Dr. Infrared Heater DR-968H Indoor Portable Space Heater with Humidifier, 1500-Watt, Cherry

Why it's worth it

The DR-968H pairs infrared quartz tubes with a ceramic element, so it warms you directly while it also warms the air. It's rated at 5,200 BTU and up to 1,000 square feet, and it throws in a cool-mist humidifier that no other heater here has.

No other 1500-watt heater here claims this much output. The DR-968H runs infrared quartz tubes and a PTC ceramic element together, which is why the spec sheet lists 5,200 BTU. Infrared warms your body and the furniture directly. The ceramic side heats the air moving through it. In a big open room, that combination gets you comfortable sooner than either approach on its own, and it keeps the room from feeling like a warm draft in a cold shell.

Owners who run it in real winters tend to describe the same thing: a 500-square-foot room held at a steady temperature through single-digit outdoor cold, used as a supplement to central heat rather than a replacement. That's the honest framing. It's the heater you put in the room you live in while the furnace coasts. Several owners have kept theirs running for years, which is not something you hear about every heater in this category.

From our review of 8 space heaters for large rooms, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +No other 1500-watt heater here claims this much output
• +Owners who run it in real winters tend to describe the same thing: a 500-square-foot room held at a steady temperature through…
• +The 72-inch cord matters more than it sounds
• +The humidifier is a genuine extra, not a gimmick

What to know

• –The cherry wood cabinet is the obvious problem
• –There's a fan, and you can hear it
• –The 1,000-square-foot coverage claim deserves a raised eyebrow