I have this radiant heater and 2 similar models. They are all noisy for about 15 seconds when they turn on. I suggest running it on low in small rooms so it does not cycle on and off. I buy this type of heater for 2 reasons. 1. I find that forced air heaters dry out the air, which irritates by allergies. 2. The biggest reason is that my cats LOVE laying in front of these heaters for hours. The heater gives off a glow which feels like you are sitting in the sun. I have been using them for years without any safety issues, just use common sense.
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This unit does a good job heating up my small office (measuring about 10'x12') rather quickly, and its thermal control keeps the room in a comfortable temperature by turning the unit on and off automatically. The unit radiates heat over a pretty large area (with a small fan helping push the hot air out front). This means that it probably will do a good job keeping you warm in a larger space as well, as long as it's placed closeby.
My only complaint is the noise. The unit makes a rather loud rattling noise when its heating elements turn on, which lasts about 10-15 seconds. The fan is reasonably quiet in the low setting, but can be distracting when on high. I certainly wouldn't put one of these in the bedroom.
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I really like the Holmes HQH307 quartz heater. I use it to warm up my master bathroom in the morning. I turn it on before I hop in the shower. By the time I get out of the shower, the bathroom is toasty warm and I can stand in front of the heater while drying off.
I went through several other heaters over a three year period before settling on this one. I've used two different ceramic heaters, one was a low cube and one was a tower. Neither one of those put out as much heat as I wanted yet they consumed a lot of electricity. Then I tried a parabolic heater. It was much more efficient, but the beam of heat was too narrow. It would heat a portion of my body too much and the rest not enough. It wouldn't heat the room at all.
I've had my HQH307 for about three months which is long enough to verify that it doesn't cost as much to use as the ceramic heaters did, yet it puts out a lot more heat. The internal fan is powerful, but it's also pretty loud. For my purpose in the bathroom, that's not a problem. The fan setup is well designed: It pulls air in from the top and pushes it out the front between the heating elements which heats up the whole bathroom rather easily. The heating elements rattle a bit during the first few seconds of warming up, but that is standard on quarts heaters. The rattle goes away almost immediately.
The lifting handle molded into the back of the case is in a good location and stays cool. Don't mistake the bar across the front for a handle because it gets HOT!! It's just there to keep the front of the heater off the floor in case of a tip-over. I like the manual controls on the top of the heater. One turns the heater to low or high and the other adjusts the variable temperature control. Simple and foolproof.
The Holmes HQH307 quartz heater is a great value and I recommend it without hesitation.
NOTE: I also own a Holmes HQH319U quartz heater which is about $20 more. It has the same housing and heating elements, but the fan is quieter and the controls are digital. You might consider it if you want a powerful and efficient heater that's not as loud.
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After having purchased (and returned) a handul of different heating units, I purchased this unit last year from Wal-Mart for around $50. My original intention was to locate an inexpensive space heater that would heat a medium sized room and, at the least, heat me but I continued to find units that didn't live up to their marketing slogans, including the oft praised mica boards. Having almost given up, I decided to limit my scope to something that would at least heat my general direction. This heater is perfect for just such a cause (whereas the other heaters couldn't even do that well; in fact, I spent all night waiting for the mica board to do SOMETHING and was sorely disappointed).
PROS:
Heats up FAST. Consistent. Definitely warms you. Pleasing glow. Auto shutoff for overheat or tipping. PERFECT for a single or two-person family.
CONS:
Limited heating area point and blast with this one, don't expect the entire room to feel heated. If the room is SMALLER, it can do that job, but a living room may feel lacking.
Loud You may not mind the sound of this unit but if you're working on something requiring acute attention, this may bug you. In fact, the unit isn't that loud and I personally find it to have a pleasing hum, but some reviewers claim it's as loud as a race track I'm sure they're being facetious.
I gave it three stars because it can't heat up a medium sized room. However, for its price, and for the consistently pleasing temperature it maintains, I would HIGHLY recommend this heater, ESPECIALLY for single and two-person households.
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For the money this is a great heater. The heat is radiant and penetrating and provides more deep-down warmth to a room than does a ceramic heater. I like the glow, which reminds me of a woodburning stove.
The initial rattle is nothing to be concerned about and it does go away in seconds. However, I had a lesser, continuing rattle when the heater was sitting on a carpeted floor. I took a thin cutting board with an extremely hard plastic surface to set the heater on on top of the carpet. That cured it! I was careful to keep an eye on it and make sure that the cutting board was not getting warm, starting to melt, etc. The cutting board was not impacted at all. In fact, it stayed surprisingly cool despite the heat being put out, even on a high setting.
The manual controls do not bother me. There is no digital temperature reading, which does not matter to me either. I don't think the thermostats on economical heaters are that accurate anyway. The thermostat does facilitate cycling on and off throughout the night while I am sleeping, which is what I am really after.
If I do hear it running in the night, I briefly think "aah, heat" and go back to sleep. If I do notice the glow, I briefly think "aah, nightlight" and go back to sleep.
There are more elaborate heaters out there for more money, but for what I have spent I am getting good, penetrating heat, and thanks to my cutting board it is rattle-free in a carpeted room.
