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If you live or work in a space that is uncomfortably cold most of the time, the simplest answer, in the absence of traffic, is a small space heater. These small home devices can fit on a desk surface to keep fingers warm while you type, or can be placed near a chair or bed to warm your toes. In fact, you can bring them almost anywhere you need a little personal heating source, whether it's next to the sofa, in a cold bedroom, in a small studio — you get the idea.
in this article
What are the best small space heaters?
A buying guide to the best small space heaters
How to choose the best small space heaters for you
What are the best small space heaters?
The best small space heaters should be portable enough to move from room to room, yet powerful enough to heat your environment quickly and safely. Here's a quick list of our top small space heaters based on our home and office tests.
TOP CHOICE: GiveBest Portable Electric Space Heater
EDITORS' CHOICE: Amazon Basics Ceramic Personal Mini Heater
BEST PLAN: F.EASY.D Space Heater
SLIM CHOICE: andily Space Heater
THE BEST VALUE: Brighttown Small Space Heater
1. GiveBest Portable Electric Space Heater
This powerful space heater can heat spaces up to 200 square feet, while its light weight and practical handle make it easy to move from room to room. This little water heater definitely hits the mark in the small but mighty category, with the ability to heat up your space in seconds. It's also a two-in-one heater and fan you can use all year round, with three heat settings and a thermostat setting that automatically shuts off when the room reaches the right temperature.
2. Amazon Basics 500 Watt Ceramic Small Space Heater
This is an extremely compact and simple desk heater, with a simple on/off switch and tipping safety features. Its small size means it should fit in almost any space, and it has a solid base to keep it in place. It's compact enough to sit as a tabletop heater, say, for the office or on a side table in the bedroom. Despite its smaller design, we like that it heats up quickly. It is available in four colors that are easily combined with any decoration.
3. Space Heater F.EASY.D
Sleek and sleek, this portable space heater looks more like a decorative piece than a heavy-duty appliance, and that's exactly why we love it. Compared to bulky heaters, measuring just 7 x 4 x 8 inches, it's compact, but still packs a punch. It also comes with three heating modes: 1000 watt high heat, 500 watt low heat and regular fan. With a durable PTC ceramic heating element, it can heat up super fast in about two seconds based on our tests. We also like that it operates at a low 45db, so the noise won't disturb your surroundings, whether you're focusing on work or your TV.
4. andily Space Heater (Electric)
This heater has three heat settings and a thermostat so you can find the right temperature. It is also easily portable thanks to its small size and integrated handle. Reviewers say it heats up quickly, powerfully and quietly, and we're reassured by how sensitive the auto-off safety feature is. It is ETL (Electrical Testing Laboratories) certified for safety and reliability. The black matte color easily matches any room decoration.
5. Brighttown Small Space Heater for Indoor Use
This tiny, well-designed heater is especially ideal if you need something small at work to keep your space adequately toasted. It's low wattage (400 watts), which is good news for your energy bill, and comes in a variety of bright, stylish colors. Instead of an automatic switch, it includes a basic on/off button to manually turn it off once you get warm. The heater turns off if hit. The brand says it's ideal for up to 100 square feet, and in our tests, it's relatively quiet in operation (just 40db).
In our review, this is a practical and reliable mini space heater that offers a ton of value for its price. The slim size means it easily collapses for storage when not in use.
6. Dreo space heater for indoor use
Few names in heating devices are as well-known and trusted as Dreo, and we love this portable space heater, which offers a ton of features for its price and size. At 1500 watts, this mini heater offers the most power on our list. The unique curved “heat funnel design”, meanwhile, ensures that warm air is quickly and evenly dispersed throughout the room.
Set a timer or manually adjust settings using the digital touchpad on top. The multiple heating options include an “eco mode” that saves energy when not in use. A ton of safety features are built into the space heater, including tip-over protection, overheating protection, and a shell made from flame-retardant materials. We also like the modern look of the white color.
This is the little space heater we've personally used in our office, and it always gets compliments on how nice it looks — and how warm it is.
Best Small Space Heaters: Buying Guide
As its name suggests, the best space heaters should be compact enough to fit and store in small spaces. But besides size and ease of use, there are one or two safety and convenience issues to consider when choosing a good piece of equipment.
Temperature Settings: At their most basic, a space heater has only one button to turn it on or off. The best heaters offer a variety of temperature and strength settings so you can adjust to whatever feels most comfortable. Settings can include your heat output (ie how warm you want your space to feel) as well as heating duration (ie how long you want the heater on).
Security features: To prevent accidental fires and overheating, basic safety features are essential in any small heater. This includes things like automatically turning off after a certain amount of time or when the heater is lifted or tipped over. We've also chosen heaters made with flame retardant materials, with shells that stay relatively cool to the touch even after extended use.
Power: You might want to consider how much space the heater can heat on the highest setting. If you only need it for one person, this might not be a big deal, but consider the size of the area or room you're using it in when looking for your next space heater. The small space heaters we reviewed range from 400 watts of power (perfect for an office, bathroom, or cubicle) to 1500 watts — perfect for living rooms and studios.
How to choose the best small space heater for you
There are many places to use a small space heater, but they should primarily be used to supplement or enhance an existing heating system. In other words, these mini heaters will not be powerful enough to be used as the only or main source of heat in a house or room.
When choosing the best space heater for you, consider where you will use it and whether you want to keep it in one place or if you can move it from room to room. A tabletop space heater doesn't need to be that big or powerful, but if you're heating a room, you'll want something between 1000 and 1500 watts. Thinner space heaters may look good, but they will take longer to heat your space.
Looking for a portable space heater? We've included a number of options above that are light in weight and have built-in carrying handles for easy portability.
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