The Best Infrared Heater Reviews 2018

The Dr Infrared Heater Portable Space Heater is a clever little space heater that combines the benefits of a ceramic fan forced heater with the more rapid heating capabilities of an infrared heater. Dr Heater claim they are the first to manufacture a heater with this built-in dual heating capability.

The heater has a case made from an attractive wood box and measures 13 inches by 11 inches x 16 inches. It is quite small, although a little heavier than some other of our best infrared space heaters at just over 23 lbs.

The front panel has two parts. The upper part being the visible quartz element, which glows, red when in use. The lower section incorporates a control panel with an LED temperature display. Control is also possible with a remote.

Overall, the look of this Dr Infrared Heater space heater is slightly unusual, but not unattractive. The unit is of a US design and has a very good build quality. The heater comes with an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) USA listing meaning it complies with USA build safety standards.

As mentioned above, the Dr Infrared Heater Portable Space Heater has dual heating elements. The infrared part of the heater uses quartz-heating elements and can heat any object in close proximity to the heater very quickly. This is one of the great benefits of infrared heaters.

However, the manufacturers of the Dr Infrared Heater Portable Space Heater have also incorporated PTC heating too. This uses ceramic elements to warm the air in the room and a fan then distributes the air around the room providing an even temperature distribution.

The Dr Heater blower is very quiet, so quiet that you can hardly hear it. It is larger than normal space heater blowers. By making it larger, it can move larger volumes of air, but not as fast. The noise made by most fan-forced space heaters is due to fast airflow. The Dr Heater heater move the air more slowly thus reducing noise.

Despite the clever dual heating elements, the heater is cool to the touch when operating. This means that children and animals are far less likely to hurt themselves should they accidentally touch the heater when it is on. The unit also incorporates tip-over protection and overheating shut off meaning in an accident damage to the surrounding environment is limited.

There are four power settings, auto, low 1000 watt and a high 1500-watt setting. The auto mode is an energy saving feature. The heater uses a built-in thermostat to switch between the low and high settings in order to maintain your set temperature.

The Dr Infrared Heater Portable Space Heater is a very popular space heater. Its unusual looks combined with its dual heating capability and high standard of build quality make it a real winner.

It sells on Amazon for around the $100 mark, which we think is a good price for a quality space heater. The heater also comes with a limited warranty.

Back to comparison table >>

The Lifesmart Large Room 6 Element Infrared Heater with a remote control is a strong contender in the best infrared space heater rankings.

Unlike some of the other space heaters covered here, this Lifesmart heater just does the basics, but it does them well. The heater has a reasonably low-key metal cabinet that looks a little like a small safe. The front has the visible heating element that most infrared space heaters have, together with a small control panel and digital display below.

The overall size is 16 inches high by 13 inches wide by 16.5 inches deep. It weighs 21 pounds, and if this is too much for you to lift, Lifesmart have incorporated casters for easy movement from room to room.

The heater has three settings, high, low and an eco-setting. The high setting runs at around 1500-watts, the low setting at 750-watts. The eco-setting uses the internal thermostat to keep the room at a fixed temperature of 68 degrees. In simple terms, the heater switches the heater between the high, low and off settings in order to maintain that temperature.

When in use, the heater can is pretty efficient, able to heat large spaces quickly. Lifesmart describe the heater as a large room space heater, which means that it can heat rooms around 1000 square feet without much trouble. In fact, it has been known to work well in rooms up to 1200 square foot.

This Lifesmart heater incorporates a quiet scroll fan. This means that the fan pushes warm air away from the heater to be replaced by cooler air for heating. This fan forcing capability ensures an even temperature gain in the room. Fans do make a noise, and although Lifesmart claim this the fan on this heater is almost silent we have found there are many other infrared space heaters that are quieter.

The heater incorporates many of the standard safety features you would expect from a modern space heater. It has a timer shut-off up to a maximum of 12 hours, but it does not include a wake-up timer, which we would like to see.

As with many other infrared heaters, the unit is warm to the touch but not hot and so is safe for use in a home that has children and pets. The lack of heat means there is little risk of heat damage to items around it and in particular to the floor. It can even be set on carpet without fear.

Finally, the Lifesmart heater incorporates an air filter to help remove particles from the air around. This air filter is washable and reusable.

The Lifesmart Large Room 6 Element Infrared Heater is a popular choice for infrared heater. It is compact, easy to move and has a low-key attractive design. It can heat rooms up to 1000 square feet without trouble, but is also great in smaller spaces such as when heating an RV.

You can purchase the heater for around the $90 mark, which we believe to be a good price for a good quality infrared space heater.

Back to comparison table >>

The Lifesmart LS 3 Eco Medium Room Infrared Heater is a great little heater that despite its small size is a strong candidate in our list of best infrared heaters. It really is quite a small unit, measuring only 13.5 inches by 12.5 inches by 7.5 inches and weighing just 11.5lbs, making it a truly portable and versatile space heater.

The heater comes in a stylish black fireproof cabinet with a control panel on a tilted panel at the top of the unit incorporating a digital display and the heating element below. The digital display is easy to clear with well laid out appropriately sized buttons. Included with the heater is a larger than normal remote giving you great control from a distance. Overall, the heater feels well-built and looks modern and sleek.

As with all infrared space heaters, once you turn it on you feel the heat almost immediately. Infrared heaters heat objects near the heater in a similar way to the sun heating you if you sit in a sunny spot. However, the Lifesmart LS 3 Eco also incorporates a fan to push warm air away from the heating area and into the room, allowing the room to warm gently and evenly.

The unit has three settings, a high, a low and an eco-setting. The eco-setting is designed to heat up a smaller area to 68F and keep that temperature constant. It achieves this via the digital thermostat incorporated within the heater. The thermostat switches between high, low and off depending on the temperature at any one time. Overall Lifesmart believe that running on the eco-setting allows the heater to use only 500-watts.

When in operation the casing is cool to the touch, with the exception of the area directly in front of the heating grill, which is warmer. This means that the Lifesmart LS 3 Eco is a safe heater for a busy family home that might include both children and pets.

The heater has an on off timer that allows you to set the heater to come on and turn off at any point in the next 12 hours. This is a feature we particularly like and think is absent from many modern space heaters. It gives you much greater control over your heater and ensures that the heater is used when you want it and switches off when you do not.

The fan, used to circulate heat around the room is a quiet scroll fan and makes very little noise. The casing also incorporates an air filter, which is removable and washable.

Overall, the Lifesmart LS 3 Eco Medium Room Infrared Heater is a high quality, extremely portable heater for rooms up to 500 square feet. It is small enough to be positioned in out of the way areas, and yet powerful enough to heat most rooms in a home quickly and efficiently.

The Lifesmart LS 3  is available on Amazon for around the $60 mark and comes with a one-year warranty for all electrical components. Given the price, the strong array of features, and the overall look and feel of this Lifesmart heater we believe this is a strong contender for the best infrared space heater.

Back to comparison table >>

The Duraflame Powerheat Infrared Quartz Heater is a cleverly designed infrared quartz heater which combines with a heat exchanger inside to deliver both infrared and convection heat.

The infrared heat is almost instantaneous, whereas the warm air delivered by the convection heater provides a much more even room heating.

The heater is of excellent build quality, coming in a variety of wooden casings including oak as shown in the picture and cherry.

The unit measures 12.8in by 16.8in by 15.3in making it on the larger side for most modern infrared heaters, and with a weight of 26lbs is heavy too. Fortunately, Duraflame have fitted good-quality caster wheels allowing the unit to be moved around a level surface without any problems.

The Duraflame PowerHeat infrared quartz heater is a 5200 Btu heater meaning that it can comfortably heat areas up to 1000 sq. ft. There is a simply control panel on the front providing all the controls you need, but the unit can also be fully operated by the remote.

The control panel give control over the power, the 8-hour switch off timer and the temperature setting.

In operation, air draws through a lifetime dust filter, before moving on to the heater itself. Here fan circulates the air through the heater at speed. It enters the heat chamber where it passes over copper elements that are heated by infrared quartz tubes. The heat from the copper elements combines with moisture in the air to deliver a soft, moist heat.

The heater incorporates a couple of interesting features not found on other heaters of similar operation.

The first is an overheat switch which is built into the plug instead of within the heater itself. This ensures that in the event the heater begins to get too hot, the electrics are cut immediately and before any damage to the internals of the heater occurs. This is a useful and practical safety precaution.

The second is the more subtle. The automatic thermostat continues to check the air temperature in the room even if the temperature has reached your desired level.

In practice, this means that even if the room temperature is stable and warm the unit periodically turns on. This is not so much to heat the room further, but more to check the consistency of the air temperature throughout the room.

As well as incorporating a tip-over switch, the unit stays cool to the touch when operating which means that it is good for use in homes with children and animals.

In summary, the Duraflame Powerheat Infrared Quartz Heater is a high quality, well-made unit with additional convection heating capability and a strong safety functionality. It is available in a variety of different wood and metal cabinet cases that should suit most homes.

It retails on Amazon at a little over $120. This represents good value for a quality product and we have no difficulty in recommending the Duraflame Powerheat Infrared Quartz Heater in our best infrared heater category.

Back to comparison table >>

If you are looking for a good quality infrared quartz heater at a very affordable price then the Holmes Quartz Tower Heater may well be a great option for you.

This Holmes heater has a small footprint, measuring in at 12 inches wide by 9 inches deep by a little over 23 inches tall. It weighs only 7.5lbs, making the Holmes heater a truly portable personal space heater. However, with a high setting of 1500-watt, the unit is also capable of heating up a decent size room. To give you an idea, the heater is effective for rooms up to and including 400 sq. ft.

The unit comprises a white plastic case with a front grille, which displays the quartz heating tubes. At the top of the heater are two simple dials, which are all you need to operate your heater.

The left dial allows you to adjust the temperature at which you want the heater to heat to, and with the use of the built-in thermostat, maintain for as long as you want.

The right dial gives you the opportunity to switch between a high 1500-watt setting and a low 750-watt setting.

The case is slightly tilted backwards, meaning that the heating tubes and the rear reflectors are pointing up and outwards. The heater incorporates homes is patented max flow band system gently pushes the air away from the heater and into the room. We could definitely hear the fan in operation, but it is not so loud as to disturb you if you were watching television, for instance.

From a safety perspective, this quartz tower heater includes tip-over and over-heating protection with the heater instantly turning off should either event occur.

Unlike many other infrared heaters, the bright light emitted by this heater does warn you that the front grille gets very hot to the touch. This means that if you live in a home with children and pets then you need to be careful where you position the heater. That is not to say this is not a good quality heater, it has a UL listing proving it has been manufactured to North American standards.

The Holmes Quartz Tower Heater sells on Amazon at between $50 and $60. This relatively low-cost, simple to operate and effective personal infrared heater is excellent value at this price. We have no difficulty in recommending the homes quartz tower heater to our best infrared heater list.

Back to comparison table >>

The Unique Heat Next Generation Portable Space Heater is one of a new breed of infrared heaters that are compact, lightweight and yet very effective at providing heat whenever and wherever you need it.

The size and weight of this little portable space heater are impressive. The heater is cuboid in shape with dimensions being 15.1 inches x 11.5 inches x 9.6 inches, approximately, the size of a small box. It is light too, coming in at just 15 lbs.

The look and feel of it give the impression of a well-made quality piece of kit. Overall, the case is black but the face-plate, which incorporates a grill preventing the element from being touched, has a panel, which has a grainy wood effect making the unit look quite modern and attractive.

Its small dimensions do not affect its heating ability however. The heat output is impressive. It is easily able to heat a room size of approximately 1000 square feet. This means that unless you have a particularly large room in your house this little heater can be used in almost any room and still heat that room effectively.

Operation is very straightforward. The heater comes with a digital display built into the top of the casing, allowing you to set the temperature on a scale from zero to 20. The level 20 is actually hot, the level 10 being a far more normal temperature setting for most heating needs.

The heater also comes with a remote control, allowing you to adjust the temperature quickly and easily without returning to the unit repeatedly.

The heat output is actually very good, providing a “not too hot” heating without drying out the air in the room. This is great for anyone with allergies or breathing difficulties. When in use, the heater itself seems to emit only a gentle heat, meaning that neither the heater nor space immediately in front of it gets very hot. In fact, the heater is cool to the touch, even in operation.

This means that the Unique Heat Next Generation is a good heater to consider if you live in a household with either children, pets or both.

It is also quiet when in normal operation, but conveniently, if noise is a factor, for example if you were using it in a bedroom, there is a quiet button, which drops the noise level even further. You can definitely still hear it in operation but it is not at all obtrusive.

The only slight drawback with the Unique Heat Next Generation infrared space heater is the strange chemical smell that emits from the unit on initial operation. This may cause concern that something is wrong. However, the smell disappears after a week or so of use.

The Unique Heat Next Generation infrared space heater is not a cheap heater, with a price tag of around $300 at time of writing; however, it is smart, modern good quality heater with all the features you might need.

The manufacturers are also offering a 30 day money-back guarantee should you not be happy with it (please note, this offer is available at time of writing and may not be a permanent feature).

Back to comparison table >>

The Ryzen H-5000 Pro Portable Infrared Quartz Heater is an ETL certified infrared space heater. ETL certification is similar to UL certification and carries approximately the same weight. It is proof of product compliance with North American safety standards.

This small 8-inch wide by 13 inch high by 13-inch deep portable space heater weighs just 13 pounds making it great for use in and around the home. It provides approximately 5200 BTU heat output from its 1500 watt input meaning that this little heater can comfortably heat a large room up to around 1000 square feet.

The unit sits upright with the heating element on display behind a protective grill facing the front. To the side of the grill is the control panel. You also get a remote. This portable heater is small, but attractively finished. The case is metal and seems to be of a good standard of construction.

The H-5000 has a number of safety features essential in a modern infrared space heater. It has a shut off timer, tip-over protection and an automatic shut off should the unit overheat for any reason.

Although there are three heating elements inside the case, when in use the unit is cool to the touch and does not emit a “hot” heat from the front panel. If you live in a home, where there are kids or pets this is very important.

Another interesting safety feature is the operating keypad, which is lockable, a very effective way of preventing small hands from overriding the controls in a potentially harmful way.

A couple of other features worth mentioning is the built-in air filter, which helps remove airborne particles and is washable, and the wake timer. Most quality space heaters have shutoff timers, but the wake timer is unusual. We have long felt it to be a missing useful feature of many space heaters.

The wake timer, which brings the unit on at a pre-set time means that it is a great space heater for the bedroom, allowing you to sleep more comfortably in a cool room but enjoy a warm room when you rise due to this simple but convenient space heater feature.

The heater uses a fan to distribute air evenly throughout the room. This means there is some operating noise, but it is quiet enough for most.The Ryzen H-5000 also has an Eco setting allowing you to reduce the power consumption by one third once your room has reached the desired temperature.

This lightweight and small infrared space heater has an attractive design and appears to be of good quality construction. It has a number of interesting features such as the air filter and the wake up timer, which set it apart from many other top rated infrared space heaters.

It has a price tag around the $70 mark, which for a good quality space heater we think is a good price. We believe the Ryzen H-5000 Pro Portable Infrared Quartz Heater is well worth a look.

Back to comparison table >>

Another attractive cabinet infrared heater, this time in a walnut casing the Comfort Furnace Tuscan Walnut XL infrared heater is a 1500-watt heater that is able to heat up to 1000 sq. ft. This is a nicely built unit that delivers great heat and is very reliable.

The heater is essentially a box measuring 16 inches high x 16.5 inches deep x 13.5 inches wide. It does however come in at a heavy 29.5lbs.

This means, that lifting it around the home is likely to be difficult. However, Comfort Furnace have anticipated this and included caster wheels on the base of the heater to make maneuvering around the floor easier.

​

Having said that, it does limit the portability of this quartz infrared heater given that many people will struggle to lift it off the floor.

The front of the heater has the standard grill plate protecting small hands from the quartz heater bulbs inside. There is a control panel below providing all the controls necessary to operate the heater together with a digital temperature display.

The unit incorporates a washable air filter, which Comfort Furnace claim has electrostatic qualities, which capture 97% of allergens present in the air. The air filter works with the internal fan, which distributes warmed air from an internal heat exchanger. In effect, despite the air being blown around the room by a fan it has previously been filtered in order to minimize the effect of allergens on people sensitive or allergic to them.

The fan is a ball bearing fan with a large surface area and a low spin rate. The fan makes a noise no louder than 40 dB, which is approximately the same level of noise as a refrigerator. This level of background noise means that only those most sensitive to noise will be distracted.

When operating, the heater does not get hot at all. This means if you have little ones running around there really is little potential for heat accidents. In addition, as you might expect the heater incorporates all the usual safety features, including overheating protection tip over cut-out.

The control panel is clear and straightforward to use operation enhanced by the handy remote control unit, which allows you to fully operate the unit from a distance. Getting started is very straightforward, turn the heater on, move the temperature to the level you want and approximately 15 minutes later your room will be nice and warm.

This Comfort Furnace heater has a built-in thermostat, which enables the heater to heat a room up to the set temperature at which point it cuts out. If the temperature in the room drifts more than 3° lower the heater switches back on to bring the temperature back up to your desired level.

The Comfort Furnace Tuscan Walnut XL model has a strong sturdy construction, is attractively encased in a walnut cabinet and is safe and straightforward to use. It can heat almost any large room in a home quickly and easily and we believe you will make an effective and welcome addition to any home.

This heater retails on Amazon at around the $250 mark. The price is at the higher end of pricing for most domestic infrared heaters, but this is a quality unit and often you get what you pay for.  In the case of the Comfort Furnace XL Infrared Heater that is certainly true.

Back to comparison table >>

In order to ensure that we cover both ends of the price range we include here the Optimus H-5511 Infrared Quartz Radiant Heater. This heater is a comparatively basic version of the infrared heaters that are popular. No digital displays or even thermostatic control, the Optimus H-5511 Infrared Quartz Radiant Heater does none of this. However, an effective heating unit that with a price tag between $35 and $40 may well be what you are looking for.

The heater unit is quite small, with dimensions of 12.5 inches high by 12.2 inches wide and just 6.2 inches deep. Quite small, it sits upright with the quartz heating elements on full display behind a wire guard. It is very lightweight, coming in at just 4 lbs.

The heater is in one of three states. It is either on high, being 800-watts, low 400-watts or off. Control is via a dial on the top right hand side of the case.

The Optimus H-5511 has some safety features built-in. If the unit overheats then it will automatically cut-out. There is also a tip-over switch situated in the base, which switches the heater off in the event that it falls over for any reason. The size, weight and positioning of this tip-over switch mean that on some carpets the switch will not allow the unit to function.

Give the small size of this heater and the low power required to operate, the Optimus H-5511 makes an ideal personal space heater, able to heat a small area very effectively. It has no fan and so is almost silent. Most infrared heaters incorporate fans and so if having a quiet heater is important, the Optimus H-5511 may well be for you.

All in all this is a good infrared space heater, ideal for effectively heating a small area while at the same time be comparatively cheap to run. The main complaint with this heater is the reliability. Too often, the units are not lasting long enough without problems.

The Optimus H-5511 is a decent infrared space heater on offer at an excellent price. If you are looking for a small, ultra-portable space heater that is effective and cheap then the H-5511 is the choice for you.

Back to comparison table >>

The Homegear Pro 1500w large room infrared space or cabinet heater is a similar heater to the Dr Heater portable infrared space heater.

The Homegear Pro incorporates a dual heating capability. It combines quartz infrared heating tubes with mica ceramic heating elements. In doing so you can benefit from the rapid heating that infrared heaters deliver, and the whole room heating that ceramic convection space heaters deliver.

The unit is enclosed in a black plastic case with a metal back. It has approximate dimensions of 13 inches wide, by 17 inches high and deep. The weight of the heater is 22 lbs. The heater also comes with a remote control. The heater is on caster wheels making moving around relatively easy.

The front of the unit has two sections, the top area is where the infrared heating by the quartz elements occurs, and the lower area is the control panel including a digital temperature display.

The Homegear Pro is a 1500w heater and the manufacturers claim that it is a large room heater. The specific claim is that it can heat rooms up to 1800 square feet. However, the reality is that beyond the typical 1000 square foot this and in fact, any other 1500w heater struggles to be effective. This is not to say this is not a good infrared space heater. We believe it is excellent. However, if you are looking for something to heat a very large room up to 1800 square foot we believe you will be disappointed.

The heater has three settings, a high setting using 1500w, a low setting of 1000w and an eco-setting of 750w. The eco setting effectively uses the thermostat to switch between the different settings automatically in order to maintain room temperature at a steady 68F. This is a useful feature to reduce power consumption in rooms, which have reached their required temperature.

As part of the dual heating capability, the heater has ceramic heating elements used to provide convection heating. As with most ceramic convection heating systems, there a fan forces the air over the heating elements and away from the heater. In doing so, the air in the whole room warms in a uniform way.

As you would expect with a modern infrared space heater the Homegear Pro includes many sensible safety features. These include tip-over protection and an automatic cut-out in the event that the unit overheats. The unit also is quite cool to the touch when operating which is great if you have kids or pets in your home.

We felt the power cord was a little on the short side, being 5ft, which does restrict safe placement, but we appreciate not everyone will feel this is a problem.

The Homegear Pro has ETL certification, which is similar to UL and essentially means that the build quality meets North American manufacturing standards.

Overall, the Homegear Pro large room infrared space heater is good quality, well-built dual heating space heater. We are not so keen on the heavy black casing, but this should not detract from the performance of this little space heater. It is capable of providing rapid heat to a large room.

The Homegear Pro is available on Amazon at around $70 which makes this infrared space heater a strong contender for anyone’s home.

Back to comparison table >>