PuraFlame Octavia Black 12 inch Portable electric Heater, Eco Friendly, 1500W

Nice heaters...I think overpriced however. Last year we got a Duraflame...which is basically the same size & price (of these types of units) While I liked the flames on the Duraflame better...it only worked for one year....the flames part died, although the heater still works (I'll admit...I got it for the flames just at much as the heat)...another friend got a PuraFlame at the same time and it has stopped altogether. So not too sure on the longevity of these heaters if you use them nightly during the winter....but not using them during warmer months, they should last longer than one season.....so we'll see on this Puraflame. It's a nice compact heater we have on a small table about 2 feet from the bed. We don't like to heat the whole apt. during the winter at night....so if we do have the main heat on, we turn it way down, and keep these little heaters on. The difference between this one and the Duraflame, the Duraflame has the on/off switch on the back and that's it (only two heat settings no temp adjustments) with this Puraflame, you have a round knob/button on the side that lets you have a few options including flame only, flame and heat, heat only etc. which I like and on the other side (not back which I like better in this model- I don't like the switches on the back)another round knob to adjust the heat. If you have it too low, it will turn off very quickly...but just adjust it or turn it higher if you want it running all night. The flames are more 'orange' on this one vs. The Duraflame (re: flames, I liked the Dura better) but all in all, this is a nice heater. It DOES make a noise when you turn the heater part on. It's a teeny bit more quiet than the Duraflame heater, but I like the noise...so if you can't stand even white noise or you have to have a totally quiet room, this heater won't work for you....but if you like a little 'white noise' it will be ok. We find it relaxing and often can drown out a noisy upstairs neighbor. It will heat up a small area but if you have a larger LR or family room...it may not work as well but it does heat up right in front of the heater and a small area surrounding it which makes it nice and cozy close to a bed or chair or a desk. Another nice feature, you can keep something on top of it and it won't get hot. We have a small sound machine on top which actually has a fireplace sound, so at night it really does sound and feel like one! It won't get your table or stand that you place it on hot, and is easy to carry with a tiny built-in handle. Will just have to see if this lasts a full winter-hopefully the fireplace light won't go out on this one!

I couldn't be happier with this little heater. I was sitting in my home office, surrounded by paperwork, with another gray drizzly day outside the window. I was wishing, for the umpteenth time, that I was sitting next to a cozy fire instead. Inspiration struck and I swiftly ditched my spreadsheet for a trip to Amazon.com instead. 2 days later, I have this lovely heater sitting on my desk. It provides charm, color, and, when desired, warmth.There are 4 settings: OFF, FLAME ONLY, 1/2 HEAT & FLAME, FULL HEAT ONLY. On the other side is the thermostat. If you are using the 1/2 HEAT & FLAME and the thermostat causes the heat to turn off, the flame continues to run. As another reviewer mentioned, the thermostat doesn't seem to work too well. It turned off at least 15 minutes ago and it has yet to turn back on.The only part of the heater that gets hot is the front vent that the hot air comes out of. The top, bottom, and sides stay cool. The clear glass in the front stays cool. The black glass that the PuraFlame logo is stamped upon gets warmer because it is directly above the vent that the hot air comes out of, but I can still put my finger on it. The black metal directly underneath the vent also gets warm. I cannot tell how hot the vent itself gets because I am not courageous enough to put my finger on it and find out whether it is merely hot or burn-my-finger hot!The fan is loud but it doesn't currently bother me because it is white noise. If it turns out that it does bother me, I can enjoy the flame without the heat.I love the "flames". It is not a real fire and no one will mistake it for one for even a second, but it is quite pretty. There are some fake coals in the front which are glued down so they don't move even if the unit is upside down. They glow nicely. They look pretty much like in the product photo but mine aren't that bright. Mine are very dark coals with a low red glow from underneath. The flames are nothing like the product photo but I like the actual better than the photo anyway. There is a screen in the back and the flames are some sort of moving backlit image on that. The image is sinuous and abstract like smoke or water. The lighting causes the image to be red and orange like real flames. I'm not sure how they do it but it is silent and it does not repeat the pattern often enough that I can catch the repeat.Mine arrived without damage. The manufacturer's box was snug-fitting with a Styrofoam top and base (no protection on the sides). This was put into a snug-fitting shipping box without additional packing material. Annoyingly, the manufacturer attached a paper warning tag to the bottom panel with flammable string. I had to use a screwdriver to take off the bottom panel to remove the string.I have the heater sitting on my desk so I can see the flames, elevated on a plastic box so the vent is well above any papers.

Purchased in Oct. 2015, it is now March 1, 2016, and I'm a little displeased with this unit. I've actually bought two of them for two bedrooms and both units are now exhibiting the same problem. The thermostat gets stuck, causing the heater to run all night long while you are asleep. This gets annoyingly hot and you have to tap the side of the unit for it to 'release' the thermostat to get it to cool down to the normal set temperature.Original Post Follows:I am very pleased with this heater! I have had a number of different heaters in the past, and they all work somewhat differently. Some even run the fan blower all the time, even when the heating element is not currently heating due to being at the thermostat setting. I find this annoying as that particular type of heater blows cold air until it reaches below the thermostat setting and begins heating again. That type of unit is very uncomfortable. I am happy to report here that *this* heater only runs the fan blower when the actual heating element is also running. This is much more efficient, and more comfortable. I was surprised by the weight of the unit, and could tell it appears to be well made. I was a little apprehensive in buying this unit, based on others' comments that the flames looked 'fake' or 'cheesy'. While it isn't of course completely comparable to a real fireplace, I believe that most anyone that wants the aesthetic appeal of a simulated fireplace will be very happy with this unit. The heater itself puts out very warm air, and I believe it will take care of my bedroom nicely as it is farthest from the house furnace and usually quite cool in winter.