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List Price: $399.99
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I read a lot of review about this product before I made my purchase. What I noticed on a pretty consistent basis is that the people who posted really negative reviews were people who don't actually have one because they think the heaters are too expensive. Lets' settle this up front, these heaters are expensive so if you're looking for a bargain then this heater is not for you. If, however, you're looking for a stylish way to heat your home or maybe just an individual room then I think this heater is a great. I am completely satisfied with my heaters. I have 2 of them, one for my bedroom and one for the living room, dinning room, kitchen area. The total square footage of my house is just shy of 1,000sq ft.
The heaters have kept my house an nice and even 67 degrees (my preferred temperature) without any noticeable fluctuations in temperature. I live in Ketchikan, Alaska, which is in the middle of a temperate rain forest. This means that we don't get the extreme cold temperatures here, but it certainly is not "warm" very frequently. I chose to go with electric heaters because electricity is much cheaper than oil where live and natural gas is not an option. I tried the cheap space heaters that people keep saying "will heat your house just as well as they Dyson for 10% of the cost", and I can tell you that they certainly do not maintain a consistent temperature the way that these heaters do. I saw that some people have complained that they're a little big "loud", but I don't really think so. After a few days I really didn't even notice when the heater was running anymore. I guess I expected that the heaters would make a little bit of noise since they're also fans and I've never had a fan that didn't make some noise. Overall I'm very satisfied with the performance of the heater. It does what I expected it to do, which is heat one 500 sq ft area in my house, and heat my bedroom which is about 300 sq ft.
So the real question is "is this heater worth the money"? To me, I say absolutely. They do what I want them to do, and they look awesome. I'm willing to pay extra to get something more than just utility out of a device. Are there no cheaper "safe" heaters, no other cheaper heaters that will heat just as well, of course not. There are lots of other heaters out there, and if you're getting this heater because you think somehow it's gonna magically heat your house better for less money, then you're going to be disappointed. If you are going to buy heaters anyway and don't mind paying a little extra for heaters that look cool, then go ahead an purchase this heater. I did, and I don't regret it. I liken purchasing this device to purchasing a Bose audio device. You'll have to put up with listening to people tell you about how you "overpaid for a name brand", but in the end, most people who have Bose audio systems are very happy with them. In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with paying a little more for something you'll be happy with if you can afford it. So these aren't a bargain, but they are fun.
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I'll start with a little scene setting: When the idiots who previously owned my 1914 farmhouse a long, long time ago turned the attic into a master bedroom (guest room and bathroom too), they didn't run the heat vents to the master. Because of this, I turn the house heat off at night unless we have guests. They installed a chintzy little built-in electric heater in the wall. The bedroom is 400 square feet with ceilings 25 feet high in center to 12 feet at the edge. The wall heater scares me. I've made it through four winters just fine, only occasionally needing a second blanket. Obviously we have good insulation, seals around the door to the widow's walk, and good windows (I keep one cracked at all times tho). Then I had surgery in early January and was forced to lounge around in bed all day. My SO stayed home to take care of me. In order to heat the bedroom to a comfortable level, the heat downstairs needed to turned on really, really high.
In checking out solutions, I discovered the Dyson hot was a fan as well. I was sold, having fallen in love with fans at my friends homes on hot, hot days last summer. Also since the heat comes from the center of a void, my dog won't interested. They have been known to sniff the vent front on a fan and that part heats up with a space heater. Also dog hair collects on traditional fans (and therefore heat fans). Pugs shed a lot, but with the Dyson Hot, the fur stays on the ground. But everyone was sold out of them, and the company selling on Amazon was marked up $50 over the $399 price tag. On a post-doctor appt. trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond to buy throw pillows to elevate my arm, I saw the Dyson Hot in white was $100 off (blue sold out, but I was in too much pain to care about the color).
After reading reviews, I did not know what to expect. We set it up in the middle of the room on the floor at an angle from the wall, so it would oscillate past the bed (its a platform so low to ground) and I turned it on at 68 degrees fan level 2. I was freezing. It took maybe 5 minutes for me to stop freezing. I didn't really pay attention to it and went about lounging around uncomfortably in bed. I heard it going on and off. It's not loud, but it does sound like a fan. Obviously the higher fan speeds means more noise, but not loud enough to say have to turn the tv off or wake me up.
When my SO came to check on me he commented how the room felt really warm with a noticeable temperature difference between hallway and bedroom. Warm and happy, I turned the fan off for a while and turned it on as needed throughout the last few weeks.
Basic Observations:
1. On Oscillation mode it heats up a 400 square foot room to a comfortable temperature. I am not a person who thinks a room needs to be 80 degrees--more like between 68 to 72. With my arm in a crazy contraption, I can only wear tank tops and the like, so I'm not bundled up. The Dyson Hot keeps At night, I put the Dyson Hot on 66 and eventually turn it off when I get too warm under covers. It heats a decent size room quickly AND COMFORTABLY.
2. On fan speed 2, you can feel the heat from about 10 feet away. It's not a hard blast pf hot, but a warm breeze as it moves by you. 10 feet is where my head sits if its on edge of bed. I didn't test further distances. I also didn't test the stationary mode.
3. It's sitting on hardwood floor. It's not wobbly and it doesn't heat up on the plug or base. The dogs sniff around it a bit, but haven't burnt themselves, although the inside has a warning it gets hot. I didn't touch it. But most importantly, it's sturdy. I've used oscillating heaters in the past (at work) and they always wobbled and would fall easily.
4. Through our really bad winter storms last week, it survived a couple brown outs. It also kept me warm.
5. It has both the thermostat and the fan speed. Much more control than the usual low, medium, high. The thermostat is on the base pointing out instead of on top, so you can actually see it when using remote.
6. I've used the fan a couple times and it offers a nice cool breeze throughout the room.
7. It's not whisper quiet, but than neither was the $150 whisper quiet space heater I had at work.
it is the same audible level as the Dyson fan.
Cons:
1. Moving between the heater and fan is clunky, requiring you to lower the temperature to 32 to turn on fan and up too 66 to turn on heater. I would have liked a button to switch.
2. The remote is supposedly magnetic with the top of the fan. Mine is not as far as I can tell. I keep the remote on the nightstand so not really a problem.
3. No timer. Not necessary, but would be a nice feature.
So yes it's expensive, but if you don't have the money for it, than don't complain about the price just don't buy it. I don't see that as a con. I am willing to pay extra for a safe, reliable room heater that also has a great fan. All of the ones I've used or seen at friends houses have always sucked or are scary like the one stuck in my wall. And not all of those are that cheap anyway. It's not going to substitute for an actual heater in the house, but its an excellent option to add extra heat to a single room.
Update: now that I'm not on bed rest, my SO has been using the Dyson hot. He's more of a crank it up until the room is an oven, he puts it on 86 or so and leaves it on for a while. It really does crank the heat. This thing is warm!
Update 2: After two months of continuous use between January 20 and March 20, 2012 in the cold, cold Seattle Winter including snow (no other heater in bedroom), my bill was $13 more in 2012 than in 2011. So it seems pretty energy efficient.
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I bought this product because it was not just a heater it is both a heater and a fan. This product works and works well. We have a large second floor bedroom that gets cooler in the winter than the other areas of the house. We have already had temps of 38 at night and by setting this heater at 72 with the swivel turned on and tilted up warms the room very quickly and then stops while the thermostat waits for the temp to drop. So I do not have to adjust the furnace to compensate for this bedroom. The remote control is extremely simple to use and the read-outs on the front are clear and easily readable. I have tried other heating units and this is by far the best.
Honest reviews on Dyson AM04 Hot + Cool Heater/Table Fan
There are a lot of negative and positive reviews of this heater and very little in between. Here's my take. First, I paid $260 at Costco...at the $400 list price I would have a different level of expectation, but I'm judging based on what I paid.
It's quiet as fans go...I found it to be a very reasonable sound level. It warms our upstairs nicely (we have a wood stove to heat downstairs...I'm not heating a 1000 square foot detached garage, so I don't know if it's up to that job). The rotating and tilt features are great for our needs to spread the heat around upstairs from the hallway. Controls, remote are all nice, easy to use. It's very small so you would have to practically get on your knees to hit the controls, but the remote eliminates the need for that. The compact cylindrical shape makes it easy to place in small areas. It produces a decent jet of warm air...almost a tube shaped flow.
The exposed surface (inside the ring) does get very warm, BUT not what I'd call dangerously hot. I have a 4 and a 6 year old. If they tried to hold on to the surface as long as they could they might be able to burn themselves, but when I touched it it slowly got more uncomfortable...I pulled my hand away after about 5-10 seconds, unharmed. So I think the kids would feel hot enough that they would pull their hands away well before they got burned. Same for a inquisitive pet sniffing around. With a toddler my concern wouldn't be so much getting burned but knocking it down. I think one could place it outside a baby/toddler room and let it shoot the jet of heat through a gate (leaving 3 ft between the unit and the gate).
It has overheat and tilt safety which I like, although I think the safety shut off for the tilt should kick in a lot sooner...I have a cheap heater that shuts off at about 10 degrees. The Dyson seems to have to be 80 degrees or so...could be a problem if it falls partially on to something and remains on, leaning against it (like a pile of clothes). That should be improved.
Like most of these heaters the cord is only 6 ft so it does make it hard to place (because extension cords are not supposed to be used).
I recommend it enough that I wanted to write this to counter some of the negative reviews.
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I chose this because Dyson products have an extremely good reputation. I have one of their vacuums and it's great. This heater is so nice--really heats a room but slowly and keeps it at an even temp. Quiet---no sign of fire or flame or hot tubes. Doesn't use a ton of electricity. So very pleased!!!
