The best space heaters in 2024, tried and tested

Now’s the time to seriously consider investing in the best space heater. After all, winter is coming (cue “Game of Thrones” opening sequence music). If you’re privileged enough to have central heating that works like a well-oiled machine, we’re super happy for you. But if you’re one of many who must contend with shivering indoor temperatures, roughing it with an electric blanket draped over you and sipping hot tea from your mug warmer to stay warm … friends, you’ve come to the right place.

The best space heater will keep you comfortable during those crisp fall months and freezing winter nights without putting a strain on your wallet when that electric bill comes due. Space heaters are likely the most cost-efficient solution for heating smaller areas and spaces. According to Joel Hawk, the principal engineering manager for small appliances at UL Solutions, “Size makes the difference. Your floor plan. What is the space to be heated? With space heaters, just like the name, think of them in terms of space. For a localized space, this type of heater is perfect.”

We pooled 20 of the latest and greatest on the market, spending several weeks in toasty temperatures to find the safest, easiest-to-use and best-performing space heaters. We then whittled down that list to the two best space heaters to buy. You’ll thank us when that nippy weather comes around and you’re staying warm and cozy at home.

Best space heater: Dreo Solaris 718 Space Heater

When it comes to performance and design, the Dreo Solaris 718 is undeniably superior to the rest of the space heaters in our product pool, so much so that it was an easy top pick. Great for small bedrooms but best for larger rooms, it’s so good at heating spaces quickly, efficiently and quietly while keeping things elegant in the design department.

The first time we tested this heater in our 13-by-18-foot “testing” room, it quickly heated the immediate area by 21 degrees Fahrenheit without oscillation and by 11 degrees with oscillation in just 15 minutes. And that was when we set its target temperature to 83 degrees. At its highest heat mode, it raised the temperature in the room to 95 degrees in 15 minutes and to 101 in an hour, making it the best choice to combat those biting winter nights.

We only wish it spread heat more evenly in the room. While it quickly warmed its immediate vicinity, it did take a little longer for the rest of the room to catch up even when the heater was set to swivel.

That said, it still heated our test room faster than the competition while also being quieter. The loudest this space heater got was 41 decibels. Throw in the fact its grille doesn’t get too hot and cools down incredibly fast, and it’s already worth every cent.

Keep that in mind when looking at its $130 price tag. If you’re seeking a space heater for under $100, you could try our budget pick below; however, if you’re comfortable with paying more than $100 for a top-quality space heater, then you can’t do better than the Dreo Solaris 718.

Even its design is much more elevated than the rest. It’s a tower space heater that’s only 2.5 feet tall and under 8 inches in diameter at its widest, which means it’s svelte and compact. And while it’s not incredibly heavy, it’s got enough heft to it that we struggled to get it to topple over. Every time we tried, it swung back and forth at its base before eventually settling back into its normal position.

Not once did it fall over during our stress tests, so unless your child or pet body-slams or tackles it to the ground, accidents with this one should be minimal. Isn’t it incredible what a difference a beautiful and thoughtful design makes? We also liked its additional space heater safety features whenever it did fall out of place. It first sends out a few warning beeps, then it has an effective auto-shutoff function that turns it off 20 seconds after falling out of place.

We’re not done singing the Dreo Solaris 718’s praises. Did we mention this heater is pretty? It has a sophisticated conical design that makes it look more expensive than it is so you’d be proud to have it sitting in your living room in full view of guests. In addition, the touch-control panel and remote control are both robust and very responsive, while the handle is wide and deep, making it fairly effortless to transfer from one room to another.

Though it may be slightly pricier than most other space heaters, it’s well worth the money and an investment you won’t regret.

Best budget space heater: Lasko Ellipse Ceramic Tabletop Heater

The spot for the best budget heater was a little harder to fill but not because it was hard to find an inexpensive space heater worth your money. Far from it. The two budget contenders we tested were not only solid choices but also so similar in performance and features that it made it hard to decide.

However, the Lasko Ellipse Ceramic Tabletop Heater ultimately nabbed the budget spot. A tabletop space heater that’s best for small rooms, it’s tiny and light enough to stuff in your work backpack and take on your commutes to and from the office. More importantly, it proved capable of taking on its bigger rivals to heat small rooms and maybe even medium-sized spaces.

During testing, this little-heater-that-could spread heat fairly evenly in our test area and kept temperatures consistent inside even after an hour. Of course, our top pick, the Dreo Solaris 718, still left it in the dust with how fast it heated the space, but this one still hit our target temperature within 15 minutes with oscillation turned off. It also made our test area 10 degrees hotter within an hour when set to its highest heat mode.

What’s even more impressive is it does all that while keeping things relatively quiet. When both budget contenders were set to their highest heat mode, this one was slightly quieter than the cheaper Dreo Atom One.

The Lasko Ellipse Ceramic Tabletop Heater does have its share of misses. Its touch controls aren’t as elegant or responsive as the ones on the Atom One, and its remote control only works if you’re pointing it directly at the heater. But it also has several hits, including a child-lock feature that seems to have eluded several of the pricier models we tested. This function works well and adds another layer of safety to the space heater, making it ideal for homes with young kids and occasionally riotous pets.

Another nice feature is its timer, which you can set in 30- to 60-minute increments. It’s a nifty one to use if you don’t want to overheat but can’t be bothered to constantly fuss over the heater throughout the day or during the night.

While we appreciate its slim profile and small footprint, it’s just not pretty to look at. Put plainly, its aesthetics are basic. The handle is also very shallow, making it hard to get a secure grip when moving it. Plus, it’s vulnerable to toppling over the way it’s shaped (like a slightly rounded trapezoid).

The good news, though, is that due to its size, it works best when placed on top of a dresser or side table. Just strategically put it in a spot where it’s not susceptible to a child dragging it off its perch by the cable, especially because that grille tends to heat up to 220 degrees during use and may cause minor burn injuries. Another quality feature is that its auto-shutoff function was on point, shutting off after three seconds every time we purposely knocked it over during testing.

It also feels robust, which it better be, considering it will set you back $61. That’s not exactly what we’d define as expensive, but it still sits in the higher price bracket of the tabletop category. The Dreo Atom One, to put that into perspective, is $10 cheaper. Still, we had to go with the Lasko Ellipse Ceramic Tabletop Heater for our best budget space heater pick due to its heating performance and extra safety features. It’s easily the best value and performance for your money.

Best wall-mounted space heater: Dreo WH517S Smart Wall Heater

Space heaters have their perks but sometimes, they are frustrating to use. If we were to look at our years of experience using space heaters and pick out their one big drawback, it would have to be that they get in the way. That leads to many more annoyances like getting knocked off by kids or pets and emitting a terrifying sound when they’re out of alignment.

It’s why we’ve come to appreciate this new breed of space heaters designed to be mounted on the wall, which not only takes care of the space issue but also solves the problem of storage when they’re not in use the rest of the year. And the Dreo WH517S Smart Wall Heater gets our vote in this category.

We’ve been using the higher-priced and more compact Dreo WH719S Smart Wall Heater for about a year now, and that would have been our top pick, except that after testing the Dreo WH517S, we’ve come to realize that the WH719S’s added frills are not entirely necessary and worth paying extra for.

The $30 cheaper Dreo WH517S already has most of the things you’ll need from a wall-mounted unit. It’s beautifully designed and well-built, with touch controls that are very responsive and intuitive to use as well as a remote control, app support and Alexa integration for voice controls. There’s also a very informative LED display that tells you everything from the current ambient temperature to whether or not it’s connected to your WiFi as well as a fan-only function. Everything about this space heater screams convenience.

Even its assembly and setup are effortless. It took us about seven to 10 minutes to drill four holes through our wall, put in the wall inserts, drive in the wood screws, mount the heater and secure it. Even folks who don’t often use power drills can do it. It helps that the unit is impossibly light and Dreo provides a drilling guide with a level attached.

Thanks to the elegantly designed and simple-to-use Dreo app, connecting it to the app and your Alexa ecosystem is also painless. While the heater is very responsive to the app and remote control, we suggest utilizing that voice control as it makes things easier, especially if you live a hectic life.

Dreo rates the Dreo WH517S ideal for rooms up to 150 square feet. However, we did test it in the same 13-by-18-foot (or 234-square-foot) bedroom where we tested the contenders, and it performed better than expected. It kept us nice and toasty through the cold nights during our week-long testing.

Our only mistake was mounting it at a higher spot because that was the only ideal spot in our test room. Remember that hot air rises so it took longer to heat the room — taking an hour to jump up nine degrees (our thermometers were set at a lower height). However, if you set this about waist-high, it should perform better.

The only disappointing thing about this space heater is its “manual oscillation” as Dreo calls it, which is a vent you can manually adjust 30 degrees up or down. Unlike the WH719S, there’s no auto oscillation here, which is truly a missed opportunity. However, that doesn’t really get in the way of its overall performance.

How we tested

To compare performance and make sure we found the best space heaters for your needs, we tested each heater in a 13-by-18-foot (or 234-square-foot) bedroom to gauge their performance, ease of use, design and build quality, features and overall value. Because space heaters are, by their definition, meant to be movable, we tested each model’s portability as well.

More specifically, we evaluated each pair using the following primary criteria:

For a fair assessment, we also considered the following secondary criteria:

How to choose the best space heater for your needs

Before you choose the right model, decide if a space heater is the right heating solution for your needs. For example, if you have a larger space or several rooms to cover in your home, a central heating unit might be a more cost-effective solution in the long run. If you only need something to keep you warm while sleeping, a heated blanket, which tends to use less energy, might be a better option.

However, if it is the most ideal solution for you, there are several things you need to consider when choosing the best space heater.

Consider the coverage area

Similar to buying a patio heater, take a look at your coverage area. Consider the space or room that needs heating — and we’re not just talking about the size. When you think about it, there are many factors to look for in a space heater that largely hinge on where you’ll be using it.

Of course, the bigger the coverage area, the more power a space heater needs to properly heat all areas of that space, so you may require the best space heater for larger spaces like your living room or master bedroom but a small tabletop unit for smaller areas.

You’ll need to consider other questions as well. Will you be using it in a bedroom? You may need something whisper-quiet. Do you want something that sits on top of your office desk? Consider a small and unobtrusive space heater. Do you want one space heater you can take with you from room to room? Then something lightweight and easy to carry is best. Are there kids or pets in the house? Get something stable or, even better, wall-mountable.

Safety above all else

Above everything else, safety is a vital consideration, especially if you live with kids, unruly pets or the elderly.

According to a study by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), portable heaters are responsible for 1,700 residential fires per year and an annual average of 70 deaths and 160 injuries from 2017 to 2019. That said, modern space heaters are much safer now, and most utilize multiple safety features to minimize fire risk.

Tip-over sensors automatically shut off the unit if it’s accidentally knocked over by a child or pet, preventing a hot grille from coming into contact with flammable materials. Child locks prevent youngsters from raising the temperature or power setting, and overheating protection circuits can shut off a heater if a coat or curtain accidentally falls on top of it.

Do your due diligence

Despite these features, exercise caution and due diligence when using space heaters. You must read your heater’s instruction manual and practice the manufacturer’s recommended safety precautions.

“Anything that sucks in electricity should be treated with respect, but dealing with a space heater, you are dealing with heat. Heating products in general have unique hazards,” Hawk says. “The most important thing you can do after you purchase it is read all the markings on the product. You also want to read all the instructions, especially all the safety instructions at the very beginning of the manual. You want to keep that manual too; it’s not something you want to throw away or put in the garage and forget about. You really should always keep any instruction manual you get with any product.”

Also, supervise its use by family members who can’t operate it properly. Heaters pose a risk of hyperthermia (a condition caused by an elevated body temperature), and those with limited mobility like the elderly and small children are most susceptible.

Finally, know when it’s time to replace it. “Anytime you sense something is wrong, it’s time to retire the product,” Hawk says. “Send it back to the manufacturer or throw it away. Don’t use any product that behaves badly. And that can be many things: you notice a spark, the smell of smoke, the coloring changed, damaged cords. Never hold on to these types of low-cost products you can get rid of and replace, because modern technology is always better than the past.”

Look for certifications

When shopping for a space heater, make sure the one you choose meets the safety guidelines and standards like the UL 1278, Solutions’ Standard for Movable and Wall-or Ceiling-Hung Electric Room Heaters.

“Look for the UL mark. That’s UL in a circle,” Hawk says. “That means we certified it. There are also other agencies in that marketplace. The first thing you look for is some form of certification from a safety-authorized and OSHA-recognized agency.”

How easy is it to operate?

Convenience and ease of use are important when choosing the best space heater, especially in a busy household. Luckily, most space heaters come with a remote control and a touch-control panel, making it easier to change heat settings, set timers, toggle swivel functions and more. Some space heaters have smart home functionality, which means you can control them via an app on your phone, control them via voice with a smart home assistant (like Alexa or Google Assistant) or both.

Try to be discerning in this area as well. Some remote controls and touch panels are more responsive than others, and just because a space heater has smart home functionality doesn’t mean it’s more convenient. Some manufacturers use a third-party app that may be a pain to use, only complicating things or not working at all, as was the case with one of the smart space heaters we tested.

What type of space heater is best for you?

There are a few basic types of space heaters, each of which has its pros and cons.

Stick to your budget

Space heaters can set you back anywhere from $35 to $750, but we wouldn’t worry too much about the cost. One thing to remember is that an affordable space heater can be as effective as an expensive one. For example, the over-$500 Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool HP07 raised the room temperature by 10 degrees in an hour, but so did the under-$50 Dreo Atom One and the under-$150 Dreo Solaris 718.

You don’t need an expensive model to get the best performance, so don’t be afraid to stay within your budget. Consider everything from the heating performance to the design, and make sure you’re getting the best space heater for you in terms of value.

Other space heaters we tested

Although TerraFlame’s Lloyd Modern Gel Fuel Fireplace isn’t technically a space heater, we feel it deserves a spot in this guide as it technically does what space heaters are designed to do, which is warm a room — and it does it so well.

It proved quite capable during testing. With all three gel fuel cans lit up, it raised the temperature in a medium-sized room by 5 degrees within 30 minutes. That’s quite a feat, considering it’s much smaller than a regular fireplace and was servicing a space almost twice as big as the room where we tested the rest of the space heaters in our pool.

What sets the Lloyd Modern Gel Fuel Fireplace apart from the space heaters in this guide and makes it so appealing is that it’s an actual fireplace with an adorable, fairly compact retro design and flames that softly crackle. So, it not only warms a room (for up to three hours per can) but also immediately transforms the vibe from nice to winter cozy.

So, it’s a fireplace in every sense of the word, except it’s better because it uses gel fuel cans instead of firewood, which means smoke- and soot-free flames. According to the TerraFlame team, its gel fuel is “generally much safer than wood, pellets or gas. Alcohol produces the cleanest flame.” That’s based on their “test reports regarding the burn.” This fireplace, in addition to coming in several different attractive colors, is also incredibly easy to assemble and move from room to room.

Of course, unlike a regular space heater, you can’t change any settings apart from choosing how many gel fuel cans to light up and set it to swivel. And it’s a pricier proposition at $699. However, if you’ve been dreaming of a fireplace in your home or apartment, the Lloyd Modern Gel Fuel Fireplace is a winner in our book.

There’s a lot to love about the Dreo Atom One, and it would have been our budget pick had the Lasko Ellipse Ceramic Tabletop Heater not outmatched it in heating performance. This tiny tabletop model is lightweight yet robust, adorable yet powerful, and easy to carry yet hard to topple.

During testing, it heated our testing space quickly and evenly by 9 degrees within 30 minutes and maintained that temperature even after an hour. When set to its highest heat setting, it kept the room at a sultry 90 degrees Fahrenheit, which may be too warm but is proof of its heating prowess. It was a little louder than the Lasko, hitting 50 decibels at its loudest. However, unlike the Lasko, it managed to keep its grille temperature down to non-skin-scorching levels.

It may look a little boxy, but it still exudes elegance and boasts a high-quality design you come to expect from Dreo products. Besides, that cubic shape serves a specific purpose: It minimizes the possibility of the space heater tipping over, and boy is it effective.

That’s something it does better than the Lasko. Throw in its cheaper price tag and very responsive touch buttons and remote, and this may be a better proposition for you if heating performance isn’t your only priority.

Like most Dreo products, the Dreo Solaris Slim H3 is tastefully designed and solidly built, so you already have great quality in the bag if you decide to go with this space heater. We also love its deep and wide angle, ensuring you have a secure grip if you need to move it to another area of the house or take it to the office, as well as its very responsive control panel and remote control.

Its shape and frame make it svelte, allowing it to fit pretty much anywhere — your desk, your bedroom floor, the top of your wardrobe, wherever. However, we do feel like it’s an awkward size. It’s taller than your typical tabletop space heater but seems too short to sit on the floor.

We recommend placing this on the floor, though. We tested it at our office desk and it simply wasn’t as effective as it was on our testing room floor. We figured that had something to do with its height; hot air rises and because it’s taller, most of the heat it put out just completely missed our desk area and quite literally went right over our heads.

It performed better in our room tests, hitting a toasty 98 degrees within the hour at its highest heat setting. But it did so at 47 decibels, meaning it’s not as quiet as our top pick. If you want a more affordable, under-$100 option for heating your bedroom, the Dreo Solaris Slim H3 is worth checking out.

Liking the Lasko AR122 was a struggle for us. On one hand, this compact space heater comes with a backup power button in the back for added safety, shuts off immediately when tipped over and won’t even turn on unless the surface it’s standing on is completely even and solid.

On the other, its heating performance is middling; its base is wobbly, so it’s likely to get knocked down at the lightest nudge; and its handle isn’t as wide or deep, which makes it harder to carry. But that’s not all. Although the heater comes with smart home integration and app support, we never made it far enough in the setup process to see how well those fancy features were implemented.

The first time we added the Lasko AR122 to Aria, the third-party app Lasko uses for its smart home devices, we couldn’t get the space heater to respond to any of the app controls. In an attempt to troubleshoot the issue, we disconnected the appliance from the app, which led to even more tedious issues. And when we finally managed to reestablish the connection, it still didn’t fix the original problem.

Smart home integration is supposed to make consumers’ lives easier, but that wasn’t the case here. What’s worse is that the heater doesn’t have a remote control, so if you can’t get the app to work, you’re stuck with the touch-control panel. If you can’t get it to work with the app, you’ll have to get up every single time you have to change the settings, making it even more annoying.

We try not to be too harsh on the products we test, but to be honest, this one’s a bit of a tough sell.

We’ve been using the Dreo WH719S Smart Wall Heater for about a year now, and it has not failed us once, heating our small living room to comfortable temperatures during the cold months. This impressive space heater boasts several features that you’ll be hard-pressed to find in the other contenders in our testing pool — it’s wall-mounted so it doesn’t get in the way, and it has a fan function so that you can still utilize it in the warmer seasons.

Just like the Dreo WH517S Smart Wall Heater, this wall-mounted space heater is best installed lower on the wall for more effective heating. However, if you can’t find a good spot there, you’ll be pleased to know that you can adjust the angle of the vent or set it to oscillate for a more even spreading of heat. And you do so by just asking Alexa.

You can ask Alexa to change most of this heater’s settings, and it works well. We cannot tell the last time we had to use its on-device controls, and we lost its included remote a long time ago. Just make sure to set it all up on the Dreo app before use.

Don’t be intimidated by the assembly and setup process either. Just like the WH517S, this heater is lightweight and easy to install. You only need to do some light power drilling.

The biggest reason this didn’t end up as our top pick is its price. It’s pricier than the WH517S, and while it does come with extra features and a slightly smaller footprint, we didn’t feel like those are worth paying $30 more.

If you’re looking for a space heater that’s easy to use and convenient to move around, there’s the Vornado AVH10. Our previous best space heater pick, this forced-air option has nice big control buttons that are easy to distinguish, and the tactile feel of its physical buttons makes it easier and more enjoyable to use than touchscreen-equipped models that can have frustrating sensitivity issues.

Unlike more rudimentary heaters that use a temperature dial so you set the target temperature directly, this space heater features a digital thermostat, which automatically adjusts the output to your specific temperature setting. The large display and bright digits make it easy to adjust the settings and are also easy to read from across the room. A separate fan-only setting also makes this heater more functional than bare-bones options, making it useful for warmer months as well.

At just 5.4 pounds and with a comfortable carrying handle, the Vornado AVH10 is about as easy to transport from room to room. This handle has a long, deep recess that you can hook your fingers underneath and is far superior to many other space heaters that tend to slip out of your grasp. The convenient cord storage space under the base was a huge perk too and a feature we didn’t find on any other heater.

Best for small rooms, this space heater performed well in our testing, raising the temperature of our space an average of 5.6 degrees between both temperature sensors. Its tip-over sensor worked as it should, and the exterior never came close to being hot enough to injure, with our temperature gun only clocking 119 degrees — warm but safe to touch.

The only real drawback to the Vornado AVH10 is its lack of a remote or timer function. This makes it less than ideal for bedroom use since you’ll have to get out of bed to turn it on or off. These functions would make it more convenient in these situations.

It’s not cheap, but we can confidently say that the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool HP07 may be worth the money if you can afford it. This multifunctional machine is a highly effective space heater that works just as well as an air cooler, and thanks to the activated charcoal filter, it’s also an air purifier.

The large, looped shape and 350-degree oscillating base work to generate a full-coverage airstream, and with 10 fan speeds to choose from, it provides an impressive number of options to tailor its output to your taste.

The cooling function works better than we expected. Though it isn’t an “air conditioner” per se (it doesn’t use a coolant like freon), the powerful output and shape of the fan’s opening certainly make it feel like you have the AC on. Dyson claims that a foil-shaped air channel creates areas of low pressure that then draw in surrounding air, creating a cooling effect.

Our favorite design feature of this space heater is its full-function color display. When using the remote control, this display uses colored animations and icons to show the real-time status of settings and adjustments. The lightweight and slim design of the remote control, as well as its clever magnetic attachment method, adds to the sleek, high-end look of the machine.

In our performance test, the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool HP07 raised the room temperature 10 degrees in an hour. Its 40-decibel noise level was also an advantage, and even when set to the highest temperature setting, the air opening was never hot to the touch.

If you have the budget for such a device and are interested in a high-quality machine that not only performs well but also looks great, the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool HP07 is probably what you’re looking for.

This oscillating tower heater boasts an intuitive, color-coded control panel (heat settings on one side and fan settings on the other), and at 41 inches tall, it’s comfortable to operate without bending over too far. The three heat settings and four fan speeds make it useful for various temperatures, and the remote has a handy little onboard caddy to keep it from getting lost.

The main drawback to this heater is how hot the exterior grille gets after prolonged use. Unlike other heaters with grilles that didn’t get uncomfortably hot, this one reached 212 degrees after 60 minutes on high. Even a fraction of a second was too long for my fingers to come in contact with it.

If you’re comfortable with a hotter-than-average grille and you’re looking for an all-around tower heater with multiple fan settings, this is a great option.

This Lasko tower unit performed nearly as well as our top pick, the Dreo Solaris 718, in our performance test, raising the temperature in our testing room by about 6 degrees after 60 minutes. It also features three heat settings and a digital thermostat that shuts off the heater when the set temperature is reached, and then cycles on and off to maintain the set temperature.

The onboard remote control storage is a nice perk, and the sloped top gives you a clear view of the display across the room. The recessed handle isn’t the most comfortable, though, and it’s angled in a way that it naturally slides out of your grip when carrying it.

A fine budget-friendly tower option, this Lasko model features an oscillating base, a 12-hour timer and two fan-only settings. Unfortunately, like the other ceramic models we tested, the grille became very hot to the touch after running for an hour.

The touch-sensitive controls are fairly simple to understand, and the compact 5-by-6-inch footprint won’t clutter your space too much. Lasko’s three-year warranty should have you covered if any issues arise.

Although this tower heater has a clear, user-friendly display and controls — we especially enjoyed how easy the timer was to schedule — its terrible carrying handle was a deal breaker.

Its angled design creates an inverted grip, which slowly slides out of your grasp as you carry it. Unlike most tower heaters, this model lacks a remote control. One of the worst performers in my real-world heating test, this heater only raised the temperature in our testing room by about 2 degrees in 60 minutes.

The retro design of this heater would be a great fit for those who want an alternative to the utilitarian look of most space heaters. Its all-metal body has a sturdy, heavy-duty feel, and the metal control switches feel rock solid as well. It also pivots up and down — not usually the case with a space heater — and performed well enough to raise the temperature in our testing room by above 5 degrees.

The lack of a carrying handle is the obvious drawback of this model, although its relatively low exterior temperature — we could touch and hold the grille without much discomfort — makes this less of a deal breaker.

With a retractable stand, 4-inch width and top-mounted carrying handle, this compact heater would be perfect for those who prioritize portability and storage. Despite the slim profile, it was still able to raise the temperature by 4.4 degrees, and a fan-only feature is useful for maintaining airflow in warmer months.

The wide, extended handle has enough clearance to get a nice solid grip too. The grille gets pretty hot, though, and was very hot to the touch, even for a second. At 64 decibels on its highest setting, this was also the noisiest heater we tested.

This tough little heater is made of thick plastic with a really comfortable handle on top for convenient grabbing and carrying. Its simple controls are about as easy to use as they get, and the 360-degree grille is perfect for whole-room heating.

This full-coverage design seems to affect its heating ability, as it only raised the room temperature by 2.45 degrees after 60 minutes. You’re not getting a timer, remote, oscillation or fan options, but at $35, it’s a decent value for those looking for a low-budget heater that’s durable and simple to use.

It’s probably overkill for most people who want a straightforward space heater, but this faux fireplace and its realistic flame effect are perfect for those who want a cozy and festive aesthetic. However, its infrared heating method struggled in our performance test, with a 2-degree differential after 60 minutes.

It kept the grille and exterior at a safe 134 degrees, though — essentially just warm to the touch — and we especially appreciated how the door covers up the display panel when closed, adding to the realistic look. The metal and glass construction gives it a sturdy, long-lasting feel as well.

We love the huge onboard controls and display of this infrared model, making it extremely easy to control and adjust settings. A one-page “quick-start” guide walks you through the heating operation, and the detailed instruction manual explains the more complicated humidifier feature.

Its 26-pound weight is heavier than most portable heaters but gives it a sturdy feel, and the rolling casters make the weight less of a mobility issue. Rotating air outlets allow you to customize the airflow, and its 206-degree grille poses no burn risk. The 3.5-degree temperature differential was on the lower end of our testing pool, though.

The control panel of this ceramic tower heater isn’t the most intuitive — we required some practice with the instruction manual to understand the “M” button and Eco-Mode settings — but its 5.1-degree temperature differential ranked better than most.

The rear carrying handle was comfortable and well designed, and the oscillation and digital thermostat features offer a nice amount of customization. It lacks a fan-only option, though, and the grille became very hot to the touch after my 60-minute performance test.

FAQs

Meet our experts

For this article, we consulted the following experts to gain their professional insights:

Why you should trust CNN Underscored

CNN Underscored editors thoroughly test all the products we cover and provide full transparency about how we test them. We have an experienced team of writers and editors who have many years of testing experience and ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when it makes sense to ensure we are testing each product accurately and speaking about the pros and cons of each item.

This guide’s writers, Michelle Rae Uy and Alex Rennie, have years of experience covering home products and appliances and writing product reviews. Testing staff writer Michelle Rae Uy covered home and kitchen appliances for various publications before joining CNN Underscored. Meanwhile, freelancer Alex Rennie specializes in the home improvement, DIY, and appliance space, and is one of CNN Underscored’s main contributors.