Honeywell Mini Tower Heater HZ-2200 Review

An expert Honeywell HZ-2200 Mini Tower (starting at $34, Amazon) review at Heat My Space says this round space heater fills a room with warmth "like an age old blanket." The reviewer is especially impressed with the quick heating performance of the 360-degree design. Consumers posting on Amazon, however, are less enthusiastic. Its partisans like the speed at which it heats up, its ability to heat a small room, the minimal impact on electric bills, and the temperature control. One user writes in an Optimus H-5210 review that she can't believe how cheap it is given the service it provides -- specifically, daily use eight months out of 12 in a large room for nearly four years. Detractors, however, say the fan doesn't throw much heat, the unit is hard to clean, and the tip switch safety feature doesn't work if it falls sideways. Some Honeywell HZ-2200 reviews also cite durability issues; on Kaz-Canada one user reports that two of three units failed after limited use, an experience several other reviewers shared.

Although it's not portable per se (no evidence of a carrying handle), the Honeywell HZ-2200 Mini Tower boasts other attributes. It's a convection space heater with a fan but stands apart from the competition with a design that disperses heat in a 360-degree circle instead of the classic forward-facing output. It features an adjustable thermostat, two heat settings (high is 1500 watts), and a fan-only setting. Safety features include automatic shutoff, a tilt switch (but only if the unit falls forward or backward, according to user reviews; specs for the new HZ-0360 indicate the feature is activated regardless which direction it falls), and a child-resistant knob. It measures about 9.7 inches wide by 9 inches deep by 12.4 inches high and weighs a bit more than five pounds.

We like this budget space heater with its unique surround-heat output and child- safety features. The fan lacks sufficient oomph for some, but experts and users say the design works well in small rooms (bathrooms should be avoided, says Honeywell, although some users don't pay heed). Based on the Honeywell HZ-2200 reviews we found, this low-cost space heater merits one thumb up.