Searching for a space heater? After researching over 100 models, we purchased 12 of the top performers for extensive amounts of hands-on testing. For our recent update, we ran a comprehensive set of experiments to determine which models are best for personal space, such as under a desk. We also set out to discover which products are better suited for small rooms, which are the easiest to use, and which are the most efficient. If you have cold feet about which space heater is the right choice for you, we have you covered.
Our home appliance experts have tested some of the best products for keeping your home comfortable, regardless of season or climate. While space heaters will keep you toasty inside, a great outdoor heater will ensure you're warm when spending time outside. When temperatures warm up, a portable air conditioner or a top-ranked fan are sure to help you cool off. And for those looking to improve their air quality, we've also tested the best humidifiers and outlined our favorite air purifiers.
Editor's Note: We updated this space heater review on November 18, 2022 to assess availability and ensure that we still stand by our award choices.
Dimensions: 7.2" x 8.6" x 23" | Remote Control: Yes
REASONS TO BUY
Fantastic heating performance
Nice remote control
Small footprint
REASONS TO AVOID
Lacks fall-over protection
Doesn't double as a fan
The Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower rules the roost for tower-style space heaters. This model promptly produces heated air as soon as you power it up. The controls and user interface are intuitive, and the remote control is ergonomic and easy to use. Even though the unit is tall, it is easy to place in out-of-the-way spaces thanks to the small base.
This model has some limitations, however. There is no way to use the fan without the heating unit, so it won't be useful in the warmer months. It also lacks a tip sensor to turn the unit off if it accidentally gets knocked over. Still, all in all, we like this design the best for the majority of our space heating needs.
Dimensions: 10.3" x 9.7" x 23.3" | Remote Control: Yes
REASONS TO BUY
Tip over protection
Great heat output
REASONS TO AVOID
Loud fan
Slow to warm up
The Comfort Zone Oscillating Digital Tower is a user-friendly and straightforward space heater that gets the job done. Standing at 23.3 inches high, it is a little tall but still fits underneath most standard-sized desks. It has a powerful fan that can easily blow warm air up to six feet away, making it an excellent personal heater, whether tucked up under your desk or pointed at your chair from across the room. This device is remote control equipped and has built-in fall protection.
While this model is a little slow to warm up, it cranks out some serious heat when it does come up to temperature. Its operational costs are slightly on the high side but nothing too extreme. Its excellent heat output and convenient controls earn this space heater our highest award.
Dimensions: 5.12" x 30" x 9.8" | Remote Control: Yes
REASONS TO BUY
Built in air purifier
Excellent at heating small spaces
Heats up quickly
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Relies on external remote
Large
The Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool is not only a highly capable space heater, but it also functions as a top-of-the-line air purifier and fan. As a space heater, it was one of the best options for heating a small room. Over 20 minutes, it raised our test room temperature by 8.4 degrees and a full 13 degrees over an hour. The heat this machine generates is a pleasant radiant heat that isn't overpowering, even when you're sitting up close.
This model has two significant drawbacks, the first being that almost all of the functions are controlled with a remote. If you lose the remote, you're pretty much out of luck. The next is this unit's high energy consumption. It's not the worst offender, but it is above average regarding operating costs. If you're in the market for an air purifier and space heater, having a machine that can do both certainly saves a lot of floor space.
Dimensions: 7.5" x 6.3" x 9.4" | Remote Control: No
REASONS TO BUY
Compact
Also works as a fan
REASONS TO AVOID
No timer
Unclear temperature settings
Lacks oscillation capabilities
If you're looking for a small, basic personal heating device, the Amazon Basics 1500W Ceramic is a great option, especially considering the low price. It's very compact, making it perfect for use under an office desk or any other small space. A bonus feature of the Amazon Basics model is that it doubles as a fan so that you can use it all year-round.
Regarding bells and whistles, the Amazon Basics 1500W Ceramic falls a bit short and is about as basic as they come. The temperature settings are controlled by a dial, with no way to select an exact target temperature. This model also lacks a remote and a timer and does not oscillate.
The AmazonBasics model is a simple heater. While it may not offer as many bells and whistles as some, it is one of the most affordable heaters in our review.
Credit: Laura Casner
Compare Products
The Dr. Infrared is the perfect choice for larger areas, such as a family room or a workshop.
Credit: Laura Casner
Why You Should Trust Us
At GearLab, we purchase all the products we test at full price from the same retailers as our readers. This ensures that bias doesn't leak into our review from accepting promo or demo models from manufacturers. Overall, our team of experts ran more than 96 individual tests to help you find the perfect space heater to suit your needs and budget. We tested these models during a winter cold spell at Lake Tahoe, where the record low temperatures dropped below -20 degrees Fahrenheit. We tested the heaters inside the lab but wouldn't run any experiments if the outside temperature reached more than 38 degrees. We came up with a series of different experiments to determine the comfort a heater provides under a desk and how much heat each could add to a small room. We also analyzed extra features and calculated how much each one costs to run. We ran each model for several weeks in the office, the lab, and in our homes.
Our in-depth testing process of space heaters breaks down into four different metrics:
Personal Heat (40% of overall score weighting)
Convenience (30% weighting)
Small Room Heating (20% weighting)
Power Consumption (10% weighting)
Our testing team is comprised of Austin Palmer, Ross Patton, and Buck Yedor. Having spent his entire life in the snowy mountains, Ross Patton is no stranger to the various ways that people keep their living and workspaces warm. That, coupled with his formal training in environmental science and more than 15 years of product testing experience, has honed his skills for creating in-depth side-by-side tests. Austin Palmer has extensive experience performing hands-on tests for more than 500 products, and he spent time working on an oil rig where the crew would huddle around a space heater when temps were so low that running water would freeze. Buck Yedor not only brings a background in product testing but has lived in more than one freezing apartment with no central heat and knows all too well how crucial a good space heater can be. To verify our results, we consulted our resident mechanical engineer, David Wise, who has a background in heat transfer.
The AmazonBasics 1500W is a bare-bones space heater -- but that's all many people need.
Analysis and Test Results
To determine which space heaters are truly the best, we conducted dozens of hours of market research to sort through the specifications and details of more than 100 of the top models. After much deliberation, we narrowed it down to 12 of the best space heaters and independently purchased them for testing side-by-side.
Value
Space heaters vary significantly in price and performance, and a higher cost doesn't necessarily equate to a better product, especially for specific applications. The Amazon Basics 1500W is an excellent choice if you aren't looking to spend much and you only need a compact heater with basic heating functions.
The Lasko Ceramic Tower would make a good fit if you'd like an oscillating-style tower heater but don't need extra features like a remote. Another Lasko model, the Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower, was our highest-scoring machine, but it costs much less than the models it outperformed. The Dr. Infrared Heater DR-968 is a bit more expensive than many heaters in our review but affordable for this type. Finally, if you want all of the bells and whistles you can get out of a heater from a designer brand, the Dyson Hot+Cool might be the one for you — but be prepared to drop a lot more cash for its additional function as an air purifier.
The Lasko Ceramic Tower is a fantastic choice for an office environment.
Credit: Laura Casner
Personal Heat
A heater's ability to add a degree of comfort to a living space is its primary purpose. Accordingly, we allocated 40% of the overall score for this metric. For personal heat, we began by putting each heater under a standard-sized office desk to see how they fit; then, we judged which models were the best at making the office space cozier and more comfortable. We used each heater in a living room and employed a panel of judges to poll the overall feel of how well each model was performing.
The Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower warmed up the underside of a desk noticeably much faster than any other model. This speedy heat-up earned it a top score; in fact, its heat was a bit intense. The airflow feels slightly more direct than other models, but the oscillation setting helps disperse the heat if needed.
The Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower does a phenomenal job of heating up the area under a desk. We were almost too toasty!
Credit: Laura Casner
When we moved to the living room, the Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower impressed us even more than at the office — this model produces a warm breeze better than any other model in our review.
The Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower is also good at heating larger open spaces, such as a living room.
Credit: Laura Casner
Not too far behind the Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower for personal heating is the Comfort Zone Oscillating Digital Tower. The Comfort Zone is fairly tall, and the controls are on top of the unit, so if your desk is a bit shorter, they can be difficult to reach — but the remote takes care of that problem.
The Comfort Zone Oscillating Digital Tower is a great choice for office heating.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Comfort Zone Oscillating Digital Tower does a fantastic job of quickly producing heat. Still, the oscillation is a bit slow for underneath a desk, especially if you want constant hot air blowing on you. When we tested the Oscillating Digital Tower five feet away from a piece of furniture, we could feel the heat, but the breeze wasn't quite as strong as the Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower.
When it comes to living room performance, the Comfort Zone Oscillating Digital Tower is one of the best.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Lasko Ceramic Tower and the Amazon Basics have small footprints, which helps them fit nicely under a desk. Both of these models heat a desk area very quickly, but unfortunately, their blowers aren't quite strong enough to be practical for use in a living room.
The Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool heats up fast and is excellent for living room use near furniture thanks to its oblong design and tilt option that directs air in a greater vertical gradient than the other models in our review.
The AmazonBasics 1500W heats up quickly but is a bit impractical for a larger room.
Credit: Laura Casner
Convenience
The overall convenience of using a home appliance, such as a space heater, can be a deciding factor when it comes time to purchase. These devices have various controls, temperature displays, remotes, and even the option to use the heater as a fan with the heating element disengaged. Here at GearLab, we can appreciate bells and whistles, so we dedicated 30% of the total score to convenience.
It's hard to beat the Dyson Hot+Cool in the convenience department. This model has several innovative features, including 350 degrees of oscillation and a remote that magnetically attaches to the top of the unit. Most impressively, it is also a fan and a fully functional air purifier, similar to those in our best air purifier review.
The Dyson's remote stores via internal magnets.
Credit: Laura Casner
The timer on the Dyson goes up to eight hours, with options to set it for 30 mins, one hour, two hours, four hours, or eight hours. The digital thermometer had one of the widest readings, ranging from 33 to 99 degrees. The Dyson is also smartphone compatible. Due to federal regulations, you can't control the heat via your phone, but you can control and monitor the air purifier.
The remote control on the Comfort Zone Ceramic Oscillating Digital is user-friendly and intuitive to use.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Comfort Zone Comfort Zone Ceramic Oscillating Digital and Oscillating Digital models, the Lasko Bladeless Heater, and Dr. Infrared Heater DR-968 all scored well in the convenience metric. These space heaters have a digital readout and a thermostat that goes up and down in one-degree increments.
The Dyson's remote is user-friendly and straightforward to use.
Credit: Laura Casner
These models come with remote controls, but we found the Dr. Infrared is one of the most straightforward to use. Unlike the remotes for other models, the buttons on the Dr. Infrared are labeled with words instead of symbols.
The Honeywell is equipped with handy safety features like fall protection and a heat proof handle.
Credit: Laura Casner
Out of the remotes that use symbols, the Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower controls were the most intuitive to decipher, and this model's controller fits comfortably in your hand. The Infrared is great for those needing to feel the heat for extended periods, as it has a timer that goes up to 12 hours in one-hour increments.
The buttons on the Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower have symbols that are easy to understand.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Lasko Ceramic Tower has similar controls to its cousin, the Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower. Still, since it lacks a remote, we could only give it a mediocre score for this metric.
This Lasko Bladeless Heater provides built-in remote storage.
Credit: Laura Casner
Coming in near the back of the pack is the Amazon Basics 1500W; this barebones model has minimal settings and features, although we like that it can be used as a fan without the heating element engaged. While some enjoy bells and whistles, others may prefer a basic model that is straightforward and does what it's meant to do.
Credit: Laura Casner
Small Room Heating
We ran each device in the same room for a set amount of time at the highest setting and then measured how much of a positive temperature change each heater was able to cause. We took readings every 20 minutes for an hour.
At the start of each trial, to ensure that our data was accurate, we ensured the inside temperature of the test room was as close to 64 degrees Fahrenheit as possible. We even took it a step further and only ran the assessment when the outside temperature was in the low 30s. We dedicated 20% of the total score to this metric. Some of the heaters did fairly well, but because we feel there is vast room for future improvement in space heaters' overall performance, we didn't give out any high scores for this assessment.
The Comfort Zone Ceramic Oscillating Digital can heat a small space up to 12 degrees in just an hour.
Credit: Laura Casner
Our highest scoring models are the Dyson Hot+Cool, the Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower, the Comfort Zone Ceramic Oscillating Digital, the Lasko Bladeless, Honeywell Digital Ceramic, and the Vornado VH200.
The Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower was able to raise the temperature in the room by 6.4 degrees in the first 20 minutes, 2.2 degrees in the second 20, and another 2.2 degrees in the third for a total of 10.8 degrees after an hour. After an hour, the Vornado increased the room's temperature by 11.2 degrees with a 7.5-degree increase in the first 20-minute interval, a two-degree jump in the second interval, and 1.7 degrees in the third.
The Vornado is a high performer in the small room metric, offering the capability to warm up a small room with relative ease.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Dyson was the most impressive — it was able to get the room temp to rise by 8.4 degrees in the first 20 minutes. During the second and third intervals, the room temp increased by 2.4 and then by 2.2 degrees. This model produced the greatest warmth upsurge over the entire hour at 13 degrees.
Credit: Austin Palmer
The Amazon Basics increased the temperature by 10.1 degrees after an hour, while the Lasko Ceramic Tower raised it 9.9 degrees in the same amount of time.
We used a data logging laboratory-grade thermometer to track the heat produced by each model.
Credit: Laura Casner
Power Consumption
We assessed power consumption for the final 10% of our total score. Even though each of the devices in our review is 1500 watts, they use surprisingly different amounts of energy. You could easily drive your power bill through the roof if you aren't careful. We ran each heater on high for two hours and took readings with a wattmeter to assess this metric.
From this data, we could see the power consumed by each model in kilowatt per hour (kWh). We looked up the current national average of cents per kWh and then calculated the cost of running each device for ten hours, one day, one month, three months, six months, and a year.
Results May Vary
Depending on the price of electricity as well as the climate in your area, the results of this assessment could largely differ for various locations. If you know your power costs are high, we recommend placing more weight on this metric.
The best-performing model for this metric during our assessment was the Lasko Ceramic Adjustable Thermostat. Running at full blast, this device costs $1.67 to run for 10 hours. It will cost $723 to run over six months, similar to the Vornado VH200 cost.
Many models are not incredibly efficient. The Lasko Ceramic Adjustable Thermostat will burn through 30.48 kWh in a 24-hour period, which translates to a forecasted cost of $4 per day with the heater running around the clock. The Dyson consumes 32.16 kWh in 24 hours, which correlates to a cost of $4.24. The Lasko Ceramic Tower costs $4.20 to run around the clock for a day. The Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower and the Amazon Basics 1500W earned low scores due to their high power consumption. The Lasko Ceramic Digital Tower costs $4.30 to run for 24 hours, while the Amazon Basics costs $4.39.
We used a wattmeter to measure kilowatts per hour of consumption for each space heater.
Credit: Laura Casner
Conclusion
After reading this review, we hope that you will be confident enough in our processes to purchase the best space heater for your individual needs. Stay warm out there.
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GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
