I test space heaters for a living — and this is the only sub-$100 model you should buy

If you want quality heating or cooling without a high price tag, a Dreo appliance is usually a safe choice. I've tried Dreo's pedestal cooling fan, which impressed me with its premium feel and sturdy build, and I'm equally impressed by the brand's new Whole Room Heater 714.

I had the perfect opportunity to test this heater, too. I spent the holidays at my parents' home, which is old and drafty. I always layer up when I visit, and can usually be found sat on the floor next to their wood-burning fireplace. But when working from their dining room table, that wasn't an option. Enter: the Dreo Whole Room Heater 714.

For a sub-$100 purchase, it's hard to find any faults with the Dreo Whole Room Heater 714. You can tell just from looking at it: this is a slick and modern option that's a worthy rival to the best space heaters we've tried. Here's what happened when I tested it in a chilly home office for a week.

Dreo Whole Room Heater 714: was $99 now $89 at Amazon

With three fan settings and three heat levels, this versatile heater is excellent value for money, and that's before this extra discount.

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Dreo Whole Room Heater 714 review: Price and availability

You'll pay $99 / £100 for the Dreo Whole Room Heater 714 at Amazon and direct at Dreo. It comes in Black, Grey and White — I tried white.

Dreo Whole Room Heater 714 review: Design

The Dreo Whole Room Heater 714 is small and portable. At 6.5lbs, it's easy to take between rooms, and its pedestal base is heatproof, which made me feel safe placing it on my parents' antique wooden table.

Included with the heater is a remote control which, along with the on-board touch panel, allows you to flick between the three heating modes. H1 is the lowest intensity, and H3 the highest.

You can also toggle with the oscillation, with 90° horizontal and 60° vertical reach. This also works in combination, meaning you can set the fan to heat constantly while spinning both up and around to reach different parts of your room.

A major consideration when buying a space heater should be safety, and the Dreo has this in spades. It's got a child lock, which will be a welcome feature for parents, and it also has tip-over protection, which will shut the machine off if it tips more than 45°.

On top of that, Dreo's claim that heater has cool-touch housing is mostly true. I was able to touch the plastic exterior of the machine without any problems throughout use, except the very front vent, which was actively blowing out hot air. As soon as I switched this off, the housing immediately cooled down and was safe to touch. I also had no problems with the heat spreading to the antique wooden table, which would've gotten me into serious trouble with my folks. That table's been in the family longer than I have.

Dreo Whole Room Heater 714 review: Performance

With a 12-hour timer, I found the fan to be pretty low-maintenance for prolonged use. Dreo claims that the whole room heater runs at a whisper-quiet 34dB. I measured closer to 50dB on my SoundMeter app, but that's still inobstrusive, and I had no problems working or taking calls with the fan on in the background.

I should mention that you can use the Dreo Whole Room Heater 714 as a fan, as well as a heater. To do this, you simply turn off the heating settings and instead use it to direct one of three levels of airflow. I briefly tried this mode and found that it was just as smooth and quiet when blowing cool air, but that the Dreo lacked the intensity I'd want from a tabletop cooling fan.

Without the intensity though, this fan instead offers comfort. I was able to ramp it up to level three and sit in front of it for a few minutes, which really took the edge off the chill in the dining room. From there, I turned it down to level two, moved it to the center of the dining table, and set it to oscillate between my partner and I. We both noticed a significant improvement in the warmth of the room within minutes, and comfortably worked through the afternoon, eventually turning the fan down to level one as our environment felt less chilly.

My parents used to have an old-fashioned oil heater. It was cranky and a bit scary, but it kicked up a lot of heat that stuck around in the room long after the heater was switched off. By contrast, I found that the Dreo (and, to be fair, other electric space heaters I've tried) only make a difference while running.

In my experience, this type of space heater is less reliable for raising the overall temperature of the room, and better at providing instant and energy-efficient comfort on demand. That's no problem for me, especially given the many safety benefits of opting for this style of heater, but it's something to consider if you want a heater with some serious umph.

My main complaint with the Dreo Whole Room Heater is that its remote control is a bit sluggish. I was able to adjust oscillation and fan settings from the other side of the room, but it took a good few seconds for them to take effect on the heater. This meant I wasn't able to toggle between speeds and ranges as fast as I'd usually like, and I found myself gravitating towards the on-board control panel, which responds instantly.

How does it compare?

The most obvious comparison for the Dreo Whole Room Heater is the Vornado VH200 Heater. They're both small, both affordable, and even look quite similar. In our review, we praised the Vornado for its quiet and compact design, but found fault with its lack of oscillation.

Considering the identical price point, I think the Dreo is a no-brainer choice over the Vornado. It's more modern, easier on the eyes, fully oscillating, and has a remote control.

Dreo Whole Room Heater 714 review: Verdict

Should you buy the Dreo Whole Room Heater 714? For most people, my answer is a resounding yes. It's affordable, high-quality, safe to use, and works instantly to keep you warm when your home is on the chill side.

I'm particularly impressed by its smooth and seamless oscillation, which rivals some of the much more premium fans I've tried from Dyson and Shark. Plus, it can be used as a fan in the summer, which is a real bonus for those who don't have HVAC systems, or simply want to rely on them less.

If you want less targeted heating for your home and instead would prefer a heater that raises the overall temperature of a room without releasing a jet of air, I'd suggest you opt for the wall-mounted wall heater from the same brand, the Dreo Wall Heater.

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