Customer Reviews

Holmes HH3800-U Console Heater

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

 

 

I bought two of these heaters for two bedrooms in my house and am very pleased with their performance.

I have tried ceramic heaters which have a fan and also baseboard type heaters, but found these to be too noisy for a bedroom. The fan blowing bothered me and noise from expansion and contraction in the baseboard type was a problem. Oil filled heaters are quiet but take too long to heat up from a cold start. The Micathermic heater is silent and heats up quickly.

The heaters have a high/low switch and adjustable thermostat and will deliver plenty of heat for a 12'x14' bedroom. Most of the heat comes out of the top, but should be kept at least a foot away from the wall on the high heat setting, otherwise the wall will get very hot.

I found that in heating my room from a cold start, it's best to use the high setting and turn the thermostat all the way up as recommended by the manufacturer. Otherwise the unit will cycle on and off an take much longer to bring the room to the desired temperature. Once the room has warmed up you can put it on low and turn the thermostat back until you hear a faint click where the heater begins to cycle on and off to maintain the set temp.

The design was well thought out. I like the four casters that allow me to move it around. It is lightweight and very easy to pick up with a convenient handle on one end and a recess for your fingers to grab on the other end. It lacks a digital readout for the temperature setting but this would probably add to the cost and to me is not all that necessary.

Addendum : After using these great heaters for five years, I must sadly report that the thermostats in both are giving problems, causing the heater to run wide open and not cut off. These heaters are a safety hazard, very dangerous to leave unattended and I would no longer recommend them to anyone.

This heater is a good heater to use as a secondary heating source (or even a primary heating source in smaller rooms). I own this one and the Holmes Oil Filled Radiator Model #HOH2520. They both do a wonderful job, but this one is faster in heating up a room. I use it in my bonus room above my garage (approx. 12' X 19'), and love it. I would recommend this heater.

I bought this unit a year ago, to help keep our elderly dogs warmer during winter evenings. The cats love the heat from it, too. It doesn't noticeably heat up the room it's in, but you can really feel the heat upstairs, which might be something to keep in mind as you figure out where to place it for best results.

I'm writing a review now because about two months ago, I noticed that a section of the plastic protective grill at the top of the unit was slightly brown, as if "toasted". I figured it could have always been that way and I may not have noticed it, so it didn't concern me. Today I looked at it again and the dark brown burn marks have become so bad that a couple of plastic sections are flaking and completely cracked through. It's some pretty heavy-duty (and unacceptable) damage to something which is supposed to be heat-resistant.

This unit doesn't get a lot of use. We live in the desert, and while it's good for cold winter nights, it gets turned off as soon as the sun comes up. It hasn't been run on "High" and at "Maximum" for days on end, like some people might use it. Maybe our unit is the exception to the rule, but do keep an eye open for heat damage. I've contacted Holmes for their advice, but haven't yet received a response.
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UPDATE DEC.2008: While the flaking/"toasting" of the protective grill never really got any worse, the unit started an electrical fire at the outlet. The heater's plug, the outlet cover, and the outlet itself were melted through -- luckily, I was home and had a fire extinguisher on hand. Our house was built in 2001 so we don't have old wiring, and there were no other appliances using the electrical circuit. The unit was plugged directly into the (three-prong) outlet and I wasn't using an extension cord. Scary stuff... I hope this never happens to anyone else.

We have a large two story home. We purchased two at the amazing price of $39.99 each just before Xmas 2005. We are satisfied with them. While you do not get the warn toasty blast of air one would get with radiant heat and a fan, the quietness is great, and the gentle warming of the room (we use two in a large room) is enough that our gas furnace doesn't kick-on as often. And isn't that one of the two reasons for buying them in the first place; localized warmth and lower heating bills?

It just died after just a year of working. I used to like it was going to die so soon. Well, for $30 I can't complain.

I purchased 2 for the upstairs bedrooms.The design is a bonus to the efficiency and quiet operation. I have a converted upstairs with low ceilings and these work wonderfully except not for temperatures under 20's.

I bought this direct from Holmes (it was actually a replacement for one that was DOA), after the woman on the phone raved about it. She said it heated up quickly, was very toasty, and was a "new technology"...

Well, I turned it on, expecting to feel the warmth, and to my surprise, felt ZIP!

After a while there was some warm air rising off the top of the unit, why it's designed with the large surface area of the sides, I'll never know, cause no heat comes out from either side!

This is a ridiculous & worthless product, and I plan on returning it ASAP! I've had it on now, for a good three hours, it's sitting not three-feet away, and thank God it's not super cold out today, beause I DON'T FEEL A THING!

They used to make a parabolic heater that was THE BEST space heater I've ever used. It was silent, put out a ton of heat, even oscillated, and heated up almost instantly. Not only that, but at 1100 watts, it was very effecient, putting out more heat than any 1500 watt (including this useless one) heater I've ever used.

But of course, they stopped making that model, why I'll never, ever know....maybe it was TOO good? Anyway, if heating your home is what you're looking for, take a pass on this one......