Customer Reviews

American Red Cross ARC1006 Auto Heater/Defroster

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I gave this product five stars, but there is still a caveat. Nothing on the packaging says so, but the defroster has a 20 amp fuse in the cord, near the plug, and is designed for a 20 amp rated lighter/ accessory socket. Many small cars are not rated that high, which would put a strain on a small alternator. That said, the question then arises if it can be any good at such a low price. I say yes, for its intended usage. It's not made to replace the heater in your Lexus (why would it be?). As the Red Cross branding suggests, it's designed for emergency situations, but also for general purpose use.

This defroster comes with a mounting plate you can slide it on and off of, and has a handle that swings out of the side to make it portable. There's a three position rocker switch on the side with "fan", "heat" and center off. The cord is about six feet long, quite heavy guage wire, contains a 20 amp fuse near the plug, and plugs into the cigarette lighter (now often called the accessory outlet). The instructions suggest mounting the plate on the dash with the included screws, being careful to miss wiring, airbag, etc. The defroster is mounted on a ball so it swivels and tilts. There's no adjustment to tighten it, so eventually it may get loose. For emergency use, you can just slide it off the plate and plug it into a 12v lighter jack, flip out the handle and it's ready for de-icing. The heat position also runs the fan, although the fan only position runs the fan faster. If you ran the defroster for any length of time, you'd want to have the car on so as not to run down the battery. I would have liked to use this defroster in my back window, since my Dodge Shadow didn't come with a factory rear defroster, but as it's only for a 20 amp socket, I'll have to keep looking.

You should not expect to ever get more than 13.8V * 10A from any cigarette lighter socket - that amounts to about 130-140 watts depending on your car voltage at the time. Most home heaters are 1500 watts, not 130 watts, so this is like 1/10 of a plug in house heater. It does, however heat up instantly and can be used to defrost those hard to reach areas on the windshield or supplement the cold spots in your car where you have an outlet and need a little heat. It's also nice to have while your engine warms up and the thermostat opens!

IT WORKS. BUT DUE TO ITS SMALL SIZE, IT TAKES ABOUT TEN MINUTES TO WARM-UP MY TRUCK. I FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS AND POINTED IT TOWARDS THE WINDSHIELD. I DRIVE DOWN THE ROAD AND I DON'T EVEN BOTHER USING MY TRUCK'S HEATER.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A REAL BLAST FURNACE, THIS PRODUCT IS NOT FOR YOU. IT WILL DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD AND IT WILL GIVE YOU SOME WARMTH. I LIKE IT.

You people that expect an electric heater to have high output are basically complete _____s (fill in the blank). By electric heater standards, this product is very good. It is reliable, fast acting, and can actually warm up small areas. This is all an electric heater is capable of anyway, unless you have one that runs at about 800W. There is no such thing, because this would drain the crap out of your alternator and require 6 gauge wiring.

I didn't expect this heater to be equal to my car's heater, or even to be very powerful, but I expected some heat that would be worth the purchase! I placed it on the floor of the car with my foot less than an inch away from it and could feel nothing. I even placed the part of my leg that was not covered by my sock up against it and felt no heat. When I picked it up and placed my hand directly over the vent, I could feel a tad (and I mean A TAD) bit of warm air. Don't waste your money.(And there is no way that in the case of a snowbound emergency where you were stranded in your car would this even keep you comfortable - so you know it won't stave off frost bite.)

the product performs exactly as expected. Portable heaters as such are not intended to produce a large output, but after being on for a short time, there is a noticeable difference in temperature. It works very well for quickly defrosting windows as well.

It certainly warms my van without the engine being warm like it advertises and in ten minutes...Just give it a chance to work for you..it did great when the Bay Area in Northern California dipped in temperature just this last winter...it does everything it says it does and just one bad review of this product did not stop me..give it a chance...the vendor(do not know the vendor name} is FAST and reliable-it came in less than a week...

Although small and not having high heat output, provides good backup for the money. Can assist for Rear Window Defroster when placed close to glass. -I used 2 units, one on each side, for backup heat. Small size makes installation location easy; Fused, low power drain allows for continous use.

The product itself works as stated in the product discription,
but the heat output is disappointing. I thought it would provide
enough heat to help defrost the windshield upon starting the car,
but heat output is poor. Don't depend on this item to help stay
warm.
American Red Cross ARC1006 Auto Heater/Defroster

Plug in for instant heat! It has just a fan or both fan and heat. Defrosts quickly and takes the chill out of the old VW Pop Top Camper quickly. It is also pretty quiet. Mounting bracket it simple. Great For what I need it for.