I bought a new heater for the collection and I must say I love it. Full range thermostat with freeze protection, tip over cutout switch, 3 mode fan/1300 watt /1500 watt heating selector switch, metal lift handle, grill guards, beefy heater coils, all metal casing.
The fan sounds like a plane propeller but it is actually quiet and soothing and just that. The motor is very well balanced, does not saturate or hum or buzz. There is zero metal vibration, buzzing, popping, clanking or audible 60Hz mains hum as a result of the fan running or the unit outputting heat. There was was no smoke or smell when the unit was initially turned on or after. Aside from the vents directly in front of the heating coils, the rest of unit stays cool to the touch even on the 1500 watt setting running for an hour.
A single high limit thermostat is present electrically parallel to a red warning light such that the hi-limit bi-metal opening causes the red "warning" light to illuminate indicating that the unit has overheated. This is a plus because on other heaters the high limit opening usually does not give the user a positive indication.
I looked in side through the back grills via flashlight and I have to say the wiring and crimps are well made up. Everything is adequately sleeved and no stray copper strands are protruding from any switch or connectors. The cord is taken to crimped wire caps instead of directly to respected components, a plus preference for me. The metal casing and heat shields are near precision bent and stamped. No grease spots, fingerprints, misalignment, warps, scratches, burs, sharp edges, dents, ect. Coating is fair for the most part. Yes it is coming off or thin around the edges, but all else is stellar. In other words quality manufacturing with quality control. Only one chintzy thing I see: it appears that the indicators lights are hot glued in place. Perhaps redundant, perhaps the primary means of keeping them in place. If primary, this I do not approve of, but the rest is really good.
At $30 to $38 you're getting your money's worth. More expensive heaters are out there which as plastic and less durable, other metal heaters are noisy. This one is both reasonably durable, quiet and does its job.
And oh, the most important thing to report on: It heats the room really well. It appears to output its listed 1500 watts. The outgoing air temps are not to hot but not to cool, so the unit running next to you is cozy.
I only have two gripes with the unit: The orange "power" indicator is directly across the line and remains illuminated even when the unit is turned off. There is no visual indicator that the unit is not heating or the fan is not running. The second is lack of 3 prong cord on an all metal casing heater. Not much of a concern for me when used on a carpeted or hard wood floor in a bedroom without any grounded objects in the vicinity, however I prefer grounding regardless.
In the end the unit is worth it and I am happy with it. I've used other space heaters that being something so simple had so many flaws or were just down right over-priced. A Vornado heater I had touted as one of the best literally drew cold air around it causing drafts and failed after a few months of use. Bypassing the rocker switch only kept it going another month before other components started burning open. Compare that to two Delonghi heaters which I paid 1/3 the price for and are still going after 10 years of daily white noise fan use with yearly seasonable use. The Delonghis despite the near room temperature trip point of their thermostat and high limit (a really annoying disadvantage) just won't quite. My favorite heater comfort wise are the Presto and similar makes of oil filled radiators, but some of them make loud metal thuddish pops when they cool down or reheat.
This heater I like. It is durable, utilitarian with finesse, quiet and does its job as advertised.
[this post was last edited: 3/3/2025-02:29]
The fan sounds like a plane propeller but it is actually quiet and soothing and just that. The motor is very well balanced, does not saturate or hum or buzz. There is zero metal vibration, buzzing, popping, clanking or audible 60Hz mains hum as a result of the fan running or the unit outputting heat. There was was no smoke or smell when the unit was initially turned on or after. Aside from the vents directly in front of the heating coils, the rest of unit stays cool to the touch even on the 1500 watt setting running for an hour.
A single high limit thermostat is present electrically parallel to a red warning light such that the hi-limit bi-metal opening causes the red "warning" light to illuminate indicating that the unit has overheated. This is a plus because on other heaters the high limit opening usually does not give the user a positive indication.
I looked in side through the back grills via flashlight and I have to say the wiring and crimps are well made up. Everything is adequately sleeved and no stray copper strands are protruding from any switch or connectors. The cord is taken to crimped wire caps instead of directly to respected components, a plus preference for me. The metal casing and heat shields are near precision bent and stamped. No grease spots, fingerprints, misalignment, warps, scratches, burs, sharp edges, dents, ect. Coating is fair for the most part. Yes it is coming off or thin around the edges, but all else is stellar. In other words quality manufacturing with quality control. Only one chintzy thing I see: it appears that the indicators lights are hot glued in place. Perhaps redundant, perhaps the primary means of keeping them in place. If primary, this I do not approve of, but the rest is really good.
At $30 to $38 you're getting your money's worth. More expensive heaters are out there which as plastic and less durable, other metal heaters are noisy. This one is both reasonably durable, quiet and does its job.
And oh, the most important thing to report on: It heats the room really well. It appears to output its listed 1500 watts. The outgoing air temps are not to hot but not to cool, so the unit running next to you is cozy.
I only have two gripes with the unit: The orange "power" indicator is directly across the line and remains illuminated even when the unit is turned off. There is no visual indicator that the unit is not heating or the fan is not running. The second is lack of 3 prong cord on an all metal casing heater. Not much of a concern for me when used on a carpeted or hard wood floor in a bedroom without any grounded objects in the vicinity, however I prefer grounding regardless.
In the end the unit is worth it and I am happy with it. I've used other space heaters that being something so simple had so many flaws or were just down right over-priced. A Vornado heater I had touted as one of the best literally drew cold air around it causing drafts and failed after a few months of use. Bypassing the rocker switch only kept it going another month before other components started burning open. Compare that to two Delonghi heaters which I paid 1/3 the price for and are still going after 10 years of daily white noise fan use with yearly seasonable use. The Delonghis despite the near room temperature trip point of their thermostat and high limit (a really annoying disadvantage) just won't quite. My favorite heater comfort wise are the Presto and similar makes of oil filled radiators, but some of them make loud metal thuddish pops when they cool down or reheat.
This heater I like. It is durable, utilitarian with finesse, quiet and does its job as advertised.
[this post was last edited: 3/3/2025-02:29]
I buy any of the Italian made(Delonghi and rebadges)oil filled radiator heaters on sight when i find them-same with high grade versions of those little "ceramic"cube heaters.One of my fave "collection" heaters is an Intermatic Heatwave from about 1977 in an era correct shade of orange-saw one of these in a La Belle's store about 1977 and thought it was really cool.Several Arvin ribbon element heaters too.
