And if you use the VH200 at any fan setting below 4, the fan switches off and the machine emits a near-silent heat. But even on high, the Vornado VH200 is significantly quieter than the Lasko , which in our tests had decibel measurements of 52 dBA at a distance of 3 feet and 51 dBA at 6 feet. This Vornado lasko tower heater model is not as quiet as a radiator, but no other kind of space heater is, and it’s still quieter than a household refrigerator . Numerous users have complained online, however, that their Lasko space heaters kept operating and heating a particular space well after the target room temperature was reached.
As the tower heater oscillated, it emitted a low, gentle whooshing sound that was too quiet for us to measure beneath the hum of the urban streets outside. Unlike most of the other models we tested, the FH500 has three built-in heating settings, so it offers more heating flexibility for maximum comfort. Add quick warmth to any medium- or large-sized room with this tower heater from Lasko. 1,500W of comforting warmth covers the room end-to-end with widespread oscillation. Customize the heat output with 2 heat settings, a programmable thermostat and digital controls.
Even its negative owner reviews are less of a red flag than those of some competitors, with reports of responsive customer service from the manufacturer, something you rarely see among reviews of other brands. If you want to feel a directional heat blast waft across the room, the oscillating Dreo Solaris Slim H3 (DR-HSH003) is a great choice. In our tests, it heated the room almost as quickly as our top pick did, and with its steady 70-degree oscillation arc, it’s a good alternative overall for smooth, gradual whole-room heating. It has six simple haptic controls, including a timer and an “eco” option that lets you dial in a specific temperature of your choice rather than relying on the more general high and low settings. The LCD is big and easy to read, and it automatically turns off after about a minute, so you don’t have to worry about that bright glow in the corner of the room keeping you up all night. The VH200 is also quieter than most other ceramic heaters we’ve tried, emitting only a soft, fanlike whir, and it’s compact enough to tuck away in a corner.
The Atomi Smart Tower Heater is the first space heater we’ve tested with built-in smart-home capabilities. Unfortunately, those don’t really add anything to the user experience that you can’t get just as easily by pairing the Vornado VH200 with one of lasko heater our smart plug picks. We found that it was pretty easy to set up and integrate into our phone and Alexa Routines, and it performed pretty well as a heater in our tests, raising the temperature of the room by 8 degrees over the course of the first hour.
I tested the Lasko Bladeless Ceramic Heater intended for small to medium rooms. I loved having this space heater on hand to take the chill out of the air. Weighing about 9 pounds, lasko heater this heater is lightweight and portable, making it easy to carry from room to room. I often kept it alongside my bed at night to turn it on first thing in the morning.
I tell you this from a personal perspective based on a particularly fiery experience involving a Marshall amplifier, an old power strip, and a space heater. Don’t worry; no one was hurt, and nothing was damaged except for the power strip and my pride. But it still goes to show how quickly things can turn disastrous. Although modern space heaters are generally much safer than older models with open heating elements, they’re still not without risk. The neat part about the Honeywell VersaHeat HHF260 bathroom heater is that you can position it horizontally or vertically depending on how you want the heat to spread. Its haptic controls aren’t as user-friendly as those on our other bathroom heater picks, either, and the controls are particularly difficult to use when the heater is lying on its horizontal side.
The VH200 has a slim, lightweight design that makes it easy to tuck under a desk or in a corner. It’s also pleasantly pear-shaped (bottom-heavy heaters are harder to tip over). It’s certainly bigger than most of the personal heaters we’ve tested, but it’s dwarfed by any radiator.