- [Reviewer] Today a video review of the Handy Heater.
It's a personal space heater, as seen on TV.
And by the way, if you've just come from watching a review
elsewhere of the Handy heater,
be sure to watch to the end,
because there's some downright stupid reviews
out there from non-techie people,
and from reviewers that should know better,
but don't have the product knowledge to inform you properly.
I've seen a misunderstanding of how the product works,
right through to advocating dangerous use of the product.
Stick with me, and I'll explain the full benefits
of the Handy Heater when used safely,
and how to save around half on the purchase price.
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Let's deal with the biggest misunderstanding
of the Handy Heater.
Lots of people are mistaking this temperature control
for thermostatic room control.
This is just a simple up or down,
to give you a point of reference, to the power setting chosen.
So I'm seeing, for example, people set this to say 80,
and then expecting that the room will heat
to 80 Fahrenheit, it can't.
This has no idea what the temperature is,
in say, the center of the room.
The only way it could possibly know the room temperature,
would be if it had a separate unit,
that's a separate thermostat, on an adjacent wall,
sending it information.
I'm sure it has a thermostat, In fact,
it says it does on the box.
But that's just to stop it overheating,
and to turn it up or down.
It's not specifically a room thermostat.
In short, the Handy Heater knows how hot
the Handy Heater is.
The Handy Heater doesn't know how hot
the other side of the room, or the center of the room is,
and has no way of automatically regulating that.
So this is just for play.
And if you understand what the product does,
you won't be disappointed,
and can make a better informed decision
to buy or not buy.
The clue is on the box.
It's a personal space heater,
meaning it gives you directional heat,
if you're immediately nearby where it's located,
and that's it, it's not meant to do any more or any less.
If you've seen people doing before and after
room temperature tests online,
well that's almost as misguided,
as throwing a bedtime hot water bottle into a room,
and checking back in half hour,
expecting the room temperature to be greater.
Quickly, another incorrect observation online,
is that this shuts down periodically,
where it's assumed to be faulty.
To clarify, when that happens it's not broken.
That's just the internal thermostat,
making sure the unit doesn't overheat.
Remember, it doesn't care what temperature you are,
or what temperature the room is.
The Handy Heater's main concern
is to look after its own (beep).
What we will test here is the noise levels.
It has two fan speed settings.
Underneath we see the fan,
you have to make sure the Handy Heater
is at least 20 centimeters raised from the ground.
I have an ambient background noise
at around 53 decibels.
That's normal for a quiet room with nothing going on.
Not zero, as you might expect.
I'd describe what I hear,
as being around half the volume of a hair dryer
on its very lowest setting, and almost silent
on the Handy Heaters lowest fan speed.
On a low fan speed setting we get around 57,
On the higher fan speed, around 65.
I've seen this tested online in the bathroom,
which is really dangerous.
I know some countries are more relaxed
on using electricals in a bathroom
than what we are in the UK,
But come on, be sensible, this has no IP rating,
and it will never be friends with water or steam.
Any plug-in electric heater in a bathroom
with the wrong set of conditions and events,
could mean that you get killed until you're dead.
This would be bad.
I found the one I purchased here,
to be a handy companion
in the garage next to where I was working.
You might find it a comfort to use
in your office or bedroom.
Be sure to follow all of the safety instructions
that advise where and how to use it,
allowing space around and above the unit.
Also, you don't want to use it where somebody
might slide a chair, or soft furniture up against it,
so you've got to be mindful
of what others might do as well.
Obviously don't use it in a home
where you have small children,
that could come in contact with it,
and don't let the fact that it has a shutoff timer,
encourage you to leave the unit unattended,
is my advice.
Here's an observation, you can't press the sockets
power switch when the Handy Heater is plugged in,
you have to do this first.
The power button remains cool to the touch,
even after the unit has ran for a while.
Overall, I like the Handy Heater, and so did my cat.
I like that It has no lead to trip over,
and I can see why it's so popular.
The heater doesn't feel flimsy at all.
It makes you feel it's well-built.
The grill is interesting,
It has a matte black fuzzy felt feel to it.
I wonder what material that actually is?
It chucks out heat instantly,
you don't have to wait for it to warm up
to feel the benefit,
and it's small enough to travel with.
The Handy heater is sold worldwide
for different markets,
and is available for UK, US, or EU compatibility.
So make sure you get the right one.
If you picked one up in a store,
put it back on the shelf.
A big retailer may charge you twice as much
as you could pay,
just because they've printed their name on the box.
These units to my best knowledge all come from China,
costing peanuts to make,
so you don't have to pay $40, or 40 pounds in the UK.
Instead check out the links in the description.
I found to cheaper retailers on a trusted marketplace.
Just to be transparent they are affiliate links,
that means if you buy an item,
the channel can get a small payment
at no extra cost to you,
that helps support making new content
and product tests.
If you have a handy heater of your own,
tell us what you think in the comments.
If the video was useful, please like or share.
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