Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Long story short: I think this DeLonghi is the best oil-filled radiator I've owned. But that opinion comes with some caveats, the most important of which is that placement of this radiator is more critical than with most others if you want to get the maximum benefit from it. In theory, all electric heaters are 100 percent efficient. But that doesn't mean that they work the same. One thing I like about this radiator is that it has more heated surface area than most other models; so although it technically doesn't generate any more heat, it transfers it to the air more efficiently. The greater surface area means it warms the air more evenly and rapidly than most other oil-filled heaters. This heater also differs from other oil-filled radiators in that it has "chimneys" that direct the heat upwards. Once it's heated up, you can really feel the heat over the top of the heater. If you hold a piece of paper about a foot over the heater, the thermal updraft will actually move the paper upwards a bit. It really does get the air moving. Of course, if almost all of the heat is coming from the top of the heater, that means that very little is radiating from the sides. That's why the placement of the heater is so important. You have to place it in a part of the room where the column of warm air that rises from the top will settle on the parts of the room you want warmest as the air slightly cools. In other words, you have to set up a convection cycle that constantly circulates warm air up from the heater and down again onto the areas you want warmed. This heater is all about convection. Over the years, I've found that most oil-filled radiators work best when placed near a window or an exterior wall. This heater is an exception. I've found that it works best when placed near the center of a small room where a mushroom-shaped convection cycle can be established, or about four or five feet from the part of a large room that you want warmest (for example, about four or five feet in front of the sofa in a living room). Remember that because almost no heat comes from the sides, this heater's entire efficiency depends on convection. Think of the heater as the base of a mushroom or the handle of an umbrella over the area you want warmest, and position it accordingly so convection causes the air to circulate back down on those areas. It takes about half an hour for the convection to start happening, but once it does, the room will warm quickly. Another helpful hint from personal experience: If there's a stairway in the room you want to heat, and you don't want to heat the upstairs, place the heater across the room from the stairway. The heat will want to rise up the stairs, but it will have to pass across the room to do it. If you place the heater by the stairs, the heat will rise straight up the stairs without heating the room. Another thing I like about this heater is that it has a 24-hour timer. It's an old-fashioned one that requires that you first line up the line on the dial with the current time, and then set the teeth to their "ON" or "OFF" positions as desired in 15-minute increments. That's a bit of a chore, but the upside is that you can set multiple ON/OFF times. For example, if you want the heater to come on at 6:00 am and turn off at 7:30 am every morning so you can get ready for work, and then come on again at 5:00 pm and turn off at 10:00 pm so the room will be warm when you get home from work, you would just set all the teeth for 6:00 am to 7:30 am, and all the teeth for 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, to ON, and leave the rest OFF. I use one of these heaters in my bedroom. I have set to come on about half an hour before I usually go to bed, and turn off about half an hour after I usually wake up. That keeps the room nice and warm even with the more-expensive propane heat turned down to 55 F. I do have two criticisms about this heater. The first is that the burn-in takes several days. During that time, the heater will emit an odor that some people may find irritating. I suggest you run the heater on high for a few days either outside or in your garage, shed, or basement until the heater is burned in. This problem is not peculiar to this heater. It's been true of every oil-filled radiator I've ever bought. They don't burn them in in the factories. The second criticism is that the timer doesn't have a battery backup. If the power goes out, the timer stops. All you have to do to reset it is line up the line on the dial with the current time again. You don't need to re-set all the teeth. But a battery backup for the timer would still be a nice addition. All in all, however, I'm very satisfied with this heater. Just remember that the peculiar way in which it forces air upwards means it may not work well in the spot where you would usually place an oil-filled radiator. Experiment a bit, and I think you'll find the sweet spot. Remember: Think convection. Richard