Tom's Guide Verdict
The Amazon Basics Small Space Heater is ideal for close proximity heating, and it comes at a great price.
Pros
- +
Inexpensive
- +
Small and unobtrusive
- +
Easy to move around
- +
Ideal for heating small spaces
Cons
- -
Only one heat setting
- -
Does get hot to the touch
- -
Does not oscillate
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Wattage: 500
Heat Setting: 1
Size: 5.87 X 3.2 x 6 inches
Weight: 1.4 pounds
Heat Element: Ceramic
Safety Features: Tip-over protection, automatic shut off if it overheats
Warranty: 1 year
The Amazon Basics Small Space Heater is exactly what it claims to be — a compact heater for warming up the air immediately where you’re sitting or lounging. It’s perfect if you don’t want to spend a bundle and don’t need to warm up a whole room, but need something to take the edge off the chill. To find out all the intel as to how it performs and why it’s one of the best space heaters, read our complete Amazon Basics Small Space Heater review.
Amazon Basics Small Space Heater review: Price and availability
The Amazon Basics Small Space Heater is available at Amazon for $22. It’s available with a red, blue, black, or white frame.
Amazon Basics Space Heater review: Design
The Amazon Basics Small Space Heater is as petite and basic as you can get for a space heater. It’s a little box that’s almost pocket sized at just 5.87 X 3.2 x 6 inches. With its plastic frame and metal grid, it will be inconspicuous sitting on the floor, desk, or table. It has a small rocker switch on the back to turn it on and off with just one heat setting.
Less than a pound and a half in weight, it’s easy to tote from room to room. Plus, it’s so small that it won’t take up much room in a closet when it’s not being used and could even be stashed in an office desk drawer. It shuts off automatically if it is tipped over or if it overheats — safety features that are pretty standard on most space heaters.
Amazon Basics Small Space Heater review: Heating performance
The Amazon Basics Small Space Heater was able to raise the temperature in our 15 x10-foot test room evenly by about 2.5°F. This doesn’t sound very impressive, but when it was sitting right in front of us, it was able to increase the temperature around us by 4°F, which is much better. Because of its low wattage, it uses less energy than the other heaters we reviewed, an average of 0.12 kWh.
When it’s heating, the Amazon Basics Small Space Heater does get warm to the touch, particularly on the front where we recorded a temperature of 123°F. This isn’t hot enough to burn, but it is getting uncomfortable to touch. We measured a sound level of 51.4 decibels, which is about as noisy as a dishwasher and typical for a space heater.
Amazon Basics Small Space Heater review: Ease of use
With its single switch, this heater couldn’t be easier to use. You simply turn it on and off. However, there’s no way to adjust the level of heat nor the speed of the fan.
Amazon Basics Small Space Heater review: Verdict
We think the Amazon Basics Small Space Heater is a good substitute for a sweater or throw if you tend to feel chilly when you’re lounging around. It’s not suitable for heating a whole room, but it is considerably smaller than any of the other heaters we reviewed and very reasonably priced.
If you’re looking for a small model that can heat a larger area, consider the Vornado VH200. For the most effective heating, we recommend the Lasko FH500. As our winner, this heated the same room by 10°F.
