Generally, ceramic heaters of this kind don’t work as well for large rooms, which respond better to long sessions of radiant heat, but when you need to warm up a small area fast, or mitigate drafts, they’ll get the job done efficiently. We put this top-rated space heater to the test to see just how well it worked in a small bedroom versus a large family room. A third five-star reviewer shared that their relatively large computer room is always cold once the temperature goes down, and they have tried several space heaters over the years that worked alright. Finally, they opted for this device and said, “I can honestly say none ever worked as well as this Lasko Ceramic Space Tower Heater. It holds the temperature exactly where I want it.” The tower space heater also has a self-regulating ceramic element in addition to an overheat protection to avoid any mishaps.
The only main drawback we could find is that it is a bit inefficient and expensive to run, but that’s to be expected with this powerful heater. Even considering operation cost, the Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower is well worth its price and is a good value, especially if you want a powerful heater. The ’s biggest failing is its lack of a tip-over kill switch, which is a pretty standard safety feature for portable space heaters. (The model is ETL certified.) Tipped-over heaters tend to overheat, and this Lasko model’s upright stance is not the most stable.
Though these exact measurements shouldn’t be taken as gospel—we were testing in a cool basement room, but it was the middle of August and already hot and humid outside—they do demonstrate the value and function of an oil-filled radiator. Such filters are a large part of why we don’t recommend tower fans for cooling; although we’ve found the cleaning experience less frustrating with heaters, it’s still not ideal. Fortunately, the crevices on this model are pretty easy to access and clean, even without removing the back panel.
A broken motor mount can allow the electric heating element to come in contact with the interior plastic materials and ignite, posing fire and burn hazards. The length of time in years the heater is covered by its manufacturer for defects or repairs. The relative loudness of the heater operating on its highest setting.
This might not be a boon in every situation, but it was a pleasant surprise in the windowless bathroom where we performed our tests (which otherwise has to rely on a single overhead fan for venting and dehumidification). The CD08200 was also slightly louder than the DR-HSH004A—though you probably wouldn’t notice either one with the shower lasko ceramic heater running, anyway. All that being said, the FH500 is still technically a tower fan, which means it can be difficult to clean. We’ve been long-term testing the FH500 since 2019, and it’s still holding up impressively well in both heating and cooling capacities. Like any radiator, the TRD40615T is larger than our other space heater picks.
We also measure the noises that the heaters emit, taking readings with a decibel meter from distances of 3 feet and 6 feet. For this assessment, we note both dBA and dBC weightings—the former cuts off the lower and higher frequencies that most people can’t hear, and the latter picks up higher frequencies. In addition to collecting this objective data, we take extensive subjective notes on how warm each electric heater makes us feel. Even the most perfect, lablike conditions can’t reveal what it’s like to operate the knobs on a heater, how its heat feels, or what it would be like to live with a particular heater over the winter.
Although that cost could add up over time, it’s still preferable to the soaring price of natural gas. The Dreo Solaris Slim H3 (DR-HSH003) stands out not only for its stylish appearance but also because it’s the rare oscillating heater that actually succeeds at spreading the warm air evenly around the room. It can’t warm you up quite as quickly as some of our other picks can, but its steady arc of motion creates comfortable and uniform heating throughout your space. It also just looks great, with a sleek design and simple controls that let you choose between basic heat settings or a specific, dialed-in temperature. Plus, it’s quiet and easy to clean, and it has all the safety features we usually look for, such as a tip-over switch and overheat protection. Most space heaters can deliver quick heat to a single person, but oil-filled radiators are better for heating a whole room for a longer duration, and the De’Longhi TRD40615T is the best of its kind.