Black & Decker 360˚ Surround Heater With Digital Display

Why I reached for this heater

Small rooms are where portable heaters earn their keep, so I put this compact Black & Decker unit to work during a stretch of cold mornings in my home office, a guest bedroom, and a small living area. Its promise is simple: steady, wraparound warmth from a tiny footprint, plus the safety features you want in a space heater you’ll actually use. After several weeks, I’ve got a clear sense of where it shines and where it doesn’t.

Design and setup

Out of the box, the heater is straightforward. At roughly 7.6 inches across and 10.2 inches tall, it’s easy to tuck on the floor beside a desk or in the corner of a small room. The housing feels solid for the class, and the base has enough width to resist easy tipping. The top-mounted LED display is bright and readable from across a room, with simple buttons for power, temperature, mode (low/high), and the programmable timer.

There’s no remote here and no oscillation—this is a stationary unit that pushes air through vents arranged around its body. The 360-degree approach means it doesn’t throw a hot “beam” in one direction; instead, it gently fills the space with warm air, which is great for communal areas and less ideal if you want a focused blast on your feet.

Setup is essentially plug-and-go. Because intake and output vents encircle the body, give it room to breathe on all sides. I kept it on a hard, flat surface with at least three feet of clearance from anything soft or combustible, which is good practice for any heater.

Heating performance

On high (1500 W), the heater gets to work quickly. In a 120-square-foot office with the door closed, I could feel meaningful warmth in a few minutes and a comfortable, even temperature within about 15–20 minutes. The 360-degree airflow helps avoid hot and cold pockets; it’s less “toasty knees, cold back” and more balanced ambient warmth.

In a small bedroom, it performed similarly, taking the edge off a cold space without drying the air or creating a harsh hotspot. In a larger living area (around 250 square feet), it didn’t heat the entire room on its own, but placed near the seating area it made the zone noticeably more comfortable. That’s the right expectation: supplemental heat, not a whole-house solution.

The low setting (750 W) is useful for maintaining temperature once a room is warmed, or for times when you want quieter operation with modest heat output. I found myself using high to preheat and low to hold, which is a good balance of comfort and energy use.

Controls and thermostat behavior

The digital thermostat lets you set a target temperature between 59 and 99 °F, one-degree at a time. In practice, the heater cycled predictably, keeping the room within a couple of degrees of my setpoint. Like most compact heaters, its sensor reads the air around the unit, which is typically near floor level. If you prefer a room temperature of, say, 67 °F measured at head height, you may find yourself setting the heater a degree or two higher to achieve that.

One quirk worth noting: when the heater reaches the target temperature and cuts heat, the fan may continue to run for a short period. That cool-down cycle is normal—it prolongs the life of the internal components and helps distribute residual heat—but if you’re sitting very close you might feel a brief waft of cooler air. If that bothers you, set the heater a bit farther from your seat or run it on low, where the transition feels less noticeable.

The 12-hour auto shut-off timer is a practical addition. I used it for early morning preheats and for bedtime runs when I wanted the heater to shut itself off after the room was warm. As with any space heater, I don’t recommend leaving it running unattended for long stretches, even with the timer.

Safety and stability

For a compact unit, the safety suite checks the right boxes: overheat protection and a tip-over shutoff. On a flat surface, the base felt stable, and a gentle nudge was enough to trip the safety switch and kill power—precisely how it should behave. The outer shell warms up during extended use but didn’t get alarmingly hot in my testing. Standard cautions still apply: keep it away from drapes, bedding, and pets, and don’t run it on plush carpeting or atop furniture.

It’s rated for indoor use only, and it’s mains powered. Avoid extension cords if you can; a dedicated wall outlet is the safest option.

Noise and comfort

Noise is more “fan” than “furnace.” On low, the sound is a soft whoosh that fades into the background in an office or bedroom; I could work and sleep with it running without issue. On high, the airflow is more audible but still not intrusive. There were no rattles or tonal annoyances in my unit, just a steady fan sound. If you’re extremely sensitive to any fan noise, you’ll notice it, but among compact heaters this one lands on the quieter side.

Energy use and operating cost

At 1500 watts, high power draws about 1.5 kW. At an electricity rate of $0.15 per kWh, that’s roughly 23 cents per hour. Low power (750 W) is about half that. Two practical tips to manage costs:
- Preheat on high, then maintain on low.
- Close doors to contain the heat; you’ll reach and hold temperature with less runtime.

If your space is especially drafty, a heater like this will run more often to maintain setpoint. It’s a good reminder to pair supplemental heat with basic insulation and sealing where you can.

Where it fits—and where it doesn’t

This heater excels in small to medium rooms: home offices, bedrooms, craft rooms, dorm spaces, and finished basements with a defined seating area. The 360-degree airflow is particularly pleasant in shared spaces where several people benefit from even warmth.

It’s less ideal if you:
- Need directional, spot heating. There’s no focused front grille to aim at your legs.
- Want total silence. The fan is gentle, not silent.
- Require the fan to stop instantly at setpoint. The cool-down cycle keeps air moving briefly.

I also missed a remote in day-to-day use. The top controls are simple, but if you place the heater across the room, you’ll be getting up to adjust temperature or timer. At this price class, that’s not a deal-breaker, just an ergonomic tradeoff.

Reliability and build

Everything about the unit feels thoughtfully modest: no flashy gimmicks, just a reliable set of features that work as advertised. The buttons have a positive click, the display is clear, and the thermostat’s behavior is predictable. Provided you give it proper clearance and use a dedicated wall outlet, I’d expect it to hold up to regular seasonal use.

The bottom line

This Black & Decker heater gets the fundamentals right: fast warm-up on high, efficient maintenance on low, a thermostat with a useful range, a 12-hour timer, and the safety features that let you use it with confidence. The 360-degree design delivers comfortable, even warmth in small spaces, and its compact size makes it easy to place and store.

It’s not a space-heating miracle, and it’s not trying to be. If you need to warm a large, open-plan living room, you’ll want either multiple units or a different type of heater. If you want a focused blast of heat under a desk, a directional model might suit you better. But for general-purpose, supplemental heating in small indoor rooms, this one is a capable, no-fuss option.

Recommendation: I recommend this heater for anyone seeking a compact, safe, and easy-to-use solution for small rooms. It delivers even, room-wide warmth without hot spots, the thermostat and timer are genuinely useful, and the safety features inspire trust. Skip it if you require a remote, ultra-quiet operation, or strictly directional heat; otherwise, it’s a strong value for everyday supplemental heating.