Heaters Reviews

I purchased the brushed nickel version (model 12009) last week from a large Midwestern Discount Retailer via special order. We received it in about a week as promised and got a great price on it too ($256). I installed it tonight, so here are my first impressions of the unit.

We have one room in our home that we've struggled to keep warm in the winter because it has three exterior walls and a large bay window. This happens to be our son's bedroom (he's two), so we wanted to keep it nice and warm in there. We've been using one of those oil-filled electric space heaters but wanted to get it out of the room, now that he is playing with everything.

The positives:

1. This fan/heater system is a great concept and is fairly well implemented. I was impressed by the construction of the fan, and the fit and finish were very good. There is very little plastic content (just a small cosmetic trim ring and the blades).

2. The unit is heavy and solidly built (it weighs quite a bit more than the Hunter unit I replaced). It looks and feels heavy-duty. Make sure your ceiling mount is sturdy.

3. The installation instructions were complete and well written. It took me about two hours to uninstall an existing fan (and package it up for storage) and install this new one, while managing a toddler. There were no missing parts and everything was easy to understand.

4. I really like the fact that the fan automatically reverses the blade rotation depending upon whether you are using the "heat" mode or the "fan" (cool) mode. No more climbing up to change a switch.

5. The remote is really easy to use, as advertised. Though the styling leaves something to be desired (see below).

Here are the negative aspects, from my perspective:

1. The impeller fan, which blows the warm air out while the unit is heating, is much noisier than I expected. The main fan blades run silently, but when the heater impeller motor kicks on, you really notice it. I doubt I would be happy with this unit in a TV room, for example. The heater/impeller does automatically shut off when the room temp exceeds the preset thermostat temp, which is nice.

2. The other very disappointing thing is the wiring options for the light kit. We pre-wired our house for ceiling fans, so we had two wall switches already in place in that room: one for the light and one for the fan.

This unit is only really controlled via the remote. That means there are only two power wires coming from the top of the fan, one black and one white (apart from the green ground wire, of course). There is no third feed wire for the light kit like on most conventional ceiling fans; the light is internally powered from the main power feed.

So if you want to use a separate wall switch for the light kit, forget it. The remote does have a separate light switch, but that forces you to mount the remote next to the door for daily use, not an option for us.

I emailed Reiker about it, and got a prompt reply (which was a pleasant surprise) confirming this fact. They suggested putting the whole fan on a wall switch to kill power to the whole unit, but that defeats my objective: to have a heater running at night while it is dark in the room.

Note: the manual states that you cannot use a solid-state fan motor control switch (like the ones with the three-position knob) for this system; you will ruin the fan electronics. Again, everything goes back to the remote. The remote does allow you to control the blade speed (it has 3 settings) in "Fan" mode. But you cannot control the fan speed while it is in "Heat" mode. The unit is totally automatic there. This is not a negative though.

So essentially I had to remove both wall switches used for the fan, just hard wiring the power in the junction box directly to the ceiling supply. Now I have to figure out what to do with the two gaping holes in the three-switch wall plate on the bedroom wall. I suggested mounting the remote control there but was vetoed by my wife.

BTW, she finds the remote to be a bit "gaudy and 70's-ish", with its simulated plastic rosewood finish. I would have preferred a more tasteful black or grey finish personally, but again that is a nit.

3. The compact fluorescent (CF) bulbs included with the kit were inexpensive, off-brand bulbs that produced a harsh, green-tinted hue in the room. It was so disconcerting that we replaced them with some name-brand CF bulbs that were much more pleasing. This is a nit, but if you don't have a couple of extra "nice" bulbs lying about you will probably need to spend the $8-$10 to get them.

Beware this unit is not engineered to burn more than 30 Watts (total) for lighting, so the CF bulbs are a requirement. Two 13 Watt CF bulbs are equivalent to about two 60 Watt standard bulbs and really light up a bedroom. The instructions also state the light kit is required, as it holds the antenna for the remote.

Summary: I wish I had known about the impeller noise and light kit wiring options prior to purchase. I may have elected to wait until Reiker included a separate light kit power feed. But overall, I am pleased with the look, feel, and function of the unit. Overall I think the positives will outweigh the negatives, and we hope to be happy with it for many years to come.

I did a lot of research before buying this product. the fan totally does the job. the fan was installed in a 24 x 22 room, the fan is designed for a 20x20 room. There is a full slider and several windows to boot and the fan completly keeps the room warm and does not have to run above the most efficient speed (540 watts) I am going to augment my entire system with these fans this year...

-Paul Schellberg

I have one in my dinningroom, this fan is better than central heat, without warming the entire home. the style fits with the look of my dinningroom, I wish I could get one in white to match my livingroom, Great Fan Good Looking and Relieable.

My stars rating really has nothing to do with this product... I just want to mention that an on-demand recirculating pump is possibly a better choice for "instant" hot water. They consume very little energy - much less than a small hot water tank.

Ever since we moved into our new house my wife has complained about how long it took the hot water to get to the kitchen sink from the hot water heater in the garage. Since installing the Ariston GL 4, she has been ecstatic!! Hot water is instant. It is such a pleasure not to have her complain about our former water problem. Even when I am "forced" to do the dishes, I can't complain about our lack of hot H2O. Installation was easy except for the ill-fitting two top fittings. They will accept the hose extentions (hardware store), but you must be firm and patient. It took away alot of our storage space beneath the sink, but it was worth it.

The Black and Decker heater is a pretty good heater at a value price. It's got several different settings depending on the size of the room you want to heat and puts out a lot of heat in a limited area. One nice feature is the temperature indicator. It's also got a Frost Watch setting which will automatically turn the heater on if the temperature drops below 40 degrees. It also has very nice safety features. Including a switch under the heater that is pressed when the heater is sitting upright. If it should tip over, the switch is deactivated and the heater automatically shuts off.
It's a very nice little heater.

I own two heaters: a Vornado and the Black and Decker. Both of these heaters are wonderful and I would recommend either equally. First, the safety features on both are outstanding. Neither are similar to the heaters we grew up with which were made of metal and glowed like charcoal. These both produce very good heat, quickly, and are nice to have if you do not wish to heat your entire home. The Black and Decker does have many safety features which is nice. Both have their pluses and I truly can't think of minuses for either. Order both!

It uses very little power - you don't need to low-high switch that I ordered extra. Heat is just right.

I bought this heater for our bird cage to keep them warm during cool season. Its radiant model works just great, zero noise, distributes the heat evenly and does not disturb the birds like the regular fan heater models that not only not energy efficient but also really noisy. And best of all, it uses only 100W - try to compare it to any other regular heater that would eat 750W-1000W minimum. Got it amortized in less than two months. The overall dimension is about 16"x22"x1" so it can be placed anywhere. I'm glad I found this one and Amazon is the best and least expensive place to buy from.

I bought this thermostat a couple of weeks ago; it has been working well so far and has plenty of bells and whistles. Installation was fairly straight-forward; the instructions were a bit unclear, but one call to their support staff took care of that problem. This unit seems pricy when compared to other thermostats, but it was the only one that I could find for a multi-state heat pump system. But since I was able to install it myself, and it has been working well since then, I'm not particularly unhappy about the price.

Bought this thermostat yesterday to replace the mundane mechanical manual one on my Ruud heat pump system. Included instructions for wiring could not have been any clearer. Programmed weekly schedule in 10 mins. I would highly recommend this to anyone.

This heater based on it's btu's immedately heats a 2 car garage. Within 8 minutes of ignition you can be comfortable with a sweatshirt or long sleeve flannel. The standard gas grill (20lb) tank lasts me about a week and a half if I am out there for 3 or 4 hrs a night 6 nights a week. You do turn it off and on intermittently about every 30 minutes if you have drafts like I do but that's not too bad. I would prefer permanent heat but for someone on a budget for the heater and the fuel it's a great alternative to permanent heat. Plus you can bring it to a jobsite if needed. I have heated a 2000 sq ft 2 story house during rehab processs comfortably with this heater. Almost too small for that but plenty good for the conditons there and at home. Happy with the heater and it only costs 15 bucks to fill the tank.

I used this heater outside for 7 hours straight and I pretty much burned thru the entire 20# tank at full throttle. It did a great job. I did notice that at full power, the tank really iced up and seemed to reduce the heat output as the fuel level dropped. The height adjustment setting is convenient too. It held up fine in a breezy conditions. It was raining heavily and I operated under an EZ up awning. The heater got pretty wet from indirect rain. After two days of these conditions, I did notice that several of the exterior screws that are also painted black showed signs of rust. The manual did say to not let it get wet while it was operating. The ambient air temp was between 45 and 50 and while others around me were in jackets, I wore a t shirt.

The filter itself traps a lot of dust, especially when used with the prefilter. However, it is part of the overall system works with two specific models, therefore, shortcomings of the filter are shortcomings of the entire assembly. The only problem I have with the filter itself is that it is very expensive. That is why I am giving it four stars instead of five.

This product is more energy-efficient than many, which is a big plus for an item that many (like me) leave going 24 hours a day, due to bad allergies and asthma. These have helped my mom a great deal at her place, though she did have to return one unit that developed oily spots inside, then became noisy.

I bought 2 of these heaters in 2002. They were recalled for a over heating problem (Amazon was VERY GOOD in notification). I returned the heaters per instructions, one was returned with no problems. The other one is a different story. Its control panel was not put on right so it went back again. Last year it over heated and blew out the outlet, back it went, just got it back yesterday and the control panel was not installed (just set in place so it came loose as soon as you touched it). When we contacted them the service person was not very understanding. STAY AWAY FROM THIS BRAND

I liked this product but heard today it was recalled.

OLD REVIEW

Like some of you, we went through many many store bought space heaters with disappointing results. The worst were Honeywell products which I suggest you avoid.

The beauty of this item is severalfold.
1. It is effective at heating our baby's room which is about 10x15' with high arched ceilings. Impressive for a heater as small as this one is.
2. It is quiet.
3. It has a thermostat feature which works well. You will have to calibrate it to a level that is comfortable for you, and then mark that level so you can dial to it when needed. The heater has to be set to Fan speed: high, and Temp: auto, for the thermostat to work.
4. It is safe. The fan is well enclosed to prevent prying fingers from getting inside, although we still unplug it and move it out during the daytime.
We have owned it for almost 2 years. We run it about every night in the fall and winter in our kid's room and so far the only thing of note is the thermostat knob can be pulled off (but is easily put back on). We would purchase this item again.

I bought this from Amazon over a year ago, and its seen all seasons so far in Indiana. The house I live in has many temperature extremes due to the occupants. I needed something to serve as a buffer. When the heat is cranked up too hot in the winter, I use it as a fan. When someone goes wild with the A/C in the summertime, I use a little heat.

In the past, I've bought every space heater imaginable. Oil filled radiators, reflector quartz heaters, ugly, big gray box with heater coil fan, mini box ceramic heaters, and cheap, small plastic fan heaters (always seem too flimsy I'm afraid they can fall over). Every one of those had its downside. The radiating models were not dual function, many of the fan models too small or dangerous, or had no "fan only" switch! This Vornado solved all that. I run it on 750 most of the time and it heats a large room just fine. The dial thermostat is accurate and maintains the temperature better (within a finer range) than the main house heater. The heater itself is on a solid, wide base, that doesn't give you the impression it would fall over, like some heaters.

The features are nice simple and functional, a huge red toggle, lights up when the unit is on, so you can tell from a distance. Two rocker switches for fan speed and high / low heater, and a simple dial thermostat. Turn the thermostat off and you have a nice fan. One that can replace a good table fan, few other space heaters out there can make that claim. I'm relatively sure this unit would not last too long on high heat, trying to heat a cold garage, or something similar. It wasn't made for that, but if you want to heat a room or an office its great.

I understand they replaced this with a much more expensive digital model, still many places sell refurbished and even some new heaters of this model. If your an apartment dweller, a student in a dorm, or just like to keep the bedroom warm at night. Then this may be the heater for you.

I can't add much to what good that's already been said about this heater. It's safe and works like a charm. I CAN put to rest the the "filter" issue the one joker has been harping on. There's no doubt it's the same idiot making this bogus claim. In their last post they said "my manual says that if you use the unit with bulk propane, it "must" only be done with their official connector dongle and filter" Uh huh... Well here's a suggestion for anyone that wants to see this liar exposed. There's a link in this ad section where you can view or downloand the manual for this heater. Read through it or do a search for the words "filter", "dongle", or even the word "bulk" and you WILL NOT FIND IT. There is ZERO mention of this imaginary filter. Nor will you find it in any of the documentation that comes with your heater. The filter doesn't exist! Whoever made up that filter and has kept coming back to the reviews harping on it has some serious mental problems. Give it a rest already!

I am very well pleased with the heater, the service and the delivery. I have never used Amazon.com before, but believe me I certainly will again. We use this heater to take to my grandson's baseball games and you wouldn't believe how handy the heater is. Thank you for fast delivery, and great prices.

A great little heater. Running it 10 minutes on and 20 minutes off on low makes my VW van toasty warm on a windy, 15 degree day.

The only problem for my purposes is the condensation - it generates a lot of water vapor during operation.

You'd be up for a Darwin Award if you managed to injure yourself with this thing, assuming you know enough not to touch a fire.

There's a low-oxygen shutoff, a tip/shake shutoff, and several other safety features, plus detailed safety instructions.

Someone wrote that there is "no mention of a filter in the owner's manual", but there is in mine. It says that if you use the unit with bulk propane, it "must" only be done with their official connector dongle and filter. They go on to specify that the filter should be replaced yearly.

I bought this product after reading some of these reviews, and I am sorry that I didn't buy a higher end model because I don't like it. Here's why:

Pros - It heats up very quickly. In my small room I only used the low setting, usually at about a 3.
-It's quieter than my other fan, but it's still loud to someone who likes to sleep with silence.

Cons - The heater wouldn't even start up until I turned the dial to 3.
-If I turned the dial anywhere past 3 it got way too hot in my room.
-The auto shutoff on this totally sucked. It only shut itself off when it was exactly on the 3 line.
-Speaking of lines, I followed another reviewer's advise and used a Sharpie to draw a line where the numbers were because it was so hard to see them on the knob.
-While the heater gets hotter the higher up you turn it, the fan mode doesn't get any cooler. In fan mode everything from 3 - 6 was the same speed and really didn't help cool things off much.

I'm very disappointed in this product, as well as the other reviewers because Amazon reviews have never let me down before.

I like mine. It heats our master bathroom pretty quickly. I don't think it would be good for large room heating. The only complaint I have is that you can't turn it off at the heater and when it heats to the set temp then the light goes off so you may forget that it is plugged in and on because it isn't running and the light went off. It's like they wired it wrong. Otherwise I love it. I got mine on e-bay for $12.

This is a great unit, especially for the price. However, it just started malfunctioning (used for 2 months) and now the fan will not shut off unless you unplug the unit. It sounds like the thermostat switch has gone bad. Still heats great though -- you just now have to ALWAYS unplug the unit, otherwise the fan keeps running. No response as of yet from Delonghi and the store where I purchased it will not exchange it as it's beyond their 30-day time period for exchanges.