Our Shonky Awards are held in November, but at the time of writing it's still cold in Sydney, extremely cold. It's been raining for weeks on end. People are holed up indoors, wearing puffer jackets, hugging their third cup of tea.
If they happened to stumble across a social media ad promising to solve all these issues with a very cheap plug-in heater, they'd be forgiven for succumbing and hitting 'Add to cart'.
And that's what happened to CHOICE reader Elle, who bought the Handy Heater Turbo 800.
She thought this device would solve her heating issues, but… well, given this is the Shonky Awards, you can probably guess where this is heading.
The Handy Heater Turbo 800 did not solve Elle's issues. Not even close. This heater is an abomination. In our tester's words: "This heater is beyond shonky. It's a genuine safety hazard."
The Handy Heater needs an adaptor to plug into an Australian power point – making it non-compliant in the Australian market. The supplied adaptor is also... non-compliant.
Loose connection
Why is the Handy Heater Turbo 800 beyond shonky? Well let's start with the basics.
Heaters like these have integral pins rather than a power cord, so you plug the heater directly into a socket. They are illegal in Australia for safety reasons, and the Handy Heater Turbo 800 illustrates exactly why.
It is, first and foremost, a plug-in heater that doesn't plug in. It literally won't plug into an Australian socket. To plug it into an Australian socket you'll require an adaptor – which admittedly did come packaged inside the box.
But there are a series of problems with this.
Any device sold in Australia must have a plug that complies with AS/NZS3112 – the Australian standard for plugs and sockets. You should be able to directly plug it into an Australian power point. That's strike one.
The whole heater just sagged loosely in a way that made everyone quite uncomfortable
Strike two is that the supplied travel adaptor also isn't compliant.
When we plugged the Handy Heater Turbo 800 into the adaptor, then into an Australian power socket, there were exposed pins – and the whole heater just sagged loosely in a way that made everyone quite uncomfortable.
Underwhelming heat
When you buy a plug-in heater you not only expect it to plug in, but you also expect it to heat things. Turns out the Handy Heater Turbo 800 doesn't do a great job of that either.
Thanks to a small heating element and a 12V DC fan, this device didn't put out anywhere near as much heat in our testing as its advertising might suggest.
Seriously risky
But beyond the plug issues and the heat issues, perhaps the shonkiest aspect of the Handy Heater Turbo 800 is its disregard for safety standards. When our testers took a closer look, they found a number of issues.
It's not fitted with any kind of thermal protection device; wiring wasn't adequately secured at multiple points; and other parts, such as the small printed circuit board, weren't properly secured in moulding slots.
Also concerning: the heating element was mounted directly on thermoplastic material. Not good.
Queensland's Electrical Safety Office banned these types of heaters from sale in that state.
Shonky history
Heaters like these have quite the history. This heater landed in our laps, thanks to the CHOICE reader who sent it in, alongside some stern words about the quality of customer service when she attempted to get a refund.
Our sister publication, Which?, tested 10 of these heaters in their labs in 2023, and every one of them failed. As a result, CHOICE heating expert Chris Barnes alerted the ACCC.
In late 2023, the electrical safety and performance standard for electric heaters was updated, effectively making plug-in heaters non-compliant with Australian law. In 2024, the Queensland Electrical Safety Office explicitly banned these types of heaters in that state.
Although they may seem like a cheap and convenient option for heating, these plug-in mini heaters carry serious risk of fire or electrical fault
Chris Barnes, CHOICE home heating expert
But the states and territories use different rules and regulations when it comes to electrical appliances. There is no single, consistent scheme in Australia. And these changes haven't stopped heaters like the Handy Heater Turbo 800 being sold here by online retailers such as eBay and AliExpress – and predictably being promoted in online ads.
"We strongly advise against buying any of these mini heaters that plug into the wall," says Barnes.
"Although they may seem like a cheap and convenient option for heating, they carry serious risk of fire or electrical fault."
And they probably won't be that effective or efficient at heating your home either, Barnes says.
"Despite the advertising claims made about this type of heater, we found the Handy Heater Turbo 800 is extremely weak and would be pretty useless for heating any room."
From top to bottom, the Handy Heater Turbo 800 is a shonkily made product that no-one should consider buying.
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