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10 Best Budget Space Heaters under $50 in 2022 – Reviews & Guide

Last Updated on December 11, 2021

A space heater is a great way to warm up a small environment during the cold months, but there’s such a vast selection that choosing one that’s right for you can be a challenge. Poor quality heaters can be dangerous fire hazards, and you don’t want to purchase one without doing your research.

We’ve already reviewed dozens of portable space heaters, and we’ve chosen ten different models that we believe are worth your time. Each one of these models is under $50, and each will have good points and bad. We will go over every detail with you to help you understand why like or don’t like something so you will feel more confident when it comes time to make your choice.

Besides the ten models we are going to review, we have also included a buyer’s guide where we break down every aspect of the space heater and explain what’s important to look for as your shopping around.

Keep reading for our detailed reviews of each space heater, where we compare watts, fan noise, heat dispersion, and safety to help you make an educated purchase.

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A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites

10 Best Budget Space Heaters under $50 – Reviews 2022

Let’s look at the ten models we’ve chosen to review for you.

1. Mulandd Ceramic Space Heater – Best Overall

The Mulandd Ceramic Space Heater is our choice for best overall. This heater is a 1500-watts and starts producing heat almost immediately when it’s turned on. We found that it provides an even heat that gradually heats a room without leaving any cold pockets. It has a thermostat to adjust how warm you keep your room, and if it’s too hot, you can switch to low heat, which uses only 750-watts. We experienced the same even heat distribution with the low setting, but it’s intended for a smaller area.

The Mulandd has a tip-over safety switch that will immediately turn off the unit if it gets bumped or knocked over until you reset it. There is also an overheat detection system in place that will turn the unit off if it gets too hot. Unique design allows this model to sit on a carpeted floor, usually not recommended for space heaters. The fan is very quiet, and you can use this in rooms with children sleeping, and it shouldn’t wake them.

The only downside we experienced while reviewing the Mulandd was that after using it for a few hours if we turned it off, it wouldn’t turn back on again for a while. We thought this was caused by the overheat protection forcing the unit to be under a specific temperature before allowing it to turn on.

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2. Lasko 754200 Space Heater – Best Value

The Lasko Portable Space Heater is our choice for best value, and we believe that after you see what it has to offer, you will agree that it’s the best space heater for the money. The Lasko is a 1500-watt compact space heater that delivers an even heat on its high and low settings. It has an adjustable thermostat that puts the unit into standby until needed, and its tiny size allows it to fit just about anywhere to begin warming your environment. It features overheat protection that will shut the unit down if its internal parts get too hot, and its cool-touch exterior never gets hot.

One important feature missing from this model is tip-over protection. Without tip-over protection, you will need to be extra careful that the heater is not going to be accidentally bumped by children or pets.

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3. ASTERION Electric Space Heater

The ASTERION is our premium choice, and it has many of the great features of our top two picks, but it is a little more expensive. This 1500-watt portable space heater features a 60-degree swiveling base to help distribute heat throughout your room. It features a 1500-watt high setting and a 900-watt low setting, which is the most watts available in a low setting. A thermostat will regulate temperature and turn the unit off when it reaches the set temp. It also features overheat protection and includes tip-over protection. A removable and washable anti-dust filter is something not many other models have that will help clean up the air while it heats.

The only downsides we experienced while reviewing this unit was that the switch to select high or low heat was rough to turn, and the front screen does get hot when using this model on high heat.

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4. Brightown Ceramic Space Heater

The Brightown Ceramic Heater delivers 1500 watts of heat. It has three heat settings to adjust the heat level, and the low power mode is rated at 700 watts to conserve energy or heat smaller spaces. It features an adjustable thermostat to fine-tune the temperature in the room, and it shuts off automatically. We found it quiet with a gentle warm air movement. It has overload protection, and a sturdy-feeling carry handle.

We felt the low setting puts out very little heat and isn’t very useful. The construction materials also do not seem too durable.

Electric blanket vs space heater – See our guide here

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5. W-Dragon Mini Electric Ceramic Heater

The W-Dragon Mini is a powerful yet tiny ceramic heater. This unit delivers 1500 watts of heat that you can split to 750 watts with a low heat setting. It features a special 3-second heat and an adjustable thermostat. We thought it put out a good amount of heat with both settings and should warm your office or small room nicely. Overheat protection, and a built-in timer help protect you from wasting electricity or starting a fire. Automatic shutoff if the unit tips over is another welcome feature included in this space heater.

We though the W-Dragon was a little noisy and could be distracting at times, especially when starting and stopping. It also seemed to kick off quite a bit in high heat mode, triggering the overload protection. It triggered the overload even though it hadn’t been running that long and placed in a wide-open space. The low heat setting did not suffer from the shutting-off problem.

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6. Moonflor Ceramic Space Heater

The Moonflor ceramic space heater is an ultra-quiet heater that delivers 1500 watts of power on its high-power setting and 750 watts on its low power setting. It has built-in overload protection that will shut it down if it gets too hot, and it also has built-in tilt protection that will shut the heater off if it tilts or tips over.

Our biggest problem with this unit is with the fan. It’s quiet, but it doesn’t move enough air to heat a good-sized space. You need to sit very close to this device to feel the heat it’s generating. Since the heat isn’t moving, air in the rest of the room has an impact on the thermostat. You find that a good thermostat setting today is too hot or cold the next day. Another problem we had was that after a few uses, the parts inside started to make more noise.

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7. WEEKSTART Space Heater

The WEEKSTART Space Heater is a powerful little heater delivering 1500-watts of heat. It features four settings. High heat provides 1500 watts while low heat cuts it back to 750 watts for smaller offices and rooms. There is also high heat and low heat oscillation settings to spread the heat in a 90-degree arc around your living space. We found the oscillation to be a great addition to this type of heater because it spreads the heat around, warming the room quicker. If you have more than one person in the room, each person can get a little bit of heat while it’s still warming up. It also has an ordinary fan setting for when you only want to move some air around. This model also has overheating and tip-over protection for maximum safety.

While we were using this model, the thermostat didn’t seem to work too well, and it was difficult to dial in a heat setting that made us comfortable for longer than an hour or two. The fan is noisy, but it’s not overly distracting. The fan could use a little more power to move the around heat better.

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8. andily Space Electric Heater

The andily space heater is a small ceramic heater for the home and office. It can deliver 1500 watts of heat on the high setting and 750 watts on the low. It features overheat protection as well as a tip-over safety switch.

We felt that this unit heated better on the low setting than on the high setting. The faceplate screen can get very hot, especially when using the high heat setting, so you may want to keep any small children out of reach. The andily is one of the noisiest space heaters we have reviewed, and the sound can be quite distracting, especially when watching television or sleeping.

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9. BAYKA Space Heater

The BAYKA Space Heater is a small space heater that features a 1500-watt high heat setting and a 900-watt low heat setting for those that feel the 750-watt low setting on most other models is not warm enough. We enjoyed the extra heat on the low setting, and there was still a noticeable difference between the 900-watt and 1500-watt settings. The heater oscillates and delivers heat over a 70-degree radius for maximum heat dispersion. It also features overheat protection, and there’s a tip-over safety switch built into the base to protect from fire if the unit is accidentally knocked over.

We felt that the heater was a little noisy while it was in use, and the rotating base would often hesitate and stop intermittently. It produced a loud squeak at times during operation. The front screen gets extremely hot and can lead to burning if you are not careful. The thermostat didn’t work very well, often letting the room get far too hot before shutting down and then allowing the room to get far too cold before turning back on.

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10. Black + Decker Compact

The Black + Decker Compact is the last portable space heater on our list, and while it’s not as good as our first three picks, it might have some features that interest you that those others don’t.

Black + Decker is a well-known brand that offers many high-quality products to consumers. This space heater has a compact design and features a 1500-watt high setting and a 750-watt low setting. It features overheat protection as well as a tip-over shut off.

While this model does deliver a good amount of heat, the temperature can get too high for the housing, and we could smell burning plastic on occasion. The fan is very noisy, and the thermostat didn’t seem to work before the fourth dot.

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Buyer’s Guide

Let’s look at a few things you might need to consider before purchasing your next space heater.

Safety

Safety is always the top priority when operating any heating device. Space heaters are often considered dangerous, but the danger they present is often the result of carelessness.

Always make sure there are several feet of distance between the heater and any object. Don’t put the heater on a carpeted floor or near any curtains. Look for heaters that have an automatic shutoff and other safety features in case it tips over or gets wet.

Heater Type

The type of heater you are going to use to heat your space is essential. There are three common types of space heaters, convection, radiant, and fuel.

Convection Heaters

A convection heater warms a space by circulating warm air through an area. Moving air is warmed as it moves past heated coils of wire in the space heater. Most convection heaters use a fan to move the air over the coils. A typical home radiator is a type of convection heater that uses natural airflow instead of fans.

Convection heaters are suitable for warming an entire room or space.

Radiant Heaters

Radiant heaters are a type of heater that can direct heat in a specific direction at close range. Although many people use this type of heater to heat a room, it’s designed to aim at one person. These heaters use a reflective metal shield to direct the heat. This reflective shield gives them their telltale bright orange glow, and as the shield heats and stretches, it makes this type of heaters telltale sound.

Fuel Heaters

Fuel space heaters are the type of heater that includes kerosene heaters and propane heaters you sometimes see built into a wall. The key issue with these heaters is that they use a flame to create heat. Fire will produce carbon monoxide and other harmful vapors depending on the fuel used.

Keep fuel heaters outdoors. Patios, open garages, and back yards are good places for these heaters.

Energy Efficiency

Most of the space heaters on this list are convection heaters. The best way to gauge the amount of power the heater will use is to look at the watts. Higher wattage units will draw more power and have a more significant impact on your electric bill, but they will also produce more heat.

How many watts you require depends on the amount of space you are trying to heat, along with how well that space holds the heat you pump into it, along with how well the heater coverts watts into heat.

Check out our reviews of the top low-wattage space heaters!

Conclusion

We hope that now that you have had a chance to read over our review and our buyer’s guide, you will feel more confident about your next purchase. We stand by our choice for best overall. The Mulandd Ceramic Space Heater produces an even heat, its quiet, has a tilt shutoff, and can sit on a carpet. The Lasko 754200 is our choice for best value and has many of the same features as our top choice at a reduced cost.

If you feel that reading over this article has helped you navigate the vast amount of options available to you and our buyer’s guide has helped you learn a little bit more about space heating, please share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.