Daewoo Convector Heater review: "flexible, cheap and quiet"

Price on writing: £19 | Buy now from Amazon

How I tested

I tested the heater for two months during winter. I used it daily in my cold home office while working from home, and regularly in my medium-sized sitting room in the evenings. I ran it on different power settings and used an infrared thermometer gun to measure floor temperature directly in front of the heater after 10 minutes, 30 minutes and one hour on full power.

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My verdict

This is a straightforward, no-fuss convector heater that does exactly what you want it to do. It heats quietly, responds quickly and gives you a lot of control over how much warmth you’re using. I liked how unobtrusive it felt in daily life, especially in my home office where I don't like noisy appliances.

It isn’t flashy and it won’t warm a room instantly in the way a fan heater does, but the heat it produces feels gentler and more natural. Over time, the room temperature rose steadily rather than in short, intense bursts, which made it comfortable to leave on while I worked.

There are two switches and a thermostat dial to control heat output, making it nice and customisable. As the heater warms the air in a room gradually, I like to have it on a relatively low setting for a longer time, rather than pumping out heat on high.

The Daewoo is best thought of as a sensible background heater. It’s ideal if you want to take the chill off a room for a few hours, rather than blast heat for ten minutes and switch it off again. I also appreciated how light it was, making it a doddle to move between rooms.

There are a few compromises. You’ll need a socket nearby, as the power cord isn't super long at 1.7m. If you like timers or app control, this isn’t the heater for you. But if you want something cheap, quiet, adjustable and perfect for emergencies, this is a solid choice.

In terms of safety, I felt comfortable using this heater for long stretches while I was working. It has built-in overheat protection, so it switches itself off if it gets too hot, which gave me peace of mind. The sides never felt dangerously hot to the touch, and because it’s a simple convector with no fan or exposed elements, it felt low risk compared with some cheaper portable heaters. I still wouldn’t leave it running unattended, but for everyday use at home it felt sensible and reassuring.

Overall, I found it reliable, simple and effective, particularly for working from home.

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Is the Daewoo Convector Heater good for heating a room?

Yes, but in a slow-and-steady way. This is how convector heaters work: they draw in cold air from the bottom, heat it and release warm air from the top. That warm air rises and gradually circulates around the room.

In my tests, the temperature of the floor in front of the heater rose from 16 degrees to 17.9 degrees after 10 minutes on full power. After half an hour it reached 18.9 degrees, and after an hour it was 19.8 degrees. More importantly, the room itself felt noticeably warmer and more comfortable over time.

It won’t give you instant, all-over heat, but if you’re happy to let it run for a while, it does a good job of warming a space evenly without hotspots or noise.

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How much does the Daewoo Convector Heater cost to run?

At full power, this is a 2kW heater. That means it uses 2 units of electricity per hour. With typical UK electricity prices, that works out at roughly 55–60p per hour on the highest setting.

In real use, I rarely ran it flat out for long periods. Once the room warmed up, I turned the power down or relied on the thermostat to cycle it on and off. Used this way, it’s more economical than it first appears, especially compared with constantly running a fan heater on full blast.

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Does the Daewoo Convector Heater offer good value for money?

At £19, the Daewoo Convector Heater is one of the cheapest ways to heat a room. It’s a much lower upfront cost than an oil-filled radiator, and much lighter to move around. You can pick up a halogen heater for around the same price as the Daewoo, but a convector heater is designed to heat a room rather than provide targeted heat. Running costs are similar to other 2kW electric heaters, at around 60p per hour on full power.

For households wanting a flexible, safe, quiet heater to use in different rooms, especially as an emergency heater that doesn't cost the earth, this type of heater makes a lot of sense. It’s not the cheapest to run if left on full power all day, but used sensibly, it offers good balance between comfort, control and cost.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She researches and reviews the products Mumsnetters swear by, with a particular focus on home essentials like steam irons, vacuum cleaners and heated throws.

From a highly recommended retractable washing line to the best quiet fans money can buy, and Mumsnet's favourite dehumidifier to the steam generator iron that'll cut your ironing time in half, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the very best products on the market.