need to pay to ship it to them and include a $15 check for them to send it back. That easily could be $30 you spent to fix your heater UNDER WARRANTY. I can understand why they do want to limit their authorized repair services -- you don't want to have someone inexperienced messing around with something that could burn your house down... but it would be nice if they actually paid for the shipping since THEY issued you the warranty.

Overall Recommendation

Seeing as how I am writing this review and the overall tone is a favorable one, you are probably thinking that a) my child is safe and b) my house has not burned down. Both are, in fact, true. Not only has it not burned down my house or seriously injured my child, it has passed the most rigorous of tests -- the Grandparent Test. Always keen to ensure your child stays safe so they can cause clogged arteries, high blood pressure and a stroke later in life because of all the crap they feed them, my parents, my MIL and my step-mother-in-law all gave the Vornado TVH500 a passing grade. The Vornado is actually like a cool party attraction whenever I have people over... the conversation goes along the lines of "Have you seen the space heater that DOESN'T GET HOT? Oh man... Jen... plug in the space heater so I can show Great Aunt Mildred how it works.." To which I reply... "It's 80 degrees outside, we don't need a space heater on right now." And on. And on. Yeah.

The Vornado definitely has some issues that I wouldn't expect a $150 heater to have but those are, truly, relatively minor. What matters to me are the safety features and effectiveness of the heater itself -- along with ensuring the advertising is true-to-life. The thermostat does seem to read warmer than expected, but the rest of the claims really do pan out. It heats a room quietly within a few minutes, it's easy to operate, the safety features work and it really does stay cool to the touch. It does a good job on Aidan's 11X10 room, but speaking for larger rooms I can't say. We have an open floorplan and I'm pretty sure it couldn't heat my kitchen, living room, family room and dining room in an effective manner. In addition, the lowest temperature we've used it in has been in the low 40s -- how effective would it be up in Fargo? Again, I can't answer that. All I can answer is that it heats a 11X10 room with little problems in under 10 minutes.

In any case, though it does have a few drawbacks (mainly the whole thermostat issue)... it is one of the safest and most effective space heaters on the market today. I give the Vornado TouchStone Vortex Heat 500 space heater Four Stars and a If-You-Need-Localized-Warmth-This-Is-The-Heater-For-You Recommendation.

I will note that I have written to Vornado with questions about the thermostat reading a bit warm. Perhaps it is simply a problem with my individual unit and it will be rectified by swapping it out for a different one. If the TVH500 could get rid of the thermostat quirks, I would happily rate this Five Stars... so I'll keep this updated when I get more info. I'll also update when I get my next electricity bill -- then we'll really see how energy-efficient this thing really is :)

Pros:

*Tip-over and over-heat safety features function as advertised
*Unit is small (9.8X11.5X11.4") and lightweight (12 lbs)
*Can heat a large room up to 16X16 with an 8 ft ceiling
*Unit is attractive, with a charcoal/black steel color scheme
*Base is large so it is unlikely to tip over
*Draws a max of 13 amps; uses 800 watts of power on low and 1500 on high; consumes up to 5118 BTUs of power on high at max temp and 2559 BTUs on low at max temp... costs around .15/hr to operate on high setting
*Comes with a two-year limited warranty
*Ultra quiet -- doesn't interfere with monitors and can barely be heard a few feet away
*Can be remotely operated
*LCD screen is bright and easy to read
*Exterior stays approximately room temperature to the touch
*Heats a 11X10 room fairly evenly within about 10 minutes
*Tight grill veins prevent even a one-year old's fingers from getting close to the heat source
*The heat exits at around 120 degrees fahrenheit -- approximately the temperature of a furnace or other home heating unit
*Can be used on a timer
*The heater is extremely easy to use and program
*Comes with a red light to let you know when the heater is on
*No maintenance necessary


Cons:

*Digital thermostat reads the room approximately 2 to 4 degrees warmer than the actual temperature
*The unit thinks it heated the room a lot faster than it really did, so you do have to set the heater for a higher temperature to ensure the warmth in the room
*Only the manufacturer can service the warranty and it costs shipping both ways
*Remote only works in a small area
*Can be extremely hard to find
*Does cost $150, though you can find coupons and specials at most of the places that carry Vornado (the 20% off coupon at Bed, Bath and Beyond and Linens N Things and the $30 coupon at Sharper Image). In any case, $120 is still a lot of money to shell out for a heater.