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As a data processing manager, I have seen many office space heaters plugged into the same outlet as the person's computer. Most of these heaters draw 1500 watts at full power, risking popping a circuit breaker and shutting down their computer. Additionally, many of these 1500 watt heaters are poorly designed and melt their plugs over time. The Vornado VH101 Personal Heater draws either 750 or 350 watts, depending on setting. When placed on the desktop or hidden under the desk, it warms the user as well as a room heater without the above mentioned risks associated with excessive current draw.
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I tried to like this heater. I really did, but it's actually not correct to call it a "heater". It's really a "warmer". I ended up returning it after several weeks of trying hard to make it work for me.
It performs nicely in cool rooms. It's probably ideal for an office or cubicle in a modern, heated building where you just need a little more warmth in your personal space. The vortex action of the Vornado is impressive. Unlike heaters that aim the heat at you, the Vornado aims it around you rather than simply blowing it on you.
However if you are like me and need to heat a cold room, this is not the device for you. During the winter, the temperature inside my office when I open it up in the morning is usually in the 42F-55F range, and this heater completely fails at heating it up. I was using the heater in conjunction with my oil-filled radiator, with the Vornado providing some heat while the oil-filled heater slowly heats up. The tiny 200 watt Lasko MyHeat does an excellent job at this, but the Vornado does not. Used in this way, The Vornado actually takes nearly twice as long to bring my tiny office up to 67F as the little Lasko does.
However, I don't want to totally bash the Vornado. For people with other heating needs, it could be a perfect choice.
What I like about it:
The tip-over switch works well, almost too well. The first day I used it, I didn't notice that the rear edge was resting on a USB cable. It was enough to stop the heater from working. It's a good safety feature.
It appears well made
The heater is good looking, a shiny black with a silver grill. I don't really care how a heater looks as long as it works well, but it's a definite plus to have it be good looking as well as functional.
It comes with a three year warranty, longer than many heaters.
What I don't like:
The switches are on back, so you can't see them unless you pick up the heater and turn it around. Until you're used to it, selecting high and low settings without seeing the buttons can be tricky, especially with a non-heat fan-only option between high and low. It was a nuisance, especially on a heater without a thermostat.
The warning light that shows that the heater has failed to turn on because of a problem such as sitting at an angle is nearly the same color as the orange power light. It should be a different color, such as red. You get used to it, but there really should be a greater difference in color.
I'm knocking off one star for the design problems in a heater as well designed as the Vornado, they are unexpected and I'm knocking off a second star for its pathetic heat output.
General information about buying electric space heaters:
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I've owned and used electric space heaters since 1988, mostly DeLonghi oil filled radiators. When I recently began looking for a heater that would warm up a room faster, I was frustrated at the lack of hard, objective, facts about electric space heaters. Even the manufacturer websites often fail to mention or makes it hard to learn the most basic information you need to know, such as wattage ratings and warranty lengths. Not even Consumer Reports has enough information to really inform a consumer. Therefore it's up to us as consumers to share what we know. The rest of this review shares some of what I've learned.
In case you're wondering what heater I decided on to replace my DeLonghi, I didn't, at least not yet. I tried a Vornado PVH and a Bionaire BH1331-U, but I ended up returning both heaters. I'm sticking with my oil-filled heaters for now.
Basic electric space heater facts:
1. All electric space heaters are equally efficient. All heaters rated at 1500 watts output the same amount of heat, but may do it very differently. You have to choose the one that heats the way you need it.
2. Power consumption is determined by two things: the power setting you're using and how long the heater is actually on. Turning up the thermostat setting doesn't increase the heat or power consumption; it just lengthens the time that your heater will be running.
3. To reduce power consumption, use the lowest power setting on your heater that produces the heat you need.
4. An electric space heater will save you money only if you turn your central heating down or off and use space heaters to heat only the rooms where you need heat.
5. The only kind of electric space heater that's likely to provide adequate heat in a large or draft space is a radiant heater (not to be confused with a radiator heater, which is very different), but radiant heaters pose a fire hazard.
Don't take manufacturer wattage claims too seriously. When I used my Kill-A-Watt meter on six space heaters, I found variations of up to 200 watts between the claimed and actual wattage for each space heater. In most cases the actual watts were less than the claimed watts, but one of my DeLonghi's 1500 watt heaters turned out actually to be a 1600 watt heater.
Two crucial steps in finding the electric space heater that's right for you:
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1. Learn which heater is right for your needs. A huge percentage of complaints by reviewers about space heaters are due to reviewers buying the wrong type of heater for their needs. Your first step should be to decide between the basic types: Ceramic heaters with a fan, oil-filled radiator, micathermic, and radiant. First learn the conditions in which each one works best and works best and then select the type that will work best for your needs. There is no one single "best" heater for all situations. Each one has conditions in which it works well and conditions in which it's terrible.
2. Look at the warranties. Warranties on space heaters range from one year to five years. Delonghi and Soleus heaters that I've checked have one year warranties. Other companies, such as Bionaire, Honeywell, Lasko, and Vornado offer three year and five year warranties on many but not all of their models. If a company offers only a one year warranty on some models but a five year warranty on others (such as Bionaire), it raises question about the durability of the heater with the shorter warranty. However a long warranty is only as good as the company offering it. Read reviews to learn what experiences people have when their heaters die while still under warranty.
In most cases, you'll have to download the manual from the manufacturer's website to get the length of the warranty. It's a nuisance, but it's worth taking the time to do.
Don't let anyone tell you that any particular type of heater is "the best". The best type is the one that best suits YOUR needs. The best heater for me might be the worst heater for you. Some heaters heat up a cold room faster, some keep a room at a steady temperature, and some will work better in a large space.
Some questions you need to ask yourself before deciding which type of heater to buyWill it be keeping a room at a steady temperature? (oil-filled radiator or micathermics heaters might be best)
Will it be heating up a cold room? (a heater with a fan or a radiant heater might be best)
Are there children or pets who might be injured by touching a hot surface? (oil-filled radiator and radiant heater might be a problem)
Do you want to heat just a particular spot rather than the whole room? (radiant heaters might be best
Are you concerned about fire risks? (oil-filled radiator or micathermic heaters might be best, though no space heater is completely safe)
Oil-filled radiators:
These are my favorite heaters. These are the heaters that look like old-fashioned steam radiators. The oil retains its warmth after the thermostat cycles off, which is important if you want to keep a room at a steady temperature. The downside is that the oil takes longer to heat initially, which is why these heaters take so long to warm up.
I have two DeLonghi oil-filled radiators; I've been using one of them for 23 years, and the other is about eight years old. I love the heat they provide. It's steady, warm, with no noise and no drying out of the air like with some other types of heaters. They are ideal for maintaining a steady temperature in an enclosed room.
Oil filled heaters have a huge drawback, however: they are terrible at heating up a cold room. It can take an oil-filled heater hours longer to heat up a cold room than other types of heaters.
The US Department of Energy recommends oil-filled heaters as the most efficient, because the fins generate warmth even when the heater's thermostat cycles off. However this efficiency is only when the heater is continually on, keeping a room at a constant temperature. If you turn the heater on and off frequently, you'll lose most of the efficiency that's inherent in these heaters.
If you have children or pets, look into one of the shielded radiator heaters. I prefer the unshielded ones because they radiate more heat laterally, but the surface can get very hot and be a hazard if touched. DeLonghi claims that their shielded radiator heaters circulate heated air more quickly. Both of mine are unshielded, so I have no way of confirming that. My concern about the shielded radiators is that they would direct more hot air up rather than to the side, where I need it.
If your electric rates are different for different times of the day, you can use this to your advantage in setting your radiator heater toswitch on and warm the room from cold when rates are low, then let it provide steady heat when rates are higher.
A word of warning about oil-filled radiators: if one is poorly made or damaged, it can leak oil and permanently damage rugs and floors or even start a fire. Only buy from a reputable manufacturer and don't accept one that has any visible damage.
Ceramic fan heaters:
These are great at heating a room quickly, however many people including myself don't like the heat they blow. I don't mind it in my Vornado Personal Heater (375/700watt), which is located under my desk, but I thoroughly dislike it in the old Honeywell ceramic oscillating heater that came with my house. I much prefer the warmth that comes from an oil-filled radiator. Ceramic heaters can be most effective at quickly warming up a cold room.
Radiant heaters
Radiant heaters (don't confuse them with radiator heaters!) work by heating whatever they are pointed at rather than heating the air in the room. If you have a large, drafty space, a radiant heater might be your best choice, because it doesn't heat the air, only the objects and people it's directed at.
Micathermic heaters
Micathermic heaters work similarly to oil-filled radiators, except that instead of heavy metal fins filled with hot oil, micathermic heaters have thin sheets of mica that heat up. I've only had experience with one micathermic, a Bionaire BH1331-U, and found that it's exterior surface remained very cool except for a few very warm spots on top. There would be less risk of young children being burned by touching a micathermic heater than an oil-filled radiator. Micathermic heaters are slower heating than ceramic fan heaters, but are faster then oil-filled radiators..
Baseboard heaters
I have a Lakewood oil-filled baseboard heater I bought five years ago that has many of the advantages of a micathermic heater. It heats faster than an oil-filled radiator but has no hot surfaces and low fire risk. My Lakewood does an excellent job of heating my 12x15 bedroom.
However I have not researched baseboard heaters and only have experience with this Lakewood, so I don't know whether others are as good as this one. I was impressed that when I measured the actual wattages of my various space heaters, the Lakewood's actual wattages came closest to its claimed wattages of all the other heaters I tested. Lakewood unfortunately went out of business in 2009 and had a major problem with oil leaking from its heaters a few years earlier. Despite this, it's in many ways my best heater and has the lowest cost of operation.
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I ordered this for my wife, who actually wanted a larger version of the same unit. After reading the specs and reviews I picked the EH1-0050-06. It Was for her cube at work and a larger one of a different brand had already tripped the circuit breaker and shut down a few computers. The IT people were not very happy. This one works great, keeps her warm and stays under the power draw to trip the circuit. She uses the fan mode when too warm and the heater when too cold. Perfect!
Honest reviews on Vornado VH101 Personal Space Heater
My VH101 personal heater works great. However, shortly after running it for several hours it started to make a "clicking" sound which is very annoying. I emailed Vornado customer service about the problem and never heard back from them. We own a couple of other Vornado products that have performed well for us for many many years. Those units were made in USA. The VH101 was made in China. Even with the annoying "clicking" sound, I recommend the VH101.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Vornado VH101 Personal Space Heater
This little heater is perfect. It's quiet, it's compact, and it keeps me warm! What's not to love? I also like the built in safety feature, which is the little button underneath which, if the heater gets tipped over, or is even lifted off the ground, it turns off. Also, I like that the body stays cool regardless of temperature so it's not hot to the touch. The only potentially negative thing I have, if you can even call it that, is when I put it on the HIGH heat setting, it smells like heat... vaguely like hot plastic even though the unit is NOT, in fact, melting. I wouldn't trade it for anything, I am finally comfortable at my office. LOVE IT.
