Crane Convection Heater Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $49.00
Today's Bonus: 18% Off

I was very excited about this heater it looks so much nicer than anything else on the market and I had high hopes for it alleviating my gas bill by allowing me to heat only the space I needed in my apartment. It worked great for about 3 or 4 weeks.

Pros:

Max heat output is very high

Noise is minimal (my girlfriend and I could sleep with it on no problem)

Nice selection of intensity with two heat levels and an optional fan

Useful timer system we used it to heat the bedroom while we fell asleep and set it to come on an hour or so before we woke up.

Cons:

Would be nice if the cord was a bit longer. But, we live in an old house with few outlets so that may be a non-issue for most.

Unfortunately, it abruptly stopped working after only a few weeks of use. We tried to turn it on one morning and it was simply unresponsive. I would like to order a replacement, but since I have heard others complain of similar issues, I'm afraid that might be a waste of time. I am returning it for a refund (thanks to Amazon for making that a fairly simple process).

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The heater we received was also black, not red. We have used it to warm up the master bathroom prior to showering and it worked great. We've had an older, small ceramic space heater for many years that cost less and works fine, but lacks the temperature control and timer aspects that this heater has. The ceramic heater also makes more noise than this heater does.

When I looked for reviews of this heater, I noticed many complaints that they simply stop working after a few weeks or months. Somewhere, I found a very helpful review from a person who explained that the reason is a fuse in the heater. That review identified the specific fuse. I don't recall where I found that specific review, but I saved the content for future reference in case our heater suddenly stops working.

Review content that identifies the potential problem:

[As another reviewer, trlinde, said in their review my heater stopped after about a month of use. I took my volt meter after it and eventually discovered that the source of the problem was a blown fuse (SF169E for those that feel adventurous). There was no outward sign that this fuse was blown but after replacing it the heater started working again. The fuse may have blown since I would run it on high often but considering trlinde's experience and what I have read about the fuse in other applications, I have to wonder if the fuse is either of poor quality or a poor component choice for this heater.

I would recommend this heater to my friends but with the caveat about the fuse.]

We did purchase one of the fuses to have on hand, just in case ours fails.

Best Deals for Crane Convection Heater

Bought this heater last year at a big box store. Almost immediately, it stopped working--would not heat at all. Crane replaced it, but the second one just died. I will not buy a Crane heater again.

Honest reviews on Crane Convection Heater

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program First off, upon opening the box, I encountered a surprise. I received a black heater as opposed to the red one I thought I'd be getting. That was fine by me since it blends in better with most décor.

The first thing I noted when I got this heating element out was its sleek, slim design. I love the fact that it can fit into narrow crevices. I was also impressed with the fact that setup required merely screwing on two legs ... that is until I actually got out my screwdriver and discovered the illogical location of the screw holes. The screws are very small and the lower vents are located right next to them. So yep, you guessed it. ... While I was trying to place the screw in its hole, it slipped and fell in the vent. Fortunately, by turning the heater upside-down I was able to get it back out, but not before cursing it under my breath. The next frustration came from the fact that the screw holes weren't exactly the right size for the screws. You'll have to use some manual strength to get them in, but upon further reflection, I prefer tight holes over too loose ones, so no points deducted there.

Now the real test was turning it on. I live in a large, old home that is not well insulated. I'm always cold. I thought this would be the perfect addition to my home office. Alas, the heater does not throw much heat, even on the highest setting. Granted, the room I'm using it in is on the larger side (about 400 square feet), but that doesn't seem to me to be too much to ask of a 1500-watt heater. My other space heaters do just as well if not better of a job and were all much cheaper. In all fairness, though, this one is whisper soft in comparison to those other heaters I own. It also comes with a built-in timer, nifty, but given that the heater doesn't ever get hot, I don't foresee myself really taking advantage of that feature.

Another plus is that my old electrical wiring handled this heater just fine--no frustrating flipped circuit breakers. It also comes with a two-prong plug, a godsend for older homes that lack grounded outlets.

Bottom line: Probably a good bet for small rooms (250 square feet or less) or as a supplemental heating element in rooms that are already a comfortable temperature. Not recommended for large rooms or as a sole heating source.

Updated February 2013: Alas, less than two months into using this heater, it no longer works. I thought I was one of the lucky ones, but I tried to turn it on one morning and got nothing. The price of this heater was a bit steep to begin with, but when multiple users are getting only weeks to 1.5 months of use out of it before it dies, you're better off looking elsewhere.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Crane Convection Heater

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program We are very pleased with this heater. Pluses of this model include:

* It's long narrow design makes it convenient to tuck alongside a wall, out of the way.

* The fan is not loud or obtrusive or all, and it can be run without the fan for perfectly silent service. That is not an option on all space heaters, and was a very welcome feature on this one.

* You can choose to run both elements or just one, in addition to choosing the level of heat you want.

* It has a timer. Although I have no used this option yet, it is a nice option to have.

* It uses very little electricity, making it economical to run.

*It is very stable and sturdy; I am never concerned with it falling or being knocked over.

In comparison to other models we have had in the past, it is worth noting that this does not have any auto temperature setting. It can't be programmed to keep a room at a given temperature or to turn off when a desired temperature is reached like the DeLonghi DCH5090ER Safeheat 1500W Digital Ceramic Heater with Remote Control and Eco Energy Setting Gray/Black we have used in the past.

UPDATE: We were very happy with this heater, but it abruptly died after only a couple months of use for no apparent reason. Couldn't figure out why it up and died, and had no luck reviving it, so I won't be buying another!