Space heaters: the downsides, first

Reliability is a mixed aspect on Amazon, with 654 of 1,116 mentions negative; the summary says some owners report units failing after three years.

HGTV lists 'heavy' (19 lb) and 'dated design' as its cons, though integrated casters let you roll it.

Bob Vila's only listed con is a standby light that 'feels unnecessary'.

Reliability is a negative aspect in Amazon's review summary, with multiple owners saying it keeps turning off and stops working after a short period of use.

Brightness is a negative aspect on Amazon, with several owners finding the LED display annoyingly bright; opinions on the remote are split.

Tom's Guide needed the manual to decode the icon controls, found the 41.9-inch, 12.5 lb tower awkward to carry, and notes a permanent filter that should be vacuumed every two weeks. Assembly takes about 15 minutes with a screwdriver.

Wirecutter lists the lack of a remote control and timer as flaws, and says its thermostat dial has no degree markings, so you can't set an exact temperature such as 72°F. Tom's Guide also notes there is no remote, so you have to get up to adjust it.

Wirecutter says it doesn't oscillate, you can't tilt it to aim the heat, and it lacks a fan-only mode, so it can't double as a summer fan. Tom's Guide also lists 'does not oscillate' as a con.

Tom's Guide found the heat settings run medium, low, high, which is unintuitive at first, and measured only about a 6°F rise in its 10 x 15 ft room, versus 10°F for the Lasko FH500. Wirecutter, by contrast, measured a nearly 20°F rise in two hours.

Reliability is a mixed aspect in Amazon's review summary (894 mentions: 497 positive, 397 negative). Some owners report it stops working after 8 months.

Good Housekeeping's only con: its touch-sensitive buttons may be difficult to locate or identify because they aren't backlit and give no tactile feedback.

Good Housekeeping pitches it for keeping smaller areas warm, or suggests buying two for larger spaces; in its lab it raised a medium room by 7°F in 30 minutes.

Wirecutter says it can take a half-hour or more before you feel any warmth, and even after an hour it might raise the room by only a few degrees.

Odor is a mixed aspect on Amazon, with some owners reporting a burning chemical smell. Wirecutter says new oil-filled radiators can give off a stench from leftover manufacturing oil that should fade.

Wirecutter measured the case at 180°F after four hours, hot enough to burn skin, and notes it weighs 25 lb, is suitcase-sized and can be top-heavy. Reliability is mixed on Amazon, with some owners saying it stopped working after two weeks. The warranty is just one year (Wirecutter).

Wirecutter says this newer version of its oscillating Dreo pick produced some surprisingly uneven heating throughout the room, and it dehumidified the test space more than any other heater tested. HGTV, by contrast, found its heating powerful and even.

Heating capacity and airflow are mixed aspects on Amazon: some owners say it handles large spaces, others say it is only good for small rooms, and some note the fan blows less air in heat mode. Value for money is also mixed.

HGTV's one complaint is the one-year warranty, which is shorter than most other heaters it tested.

Tom's Guide lists the high price and yearly filter cost as cons; the 360° HEPA and carbon filter is $79.99 and should be replaced every 12 months. HGTV calls the price its biggest drawback, and Walmart's review summary says the cost isn't justified.

Walmart's lowest-rated reviews include an owner whose first unit died within a week and who found heat mode extremely loud, another who received a smashed unit, and another who says it is noisy at idle and won't rotate. Tom's Guide cites Dyson's 63 dB figure at full speed.

Tom's Guide lists 'the app often loses connection' and lag between app and machine as cons, although its reviewer also says it never dropped out. A Walmart 1-star reviewer complains they couldn't control the heater from their phone.

Wirecutter says it lacks a tip-over protection switch and its upright stance isn't the most stable, though it has overheat protection and ETL certification. Good Housekeeping lists 'no auto-off feature' as its con, and Tom's Guide excluded it from its picks for lacking tip and overheat shutoff. A Walmart 1-star reviewer says it kept running when bumped over.

Among Walmart's lowest-rated reviews, one owner says the plug melted to the wall and the unit filled a child's room with smoke; another says the case started melting; another reports a smell like something burning. The listing averages 4.4 stars from 2,471 ratings, so these are a minority.

Wirecutter calls it one of the loudest electric heaters it tested, about 7 dBA louder than the Vornado VH200, with a gravelly sound. Its focused stream warms the spot in front of it rather than the whole room. Walmart's AI summary says the knobs are clear, but some fail or feel flimsy.