Dr Heater Quartz Infrared Heater Review

Dr Heater is the most recent entrant in the field of the infrared heaters. Much like the EdenPure, CZ, and iHeater for example, the heat source is an infrared tube or bulb. Infrared heat, by its nature, does not reduce humidity or deplete oxygen from the air.

Another similarity among infrared heaters is an excellent safety record. Safety features such as overheat cut off and tip over protection, standard on Dr Heater, make it safe for kids and pets to be around.

Remote control, digital display, and thermostatically controlled temperature control are also standard features on the Dr Heater.

Not all infrared heaters are carbon copies of each other.

1. The first notable difference between Dr Heater and the others is the components of the heating system. In addition to quartz tubes, most infrared heaters incorporate a copper tube heat exchanger. Although copper is an efficient conductor of heat, it adds substantially to the cost of the finished product.

In place of the copper tube heat exchanger Dr Heater uses PTC technology. P ositive temperature coefficient (PTC) is explained like this: “A positive temperature coefficient (PTC) refers to materials that experience an increase in electrical resistance when their temperature is raised and show a relatively rapid increase with temperature, i.e. a higher coefficient”

In other words, a heater with PTC technology will heat up faster than one without.

2. Another major difference as explained to me by a customer service rep at Dr Heater is the use of a blower to distribute the heat rather than just a fan.

Although every blower has a fan of some type, a blower is the complete assembly of a fan including the housing to contain and direct the flow of air. This translates to more direct heat at a faster rate for quick room heat up and quiet operation.

3. The final and most important difference between Dr Heater and the others is price. While everyone else is charging as much as $589 for their 1,500 watt quartz heater, you can own the Dr Heater for less than half of what the others cost.

Comparison shopping for infrared heaters                                                                                                When you’re comparison shopping make sure you compare apples to apples. Many infrared type heaters use numerical designations such as 500, 1000, or 1500 to distinguish one model from another. These numbers indicate the wattage of the appliance, but if you’re not aware of this fact you could easily assume you’re getting a great deal on a 1500 watt heater when in fact you’re spending a fortune for a less powerful 500 watt model.

This is an easy mistake to make since all of the models under any given brand name look basically the same.

I do have one pet peeve with Dr Heater and it has to do with the way it is pictured in their ads. They never show the casters. This omission has no bearing on performance, but one would think having a set of wheels would be a big selling point to folks unable or unwilling to cart around a 20 pound heater from room to room for zone heating.

See the DR Heater and an excellent selection of highly rated, budget priced, and energy efficient space heaters at Space Heater Reviews: Best Portable Electric Heaters.