Delonghi HCM2030

The HCM2030 is a compact electric heater made by well established Italian manufacturer, Delonghi. The product boasts a great 2kW of power, has a built in thermostat and operates quietly. I bought my HCM2030 from a local electrical store for £30 but the product is also available online. Overall the HCM2030 was a very good investment and I recommend it highly.

Appearance
The HCM2030 is of a compact and portable size. The heater is very light at just 2.8kg making it moveable by almost anyone. The product is made from a plastic and metal construction which complements well. At the top of the HCM2030 is a metal grill which is where the heat rises from. At the sides of this grill are two plastic handles which are grey in colour and easy to grip. The main body of the product is white and flat in appearance, constructed of a thin but robust metal. There is a maker's logo to the centre of this main body panel in grey font surrounded by a grey circle. To the right hand side of the heater is a small grill which is also present on the left side as well. This leads down to a plastic grey coloured dial which is the thermostat. There are numbers around the dial such as "1", "2" and "3" which are heating settings. Below this are two switches which correspond to the thermostat settings and when it will cut off with horizontal lines on them. At the bottom of the product are two plastic feet which provide a good stable base but need a screwdriver to be fitted securely. The product has attachments that allow it to be wall mountable should you wish so, however I just use mine free standing with the plastic feet.

Durability
The durability of the HCM2030 has been of a high quality. The product is made from tough plastic and strong metal throughout and I have experienced no overheating or short circuiting. All of the dials work well and nothing has melted in the inside of the heater. I've been using the product for about 9 months now, mostly in the winter and not encountered any problems so far. To conclude, the product is reliably built by Delonghi to a high standard.

Ease of Use
The product is very easy to use in my opinion. There is no power switch, you simply plug it into a UK standard plug socket and wait for the machine to heat up. It takes around 10 minutes to heat a smallish room on the first thermostat setting which is reasonable despite its small size. The dial has numerous settings which you just twist to increase the temperature or lower it. The handles are a good size and couple this with a 2.8kg weight, make it very portable around the house. The product operates very quietly which is very desirable in my opinion as a noisy electric heater is a real turn off for most consumers.

Pricing
I purchased my Delonghi HCM2030 from a local electrical store which gave me a complementary 12 month warrany should anything go wrong. The price I paid was £30 which for the high heat power, portable size and ease of use make it very good value for money. It is also sold on the Amazon marketplace for around £38 and can also be bought from Sainsbury's for around £45. My advice would be to shop around for the cheapest price you can get even though most places sell the HCM2030 for a very reasonable price.

Problems
There are few problems with the HCM2030 it is an all round good product. However I did find in terms of assembly the feet require a screwdriver to fit onto the bottom of the product. If you don't have a screwdriver then this could be a problem for you. The thermostat is slightly random and not the most precise when it comes to maintaining a particular range of temperatures. It is certainly not the worst but it could be improved in terms of its accuracy in my opinion. For a small sized room it takes about 10 minutes before you notice the heat coming into effect which is reasonable in my opinion but others may think negatively of this delay. There are no On/Off power buttons or LED lights which would show you the product is firstly turned on and secondly working in good safe order. I would like to see an LED power button implemented in the future which would allow you to visually see the product is on as oppose to just waiting to feel the heat.

Conclusion
In my opinion the HCM2030 was a great investment and one which sees regular use in the winter time. The 2kW power of the heater is powerful and it heats up a small room in about 10 minutes despite its small size. The product is light and the handles are easy to hold meaning older people could carry the heater around the house easily. The thermostat is easy to use if not a little inaccurate at times. Apart from the fact the product has no LED lights or on/off buttons and needs a screwdriver to attach the feet, the product is very well priced in the UK. I found the durability of the product very good indeed and I've had no reason to use my 12 month guarantee from the shop I bought it from. Overall it's a very good affordable electric heater with few problems, a highly recommendable product from Delonghi. Thanks for reading my review.

© Revo9 (2011)
*Note, I am both a member of Ciao and Dooyoo.co.uk under the same username of Revo9