A Good Product I've been using this heater for the past two months. So far it has been dependable, simple to operate, and provides much needed warmth for this season's cold nights.
There are four buttons on top: energy setting, oscillation, timer, and a large circular knob for On/Off and temperature settings. The top front of the heater displays a red digital readout of the current room temperature when on, and around that are tiny symbols that are lit depending on your other settings. There is also a small button to change the displayed temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius.
The energy button gives the option of max heat or "eSaver" with max as the default. The eSaver is said to be energy efficient, but I haven't used it much. The few times I did, the heater would go into standby after about two minutes even though it was nowhere near the temperature set. I'm not sure how long it takes before it turns back on, but I was waiting some 15 minutes before I turned the unit off and set it back to max. Whether it is on max or saver, there is no noticeable difference in sound when the heater's on.
The timer can be set for one, two, four, or eight hours. The option you choose is lit in small red lettering to the right of the temperature display.
Simply press the round knob on top to turn the unit on. The desired temperature is set by moving the knob clockwise for more heat or counterclockwise for less. The range is from 45 to 80 degrees and beyond 80 is the continuous setting which will read as "Hi". The heater goes on standby when it reaches one to two degrees above the set temperature and starts up again when it drops the same amount below.
One feature to get used to, which seems to be common in a lot of digital heaters, is the beep the unit emits with nearly every action. Plug the heater in - *beep*. Turn it on - *beep*. Turn it off - *beep*. When setting the temperature there is one beep for each degree you go down or up. Do it quickly and the beeps come together for one long beep until you're done. It's not too loud, but people in nearby rooms will know when you're fiddling with the settings.
There will be red and blue lighting when the heater is on. This is all at the top starting with the strip of blue along the front. In the dark you'll basically have the blue narrow light and the panel with all settings in red. It gives a room a light glow, but nothing too distracting.
For safety features, there's an oblong sticker on the grille that is black and turns red when the heater is on. It will gradually fade to black when the heater is off and the grille cools. Second, the unit is made to shut off if it is tipped over. The trigger for this is a circular plastic button underneath the base that works by pressure. As long as the base is on a flat, level surface the button remains in place. Otherwise it is raised. If there is a slight tip or lift of the heater that causes the base to lose contact from the surface it sits on the heater shuts off instantly. You can hear a click whenever this trigger works, often if you pick the heater up.
In regards to noise, when on it sounds like a fan on a medium setting. It's not too distracting, and you don't hear much of what's going on outside a closed room. The room I use this in is about 10' x 12' and on a chilly night it heats up very well.
I give this product four stars rather than five because of the beeping sounds it makes and the fact that it isn't quiet enough to sort of blend in the background if you're watching TV or listening to something. Otherwise, it's sturdy and heats my room well. On a final note, I've seen a version of this item half its size which might be great for smaller rooms.
No safety switch This model does NOT come with a safety switch (model#554405 apparently does). It does not mention this anywhere in the product description, nor does it mention this in the installation instructions. It took me a frustratingly long time to figure out that the switch was actually not there. Without the safety switch, this in NOT a good pump for a furnace. The pump I was replacing had the safety switch hooked up to the furnace to turn it off if the pump failed...avoiding a big pool of water on the floor. I never would have ordered this model had I known there was no safety switch.
On Bottle Decanter is Magic I ordered the On Bottle Decanter after watching it featured on a iTunes podcast. I got my order for 2; I kept one and mailed the other to my son. I can honestly say as a casual wine consumer that this simple device dramatically improved the taste of a moderately priced cab I like to drink. It is very simple but profound in effect. Great price and makes a great gift.
MR
Pikachu Lamp This is not a bright or white light. It lights up yellow and I think it's cool. It realy brought a different look to my daughter's Pokemon themed room. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it and it wasn't what I "was looking for", but I'm glad I bought it!!
Pretty and dries quickly Nice large area rug for the bath. Dries quickly. Haven't washed it yet, but other reviews here said it washes well, and it's very well made. Colors are nice and bright for a dark rug.