Infrared Heater Comparisons

6 Top Infrared Heaters Battle for Supremacy

The infrared heater is a heavyweight contender for the title of Best Space Heater. Although an infrared heater is a small man by stature, his huge personality shines though without the aid of fancy showmanship.

An infrared heater always has one of two distinct personality types: the direct and the indirect.

Infrared Heater Types

Modesty is not the modus operandi of the direct infrared heater. Rather than take a roundabout approach, direct infrared heaters utilize the power of the sun, sending powerful punches of infrared lightwaves directly to the chin and other chilled areas of a person's body.

This warms a person without any thermal heat loss, making the strategy 100-percent energy efficient. The downside to the direct infrared heater is that it can only undertake heating smaller areas and a limited number of people at a time.

One to one, the indirect infrared heater is an champ, but in a rumble it would surely be out for the count.

The indirect infrared heater, by comparison, plays a more straightforward game. A room full of people could run from the this burley space heater, but they certainly couldn't hide.

Rather than directly emitting infrared lightwaves, these infrared heaters feature three separate components to form a winning combination: an infrared light bulb, heat exchanger, and built-in fan.

By integrating the fan into its technique, an indirect infrared heater can warm an entire room of people all at once. For impressive whole-room coverage, this infrared heater is the real McCoy.

Infrared Heater Features

When we're comparing one infrared heater to another, it's not enough to simply look at the power rating or coverage area alone. There's an entire list of important safety, technology, and specialty aspects for each infrared heater to be considered before judging true performance.

When you're looking for a champion infrared heater the top specs to look for include:

Safety ratings are important for the overall wellbeing of you, your home, and family. Look for a unit that comes with certified safety approval from trusted sources, such as CSA, ETL, UL, and CE. This way, you can trust your infrared heater to deliver safe results the way it's advertised to do.

Check for warranty coverage when you are comparing space heaters. The one with the longest reach isn't always the greatest deal, since some warranties might cover a select few components versus the entire unit.

Although not standard, one special feature to search out is a built-in air purification system. This is especially true when dealing with indirect infrared heaters since they continuously pass household air through their heating systems.

Thermostat control is important because you want to be able to limit your monthly energy bill. With an integrated thermostat, you can set your preferred temperature and rely on the infrared heater to maintain that comfort level automatically.

Similarly, a built-in timer allows you to determine how long you want to run your heater. To save energy, set your infrared space heater to run for anywhere between 1-23 hours a day, depending on your particular needs.

The two most important safety aspects of an infrared heater are automatic shut-off, in case the unit is knocked over or compromised, and thermal overload protection to prevent overheating. When looking at each contenders stats check for at least one of these features, this is especially important if you share a home with small family members, like children or pets.

So bearing in mind their varying qualities, which infrared heater out there is the best pound for pound space heater available? Let's compare 10 infrared heaters on the market to find out.

Meet the Contenders


redcore 15602 100

Name: Redcore 15602 S-2 Infrared Heater

Infrared Heater Type: Indirect

Fight Style: Electric Fireplace Stove

Name: Soleus MS-09 Infrared Heater

Infrared Heater Type: Direct

Fight Style: Tabletop Indoor

ms-09 100 1

 dr. heater dr968 100

Name: Dr. Heater DR-968 Infrared Heater

Infrared Heater Type: Indirect

Fight Style: Portable Indoor

Name: Duraflame 10HM2273-W505 Infrared Heater

Infrared Heater Type: Indirect

Fight Style: Portable Indoor

livingston 100 1

 ufo uk1500 100

Name: UFO UK-1500 Infrared Heater

Infrared Heater Type: Direct

Fight Style: Freestanding Outdoor/Indoor

Name: Redcore 15202 R-4

Infrared Heater Type: Indirect

Fight Style: Portable Indoor

redcore 15202 infrared heater

Infrared Heater Comparison Chart

Tech Specs

 Redcore 15602 S-2

Soleus MS-09

  Dr. Heater    DR-968

 Duraflame 10HM2273-W505

UFO UK-1500

RedCore 15202 R-4

Safety/Quality Certifications

CSA

ETL

UL

UL/CSA

CE/UL/CSA

ETL

Warranty Coverage

Lifetime limited on heating elements

1-year limited

3-year limited

3-year limited

2-year limited

3-year limited

Heat Exchanger Type

Copper

N/A

Copper

Copper

N/A

Copper

Thermostat Control

Manual

Manual

Digital

Digital

Digital

Digital

Built-In Air Purifier

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Overheat Protection

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Number of Heat Settings

2 settings

2 settings

2 settings

Single

5 settings

3 settings

Fan-Only Function

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

Automatic Shut-Off

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Remote Control

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Built-In Timer

No

2 hours

12 hours

8 hours

12 hours

23 hours

Space/Room

Full Room

Personal Space

Full Room

Full Room

Spaces

Full Room

Power

1500W

800W

1500W

1500W

1500W

1500W

Coverage Area

750 sq. ft.

80 sq. ft.

1,000 sq. ft.

1,000 sq. ft.

193 sq. ft.

1,000 sq. ft.

Special Features

Flickering Flames

Oscillation

Digital Thermostat

Dust Filter

Optional Mounting

Built-In Humidifier

We've watched these formidable infrared heaters duke it out, so which one can you count on having in your corner? Where many infrared heaters have thrown in the towel, two finalists have made the cut: the Duraflame 10HM2273-W505 and RedCore 15602 R-4 infrared heaters.

Comparing these two fighters is difficult since both provide up to 1,000 square feet of full-room cover, are remote controllable, have digital thermostat, and come backed by a 3-year manufacturer's warranty.

The most important difference between these two? The Duraflame knocks out the RedCore with its strategic overheat protection and legendary automatic shut-off switch! There you have it, we've crownded the best pound for pound infrared heater on the market today as the Duraflame 10HM2273-W505 infrared heater.