Thermablaster 15,000 BTU Infrared Portable Heater

I have mixed feelings about this heater. It does put out a lot of heat but it just screams of cheap construction and I think it's just a matter of time before I sustain an injury from it. I found out immediately that if you don't light it from behind it your arm will be in the ignition burst as it lights. Too much gas is released during the lighting process so the flame is not contained within the shell. Also the gas control is immediately behind the shell so if you try to reach over the shell you'll eventually get a nasty burn on your wrist. I also agree that the tilt switch is far too sensitive. I wanted to put this heater under my work bench but if I try to safely light it from behind it will go out when I try to move it back in position which forces me to light it from the front.As to the cheapness, the plastic gas control knob was broken out of the box. That forced me to pay closer attention to it and I saw that the plastic was so thin that it was inevitable that it would break. Manufactures like this will cut corners 2 cents at a time to increase profits or increase price competitiveness and end up with a piece of junk that just can't last.

This heater works well, is quiet as there is no noisy fan, and is very lightweight.I would suggest to light this from behind the unit for safety just in case there is a flash when you light it.I called customer service to clarify something in the instruction manual and got through immediately.Per usual, the manual looks like it was translated into English and was not clear in the lighting details. It describes the "on" position and the "light" position but customer service suggested just to leave this on the high position after it is lit.There will be some slight smoke initially from the metal and will burn off.The position of the regulator in the hose makes it a little hard to tighten the hose on a 20lb tank but is manageable.Propane can be very dangerous, the manual does have a lot of safety precautions and you need to soap up the connections to test for leaks.

The Thermablaster Portable Propane Gas Heater was recommended for Workshops! Uh uh! Don't EVEN go there! We purchased it and installed it according to the directions and noted the Safety Precautions. Fact is that the Gas Fumes will GAG YOU. Watery Eyes, upset stomach and headache accompany the use in the workshop. We opened ALL the windows while using it, but....what good does it do to open all the windows while trying to HEAT the shop?! And the fumes were STILL obnoxious. Since, I've learned that High Output heaters typify this heater. Good for construction where plenty of fresh air but not enclosed workshop environment. Buy a house-type heater. It doesn't have to push as much gas through to get the amount of heat and therefore excess gases unburned, thus the odor.

This thing is much better than the sunflower heater I replaced it with. It's quiet, and efficient. Couple of draw backs. The tip switch is very sensitive even the slightest bump and it shuts off, which makes it a pain when I use it out in my shanty ice fishing, shut off with a slight breeze also. The location of the coupler should be on the back side too, coming of the side makes it cumbersome, and hard to position correctly.

Extra heat where I need it.

I bought this instead of the "LIL BUDDY" THAT IS THE # 1 SELLER in this bracket. It was 1/3 the price, and it looked ok, so I went for it. WOW! This thing cranks out some SERIOUS HEAT! Even on the LOW setting it's plenty warm enough to heat my 350 sq ft 5th Wheel in December. It is a little more exposed as far as the metal goes, but DONT touch it when its hot and yer good to go! Has a sensitive tip over valve to shut it off if it even gets jarred, much less tipped over. You"ll be stoked.

I burned this for a whole five minutes and it just does not seem safe. In that little amount of time there is already a burn mark on housing and even the grate has lost it's silver. I really wonder if this is a defect. The flames are quite large and it smells very strong of propane like it is putting out too much gas. I doubt it is normal for the flames to be shooting over the grate. I'm more than a little hesitant to burn this and think it's getting boxed up and returned to Amazon. Ps if you do decide to buy it please be careful lighting it and make sure you are behind it when you spark the igniter as it does let out quite a large burst of flame.

This works better than my old tank top that kept flaring up. The only thing like some others have said, is it does flash burn the hair on your arm when you light it. I started using a long bbq grill lighter, works perfect. I have ran about 30lbs of propane thru it and so far so good