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Ceramic, oil-filled or infrared: same watts, different feel
Updated
All three types put out the same 5,118 BTU per hour at 1,500 watts. None is more powerful, and none turns electricity into more heat than the others. What changes is how fast you feel it, how much noise it makes, how heavy it is, and whether it warms the air or the person in front of it.
Ceramic fan heaters
A ceramic element heats up and a fan pushes air across it. You feel warm air within a minute or two, and the units are small and light. The DREO Atom One weighs 3.85 pounds and the Amazon Basics Ceramic 1500W even less. The tradeoff is the fan. Maker noise claims here run from 34 dB on the DREO HSH006 to 43 dB on the Amazon Basics, and owners of several models are split on whether that is quiet. Towers like the Lasko 23 inch Ceramic Tower 751320 add oscillation to spread the warm air. Lasko describes that tower as a 1,500 watt ceramic heater with two heat settings and an adjustable thermostat.
Oil-filled radiators
An element heats sealed oil inside metal fins, and the fins warm the room with no fan. De'Longhi says the oil in the De'Longhi EW7707CM is permanently sealed and never needs refilling, and it sells the lack of a fan as a plus: nothing to stir up dust. It is silent. It is also slow. Owners say it takes a while to warm up, and it weighs 23.2 pounds. The oil holds heat, so the fins stay warm for a while after the thermostat cuts the element off. That makes the warmth feel steadier. It does not make the heater produce more heat per kilowatthour.
Infrared heaters
A quartz tube gives off radiant heat, which warms people and objects in its path. Cabinet models add a blower. Dr. Heater describes the Dr Infrared Heater DR-968 as a dual system, an infrared quartz tube plus a PTC ceramic element, with a blower it rates at 39 dB. The maker says this gives up to 60 percent more heat output. The listing also says 1,500 watts and about 5,200 BTU, which is the same output as every other full-size heater here. Read the claim as being about how the heat is delivered.
Side by side
| Ceramic fan | Oil-filled radiator | Infrared cabinet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top output | 5,118 BTU/h | 5,118 BTU/h | 5,118 BTU/h |
| Time to feel warm | Fast | Slow | Fast in front of it |
| Noise | Fan noise, 34 to 43 dB claimed | No fan | Blower, 39 dB claimed |
| Weight of the pick here | About 2 to 4 pounds | 23.2 pounds | 19 pounds |
| Good for | Office, quick warm-up | Bedroom, long steady runs | Living room seat, easy to roll |
| Pick | DREO Atom One, DREO HSH006, Lasko 23 inch Ceramic Tower 751320, Amazon Basics Ceramic 1500W | De'Longhi EW7707CM | Dr Infrared Heater DR-968 |
Which one to buy
- You work in the room for a few hours: a ceramic fan heater. Fast, light, easy to put away.
- Fan noise bothers you: the oil-filled radiator. The CPSC says to turn heaters off when sleeping, so use it to warm the bedroom before bed, not overnight.
- You sit in one spot in a bigger room: an infrared cabinet aimed at your seat. It will not heat 576 sq ft, but it can make your chair comfortable.
- Only your feet are cold: the 200 watt Lasko MyHeat 101.
Check your own room with the size and power use calculator, or compare all seven picks on the roundup page.
Safety note: keep any heater at least three feet from anything that can burn, plug it straight into a wall outlet, and turn it off when you leave the room or go to sleep. See the safety rules. This site is not electrical advice. If an outlet or plug gets warm, stop using it and ask a licensed electrician.