Igenix 1.2 KW Halogen Heater > Reviews > It's getting hot in here

Author's product rating:   

Performance	Excellent
Ease of use	Very easy
Noise	Very low
Safety	Safe
Value for money	Excellent

Advantages:	produces instant heat, lightweight, low energy costs, safe
Disadvantages:	the plastic finish does look a bit cheap

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

In the interim period after moving into our new home and the installation of a new gas central heating system we found that the house would drop to sub-zero temperatures resulting in many layers of clothes, hugging like penguins and inevitably running frost bitten noses. As a solution we looked at oil filled radiators that could be plugged in as well as conventional fan heaters that blow out air warmed by a filament. Both of these solutions proved to be considerably more expensive than a Halogen solution, and the purchase of three Igenix 1.2 KW Halogen Heaters were purchased from Wilkinsons for only £8.99 each. Bought online they retail for around £20 each so a real saving was made and it worked out at around £75 cheaper than using oil filled radiators.

Standing 60cm high and 30cm wide the heater produces thermal energy from three strip halogen lights refelected off a metallic surface to the rear. Setting it up is really easy as it already comes with a plug so it is just a case of slotting the main unit into the base. Operation is also entirely uncomplicated. With three heat settings 1200w, 800w and 400w it is just a case of clicking on the switch to select and then switching the power on.

As soon as the power is on the unit lights up and the heat is produced pretty much in the blink of an eye. With the option to let the unit turn up to 70 degrees you can position the unit centrally in a room and it will distribute heat evenly. I was mightily impressed with the amount of heat produced by the unit. When positioned 5 feet away from me I can feel the warmth and it takes next to no time to heat up a reasonably sized room. In terms of performance it certainly gets a big thumbs up from me.

Safety wise the heater has a grill over the front but obviously this heats up fairly rapidly making it not suitable should you have small children in the room, but in all honesty, you probably wouldn't be able to get close to the grill to touch it because the heat being given off would make you back away. If it is tipped over it automatically switches itself off which is very handy and if it becomes loose from the base again the power is immediately terminated to the main unit. Overall I would say it is safe and I have no problem leaving it in operation throughout the night and indeed I have not woken up to a room on fire.

With spiralling energy costs the main question I can hear people thinking is how much does it cost to run, well the box advises that when on full power it should cost in the region of 8p per hour to have in operation. I think that is a small price to pay. A cursory glance at my electricity bills also don't show anything that could make me doubt these statistics provided by the manufacturer.

In summary I think I managed to pick up a real steal with this heater. It really does pump out large amounts of heat, doesn't cost the Earth to run from the mains and is fairly safe. What more could you ask for?