Dimplex's ECR24FA is a column heater with no oil in it. The fins heat directly, which means it reaches working temperature in a fraction of the time an oil column takes, and a turbo fan pushes that heat out when you want the room warm quickly. It carries seven years.
De'Longhi's convector is the lighter, cheaper answer: 5.2kg, wall-mountable, three settings and a 24-hour timer. It heats a room about as well and is warranted for one year, which is the shortest here.
Dimplex 2.4kW Oil-Free Column
2400 watts across nine fins with a thermostat, two heat settings, a turbo fan, integrated handles and a castor kit. 635mm tall and 505mm deep. Seven-year warranty. Owners rate it 4.3 at The Good Guys.
Without oil there is nothing to hold heat once it switches off, so the room cools back down sooner than it would with a sealed column.
What We Like:
- Warms up far faster than an oil column
- Turbo fan for a cold room
- Seven-year warranty
What We Don't Like:
- Nothing holds heat after switch-off
De'Longhi 2400W Convector
2400 watts for up to 70 cubic metres, three settings, a 24-hour timer, tip-over switch and a lateral fan that spreads air sideways. 5.2kg, 683mm wide, 200mm deep, and it mounts on a wall. Owners rate it 4.3 at The Good Guys.
The one-year warranty is the weak point, and it is short next to the seven years De'Longhi puts on its own column heaters.
What We Like:
- 5.2kg and wall-mountable
- 24-hour timer
- Cheapest 2400W here
What We Don't Like:
- One-year warranty
Side by side
| Dimplex ECR24FA | De'Longhi HSX3324FTS | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $100–150 | $50–100 |
| Power | 2400W | 2400W |
| Type | Oil-free column | Convector |
| Room size | — | Up to 70m³ |
| Fan | Turbo fan | Lateral airflow fan |
| Heat settings | 2 | 3 |
| Timer | No | 24 hour |
| Wall mount | No | Yes |
| Height | 635mm | 460mm |
| Depth | 505mm | 200mm |
| Weight | — | 5.2kg |
| Warranty | 7 years | 1 year |
| Owner rating | 4.3 (101) | 4.3 (287) |
Owner ratings are from The Good Guys, with review counts in brackets.
What actually differs
Warranty. Seven years against one. Dimplex covers this heater for the same term De'Longhi gives its oil columns, while the convector gets twelve months. Over a heater's life that is the most consequential line in the table.
Speed. Both are quick by heater standards. The Dimplex has no oil to warm through first, and the De'Longhi has almost no thermal mass at all, so neither makes you wait the way a sealed column does.
Where it sits. The convector is 200mm deep and goes on a wall. The Dimplex is 505mm deep and stands on the floor on castors. In a small bedroom the convector disappears and the Dimplex does not.
Timer. The De'Longhi has a 24-hour timer; the Dimplex has none. For a heater meant to run before you get up, that decides it.
Noise. Both use a fan, so both make some sound. The Dimplex's turbo fan is the louder of the two when it is running, and it can be left off.
Who each one suits
Dimplex ECR24FA suits a main living room that needs heat quickly and a buyer who wants the long warranty.
De'Longhi convector suits a small room, a wall where floor space is short, and anyone who wants a timer more than a long warranty.
FAQs
Is oil-free better than oil-filled?
Faster to warm up, slower to keep a room steady. Oil evens out the temperature swings around a thermostat; without it the room follows the element more closely.
Can a convector heater be left on a wall all year?
Yes. Both are rated for permanent wall mounting and neither needs an electrician, only the supplied bracket and suitable fixings.
Which is better in a bathroom?
Neither without checking the manual: a heater in a bathroom has to sit outside the splash zones defined by the wiring rules. Panel heaters designed for bathrooms are a separate thing again.
