A fun retro heater with a realistic real-fire effect.
A fun fan heater, the Swan SH27034 Retro Flame Effect Heater brings a neat retro look and looks like a real fire. It's a little basic, with just a dumb thermostatic control, quite loud and very large. It does heat a room quickly, though.
Pros
- Cheerful retro design
- Realistic fire effect
- Heats quickly
Cons
- Too big to store away easily
- Noisy when heating
Key Features
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Type This is a fan heater with a real flame effect.
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Thermostat Has a dumb, unmarked thermostat on top to control temperature.
Introduction
There’s nothing better than a real fire. Well, aside from the hassle of lighting one, keeping it going, the pollution and having the chimney swept. Fortunately, there’s an alternative with the fun Swan SH27034 Retro Flame Effect Heater.
Design and features
- Fun fire effect
- Dumb thermostat control
- Quite large
The Swan SH27034 Retro Flame Effect Heater is charming, fun, and an electric fan heater wrapped up in 1950s nostalgia. The design isn’t for everyone, but it’s a welcome change from the shiny metal-effect plastics you see on most small appliances, although the Everhot Electric Stove is another step up in terms of style.
If your house is a retro haven, this is Swan’s attempt to fit right in. The case is a powder blue colour with a big chunky rubberised plastic strap on the top. The temperature control is a handsome knurled chrome dial that looks like it’s straight from an old radio.
The heater itself is basic. There’s an unmarked “dumb” thermostatic control on the top (when the room feels comfortable, turn this until the control clicks and the heater turns off) and a pair of switches hidden away on the rear of the heater. One controls the fan heater, the other one the flame effect.
It’s rather nice because you can run the flame effect without the heat, so when your central heating’s on, you can pretend you’re sitting around a real flame. The flames are quite realistic as well, so you can get that “fire TV” feeling in the comfort of your living room.
The downside of this bulky retro heater is the size. It’s about the same size as an old-school CRT television, making it tricky to store when not in use.
Whether you like it or not, this heater is going to become a focal point in whatever room it’s in. It’s too big to go under a desk as well, so if you’re looking for warm feet when working for home, it’s not quite right.
At this size, you’re unlikely to knock the Swan SH27034 Retro Flame Effect Heater over; if you do, tip-over protection switches it off immediately. There’s also overheat protection built in.
Performance
- Heats quickly
- Loud
On full power the Swan SH27034 Retro Flame Effect Heater draws just over 1800 Watts, which is 44.1p per hour (assuming a unit cost of 24.5p per kWh). However, as there’s a thermostat, the heater doesn’t have to stay on all of the time, so actual running costs will be lower, fluctuating based on the size of room, level of insulation and target temperature.
This heater uses a fan that pushes out air at 2m/s (measured from 15cm away), which is a good level of airflow to circulate heat quickly. The downside is that the fan is loud, and I found that the heater ran at 68dB, which is loud enough to become a bit annoying.
Although retro in looks, the Swan held its own against its more modern looking competitors. It raised the test room’s temperature from 15°C to 18°C in just over seven minutes.
Should you buy it?
Buy if you want a nice-looking fan heater
Retro styling and the fire effect make this heater a nice focus piece for almost any room.
Don't buy if you want more features or something smaller
This heater is very large, so opt for something smaller if you don’t have much room. If you want a proper thermostat or smart controls, you’ll need an alternative, too.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Swan SH27034 Retro Flame Effect Heater is an interesting device. It’s a widely different offering from other heaters and has undeniable retro appeal, while managing to heat a room quickly. It’s relatively expensive, quite loud, a bit basic and very large, which will limit its appeal. For something smaller and better features, check out the guide to the best electric heaters.
Trusted Score
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every heater we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- Used as our main heater for the review period
- We measure the fan speed (if available) using an anemometer so that we can accurately compare performance between models
- We measure the heat output of the fan and its effect on our test lab.
FAQs
Yes, the flame effect can be turned on without needing heating, so the Swan SH27034 Retro Flame Effect Heater can be a nice focal point for a room.
Yes, but it’s a simple unmarked one.
Test Data
| Swan SH27034 Retro Flame Effect Heater Review |
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Full Specs
| Swan SH27034 Retro Flame Effect Heater Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £99.99 |
| Manufacturer | Swan |
| Size (Dimensions) | 181 x 345 x 429 MM |
| Weight | 4.7 G |
| Release Date | 2024 |
| First Reviewed Date | 26/02/2025 |
| Model Number | Swan SH27034 Retro Flame Effect Heater |
| Modes | Heat, flame only |
| Stated Power | 1802 W |
| Oscillation | No |
| Timer | No |
| Heater type | Fan heater |
| Thermostat | No |
| Safety features | Tip-over protection, overheat protection |
