Optimus H-4110 9-Inch Dish Heater
by Optimus
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List Price: Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Optimus H-4110 9-Inch Dish Heater
Customer Review: Good small heater
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought two of these and they work great. The dish nicely focuses their 300 watts of silent heat to warm you up to 6 feet away. Dish heaters have more "reach" in the sense that they don't have to blow hot air all the way over to you, since they are basically heating with infra-red light (like the sun) instead of warm air. They only heat what they shine on though. Obviously 300 watts is fairly small, so don't expect this heater to heat an entire room. Get a heater with 5 times and wattage and hence five times the operating expense in electricity if you want more total heat.
My one complaint about this unit is that the dish can be only aimed anywhere from level to partially upwards. Very poor design considering a likely use is to put the heater on a surface above you and have it shine at a down angle, such as onto a couch or a bed. Personally I don't want the heater on the ground where stuff is likely to come into contact with it. But fortunately a little modification with a small saw on the plastic body can be done to open up the angle some and allow it to shine at a down angle as well.
Customer Review: LOVE IT!
Summary: 5 Stars
Perfect for the office. NOT NOISY so it doesn't bother anyone else. Just what you need in a cold office in the winter.Customer Review: Perfect for my small office ~ kudos for energy efficiency!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've a small home office which gets quite cold during the Fall and Winter months in the high desert. And I'm a person who gets cold easily, dislikes feeling cold and often gets comments from other people about wearing long-sleeved shirts, jeans and socks with sandals during warmer months while others are sweating it out in T-shirts and shorts. Fortunately, I have this little office space all to myself so I don't have to listen to repetitive questions like: "How can you *stand* sitting in this hot room?"
October was unusually cold. Huddling with blankets didn't cut it, so my S.O. offers me a small ceramic heater. The size was fine, but using this sort of fan-centric, forced air heater in a tiny room was both noisy and amounted to serious energy overkill. I had visions of a triple-digit electric bill. Even on a low setting, the little ceramic bugger would consistently kick in and gradually turn this space into what even I considered a sauna. Thus irritated and lacking gobs of money to hurl at the problem, I spent many hours online researching inexpensive, energy-efficient heaters and comparing the best places where such a unit could be purchased without paying exorbitant shipping rates or driving fifty miles round trip to roam the closest brick & mortar. This little Optimus heater is the one I kept returning to again and again. I read review after review on site after site. Despite some complaints (many being difficult to fathom if a potential buyers reads and genuinely understands the product specifications) and one very negative review here on Amazon which told me nothing about the quality of the heater, I'm here to announce that I really love this little jewel.
FYI, I found that Amazon not only offered it at the most competitive price, but I could receive it via Free Super Saver shipping if I spent another $5.01. Turns out this really great James McMurtry CD was on sale for $6.99. An awesome deal I simply would not pass up! My heater arrived in record time, was extremely well packed and in perfect working order. No assembly was required. The instructions were simple, as is the operation. One switch. On or Off. And no, I do not work for Amazon, nor am I a professional product reviewer (although I'd jump at the chance to do either/or). Case in point: I will warn anyone looking to heat a small bathroom where showers or baths are frequently taken to avoid this heater, as it is not intended for use in watery environments.
Yes, it is small. That's part of what makes it so charming and useful to me. Nine inches is the size clearly stated in the specifications. So (and this is an exercise which may prove difficult for men), it is important to get a ruler and attempt to visualize a nine-inch heater.
Yes, it does indeed have heating coils rather than higher-end lighting scheme, but I was seeking warmth without the inconvenience of periodically staring at peripheral reflections of my own retina.
And what prevents those of you who complain about the heating coils from zooming in on the picture? It isn't as though the coils are hidden or disguised in the photograph. These heating coils function splendidly! The unit begins instantly producing heat the moment I switch it on. No, it does not come on like a blast furnace, but if I'd wanted something that rapid and extreme, I'd set fire to my wastebasket. Simply and honestly stated: there is NO delay in heat output and the space around me warms up quickly. I've left this little heater on for an hour and the very chilly room was wonderfully warm...and not just for a few feet surrounding the heater. The entire room was well-heated.
300 watts is wonderfully economical and I understand why the "professional reviewer" would have bought five of these. If you have a number of small spaces which do not require 500, 750, 1500 watts of energy investment, why would you spend a hundred bucks on one heater with excessive output that will end up costing you in the neighborhood of an additional hundred bucks during the colder months?
I might also add, that unlike the oil-filled radiant heaters (which are the ones I've chosen for heating large rooms, as the good ones are also energy-efficient...*these* can take some time to start producing even a hint of warmth), this little Optimus does not asphyxiate the purchaser who fires it up for the first time. No dangerous fumes. No funky "musty blanket" smell. No need for a burn-in period in a well-ventilated area. Quite simply, it works. It does not require a degree in Rocket Science to operate. And as it has a cuteness factor, those of you who cannot abide "cute" will probably be better off buying something with a bit more machismo.
To summarize: this is a terrific little heater for small, enclosed rooms that do not contain showers, baths or large water features. I doubt you could find a better deal (hey...one place was selling the same unit for ten bucks more PLUS shipping cost) or a more energy-efficient electrical heater. In fact, I might save up to buy an extra to kill the chill in the living room until the radiant heater begins putting out enough warmth to allow me to take off my coat, hat and boots.
Customer Review: May be useful for SOME purposes
Summary: 2 Stars
Alternate review titles: "Adventures in low-power heating", or "A spot heater".
INTRO
I wanted to experiment with low-power (and silent) electric heating. Most heaters only go down to 400 watts. This one is 300 watts. I've never seen one this low, probably never will again, and now I know why. 400 watts is probably the minimum needed for a decent heater for most peoples' purposes.
THE GOOD POINTS
My unit came in perfect condition. Has the look of a personal desk fan, minus the propeller. If a hair dryer and little desk fan mated, this'd be the offspring. It's light, small, and the materials are good. Grille seems removable to clean the parabola by small screws. In short, I wanted to like it. Operationally and cosmetically, it was fine. Also, it truly is silent. No buzzing, humming, or cracking sounds except the normal hum when you first turn it on. In terms of light emission, the dish seems to glows orange like a jack o' lantern. It's not very bright, and I was able to sleep with it pointed at me with a sleeping mask on (which always falls off, and it didn't wake me up). It has a little carrying tab on the back to pick it up, or you can grab it from the neck. It doesn't get hot in back or anywhere but the front grille.
WHAT I LEARNED
The low power and 'economy' factor lead to a smaller reflector. So the low power & small dish size combine to emit a narrow heat beam. Both those require the heater to be closer to you, to actually feel it. That means other parts of your body aren't going to get the heat. Hence, a "spot heater".
So the fact it needs to be so close introduces several problems. The fact you need it so close to you, not only leaves some areas of you cold, it can make the closest areas too hot (after awhile). Ironically, the larger heaters heat more evenly, because you can sit them back farther. Not only do larger units heat a larger area (more power, larger reflecxtor), they heat more evenly, because the distance between your front and back is less of a ratio to the distance from the heater, than when the unit's up close. In other words, if the unit's very close to you, the percentage of difference in distance between your front and back (relative to the heater) is greater than if the heater were farther away.
So, for example if you had the heater on your left-front, your left side might be warm enough, but your right arm or hand may very well be outside the useful range. Plus, you have to keep it close enough such that you're only heating your upper body (at a maximum)--maybe more just your upper midsection and not your head or lower section. The colder the room, the more magnified the temperature difference feels. Ironically, taking OFF clothes can help, because you feel the heat much better on your skin. But then, you only have 'spot' heating. Although heat does emit from the dish, I'd say an equal amount of heat rises off the top of the unit--there's even a vent for said purpose.
Think of trying to heat yourself with a hair dryer. It actually occurred to me while struggling to stay warm that a hair dryer would probably work better, it's just too noisy.
So to get an even distribution where you're heating a significant portion of you, placement becomes crucial. But the fact it's barely adjustable, also works against you. It looks like the thing was designed to point upwards more, but at the last moment they put a plastic tab which stops it from tilting up more than just a bit. But I found that pointing down is even more important, and it pretty much will not tilt down. You can sit it on a slightly angled surface, as long as the topple-sensor button doesn't push out enough to turn it off.
I remember placing it carefully near my bedside, about level with the bed (on the shipping box), near my thigh, pointed at an angled direction at me (covers mostly off, so the heat could get to me). I woke up on my back with my left side comfortable, and my right arm so cold I thought it'd fallen asleep. Even sitting it on the floor almost between my feet on a game chair, aimed up at me, or whichever way I put it, I couldn't get my whole body feeling the warmth. If it's far back enough to get your whole body (even seated low), it's too far back to feel anything at all. The colder your house, or the more clothes you're wearing, it makes it even worse.
The heater is so weak that with very cold feet, holding them right up to the heater, it would take a few minutes to even feel the heat. Over time, they'd heat up to where it was too warm. But unless you're holding your hands on the metal grille, it'd be very difficult to burn yourself. I'd still say that the oil-filled radiator type heaters, and probably the noisy ceramic types, are safer. I will tell you I wasn't concerned about safety with this weak little heater though. I also didn't find the heat as 'soothing' as I thought it would feel. Not sure why on that.
POTENTIAL USES
- For your cat/dog -- this might actually be its most useful purpose. You'll notice how many reviewers mention their pet finding it. This would be used by your pet far more than any toy.
- For a child sitting at a desk. The low wattage and small size makes it maybe more useful for a smaller child than an adult.
- As a supplement to another underpowered directional heater. *Could* be throwing good money after bad.
VERDICT
I'd recommend getting 1 "good" dish heater over 2 or even 3 of these. I bought this as an experiment in directional heating. I learned that 360-degree heating is nicer, but directional heating can be useful. Part of my strategy was to use it in places which were pretty chilly, but that's when you really need a heater with a wider heat zone, and the guts to be able to heat from a distance wide enough to get your whole (or even half of your) body. I really do think now that 400 watts would be enough to really start to get somewhere. But 300 was just not enough for me. It made me appreciate my oil-filled heater in my bedroom (which cycles on and off at 600watts-low). My loss is your gain. Many people seem happy with theirs. 2 or more could be adequate, if you like tweaking and ability to place them exactly.
So what did I do with mine? A friend acually liked it, so I passed it along for half of what I paid for it rather than pay any returns and restocking. It'll get use as a cat heater if it turns out to be too weak for their taste, too. I'm again in the market for a directional heater.
Customer Review: nice eco friendly heater
Summary: 5 Stars
Half the heat is directed 3 feet out the front and the other half naturally floats straight up. My killawatt meter shows 285 watts while in use. I put it under a computer desk and it keeps me toasty warm.