Costway HT1195 Review

Although the Costway showed unimpressive results in the majority of our tests, we found a few elements of convenience that boosted its overall score a bit. We like that it has a thermostat with an array of settings and that it has a timer that goes up to 12 hours. The one thing that truly differentiates this model from the rest of the field is its dual digital display.

Performance Comparison

Likes

The HT 1195 has a strong blower, which is fantastic because this model has an option to be used as a fan without the heating element engaged. We love that this model has a 12-hour heater — this is very useful for those cold winter nights or days in which you'll be partaking in snowy adventures.

The thermostat on the Costway is adjustable in 1-degree increments and goes as high as 90 degrees and as low as 50. It may seem odd to have a heater with a temperature setting that is so low, but oftentimes the sole purpose of a space heater is to keep things from freezing so 50 degrees is plenty ample for that application. This model is the only space heater with a dual digital display. Although this may seem like a redundant feature, it is nice that you can see the temperature standing above the heater or sitting down from across the room.

To gain some numeric data we ran some tests with tangible measurements. First, we connected each model to a wattmeter and then multiplied that figure by the national average cost for a kilowatt-hour at the time of this review. The HT 1195 did fairly well in this test — we found that this model costs $1.69 to run over a ten-hour period which translates to $50 per month if it is on for ten hours every day.

For our next assessment, we ran the Costway on its highest setting for an hour in a 161 square foot room with a starting temperature of 66.3 degrees and checked the temps with a laboratory thermometer every 20 minutes. During the first interval this heater brought the temp up 5.8 degrees, the second interval the warmth increased by another 2.2 degrees, and after the final 20-minute segment the temp climbed another 1.7 degrees for a total of 9.7 degrees over the course of an hour.

Dislikes

Although we do like that the Costway HT 1195 comes with a remote, we found that the symbols that are supposed to indicate the function of each button are a bit more confusing than most. We aren't huge fans of the main power switch on the HT1195 as this a redundant feature that many other manufacturers have done away with.

The biggest downfall that the Costway displayed during our review process was its overall heating performance. Our panel of judges all agreed that this heater did not produce much warmth underneath a desk in an office or in a living room sitting on a piece of furniture 5 feet away.

Regrettably, the Costway is missing an oscillator — a feature that we've come to find very useful in a space feature. This model also seems to take an awfully long time to heat up compared to other models, which is ok for long term heating but not so much if you require immediate warmth.

Value

Sadly, the price of the Costway HT1195 does not reflect its testing results. There are several space heaters with lower price tags that offer a higher level of performance.

Conclusion