In Review: Dreo Solaris Max space heater

Up here in the northern hemisphere, it’s starting to get cold (after a very weirdly warm November, at least here in Chicago). That means we’re layering up, and switching the thermostat from AC to heat. Even so, you may have rooms that need some boosting in the heat department. Us, we’ve got a house approaching 100 years old, so supplemental heat comes in handy. The latest helper we’ve had in the house is the Dreo Solaris Max space heater.

Now, if Dreo sounds familiar, it’s because we looked at one of their oscillating tower fans (review here) earlier this year, which worked a dream to move air while staying quiet (as well as their space heater sale). While the Dreo Solaris Max space heater is a bit shorter (just 24″ tall) it’s the same idea – set a temperature level (or actual temp), let it be stationary or oscillate, and then let it do it’s work.

In terms of UI and the remote, if you’ve got a current Dreo product, it will be familiar (in fact, the remote was exactly the same as our fan). The touch screen on the heater itself is intuitive, and you’ll quickly be navigating through it. One major difference is the shutdown. If you power it off, it has a 30-second cooldown before it actually powers off. If you’ve accidentally hit that, then you can cancel it and keep the heat going. For actual shutdown, we’re guessing it’s to let the ceramic elements to cool down gracefully.

In our testing here in Chicagoland, the Dreo Solaris Max space heater has heated up quickly, and provided a comfortable level of heat when we’ve needed it. The remote can be handy, but we’ve tended to just use the touch panel to set things and then let it go. Once it’s running, the screen will shut itself off to reduce the light that it throws; once you power things down, you’ll have a red LED lit on the panel just so you know it has power.

If you’re looking for an active space heater, the Dreo Solaris Max space heater really does do a nice job. The tower fan style is relatively silent, while still pushing the heat from the quick elements out into the room. Add in the thermostat controls, the ability to set a timer (so it shuts off after 1-12 hours), and this is a great addition to your winter arsenal if you find yourself in a room that could stand to be a bit warmer. Over on Amazon it can be had for $72.24, or direct from Dreo you can get it on sale for $84.99. dreo.com