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I've had mine about a week. Initial impressions so far are all very positive! This model is yet another 1500 watt ceramic heater and there is no shortage of them from several makers. Initially I set out to buy one of those fake portable fireplaces or wood-stoves with the visible fake fire inside. Reading all the specs and user reviews I could find on every one of those fireplaces and stoves it seems the maximum heat they put out is exactly the same as this far more compact and much less costly Lasko heater. About 1,500 watt power consumption and approximately 5,100 BTU heat output is the most you'll find in a portable room heater for home use. I settled on the ceramic type because of the rapid heating since I am only going to run it when I'm in the area where it is located. Ultimately since I only need an auxiliary heater a few months out of the year I decided that I really didn't want a fake fireplace or wood stove collecting dust the other 8 months of the year when I didn't actually need to use it. The Lasko is very compact stowing under the bed out of the way when not needed and is easily portable with a built in recess to use as a carry handle in the top back of the unit. I also read reviews about how the fans in some of the portable fireplaces/wood stoves were very noisy which next sent me looking for a very quiet ceramic heater. The word QUIET kept coming up in reviews of this Lasko heater and mine in fact makes hardly any sound at all! You do hear a low hum but that is all the sound mine has made so far and it does not interfere with TV or music enjoyment. The cable is 6 feet long.
I compared numerous brands of ceramic heaters with built in fans including Bionaire, Sunbeam, Honeywell and others. The Lasko warranty is 3 years which is the second longest warranty out there as the Bionaire has a 5 year warranty. The Lasko oscillates, it is very compact and is stylish looking more like a stereo speaker than a room heater. I also own a Lasko high velocity utility fan that continues to serve me well. Collectively those were the deciding factors in choosing the Lasko brand. Bionaire makes a good product as evidenced by their longer warranty, but their user reviews were not as strong regarding reliability on similarly priced Bionaire models.
The Lasko oscillation function was difficult to visualize before plugging it in, but how it works is that the entire unit except the small black base pivots silently left to right then right to left in a travel arc of about 45 degrees when you press the silver OSCILLATION bar on the control panel. Press the oscillation bar again and it stops moving immediately wherever it is at that moment. Now that I've used it the oscillation does actually seem to speed warming of the entire room and is a worthwhile feature I would definitely want again.
After looking for a space heater with a UL Seal I could not find one! I also looked for a heater made in the USA or at least North America and could not find one of those either. While made in China like the others and there is no UL seal, this one seems well made, sturdy and works perfectly. This heater is not easily knocked over, has an overheating safety shutdown, and is safe around pets or small children as it only gets warm to the touch. It has a red LED power light that is always on when the unit is plugged in whether turned on or not.
I would not hesitate recommending this Lasko portable ceramic room heater to a friend but encourage you to shop around as your needs might be different from mine. For example, an oil filler radiator type heater makes more sense if you plan to run it about all the time. If you need quick heat in a small to medium sized room for a few hours per day then a ceramic is probably better for your needs than the oil filled radiator type you run about all the time.
There are 4 settings on the operation switch which are OFF, Fan Only, 1 for Low Heat and 2 for High Heat. On high heat it consumes 1,500 watts, on low heat about 900 watts. The fan is always on when the heater is actually heating and cycles off when the thermostat turns off the heating element. The fan only has one speed but it is adequate enough to double as a small personal fan in hot weather making this unit more versatile than I expected when I bought it. The "fan only" feature may keep it out from under the bed in the summer but it won't replace the high velocity Lasko utility fan I own that moves a ton of air.
This unit's thermostat is easy to use. Once the room is at the temperature you like, slowly rotate the thermostat left until the unit cycles off and it will then cycle on and off to maintain a comfort level that is in the same ballpark.
I have turned down the thermostat on the main heat to 60 degrees and using this unit for the small area where I spend most of my awake time to make it more comfortable. Hopefully it will save money by not heating the entire place to 70 degrees. All on it's own it will heat up about 150 Sq Ft. to 70 degrees on high setting in 30 to 60 minutes, then cut it to low and it will maintain room comfort indefinitely. If you use a 15,000 BTU AC unit to cool an area, you can not reasonably expect one 5,100 BTU portable heater alone to heat the same area unaided, because you probably would need three of these units. When using in an area much larger than about 150 sq. ft. you may find you have to run it on high all the time to get much benefit. In order to get the maximum economy a space heater like this should be ran on high for about an hour at the most to warm up the room then reduced to low to maintain the temperature. If you find it is running on high all the time without warming the room enough so that you can turn it down or have the thermostat cycle off then you probably need to add a second or even a third one. The 150 Sq. Ft. rule seems to apply to all these 1,500 watt room heaters. This unit is not intended to heat an entire home, floor or even apartment unaided. Think of this as a whole-room heater, not a whole-house heater.
There is no remote control or digital thermostat control on this unit, but those features add a substantial amount to the price and I don't mind manually setting the thermostat. Other Lasko models are available with those extra features if you need them. I only use it when I'm up and around so I don't mind turning it on and off, changing the power setting or setting the thermostat manually. The last thing I need is yet another remote control to buy batteries for and lose in the sofa cushions.
So far as operational cost in concerned, it is easy to calculate based on your cost per kilowatt Hour for power. On high any 1500 watt heater like this one uses 1.5 KW per hour when actually heating. Here I pay 13.9 cents per KWH so it costs me about 21 cents per hour when heating on high setting in constant use. On low setting when heating it uses about 0.9 KW per hour so that costs me about 12.5 cents per hour of constant use. Your cost per KW Hour may be lower or higher so you'll have to do your own math. I run mine on low except for the first 30 minutes or so. If I ran it on high constantly heating for 24 hours it would cost me about $5, on low it would cost me about $3 for 24 hours of constant heating. I only run it about 8 hours per day and mostly that is on low, so the most it will cost is about 30 dollars per month, but that is not counting what I save by cutting down the thermostat on the whole house. The Lasko doesn't run continuously and it cycles on and off maybe running about 60% of the time on an average day here which is about 50 degrees outside for a high temperature and 30 for a low. It should save me some money over heating the entire house to 70 degrees, but I'm not sure exactly how much yet. I do know I am warm in this room and the main heat isn't running nearly as often or running quite as long when it does run.
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I was very reluctant to purchase this heater and did so based on the only 3 reviews I could find. I have a basement room in my house that can get pretty chilly during the midwest winters (approx. 20 degrees outside = 55-60 degrees inside).I thought about the infrared cabinet heaters that have become so popular but didn't have the $175-$300 to pay for one at the time. I have to say, I am extremely impressed with not only the quality of this little heater (the size of a surround sound stereo speaker) but with the effectiveness at heating the room (approximately 400 sq. ft).
Very pleased... I think you will be too.
Buy Lasko 5307 Oscillating Ceramic Tower Heater, 16-Inch Now
I have the "designer" version from this maker and wanted another for the bath downstairs so took a chance on this one. It is a different style but basically the same quality. Was not disapointed, it is just as well made and trouble free as the designer one and heats up my bath very nicely. Also it has a nice long electrical cord which makes it easy to place where you need it. I expect to use them both for years to come.Read Best Reviews of Lasko 5307 Oscillating Ceramic Tower Heater, 16-Inch Here
I live in a 40 foot, 1 bedroom trailer. I need a safe way to heat during the winter months. I have 3 tiny dogs and 2 cats inside. It worries me that they would knock papers off of the computer desk, catch fire, and burn the place down! At first I bought one heater and I love it! Very quiet, warms up quickly, no extremely hot surface to catch paper on fire! I liked the first so much I bought a second for the bathroom/bedroom end of the trailer. I can't tell you how awesome these heaters are! For the first time since I have lived here, I have quiet, consistent heat and the front end is as warm as the back end! When the temperature is right, I click the dial and it keeps the room that very temperature! Note: Walmart sells these heaters for $32.97 each.Want Lasko 5307 Oscillating Ceramic Tower Heater, 16-Inch Discount?
I have owned other Lasko heaters in the past and I always find them to be better than other brands out there such as Honeywell, Delongi etc. This little heater warms my 400 sq ft living room to a very comfortable temperature. I only normally keep it set to low and never need high except on the coldest of days in which I will turn it to high for about an hour and then down to low the rest of the day. I highly recommend this heater, it get's the job done!
