Don't Buy A Foldable Space Heater Without Knowing These Things First

Many people, especially those in northern states with temperatures that go below freezing in winter, know space heaters and electric radiators are valuable assets. Whether your central gas furnace struggles to heat the far reaches of your home or you have yet to install a permanent heating solution in your workshop, a portable heater's usefulness cannot be understated. Still, they have drawbacks; for example, they tend to be clunky, may cause fire or burns, and can rapidly increase your electricity bill. If you're looking for something to heat a smaller area that claims to be safer and more energy efficient, you may be interested in foldable space heaters. 

Foldable space heaters allow users to create warm zones in unique ways, making them a good option for use under a desk or on the floor, when you need some extra heat to warm your shins and toes while you work from home, study, or take on some other task that requires you to sit in one place for an extended period. Despite a similar look, though, you should know that foldable space heaters are true to their name. Unlike heating pads and electric blankets, which use conductive heat to warm the user and not the air around them, these are made up of soft panels that form an enclosed rectangle or cylinder and use radiant heat to warm the space inside, keeping you toasty while sitting on the floor or in a chair. Similar to the mistakes you should avoid making with your electric space heater, foldable space heaters can have some dangerous drawbacks if they overheat or are used improperly.

Warping, melting, and burning are reported issues among the very few reviews for these soft, portable heaters. While foldable space heaters, like the MAXCOM foldable space heater ($55.99 on Amazon) with a 4.1-star rating or the WHISPERHEAT personal space heater ($64.99 on Amazon) with 4.4 stars, still garner positive reviews, others felt unsafe using them for various reasons. Multiple people report burn marks, too-hot-to-touch panels, and an unstable heating element, despite these products offering safety timers that shut the unit down every few hours to avoid overheating and a 45-degree tip-over protection feature that turns the device off if it falls over. If you decide to try out one of these models for yourself, refrain from leaving it unattended while it's plugged in to ensure it doesn't begin to overheat, melt, smoke, or worse.

Of course, foldable space heaters are not all bad. A handful of reviewers for these same models sang the praises of the little heaters, appreciating their compact size, ease of use, multiple heat settings, silent operation, and low power consumption. A major problem with foldable space heaters, compared to other types of portable heaters, is that they are newer and relatively unknown. Even the most popular option on Amazon has less than 100 total reviews. With more innovation and time to refine this product with the necessary safety upgrades, this kind of compact personal heater could be a game changer — Until then, you may want to skip foldable heaters and find another budget-friendly space heater that will help keep your energy costs down.