Thursday, July 14, 2011

Portofino Towel Warmer Review - Warmly Yours

Show your cold bathroom who's boss! 






Warmly Yours makes a variety of radiant heating products for serious homeowners/renovators. or just someone who likes their stuff quality & functional. Besides just the towel warmers, they also make radiant heating panels that are super sleek! Lava heating panels, snow melting products: such as gutter de-icers, mirror de-foggers, rug warmers, desk heaters, and floor heating systems! Whatever your heating need, they got you covered!






Towel Warmer


Portofino weighs in the heaviest of the four styles at 29lbs, but in my opinion is the most aesthetically pleasing. This is the second house we have lived in that has no bathroom closets. Do not ask me what was in someone's mind when they are building a house and the only space you have to store towels in under the sink in a tiny cabinet? 
*Shaking my head* 
In any case.. I have to buy shelving and I can't fit many towels. Even better question still, what do I do with the rest of the towels? I cant put them all on a shelf! Its frustrating. The next houses look at when we buy again .. if it has a small bathroom (this one does) and no bathroom closet .. well, we won't be moving in it. With any house there are things you do, and don't like though.


But at least its semi-fixable. The towel warmer sent to me by Warmly Yours not only provided me with a place to store towels we are using, but a shelf to stack ones we are not.


My husband is the Power Monster .. when Giana was very small, he would tell her if she left lights on the "Power Monster" would get her! Now - we just call him the Power Monster because he is so obsessed with it. He has even taken it as far as to not only change all the light bulbs to CFL, which I 100% support .. but in the bathroom, or our bedroom (where there are 4 light bulbs in globes..) he goes behind me unscrewing them, so that only one or two will turn on. I'll go re-screw them, and so on, and it goes back & forth like that.  It can be very frustrating, because I will be rinsing a dish out, and walk away, or filling a pitcher up, he will even turn off the water. So I figured the towel warmer would be an issue.
IT WAS NOT!
Mr. Know It All about all things power and power-consumption was impressed with the energy outputs of the Portofino. He doesn't even go behind me and turn it off... yet.


When I watched him do the installation, it took him only a few hours, but only because he had to crawl into the crawl space under the stairs to get behind the bathroom wall. Why do I find it so sexy when men work on/fix things?


How easy to install?
The adjustable brackets make it easy to position & the wiring diagram was easy enough to follow. Kit included drywall anchors for mounting, but we chose to put in studs instead. Instruction provided detailed template design for easy mounting. Make sure you do not throw the box away before you read the instructions. You might need these in case it doesn't work. Not that we had that problem, but it has to be returned in it's original packaging. ALSO, you are supposed to use the box it came in to cut out a template to use for mounting, but the website states that for returns you should ship back in it's original packaging. Eek! When we opened ours (and it comes in a humongous box) we noticed that when we took it out it had a slight rattle shaking sound, like a busted light bulb- or loose sand. We were worried it might not work, but lucky for us- it did. I don't know if that is the way its made, and that is normal or not.



Hints/Tips/Tricks


Install the wiring harness box before installing brackets makes it easier to align. Make sure you give ample space for the controller if mounting near the unit.  If having an electrician do the towel warmer's electrical work, you might want them to asses a location for you






Multi-purpose

In more ways than just one, it serves as a towel rack, a towel shelf, and during the winter months, serves as another source of warmth for your bathroom. It adds value to your home, and a classy touch to your bathroom's interior design with its stylish sleek polished chrome bars. It gets hot, but not hot enough to burn you. It also has a timer, hidden behind the front panel (switch) it looks as if it's just a turn off and on button, but underneath that it is programmable. Much like an air conditioner thermostat it allows you to pick various days and hours to operate. But the manual doesn't recommend how long to warm up your towels for prior to use. On our test of a pretty thick towel, it was warm(ish) in about 15 minutes and very warm after 30 through and through. 




Will moisture in bathroom cause Towel Warmer’s finish to rust or short out?






No. The Towel Warmer is not only designed to keep your towels warm and dry but also to withstand the high moisture level in your bathroom.









Towel radiator- Not liquid filled.

140 watts.

Operates at a fraction of the cost or other brands.

24"W x 32"H

5-year warranty.

24/7 technical support.

All you need is a few basic tools to install.

High carbon steel.

Polished chrome.

Integrated shelf.

Programmable timer.

Operates on a standard 120-volt circuit.




My Score:
B+

The reason not an A+..

Quite simply, the cost. Though I didn't pay for the Portofino. Perhaps someone interested in having a warm towel wouldn't be put off by prices. I digress, the other towel warmer prices in comparison are much cheaper. 
The other models/styles (& prices!)
The Elements Collection: 3 designs 2,3 & 4 bars: $129, $139, $149
The Infinity: $369 -  Available in hard wired or plug-in models, plug-in being $20 less at $349


Smart Home Renovations are the new in!






Pictured Below: Riviera




Order Today!



PortofinoTW-OCP$799.00

Warmly Yours - (800) 875-5285




Our Portofino Pictures


*Disclaimer* This product was sent to me free, for review purposes. I was not paid monetary pay for this post, all opinions are 100% mine. I want to express many thanks to Warmly Yours for not only sending me the model that I liked best, for for sending me one period. Very nice! Love it!

2 comments:

Shabby Chic Mom said...

stopping by from the "alexa drop hop"
http://www.bragallaboutit.com

Heidi said...

Thanks for stopping by from the Alexa Hop! I'm now following you on GFC!

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