As I write this, my Dreo whole-room heater is blowing warm air around me in a quiet, mellow tone. I personally paid the full $100 for the privilege, but right now, you can get yours for $15 less, thanks to the generosity of Black Friday. Either way – this little guy is worth it. I purchased this a few weeks ago when the leaves were starting to turn and I knew winter was coming for my home office. I needed something to replace the old plug-in radiator I had used in years past and, after some research, this seemed like just the thing.
There are no heating vents in my office, as it was once a front porch. Whoever built the addition did a solid job – including building walls from materials (brick? cinder block? titanium?) that no nails could penetrate, let alone duct work. The hand-me-down plug-in radiator I used last year wasn’t cutting it – only keeping me warm if I was standing over it. If I had the budget for it, I’d buy my editor’s latest heater, but $100 seemed like my limit.
I can report that my purchase of Dreo’s heater has been worthwhile. It’s about a foot long and almost as wide, but it really puts out the heat. I originally mistook the “H1” displayed for “high”, so I thought the heat output was okay, but not great. Then I hit the plus button and realized there’s H2 and H3, which is where things get really spicy.
It can rotate left and right in an arc of 90 degrees, as well as up and down in 60 degrees. It can also perform both functions at the same time. I anthropomorphize everything, so I watch a baby woodland owl inspect its forest habitat with awe as it swings both horizontally and vertically.
Unlike that radiator heater, it heats up instantly. Within seconds, I can feel the heat, and within a minute my fingers are defrosted enough that I can type. But, since it’s a ceramic heater, the heat largely disappears when you turn it off (at which point it goes through a 30-second cool-down to push the remaining heat out of the vent). The air in the room will stay as warm as your insulation will allow, but I use the remote to turn it on and off throughout the day.
The exterior is largely plastic, and I was worried it would have a strong off-gassing odor. Straight out of the box, the chemical color was noticeable, but after leaving it outside for a few days, it calmed down immediately. I haven’t put the timer – or the tip-over protection function, for that matter – to the test, but I’m glad to know both are available. And, as advertised, it is extremely quiet, emitting a pleasant hum that stays with me while I work.
It is also quite portable. That’s why it keeps circling around my house. When my child eats breakfast before school he loves having it pointed at him. My husband grabs it to remove ice from the bathroom while showering. I honestly love that this little heater can help them stay cozy without having to turn on the central heating to warm the entire house, but I wish I didn’t have to look for it at the beginning of the workday. I guess just go ahead and grab another one.
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