This dual fan and heater is my saving grace during heatwaves and cold days – it changes the temperature quickly and quietly, even in large rooms

Buying a fan or space heater can seem like an overly expensive purchase, as you're only going to be able to use your new appliance for half of the year. However, the Dreo's MC706 Tower Fan and Heater, a dual fan and heater, is a great way around this.

It guarantees year-round use, with five heating settings and 10 cooling settings to create a comfortable temperature, whatever the season.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on the multi-function Dreo MC706, and tested it for two months in my home to find out if it's one of the best fans out there.

Dreo 2-in-1 Tower Fan and Heater MC706: Specifications

• Buy the Dreo 2-in-1 Tower Fan and Heater for $169.99 from Dreo and Amazon.

Dreo 2-in-1 Tower Fan and Heater MC706: Setup

The Dreo MC706 shipped in a single box and hadn't sustained any damage when it arrived. I laid the box down on the floor to remove the fan and found a clear message printed across the back instructing me to open the box from the opposite side.

The fan is held in place by four large Styrofoam blocks, which isn't the most sustainable design feature, but holds everything together without scratching. All of the components, including the cord and plug, were also wrapped in protective plastic. The tower fan base arrives in two pieces that need to be pressed together. Aligning those pieces took a bit of experimentation, and I had to move them around for about two minutes before I got them to line up correctly.

From there, the rest of the assembly process was easy. I had to unwrap and thread the power cord through the hole in the base, and then the base clicked into the fan very easily. I removed a protective plastic tab from the remote, and the heater and fan combo were ready to use.

The MC706 includes a 21-page user manual. It features detailed instructions and helpful diagrams, but the text is small and slightly difficult to read. But overall, the instructions are very easy to understand.

Dreo 2-in-1 Tower Fan and Heater MC706: Design and features

This heater fan has a modern, sleek design. It's available in black, silver, white, and "Star Light," which looks like a rosy beige. I tested the tower fan in silver and found that, even though my home has more of a farmhouse style, the fan still fits in relatively well. I could see it working well in a modern or minimalist bedroom.

The MC706 features a control panel on the top, which is nicely responsive to touch, and a remote with seven buttons. Both the control panel and the remote are user-friendly and easy to operate, and they don't have so many buttons that they're overwhelming.

The heater fan has an adjustable thermostat that allows you to choose temperatures from 41 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you've set the temperature, the machine will either operate the fan or the heater to reach and maintain that desired temperature, perfect when heating or cooling a room with fans.

The heater fan includes a timer that you can use to set it to run for up to 12 hours, which is great if you sleep with a fan on at night. It also includes a 24-hour auto-off feature to help reduce your energy bills if you forget to turn it off.

The heater fan also has an oscillating feature to help distribute air more evenly. You can choose from 30 to 120-degree oscillation, depending on the space where you're using the machine.

The heater fan is also easily portable. It weighs just under 14 pounds, which is a little bit lighter than the best upright vacuums, so you can easily carry it up a flight of stairs and through different rooms. It also features a carved-out handle on the back, which provides a good grip.

It also comes with important safety features. The tip-over protection will automatically shut off the heater fan if it's tipped over. Overheat protection will also automatically shut it off if the unit gets too hot.

• Buy the Dreo 2-in-1 Tower Fan and Heater for $169.99 from Dreo and Amazon.

Dreo 2-in-1 Tower Fan and Heater MC706: Performance

This heater fan is impressively efficient. I tested it in a 300-square-foot bedroom, and it easily brought the temperature up by five degrees when I used the thermostat setting. It took about half an hour and could also sustain that temperature, so the whole room felt comfortable. It's great for achieving the ideal room temperature.

Similarly, the tower fan offers powerful cooling. When I set the fan to 10, its highest speed, I can feel the air moving from 15 feet away, especially after I learned the best fan direction to cool a room.

In my open concept living room, dining room, and kitchen space, the heater fan still performed well. It's not large enough to be the only heat source for the entire space, which is about 800 square feet, but I could still feel the fan's heat when I was about 20 feet away from it. After I used my home's heating system to bring the space up to my target temperature, the heater definitely helped to maintain that temperature, so I could rely on my home's heat less. Combine with the right home heating types if you're looking for warmth that's best suited to your space.

The fan circulated a large amount of air through the space, especially when on its oscillating setting. The control panel on the top of the unit is sensitive, and the remote is also simple and self-explanatory. There are four modes to choose from:

• Eco mode: It will run until the room reaches the set temperature, and then the unit will turn off.
• Auto mode: The fan will automatically increase and decrease its speed as the temperature of the room increases and decreases.
• Natural mode: This sets the fan to increase and decrease intermittently, much like the effect of a natural breeze. I found this setting to be soothing when going to sleep.
• Sleep mode: Selecting this option will automatically decrease the fan speed as you fall asleep.

The Dreo MC706 also features a one-touch heat-cool switch. By holding the switch down for three seconds, the fan will switch to heating or cooling. When switching to heating, I could feel the heat within about three seconds of the function switching over. When switching to the fan setting, the fan will run for 15 seconds to dissipate any remaining hot air in the unit. It's an impressively fast change.

Overall, this heater fan operates very quietly. The lowest heater setting reached 49.5 decibels, which is like having a very quiet fan on in the background. The highest heat setting reached just 54.9 decibels, which is still quieter than the best cordless vacuums on their lowest settings. I was able to continue watching TV without having to adjust the volume.

The fan's lowest setting reached 47.9 decibels and was barely audible, even when I was sitting right next to it. At its highest setting, the fan reached 87.3 decibels, similar to a hair dryer. However, the fan is so powerful on this setting that I would only use the setting for a brief moment to cool down a room fast.

Dreo 2-in-1 Tower Fan and Heater MC706: Care and maintenance

There are clear instructions on how to clean the tower fan and space heater regularly, including dusting the exterior and checking for debris around the intake vents.

The user manual recommends that you remove any dust from the grilles and blades using a vacuum or air duster (the handheld Black+Decker dustbuster furbuster is perfect for these small cleaning tasks).

The base can be disassembled as needed, and you can lay the fan flat and remove the grill by unscrewing the bottom. With the grill removed, you can use a vacuum cleaner or air duster to clean the blades, and the grill can be rinsed under running water.

Once dry, you can reattach the grill and the base. The tower fan surface can be wiped with a clean, dry cloth.

The heater fan has an overall solid feel to it, but the body is crafted from plastic. I managed to lightly scratch the surface of the fan just by placing it against the floor while installing the base.

While the fan might not feature the most durable materials, I wouldn't worry too much about how that would affect its everyday use, since it will usually be standing in a location where it won't be in contact with other objects. But if you have kids or pets who might knock it over, I could see it being easily damaged.

How does the Dreo 2-in-1 Tower Fan and Heater MC706 compare?

The Dreo 2-in-1 Tower Fan and Heater MC706 costs $169.99 from Dreo and Amazon.

For $10 more you could buy the Shark FlexBreeze, a fan that can switch between pedestal and tabletop. It doesn't have a heater setting, but it's completely portable with a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 24 hours, and can be taken outdoors and attached to a faucet for a gentle misting on a hot day. It's quiet, cools you down quickly, and has timer and oscillation settings. Our Shark FlexBreeze review explains why it's the only fan we've tested that deserves five stars.

Or, the Levoit Classic 36-Inch Tower Fan at Amazon costs just $74.99 at full price, and works great as a fan for quiet and effective cooling or large spaces.

Should you buy the Dreo 2-in-1 Tower Fan and Heater MC706?

I am very impressed by the Dreo MC706 and would buy it for my home. Both the heat and fan functions are very powerful, but they're also quiet and can run in the background without interrupting conversations.

The ability to use different modes, like the timer function or the Eco mode, makes this heater fan a versatile choice. Plus, it takes up minimal floor space, so it can work in small rooms or in larger spaces.

It's hard to find weaknesses or flaws in the heater fan. Its plastic construction isn't the most durable, so it might not be a great choice for a home with kids or pets who might bump it around. It is a more expensive option, but still competitively priced, and heater-fan combos in a similar price range lacked its features and had fewer fan and heat speeds.

Overall, I think this heater fan is a great choice for most homes, and it's likely to see use year-round.

• Buy the Dreo 2-in-1 Tower Fan and Heater for $169.99 from Dreo and Amazon.

How I tested the Dreo 2-in-1 Tower Fan and Heater MC706

I tested the Dreo MC706 for two months in my home. I tested it in multiple rooms, including a smaller bedroom and in my large open floor plan kitchen, dining room, and living room.

When testing the tower heater, I used it to bring the room temperature up and down by several degrees. I also tested whether it could be used in place of my home's heating system.

During the tests, I considered factors like the heater fan's ease of use, mobility, noise, and overall performance and quality. You can find more information on how we test products on our dedicated page.

Next, take a look at our tested picks of the best air purifiers or the best robot vacuums, for more technology that can transform our home lives.