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It’s very hard to get work done when you’re in a drafty office typing away at a keyboard with cold fingers. Central heating might be working fine, but it’s not always close enough to be effective. A compact under-desk heater can provide the type of up close and personal warmth you’re looking to enjoy. Stick around as we’re about to shed light on the best under-desk heaters available today.
Best Under Desk Heater
- Lasko CD09250 Ceramic Heater
- Vornado VH202 Personal Space Heater
- Honeywell HCE100B
- Comfort Zone Bovado USA 166648
- QMark Radiant Under Desk Heater
- Cozy Products Toasty Toes Heated Foot Warmer
- Sengoku SP-160
The 7 Best Under Desk Heaters in 2021
1. Lasko CD09250 Ceramic Heater
The Lasko CD09250 heater presents 3 settings that you can choose from, namely low heat, high heat, and fan only. It can be utilized to warm up any tight space in your house, not just your office. It’s equipped with an adjustable thermostat and 11 preset temperatures that you can pick from using the dial.
This ceramic heater has a few built-in safety features that help prevent it from overheating so that continuous heating your room for long periods of time without worrying about potential fire hazards.
Also, it has a cool-touch exterior that isn’t affected by the produced heat, so you can touch it without worry. Lastly, there’s a convenient carry handle that ensures ease of portability.
Pros:
- 11 temperatures to pick from
- Three modes of operation
- Reliable safety features
- Carry handle for portability
- Backed by a 3-year warranty
Cons:
- No automatic shutoff feature
2. Vornado VH202 Personal Space Heater
The VH202 Personal Space Heater from Vornado is a sleek unit that relies on radiant heating to gently warm up all the air in your room. It doesn’t heat it to the point that it becomes suffocating, though. The device is equipped with all of the necessary safety functions to prevent overheating, from the cool-touch exterior and automatic shutoff feature to tip-over protection.
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of settings that you can switch between. You can pick between low heat, which operates at around 375 watts, or high heat, which runs on 750 watts. There’s also a fan only setting that you can use to limit the heat output as well as power consumption.
The space heater flaunts a small footprint that makes it one of the most compact units on the list.
Pros:
- Sturdy and compact construction
- Backed by a 3-year warranty
- Excellent set of safety features
- Safe around kids and pets
Cons:
- Not the quietest option out there
- Not a lot of heat settings
3. Honeywell HCE100B
The Honeywell HCE100B is a small energy-efficient heating unit that has a heating capacity of 250 watts. As you can tell from the wattage, this is a device that’s designed to be up close and personal to you, so you shouldn’t expect it to warm up an entire room.
Moreover, the HCE100B utilizes a ceramic heating element for fast and even heating, and it offers two heat settings.
The Honeywell HCE100B is equipped with quite a few onboard safety functions, including a sleek cool-touch exterior, overheat protection, and a tip-over switch. It’s also worth noting that there are other Honeywell heaters that rely on different heating technologies, from radiant to infrared heating.
Lastly, the construction is pretty rugged and small enough for portability.
Pros:
- Energy efficient
- Great build quality
- Portable design
- Reliable safety features
Cons:
- Can only be used for small spaces
4. Comfort Zone Bovado USA 166648
The Bovado Ceramic Heater is yet another excellent unit that provides instant heat in smaller spaces.
The device is pretty small and lightweight. It also has a carrying handle that adds to its portability. It’s very easy to use, too; all you have to do is set the dial to low heat, high heat, or fan only. There’s also another dial that you can use to change the intensity.
When the device is turned on, there’s a red indicator light that starts to gleam. The Bovado space heater utilizes the Positive Temperature Coefficient heating system to ensure reliable heat transfer in tight spaces.
The device is designed and tested to meet various quality standards, including UL, CSA, CE, SAA, and ETL.
Pros:
- Very compact construction
- Emits a lot of heat for its size
- Budget-friendly price tag
- Extremely easy to use
Cons:
- Fan can get too loud occasionally
5. QMark Radiant Under Desk Heater
The QMark Radiant Under Desk Heater is one of the coolest looking units on our list. It doesn’t look like any of the above-reviewed devices at all. It doesn’t even look like a heater!
The unit relies on radiant heating technology, which means that it warms the air in the room rather than the surfaces of objects and walls. Further, it doesn’t stir up any particles or dry out the air, making it perfect for those who suffer from allergies.
The unit can be mounted to the inside of your home or office desk with ease. Alternatively, you can simply let it stand on top of any flat surface, from the floor to the nightstand.
The device features an automatic tip-over switch, and its surface is safe to touch even at the highest temperature setting.
Pros:
- Can be mounted to desks
- Stands on flat surfaces
- Decent safety functions
- Doesn’t stir up particles
- Doesn’t strip away moisture
Cons:
- Not the most lightweight option
6. Cozy Products Toasty Toes Heated Foot Warmer
This space heater from Cozy is the most energy-efficient device on the list, as it has a heating capacity of 105 watts.
The device stands out from its competitors by incorporating an ergonomic footrest for additional comfort. It can be adjusted in 3 different positions, so whether you’re sitting or standing, you’re guaranteed to receive comforting warmth.
Like all of the above-listed heaters, the Cozy TT enables you to adjust the heat setting to your liking. If you’re to maximize the heat in the room since this isn’t the most powerful heater on the list, you can buy a pack of 2 of the Cozy TT at a cost-effective price tag.
Pros:
- Ergonomic footrest
- Three adjustable positions
- Energy-efficient design
- Available in a pack of 2
Cons:
- No automatic shutoff feature
7. Sengoku SP-160
The Sengoku SP-160 is designed primarily to provide heat for your shivering legs and feet. You can place it underneath your desk or in any small place where it can be close to your feet.
Its surface is cool to the touch, so you don’t have to worry about it burning your hands, and it heats the air in your room very gently so that it doesn’t strip it of its moisture.
This is a low-voltage space heater, so it’s not going to take a toll on your power bill, but it’s not going to provide enough heat to warm up an entire room either.
Our only problem with this device is that it’s costly compared to most of its competitors, which might deter some buyers on a budget.
Pros:
- Aesthetically appealing
- Space and energy efficient
- Doesn’t produce notable noise
- Features a built-in thermostat
Cons:
- Not a budget-friendly heater
How to Choose an Under Desk Heater
Pinpointing the right under-desk heater can be hard if you don’t know exactly what to look for. To ensure the most bang for your buck, you need to take the following factors into consideration.
Type
Firstly, you want to determine what type of under-desk heater you need. You can select between radiant and convection heaters. Radiant ones warm the outer walls and the surfaces of the objects in a room, whereas convection options warm the air within a room.
It’s also worth noting that there are micathermic units, which are hybrid space heaters that flaunt both radiant and convection heating capabilities. These models tend to be quite costly, though
Wattage
The wattage value of a space heater indicates the unit’s heating capacity and upkeep expenses. The higher the wattage value, the more heat the unit can emit, and the higher your power bill will be.
Note that every square foot needs approximately 10 watts, so base your buying decision on the size of the area you’re looking to heat up, taking high ceilings into consideration as well.
Since we’re talking about under-desk heaters, the area that you’re trying to warm up is probably going to be fairly small, and the heater is going to be very close to you, meaning you won’t need to invest in a unit that flaunts high wattage, and so your utility bill won’t be affected that much.
Design
Just because they’re called under-desk heaters doesn’t mean that you can’t use them for other spaces. Most units are designed to be positioned on flat surfaces, be it your office floor or your bedroom’s nightstand. Just make sure you place the heater in a tight space so that it can work effectively.
There are also space heaters that feature ergonomic footrests for additional comfort.
Safety
Since we’re talking about devices that produce heat, it’s imperative that you check the heater’s safety. Firstly, you need to make sure it’s certified safe by an independent organization such as the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or Underwriters Laboratory (UL).
Secondly, you should look for space heaters that implement safety features such as cool-touch surfaces and automatic shutoff. Such features help prevent it from overheating, which in turn prevents potential fire hazards.
Controls
You don’t want to be stuck with a single heat setting, do you?
Make sure you invest in a heater that offers multiple settings so that you’re in control of how much heat the unit emits. You’ll find that most models offer low, medium, and high settings, but there are products that go the extra mile by providing additional settings as well!
Final Thoughts
There you have it, the absolute best under-desk heaters on the market today. We’re confident that one of the above-reviewed units is going to meet your budget and heat requirements. In our opinion, the Lasko CD09250 is the most well-rounded under-desk heater, as it produces ample heat, has a lot of safety functionalities, and is backed by a sweet 3-year warranty.
Additional Reading
