****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This is a replacement for an older heater that was damaged by a contractor. It was very easy to assemble and works perfectly. I was suspicious when assembling the unit that it was very similar to the oneI was replacing. Same burner, same base etc. Turns out it was the same as my old Hampton Bay. Shop around! I paid $169 for this one in July of 2022 and this is exactly the same heater as the Hampton Bay PG210H for $30 less and the Cuisinart COH-300 for $80 less. Looking at the manuals, they're all coming out of the same factory in China (Guangdongchant Group, Inc.).This is the first patio heater that I have purchased. I have wanted one for quite some time. The cold weather in February forced me to buy this heater. I could have purchased one for less, but the quick delivery that was promised, the features, and the apparent quality had me select this one. Also, there was a coupon discount on it that day.The feature that I really liked was easy access to the propane tank. There is a compartment door that makes it easy to install the propane tank and turn it on/off.One of the main reasons that I purchased this one was the quick delivery that was promised. The sad part of that was that the next day, I received an email from Amazon that said my delivery was going to be several days later. I immediately contacted Amazon and got the runaround. If I had not saved the email with the promised delivery date, I would've had no leverage with Amazon. They were not ready to believe me otherwise. The rep could not guarantee that I would receive it the next day as promised. Eventually, we agreed on settlement if Amazon they did not meet their promised delivery. Just too much trouble. It did come on time.I also bought this heater because of the 48,000 BTUs seemed like it was a good heat output. Initially when I started it, the heat seemed ok. It wasn't as much as I had expected. It made only minimal difference on a cold day. Also, the propane tank that I got from the store apparently was only partially full, because it started running out very quickly. I found out, to my disappointment that when a tank is 1/4 full or less that the heat output is very low. The fire stays lit, but you really can't feel the heat being reflected down.Overall, I had a rough start with getting and using this heater. But the heater is good. I just expected more heat output from my first patio heater.If you are expecting a high quality outdoor heater, this is NOT the product for you!! I have seen soup cans that were made of thicker metal than the metal used in this heater!! I am expecting the useful life of the heater to be five years at most.In spite of how cheaply made the heater is, it does generate a lot of heat!! We used two of them to provide heat during a poolside party at our home and almost everyone commented how much warmth they generated.Assembly is easy and straight forward ASSUMING THAT YOU REMOVE THE BLUE PROTECTIVE FILM FROM THE METAL PARTS BEFORE STARTING!! I cannot emphasize this enough. Because of the way that the heater is manufactured, they apply the blue protective film to the metal BEFORE fabrication and assembly. Thus, the film is underneath the rivets that hold the door hinges in place. If you attempt to remove the blue film from the base AFTER you have assembled the unit, you will be spending an hour or more on your knees trying to peel the blue film off!!Long ago and away (say, 12 months ago, just as we entered the pandemic)--I bought two propane patio heaters from Amazon (Dyna-Glo)--same basic idea, assemble it yourself and off the races. All edges on that self-assembly heater were rolled, protected with plastic rims, deburred--you get it.Went to buy another heater and this is what Amazon had to offer--Assembled this heater yesterday--it was like an Erector set made out of stainless steel razor blades. All pieces were press punched and rolled without any edges being blunted, deburred, or filed. Holy cripe. Cut into my leather assembly gloves. BE CAREFUL!!!!No blame--it's still a pandemic, this is what we have while everyone is rushing to make things and get them out to us and doing the best they can.As for heat, it lit up just fine (make sure you burn off the metal press release oil they use the manufacturing process by pre-burning it for 20" or so before you light it at the first dinner party or your wife will be annoyed by the smell of burning machine oil).Excelente producto en su acabado y funcionalidadAs others have noted, half the assembly time is taken up by removing the protective film. Heating is fine and it lights easily. HOWEVER, there are two design flaws. First, the wheels should have been at least 4" farther apart. The narrow wheels make it difficult to maneuver around the patio. More importantly, there are 3 small screws (yes, I used the right ones) that old the upper and lower poles together. This creates a weak spot and you need to hold the heater by the lower pole to avoid bending it when moving it.I’m very happy with this purchase. It puts off a lot of heat. I commonly have to turn it down to medium at most because it’s a little too hot underneath it. The radius of heat is probably like 4-5 ft or so. So if you’re looking to heat more than maybe 4 people you’ll need to buy another one unless you’re all super close to each other. Setup was simple besides having to remove all the annoying plastic from every part. But I guess that’s to protect it during delivery. Takes about 45 minutes to setup. Could be 25 without the plastic.This is exactly what I expected. It is an attractive and functional heater that puts out a lot of heat and is easy to operate. It is well made, though the doors are flimsy. The set up manual was easy to follow. Occasionaly we have to light it by hand with barbecue lighter I would recommend this to a friend.Easy start and heat control is great. The cover is great quality but does not fit well over the heater with the heat shield on, would have to remove it for storage.
