Vonhaus 11 Fin Oil Filled Radiator with Timer 2500W review: “Powerful enough for our open-plan family room”

RRP at time of writing: £90 | Check price at Amazon, Argos or VonHaus

My verdict

We spend about 90% of family life in one open-plan kitchen, dining and living room. It’s a glorious sun trap in summer and a bit of a menace in winter. The room covers roughly 60m², with differing ceiling heights, poorly insulated doors and windows and two cold stone steps beneath the French doors that seem determined to bring the outside in.

Our central heating runs on oil, and filling the tank currently costs roughly the same as a small second-hand car. My Yorkshire-born-and-bred husband therefore looked rather thrilled when I rolled in a portable radiator that promised to postpone switching it on.

The VonHaus 11 Fin Oil Filled Radiator has lived in the corner of our living area for a month. It isn’t glamorous or clever, but that rather works in its favour. The two main dials are simple, the 2500W setting puts out a serious amount of heat and the wheels make a 10kg appliance much easier to live with.

The radiator comes well packaged and protected

With the doors closed, the main heating off and the VonHaus running at full power, our room rose from 18°C to 21°C in under an hour. After two hours it reached 23°C, which was arguably too warm. I could feel the heat from the kitchen on the other side of the room, so it did far more than simply warm the patch of carpet around it.

It isn’t instant. The oil needs around 15 minutes to heat up before you can notice the difference, but the trade-off is that it keeps radiating warmth for about an hour after it’s switched off. That feels like free heat, although strictly speaking it’s heat you’ve already paid to store in the oil. Still, I’ll take it.

The biggest irritation is the timer. It works, but setting 96 tiny quarter-hour segments feels like a task designed to test both your eyesight and your patience. I tried it for the first couple of days, then went back to switching the radiator on and off myself because I didn’t like leaving it plugged in all day and night. The clock also stops when you unplug the radiator, so it needs resetting next time.

Thankfully no tools are needed to put the wheels on

For £90, I think it offers very good value. It’s especially well suited to a large, frequently used room that needs steady background heat, although it also worked nicely on the lower setting in my smaller office. If you want exact temperature control, a remote or a timer that doesn’t look as though it once controlled your mum’s lamps, buy a digital model. If you mainly want plenty of heat for a sensible price, this is a strong buy.

How I tested the VonHaus 11 Fin Oil Filled Radiator

The radiator was used for a month in our family home, where I live with my husband, our two children and our dogs. Most of the testing took place in our roughly 60m² open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, with the doors closed and the central heating switched off.

I used the full 2500W setting to see whether it could warm this unusually large, draughty room, recording the temperature before use and after one and two hours. I also paid attention to how quickly the heat became noticeable, how evenly it travelled through the space and how long the radiator stayed warm after switch-off.

I tried all three heat settings, moved the radiator across carpet and hard flooring, used it in a smaller home office and tested the timer over several days. I also considered assembly, storage, noise, first-use smells, surface temperature and how practical it felt in a busy home with children and pets.

What’s in the box?

• VonHaus 11 Fin Oil Filled Radiator

• Two wheel bases

• Four castor wheels

• Two U-shaped bolts and wing nuts

• Instruction manual

The radiator arrived in a large, slim cardboard box. I could slide it over the carpet to the corner where I wanted to set it up, but at 10kg it’s heavy enough that you don’t want to lose your grip and introduce it to a toe.

It took no longer than 10 minutes or so to add the wheels to the bottom

The cardboard outer box can be recycled, but the radiator was also protected with polystyrene and a plastic bag. It kept everything secure, although less single-use plastic would be welcome.

How easy is the VonHaus radiator to set up and use?

Some assembly is required before first use. You turn the radiator upside down on a protected surface, position the two wheel bases beneath the outer fins and secure them using the U-shaped bolts and wing nuts. It took me around 10 minutes, including a final round of tightening to make sure the legs were properly attached.

I sat on the carpet and carefully balanced the upside-down radiator against my knees while I worked. It was manageable on my own, but the weight makes it a slightly awkward job. An extra pair of hands would make it quicker and reduce the risk of scuffing the radiator, the floor or yourself.

The cable tidy is an appreciated addition and handy for storage

Once the wheels are fitted, everyday use is refreshingly simple. Plug it directly into a wall socket, choose one of the three power settings and turn the thermostat dial clockwise. There’s no app, remote or digital display to negotiate.

There was a noticeable oily smell during the first few uses. The manual says a new smell or slight vapour can occur initially, and in my case it gradually disappeared after around a week.

How well does the VonHaus 11 Fin Oil Filled Radiator heat a room?

VonHaus describes this model as suitable for medium to large rooms. Ours is firmly at the larger end, and at roughly 60m² it gave the radiator a fairly brutal test.

On the maximum 2500W setting, with the thermostat fully up, the doors shut and no central heating helping it along, the room warmed from 18°C to 21.5°C in under an hour. It reached 24°C after two hours. That result will depend on your insulation, ceiling height and outside temperature, but it shows this isn’t a timid little heater.

Heat takes around 15 minutes to become properly noticeable, which is normal for an oil-filled radiator and slower than the immediate blast from a fan heater. Once warm, though, it produces an even, steady heat rather than making one corner tropical and leaving the rest of the room in its coat.

The 1000W setting was far more appropriate in my smaller office. It took the chill off without turning the room into a sauna, so the three outputs make the radiator more versatile than its chunky 2500W maximum suggests.

How easy are the controls and timer to use?

The main controls are basic in the best sense. The middle dial moves from 0 to 3, corresponding to 1000W, 1500W and 2500W. Above it, the thermostat dial turns clockwise for more heat and anticlockwise for less.

The catch is that the thermostat has no temperatures marked on it. You can’t select 20°C and know exactly where you stand; you turn it up, wait for the room to feel comfortable and then ease it back until the indicator light goes out. That’s fine once you know the radiator, but less precise than a digital thermostat.

A closer look at the dials and timer controls

Then there’s the timer. It uses 96 small segments around a 24-hour clock, with each segment representing 15 minutes. In theory, that lets you create a detailed daily schedule. In practice, the tabs are fiddly and the whole thing gave me flashbacks to the plug timers my mum used for the lamps when I was growing up.

It also only keeps time while the radiator remains plugged in. Because I preferred switching it off at the wall, I had to reset the clock before using the schedule again. After a couple of days I decided manual control was less bother. Anyone with limited dexterity or impaired vision would be better served by a digital model.

How quiet is the VonHaus oil-filled radiator?

The radiator was effectively silent during my testing. I didn’t notice clicking, popping or any fan noise, because there’s no fan whirring away inside it. That makes it much easier to live with in a shared family room or home office than a heater that competes with the television or a work call.

Is the VonHaus 11 Fin Oil Filled Radiator safe around children and pets?

The radiator has overheat protection, a thermostatic safety cut-out and a tip-over switch that cuts the power if it’s knocked over. Those are reassuring features, but they don’t make the hot metal disappear.

The fins and controls became hot during use. The recessed handle remained usable, but I preferred waiting until the radiator had cooled before moving it. I was conscious of the children getting too close, while the dogs were delighted to lie nearby and make the most of the warm patch.

VonHaus advises keeping flammable and heat-sensitive items at least one metre away. Don’t cover the radiator or use it to dry clothes, and keep it out of bathrooms and other high-humidity areas. The wheels should remain fitted during use, and an extension lead isn’t recommended.

How easy is it to move and store?

At 10kg, this radiator is substantial rather than portable in the handbag sense. Once the castors are fitted, however, it rolls smoothly over hard flooring and was surprisingly easy to pull across carpet using the recessed handle above the controls.

Moving it upstairs is a different matter. It’s possible, but the combination of its weight and finned shape makes it awkward. I’d ask for help rather than trying to wrestle it around a staircase alone, and I’d always let it cool fully first.

Setting the timer is tedious and requires accuracy (and good eyesight)

The plain black finish blends in reasonably well, although nobody is buying this as a feature for the mantelpiece. Its slim profile means it can sit against a wall or roll into a cupboard out of season. The built-in cable holder keeps the 1.5m lead tidy while it’s stored.

How much does the VonHaus 11 Fin Oil Filled Radiator cost to run?

Ofgem’s average electricity rate for 1 October to 31 December 2026 is 26.32p per kWh for customers on a standard variable tariff paying by Direct Debit in England, Scotland and Wales.

• 1000W setting: approximately 26p per hour

• 1500W setting: approximately 39p per hour

• 2500W setting: approximately 66p per hour

Those are maximum energy-only figures based on the radiator drawing the stated power continuously. Your tariff may differ and, once the thermostat starts cycling the element on and off, the actual cost can be lower. The household standing charge is excluded because you pay it whether the radiator is running or not.

At full power for two hours, the maximum theoretical cost is roughly £1.32. That isn’t loose change, but it can still make sense if you’re heating one occupied room instead of the whole house. In our case, it was enough to make a very large family space properly warm and then continued releasing heat for about an hour after switch-off.

Related: Best heated throws and best foot warmers for keeping warm without heating the whole room 

Quality and value for money

The VonHaus feels sturdy once the wheel bases are properly tightened. The dials are simple, the paint finish survived a month in a busy family space and the castors coped with regular moves over carpet and hard flooring.

It isn’t as polished as a digital radiator. The thermostat lacks precision, the mechanical timer is awkward and the open fins need sensible placement around children and pets. None of those issues stopped it doing its main job, though, and the two-year warranty adds some reassurance.

The oil-filled radiator comes in black so may not suit all interiors

At £90, I’d buy it with my own money. It’s an affordable way to add serious heat when the weather turns properly cold, but it’s just as useful during that irritating in-between period when the house feels chilly and you’re trying your hardest not to switch the main heating on.

How does the VonHaus 11 Fin Oil Filled Radiator compare?

Related: Best halogen heaters for fast, focused heat 

Final verdict: is the VonHaus 11 Fin Oil Filled Radiator worth it?

Yes, if you want strong, steady heat without paying for smart features you’re unlikely to use. The VonHaus made a noticeable difference in our draughty 60m² open-plan room, raising the temperature by 3.5°C in under an hour and continuing to radiate warmth long after switch-off.

The lower setting also worked well in a small office, while the wheels and recessed handle made it easy to move around on one floor. It’s quiet, reassuringly straightforward and sensibly priced for its output.

Ours lives in the corner and has been well used over the last month

The timer is the weak point. It’s fussy to programme, loses track of time when unplugged and won’t suit anyone who struggles with tiny controls. The unlabelled thermostat also requires a little trial and error, and the hot fins mean it needs careful positioning in a family home.

Those drawbacks aside, this is a powerful and good-value radiator that complements an existing heating system nicely. It can take the edge off a cold room while the weather is mild or provide a proper boost when winter gets serious. My husband is still delighted that the oil tank can remain untouched for a little longer, which may be the most Yorkshire endorsement available.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts is a writer, editor, and content marketing expert hailing from Leeds. Here at Mumsnet, she brings parents content designed to make life easier. With two kids, a dog, husband and a home to run, she knows all too well just how easy it is to rack up high utility bills when you’re trying to keep everyone warm, so she’s constantly on the lookout for products that are affordable, long-lasting and cost-efficient. 

Beyond her role as an editor here at Mumsnet, Rebecca can be found balancing life as a working mum of two toddlers and when she’s not at her desk, you’ll likely find her at a local playgroup, in a nearby coffee shop, or walking the dog.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.

All prices are correct at time of publication.

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