Customer Reviews

Optimus H-4436 14-Inch Oscillating Dish Heater with Remote Control

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was looking to heat a small TV viewing area which encompassed the entire sectional couch. The products I compared the H4436 with were the Optimus H4438, the Soleus MS-09 and the Presto. I was looking for a parabolic heater. If you are looking for a different heating solution than what parabolic heaters provide, then don't expect this to heat up an entire room. Anyways, the Presto was eliminated because it was on a fixed upwards tilt, and needed to be placed on the floor to heat the area I was looking for. Since it didn't have any tilt options, and did not oscillate, it was out. It had three different heat settings on its thermostat, up to 1000W. The Soleus looked viable, and though I did not get to see one in person, there was a consistent theme in the reviews that it was just way too bright and like looking directly into the sun.

That led me to the Optimus H4436. The difference between the 2 Optimus models is that the H4436 has two heat settings, at 400W and 800W. The H4438 also has 2 heat settings, but is more powerful at 800W and 1200W. I ordered the H4436 before finding out about the H4438, and immediately thought I would be doing an exchange because I thought 400W would be useless. Well, once I got to try it out in the home setting I am keeping this one and canceled my order for the H4438. I have it up on a table at the foot of the couch, and it oscillates to cover the entire sectional. The low heat setting turned out to be plenty to keep a nice comfortable warmth with the central heat off. It's only in the upper 30's/low 40's outside right now, and other areas of the house are around 68. This heater at low brings the sectional area up to about 72-73. I have always kept my central heat set to around 72 or even higher, so my plan this year is to knock it down to 68 and keep the Optimus on in the TV viewing area, since that's where I'm usually at:) We'll see how that works out in the energy bills in the upcoming months, but at least I'm comfortable.

If I want to warm up quickly, I would put it on 800W for a little bit, but it eventually gets too hot. One of my considerations was energy efficiency, so I'm pleased to be able to keep it at 400W, and crank up to 800W for short intervals when needed. In my situation, I think running 1200W would be way too hot, and running 800W consistently would not only be inefficient, but also too warm. Ideally, Optimus would offer one heater with 3 settings - Hi, Med, and Low, say at 1200W, 800W, and 400W, but they don't and so you have to choose the combination that works best for you. It is not bright at all, it has a decent range of tilt (but does not really tilt down), and the oscillation is nice for spreading the heat around. Oh, and if you don't feel like getting up to make any adjustments, the remote is nice! I have not noticed any issues so far with the buttons at the base of the dish and it's operating smoothly. It is also very quiet. I gave it 4 stars, just because I still think one model with all three heat settings would be ideal.

(+) it is a decent product. Remote is very handy even comes with a little holder. Most of the surfaces except of course the grill in the front are cool to couch. Safety shut switch is good in case it gets tipped over. Two power level and auto shut off timer also come in handy. Oscillation feature is also very useful and it is quiet. I can feel the heat from about 10 feet from the unit.

(+) this has lasted over 4 winters now and it looks like it will last least another 4 more.

(-) Initial quality is questionable. Within a few days buying the unit the buttons stopped working. I was about to return it. I took a chance and I opened the unit and figured out the problem and fixed it buy tightening some screws and repositioning the circuit board. I am not sure how many would be inclined to do all that.

(-) If you have a situation where it has to look down good luck, it does not tilt downwards even a bit but it tilts up easily. In which case it has to be either mounted on the wall or sit on a surface slightly above your target area.

(-) if you don't use the oscillation it can make you feel like you are about to catch fire after a couple of hours. So I either use it with the timer or with oscillation.

I bought this at Sam's Club last year ($42.25 with tax) - used all winter in our small house to save on the gas bill- it worked Great.....I only had to use a smaller heater in the laundry room (where water lines and animals are) as a supplement...the furnace NEVER came on...right now it is 22 outside and 65 (furthest away around corners to other rooms)-68 inside....have it on low (after 3-4 hours of high in TV time)...we have to run a furnace in the garage so this heater has saved us Alot- highest bill last winter was $205!!
This year I went a step further and bought an electric fireplace at Lowe's for $200...Fell for all the hype on these darn things-WRONG CHOICE.....it pulls so much electricity the TV went out every time the fan came on...I couldn't even switch back to this Optimus heater with the TV on till tonight when everything COOLED down.
Remote works perfect- cats love it (they didn't like the fireplace)- couldn't do better than this heater!! and the price is Great at SAM'S!
UPDATE: wrote this review last night- it QUIT on me tonight!! the alarm light went on and out it went..problem seems to be in the tip over switch...going to see if Sam's will exchange it????

SAM's exchanged it for a new one! SAM'S was Great and I Love this heater!!!!!!

I have yet to see a better unit for personal warmth. These are the most effective non-contact heaters and the lowest cost to operate.

I have three of these units. Two are used in a place where the inside temp rarely gets above 55F and outside it gets routinely below 0F. One is used in San Francisco, CA where I'm on the north side and it's always cold.

All of them are very effective. The radiant heat goes on YOU and not the room. Your room will not get significantly warmer but YOU will feel the heat. It is like sitting outside in the sun. As a result, the cold, which is still there, is not uncomfortable. 400W is plenty for a single person sitting close by. 800W is good enough for a couch full of people. Of course the people may be more effective than the heater, depending on configuration.

The closer you sit the more heat you get. Heat received by your body decreases with distance. Past about six or eight feet, it's not that much heat anymore.

400W translates into 4kwh for a 10 hour sit, or about 60 cents at the rates I pay. These are net out more effective at heating YOU than the forced air units which heat the air that then heats you. The only way you'll get more effective is to use an electric blanket or heating pad.

The remote control is the best thing since sliced bread for a heater. Place the heater where you're going to use it. Use the remote to turn it on from where it's convenient. For example, place the heater four feet from your bedside. Turn it on when you go to bed or get up. You'll be warm while dressing. Full power "git's 'er done." At bedtime use the TIMER. You'll fall asleep warm knowing the thing will shut off automatically. Crank it up to full power and use the oscillator to "share the wealth" with more than 1 or 2 folks. All heaters for personal use should have remotes. Why not?

This thing is quiet. It makes about as much noise as a toaster. It has NO fan. It does NOT blow air. It is lower power than most forced air units but more effective at PERSONAL heating. It does not heat air or space, the final frontier. Don't expect it to blow your socks or shoes dry, because it neither blows nor sucks. It is not a hair dryer. It will not give you dry mouth, dry throat, or cause you to wake up in the middle of the night gasping "OMG I left THAT stupid thing on" as you try to rehydrate yourself from prune-dom. It's like the SUN but you can't get a tan. Don't even think of trying that. You'll cook like bacon before tanning.

Other heaters have their place (I have a 10KW forced air unit for example) but this thing is the tops for heating bodies.

This heat dish has nice features (such as the timer and the remote control). I use it primarily at night and I usually need to set the timer since it gets a bit too hot. It will shut off if it is lifted up or knocked over which are both great safety features. It is also extremely quiet.

I bought two of these on the basis of recommendations written here and so far I'm not disappointed.

Both worked fine out of the box (no quality issues) and are just right for how I use them (to heat the tv viewing area and the small home office). I am now able to turn down the thermostat to 65 or less and not suffer feeling cold in the two places I sit for long periods.

I agree with other comments that the heat is pleasantly like that from the sun. I appreciate the silent, gentle heat, good up to about 6 feet away on the high setting. It seems like a well-designed unit with thoughtful touches like a holster that clips on the side of the heater to hold the remote (which works well).

For considerably less money than what I would have paid at Costco for their similar parabolic heater, I have a comparable unit without the waste of a night-light (what's that all about?). It is also powered by a metal coil, not the quartz or other mineral lights that cause complaints about being too bright.

This heater seems to be a great buy, but after some use, the alarm comes on from time to time. Then it comes on and stays on, even after unplugging the heater. It is a waste of money for me. I do not understand why this thing does not reset itself. I google troubleshooting the thing and was disappointed to find that you had to have some "handyman" knowledge to attempt to check it. Otherwise it is suggested to replace it.

Some Deal:(

It worked out fine. It produced an adequate amount of heat in the living area. This is a must buy if you have a small room that you are sitting in and you dont want to heat the whole house.

[...] Wife's very happy with it, since she's cold all the time.

Definitely got the "button" problem the other reviewer mentioned. The button was very "chinsy". Even brand new, you can feel somehow the button surface and the tigger below are not well connected. Within 2 months, the button surface cracked and broke. The larger issue is that every 5 - 10 minutes, the overheat warming light goes on and the heater shuts off to cool down. How in the world it would overheat, I don't know (It's a heater!) We returned to Sams right away, got a new one. Will have to see how long this one lasts!

Suggestion: Keep your receipt, wait and see!

This is a great supplemental heater for any small to medium size room.
It is ideal for directional and focused heating where you need it.

This heater was a replacement to an out of production "Sunbeam" 800 to 1200w heater of a similar type.
Reviews stating that this heater saves them money on their utilities or that their bills went up, you should be paying more attention as to the cost of electricity or gas instead. if electricity is a higher cost, you should probably use this heater sparingly.

PROS:
For Pet Owners: This style of heater is a must have over any fan driven space heater. No burnt or dusty smells from pet hair being blown through heated coils.
This is not a sole supplier of heat in a home, but for living conditions where the temperature dips into the teens or lower only on occasion and you just can't seem to warm up with central heating alone at a normal temperature, this is a great thing to have around for some heating on the spot. It is nice to have in your Home office, or in front of the couch or anywhere spot heating is required.
The Grill is easily removed by 3 screws for dusting/cleaning of grill and dish after summer storage.

CONS:
For those living in extreme conditions where it gets into the single digits or negatives, you should look into a model with a 800w to 1200w settings. At constant low temperatures you may find you will use this lighter model (400w to 800w) constantly, thus contributing to higher charges on your electric bill. With higher wattage you'll heat things up faster and have to use it less.

FRILLS:
- OSCILLATION: The oscillation was something I'd never had before, and would have done just fine without, but it really is nice to have on occasion.
- REMOTE: The Remote Control is also something I could have done without (Who needs another remote control laying around) but it is nice to have as well. The remote control is actually more functional than the controls on the heater itself. You can toggle the heat between high and low on the remote without turning the heater off. On the heater console, the toggle for the 400/800w also has the "off" setting in it so, if you are on high heat and you want to put it on low, you have to press the button twice (turns off, then turns on at 400w)
- TILT: The Tilt is excellent. very adjustable to what ever angle you'd like.

SUMMARY:
- Focused directional heat.
- Extreme conditions: get the 800w - 1200w version.
- Great for pet owners.
- Easier to clean than some other models.
- Frills not necessary, but are functional and convenient.