Pelonis PHTPU1501 Ceramic Tower Heater review: a tall order

Tower heaters are a popular choice as they pack a lot of heating power into a very small footprint. They also provide a warm breeze that reaches to head height without needing to place the fan on a table or unit. Pelonis product a range of ceramic heaters including five tower units. It also offers separate ranges of fan and oil radiator models. 

The Pelonis PHTPU1501 is one of the more advanced space heaters in the range, as it comes with a remote control and an eight-hour timer. It’s available in white, black or manual gray and does an excellent job of warming a medium sized room quickly and quietly. 

The list price of this model is around $79.99 but there are currently discounts available, taking the price of the gray model as low as $66. This model is only available in the US. 

Pelonis PHTPU1501 Ceramic Tower Heater review: design

The Pelonis PHTPU1501 has a clean, simple design with the control panel on the top of the tall case. It’s just under two feet tall, but it is quite bottom heavy, so it is unlikely to tip over. If it does, the heater and fan will automatically stop running for safety reasons. When you turn the oscillator on, the entire top of the tower rotates about ninety degrees to spread warmth around the room.

The controls are simple touch buttons for the oscillator, the timer, decrease and increase the thermostat temperature, the mode (high, low or eco) and power. The Eco mode enables the thermostat. Above the buttons is a large, easy-to-read LED display that shows the mode or the current temperature the thermostat is set to. You can set the temperature to anything between 40F and 95F. The lower end of the temperature range here means that you could use it as a frost preventer, to stop the air temperature from falling below 32F for your plants or other freeze-sensitive stuff. 

The remote control is a credit-card-sized device that duplicates the buttons on the top of the tower. That means you can set any of the functions of the heater from the remote, meaning you never have to touch the device itself. The remote also worked from a decent distance, but it is line-of-sight only – you can’t use it in another room. 

Pelonis PHTPU1501 Ceramic Tower Heater review: performance

I found that the Pelonis PHTPU1501 did a good job of warming the room, especially when the oscillator was rotating the heater to spread the warmth around the room. The 1500 Watt heating means that it can output a nice amount of warm air, and the large vent area and oscillation means that this air is spread evenly around the room. If you want to warm a specific spot (such as your feet), you can turn the oscillator off and point the vent at your cold toes. 

Pelonis PHTPU1501 Ceramic Tower Heater: verdict

The Pelonis PHTPU1501 is a decent heater that offers a good range of features, including a turn-off timer, oscillation and an easy to use thermostat control. It is a little more expensive than some similar models, though and offers little to really make it stand out in what is a very crowded market .

Pelonis PHTPU1501 Ceramic Tower Heater review: also consider

If you want to save a little cash, the Lasko 753120 has similar features, but is $15 cheaper. However the operation is a little more basic, especially in terms of the time. If you want something that looks a bit fancier, without shelling out Dyson money, the Pelonis NTH15 has a more slimline design and a 24-hour timer.