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This heater has a huge pair of shoes to fill, and frankly, I doubt it will be able to measure up. My first portable heater was a Tatung ceramic heater, a cube about 8 inches per side with similar wattage to the Soleil. Both heaters have fan-only/low/high operation with 1500W maximum (the Tatung might have been only 1200W...can't quite remember, and the Soleil actually has the reostat-type temperature/thermostat control as well).
My Tatung was in constant use during the cold months and it lasted 17 years of absolutely maintenance-free operation...UNBELIEVABLE!
I am all but positive that the Tatung was made in Taiwan. The Soleil is marked Made In China. And given my experience with Chinese electronics I would NEVER have purchased it if it weren't for the fact that I was in a bind. When I went to buy an alarm clock, I had to buy THREE before I found one that functioned straight out of the box. And there are a lot of goofy things I see in Chinese made products the dish rack where the bowls won't stand up, the socks that are so tight that they strangle your feet...don't even get me started about the rest of it. It's like they are playing craps with the specs and measurements. It's extremely irritating to have to deal with this type of thing. And people in the States are not aware of the fact that, in Europe, they get well-made German engineered products...it's we here in the States that get the crap from newbie engineers in China. That is just the reality of things.
Well, all that being said, this Soleil heater gives a very good first impression. The case itself seems solid. I like the brushed metal look and feel. The controls feel tough and they click in a sturdy way when engaged. Also, I must say, it is very nice to have a heavy-gauge power cord for once I haven't felt any heat in the cord, even after several hours of use. Ah soooooo, Thank you, Soleil! I am using it in a somewhat larger room than many might, so I cannot say how well the thermostat feature works (When I use heaters and air conditioners I usually like to max the output from what I hear they operate more efficiently in those conditions).
How did farmers use their milk house heaters? Not sure. Maybe they hung them up, but I am surprised that there aren't some optional plastic feet like your box fans come with, because this thing likes to tip over. But the good thing is that the auto shut-off is very sensitive. This thing shuts down if it tilts just an inch or two in any direction, so I suppose that is a good thing.
I haven't owned this for long, but I already have developed some confidence in this little box. But for now I am keeping my receipt anyway.
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I looked around for a U.S. made milk house heater but to no avail. If anybody knows of one, please let me know. So I bought one of these. So far, works fine. But I also bought another brand, same style which I like just as a backup. Why? Because I know that this heater from RED China will not last. and maybe buying two of them is just what the greedy business types who have exported our jobs to RED China want. At any rate, I can tell you that for now it works fine. Years back, I had a U.S. made model that probably lasted 20 years. I don't expect that of this one.By the way, for all of you who wonder what a milk house heater is, it is used to warm up the milk houses or milking parlors ---the place where the dairy cows are milked. It is not used to heat up the whole barn, that would be impossible for it to do.
