Sengoku OR-77 HeatMate, Some Flaws, but it does..

Overall Rating55555

Some Flaws, but it does what it’s meant to do. HEAT!

The Pros — This thing delivers the heat! I live in a 980 sq. ft. mobile home with an open living room and kitchen. Even during the coldest months this unit kept me warm during power failures. The heat even traveled to the farthest bedroom, not heating it to the fullest, but keeping away the chill. It runs silently.

The Cons -It does not run for the 12 hours, as stated on the outer carton. I suppose if you heated a very small bathroom it would regulate itself to the full 12 hours. I have to refill the tank every four hours. Since the unit is rather heavy and bulky it’s difficult to carry it outside for refueling. It’s even heavier on the return trip because of the full tank of kerosene. The carrying handle doesn’t feel secure enough to haul that weight.

Unless you run the tank completely dry, this unit flares up and sends a cloud of black smoke into the room during shutdown. A kerosene-stink will linger for half an hour. It has to be taken apart and cleaned every few days to remove the carbon build-up on the wick. I have not yet been successful at removing all that carbon.

A kerosene heater is not for wimps or for those who won’t follow safety instructions. It can be dangerous.

I wouldn’t recommend this product for someone looking to run it all winter long to cut down on their heating bill.

I would, however, recommend it for someone wishing to have an optional heating source available during emergencies. If the only choices are to freeze or find another heating source, this will unit will do the job well.

I believe the Cons (as stated) are typical of all portable kerosene heaters, so I will not fault this unit in those areas. With the exception of the misleading “runs for up to 12 hours”, this unit does what it’s supposed to do. That’s why I give it five stars.

Update (2/9/2012):

The featured review for this product, Sengoku OR-77 HeatMate Omni-Radiant 10,000-BTU Portable Kerosene Heater Kitchen, was written by Calamity Jane.

The average rating for this item is 5 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.

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Reviews (3)

Polar Roids

April 14th, 2010 at 9:40 am    


Overall Rating55555

When it’s really needed it delivers
Calamity Jane has it right - I can verify. I purchased this unit for backup in my cabin in case the generator failed - and it happened. We were in an uninsulated cabin. 5 big guys without a lot of clothing frankly, in the dead of winter near Bismarck North Dakota. Just back from hunting and all our clothes were soaked. Didn’t look good but this little puppy came through in a pinch. No problems lighting, and it heated the 150 sq feet cabin in a flash - went all night and dried our clothes. Great when you need it.


Cool

April 20th, 2010 at 3:13 am    


Overall Rating55555

Did everything right!
I’m a young kerosene lamp collector but never encountered an unboxed Kerosene heater before. Decided to give it a try this winter since many gas stations here in Philly dispense undyed and untaxed 1-K cheaply ($2.80 in October 2009) and heating bills last few years are $200/month on average for our well insulated house. After reading reviews around, I was pretty settled on this omni-radiant design, but had reservations with the actual burning time due to short wick per this site and Mile Stair’s site (highly recommended).

Then I had a chance to pick one up several weeks ago. Only $10 as the seller was moving so I figured there’s little to loose. It’s a 2005 run in like new condition. While it’s the first time I got my hands on a kero heater, mechanically there is really no difference between it and any center draft lamps, save everything is in bigger size! Lighted it up easily and enjoy the cheap heat every since.

Two things I’d like to elaborate on this heater:

1. It burns 15 hours on a single fill when the outside is in 40s and 50s and my 600 sqft second level is toasty 75-78 degrees with a slightly crack window!
Update on Dec. 1, 2009: The kerosene gauge on the heater must be designed for trial lawyers, not actual usage. If one religiously follow the gauge from “F” to “E”, s/he may get 7 hours out of “one full tank” at most. Nowadays I fill it well into the red zone on the gauge and burn it down another 3-4 hours after “E” mark. This way I can easily get 15 hours. In case you wonder, the record time I timed is almost 19 hours (!) on Low setting before kerosene completely runs out and it starts to smell due to dry burn.

2. I start and extinguish the heater in the garage so there is no smell in the house. The heater is delightfully light-weight for a grown man to carry around very carefully. In comparison, my small 14-candlelight kerosene lamp gives off detectable smell. Of course the burn efficiency is different purposefully.

Maybe I’m lucky but this thing is doing everything right. This winter I will save hundreds of dollars easy with this baby.

I’ve been shopping at Amazon.com since its inception. This is the first time I’m posting a product review even though I did not purchase through the site. Need I say more on what kind of recommendation I’m giving?!


Calamity Jane

April 24th, 2010 at 6:11 pm    


Overall Rating55555

Some Flaws, but it does what it’s meant to do. HEAT!
Rated 5 stars.


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