	Name	Purchased for ($)	Link	Made In
	DREO Tower Heater	$90.00	Search on Amazon	Vietnam
Three heat settings plus eco mode, a 41–95°F thermostat range, tip-over and overheat protection. It produced the most heat of any heater at 1,536 watts, had the safest overheat cutoff at 190°F, avoided the startup power spike the others showed, and still ran at 37.7 dB on low.
	Dyson Purifying Heater	$440.00	Search on Amazon	Malaysia
Heater, fan, and air purifier in one, with 350° oscillation and no clicking thermostat at all. Heat output is near the top of the field with no startup spike, but covered with a pillowcase it ran for over five minutes before shutting itself down.
	DREO Small Heater	$45.00	Search on Amazon	Vietnam
70° oscillation, a remote, eco and fan modes, and by far the quietest fan in the group at 37.8 dB on low and 43.7 dB on high. Strong spot heating, and after a tip-over it alarms and keeps the fan running to cool the element.
	RealSmart Fireplace-Style	$100.00	Search on Amazon	China
An electric heater with a full-screen 3D flame display and four modes. It was the strongest spot heater in the test and its overheat protection was the fastest of all at 12 seconds, but it took 15 seconds to shut down after being tipped face-first.
	Lasko Tower (Short)	$47.00	Search on Amazon	China
1500W and 900W with oscillation and an adjustable thermostat. Its overheat protection was the fastest of any heater under $50, cutting out in 24 seconds at 291°F, and it runs quieter than average.
	JIBUFI Oscillating	$28.00	Search on Amazon	China
70° oscillation, a remote, and three heat modes for $28. It was the best oscillating heater in the group and third overall for spot heating, and it sounds an alarm and runs the fan to cool the element after a tip-over.
	Amazon Basics 1500W	$24.00	Search on Amazon	China
1500W high and 900W low with tip-over and overheat protection. It shut off cleanly in both safety tests and reached the second-lowest fabric temperature of the budget group, but its thermostat click is the loudest thing about it and its high-heat startup spiked near 2,010 watts.
	BLACK+DECKER Personal Heater	$32.00	Search on Amazon	China
750W and 1500W plus a fan mode. It moves a surprising amount of air for a personal heater and shut down the instant the base lifted off the table. Under the pillowcase it cycled the element off while leaving the fan running, holding fabric to a relatively cool 319°F.
	QQT Compact Heater	$23.00	Search on Amazon	China
The least expensive heater in the group at 1,200 watts, with two heat settings and no thermostat. At 1.6 lb it is also the lightest. It shut down almost instantly when tipped and did not melt plastic, but it barely moved heat across the room.
	GiveBest 1500W	$26.00	Search on Amazon	China
750W and 1500W settings with an adjustable 41–95°F thermostat. Overheat protection was among the quickest of the budget heaters at 55 seconds, but its thermostat click is the loudest measured here at 62.9 dB.
	Mr. Heater Little Buddy (Propane)	$60.00	Search on Amazon
A 3,800 BTU indoor-rated propane heater, the only non-electric here. With no fan it is effectively silent, but it has no way to push heat across a room, its grill melted plastic on contact, and it set the pillowcase alight.
	Aikoper 1500W	$26.00	Search on Amazon	China
Low, medium, and high plus a fan-only mode. It was the worst safety performer among the electric heaters: it melted plastic on contact during the tip-over test, smoked under the pillowcase, and ran for 2 minutes 12 seconds up to 437°F before its overheat protection finally cut in.

Rank	Product	Result
1	RealSmart Fireplace-Style	20.90
2	DREO Tower Heater	18.10
3	JIBUFI Oscillating	16.90
4	Dyson Purifying Heater	15.50
5	BLACK+DECKER Personal Heater	14.70
6	DREO Small Heater	14.10
7	Lasko Tower (Short)	8
8	Amazon Basics 1500W	4.10
9	Mr. Heater Little Buddy (Propane)	4.10
10	GiveBest 1500W	3
11	Aikoper 1500W	2.10
12	QQT Compact Heater	1.20

Rank	Product	Result
1	JIBUFI Oscillating	8
2	DREO Tower Heater	7.70
3	DREO Small Heater	7.40
4	Dyson Purifying Heater	6.50
5	Lasko Tower (Short)	4.60

Rank	Product	Result
1	DREO Tower Heater	1536
2	Dyson Purifying Heater	1518
3	RealSmart Fireplace-Style	1516
4	Aikoper 1500W	1494
5	DREO Small Heater	1490
6	GiveBest 1500W	1472
7	BLACK+DECKER Personal Heater	1467
8	JIBUFI Oscillating	1461
9	Lasko Tower (Short)	1443
10	Amazon Basics 1500W	1434
11	QQT Compact Heater	1191

Rank	Product	Result
1	Dyson Purifying Heater	1265
2	DREO Small Heater	989
3	RealSmart Fireplace-Style	950
4	Amazon Basics 1500W	913
5	DREO Tower Heater	900
6	Lasko Tower (Short)	868
7	GiveBest 1500W	791
8	QQT Compact Heater	787
9	BLACK+DECKER Personal Heater	770
10	Aikoper 1500W	743
11	JIBUFI Oscillating	690

Rank	Product	Result
1	QQT Compact Heater	1371
2	Dyson Purifying Heater	1518
3	DREO Tower Heater	1648
4	Aikoper 1500W	1762
5	BLACK+DECKER Personal Heater	1783
6	JIBUFI Oscillating	1805
7	GiveBest 1500W	1823
8	DREO Small Heater	1832
9	Lasko Tower (Short)	1878
10	RealSmart Fireplace-Style	1891
11	Amazon Basics 1500W	2010

Rank	Product	Result
1	Mr. Heater Little Buddy (Propane)	35.10
2	DREO Tower Heater	37.70
3	DREO Small Heater	37.80
4	Dyson Purifying Heater	47
5	RealSmart Fireplace-Style	48.30
6	Lasko Tower (Short)	52.60
7	JIBUFI Oscillating	53.30
8	QQT Compact Heater	53.90
9	Amazon Basics 1500W	54
10	Aikoper 1500W	56.60
11	GiveBest 1500W	57.70
12	BLACK+DECKER Personal Heater	57.80

Rank	Product	Result
1	DREO Small Heater	43.70
2	DREO Tower Heater	48
3	RealSmart Fireplace-Style	48.30
4	Lasko Tower (Short)	52.60
5	JIBUFI Oscillating	53.30
6	QQT Compact Heater	53.90
7	Amazon Basics 1500W	54.10
8	Dyson Purifying Heater	55
9	Aikoper 1500W	56.60
10	GiveBest 1500W	57.70
11	BLACK+DECKER Personal Heater	57.80

Rank	Product	Result
1	DREO Small Heater	51.50
2	RealSmart Fireplace-Style	52.70
3	DREO Tower Heater	53.80
4	Aikoper 1500W	56.80
5	Amazon Basics 1500W	57.30
6	Lasko Tower (Short)	58.40
7	BLACK+DECKER Personal Heater	59.40
8	JIBUFI Oscillating	61
9	GiveBest 1500W	62.90

Best Space Heater: 12 Tested From $23 to $440

Top Picks

Price

Heat Broadcast at 36 Inches

Oscillating Mode Heat Distribution

Heat Output on High

Heat Output on Low

Peak Power Spike on Startup

Overheat Protection — Time to Shut Down

Overheat Protection — Peak Fabric Temperature

Tip-Over Protection — Shutdown Delay

Noise on Low Heat

Noise on High Heat

Thermostat Click Noise

The Verdict

Related Tests

Top Picks

Price

Heat Broadcast at 36 Inches

Oscillating Mode Heat Distribution

Heat Output on High

Heat Output on Low

Peak Power Spike on Startup

Overheat Protection — Time to Shut Down

Overheat Protection — Peak Fabric Temperature

Tip-Over Protection — Shutdown Delay

Noise on Low Heat

Noise on High Heat

Thermostat Click Noise

The Verdict