The chilly season is here, and with cold weather comes the need for comfy and tolerable indoor temperatures. When you don’t have a wood burning gas or electric fireplace to snuggle next to every night, a space heater is a great alternative without having to rely on loud heating pipes. Lasko space heaters are among the best value on the market, in terms of price, quality, and features. It’s no wonder I sell more of these space heaters than the next 8 brands combined. Most tower heaters oscillate from left to right to blow hot air over a wider area and warm up more of your space.
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. It’s one of the safest heaters we’ve tested, featuring overheating and tip-over protection, as well as a plastic exterior that stays relatively cool to the touch—so you can warm yourself without having to worry. The VH200 does get mixed reviews from lasko ceramic heater some owners who find it slow to heat a particularly cold space or have problems with the directional airflow, which relies on air circulation rather than an oscillating fan. Fortunately, Vornado tends to respond to such critical reviews more reliably than other manufacturers do. The Solaris Slim H3 is a black and gold tower about 15 inches tall, a sleek spinning pillar with a slightly sci-fi vibe.
The biggest difference between them is whether you want one big button or six small ones. A space heater can save money if used strategically to supplement existing central heating. By keeping your overall thermostat low and only running a space heater while you are in the room, you can stay toasty while reaping major energy savings.
To offset the chill in a drafty room or to give your home’s heating system a little boost, you may need a space heater. We’ve researched more than 100 models and tested 75 since 2011, and the Vornado VH200 is the best space heater for most people. A lot of space heaters can make you feel like you’re sitting in front of a hair dryer, but our picks can warm an entire room faster and more comfortably than other models while still offering plenty of reliable safety features, just in case.
In addition to the cool exterior, the Lasko Full-Circle Warmth Ceramic Heater boasts other safety features including a tip-over switch, which automatically shuts the unit off if it falls over. Auto shut-off will also occur after 12 hours of continuous use, while the overheat protection feature shuts the unit off if the temperature gets too high. Priced at $150 (see below for shopping info), it’s more expensive than a floor fan or most portable space heaters sold separately. But for the two-in-one functionality and overall high quality, I find this to be a fair price.
These portable heaters can result in energy savings if they’re only used when a room is occupied. Take a look at some of the best space heaters available for purchase. In the family room of a finished basement, which is double the size of the bedroom and opens to other rooms, the heater had to work continuously to keep the temperature above the ambient room temperature. The basement area was 66 degrees when we plugged in the unit, and after three hours the room still hadn’t warmed above 69 degrees. Although it was noticeably warmer and more comfortable than before, we’re not sure the heater would ever get this bigger, colder room up to temp. Still, the fan was quiet enough not to interfere in the least with the audio from the TV—a major plus.
This feature worked successfully in our testing, keeping the temperature steady within about 1 degree from 3 feet away for more than six hours. You might find the results disappointing, however, if you’re hoping to keep the room at a specific temperature; you can set the knob to “4” because it’s comfortable, for example, but you can’t make that translate directly to 72 degrees. The Vornado Vheat vintage-style heater heats well enough and looks good doing it. With a solid metal construction and wonderfully retro knobs, it’s simply the best-looking electric space heater we’ve found that doesn’t sacrifice (too much) functionality. The fact that it was able to heat part of the room enough to create a 10-degree difference was still pretty remarkable, however, as some other space heaters we tested couldn’t even warm the room by 5 degrees. Overall, the Vheat is a great choice for anyone interested in aesthetics as well as comfort.