We Tested 3 Candle Warmer Lamps So You Don't Have To

Have you ever wondered whether an electric candle warmer lamp is something you should try? They're not cheap, so it's a bit risky buying one just to try it out – so we decided to buy three and put them to the test. To be honest, a month in we were still testing them, as the fragrance release from the candles is so long lasting.

We tried them with our very own essential oil candles, with budget supermarket candles, and we even experimented with filling a 200g jar with a mix of our own soy wax for melts and fragrance oils. The results were very, very good – some better than others, but all in all each candle warmer lamp worked well.

Here's what we found:

The three candle warmer lamps we tested

Lamps 1 and 2 are adjustable in height and lamp 3 is fixed. All were chosen to suit our decor – there are many of these available, we just picked these because we loved the way they looked – and all three were in a similar price bracket, around £30–£40 when we bought them in late 2023.

  1. MQFORU
  2. Grandis
  3. Pyntop

Bulbs

Each of the warmer lamps came with two or more 50W GU10 bulbs, but we noticed that some produced less heat than others. GU10 bulbs are easy to change, and they're available as spots or floods with varying beam angles. The tighter the focus, or spot, the hotter the candle will get, as more light is focused on the candle itself. Lamp 3 didn't seem to be melting the candle very fast, so we chose a tighter-angled spotlight from our collection of GU10s – yes, we have a few, due to my love of lamps and home decor 😆 We had a similar experience with lamps 1 and 2, but these are adjustable in height, so moving the lamp closer to the candle was all that was needed.

NB: These will ONLY work with halogen GU10 bulbs, not LED.

Switches & controls

All of the candle warmer lamps are dimmable and have timers, which makes them easy to control.

  1. Dimmable, 2/4/6 hour timer
  2. Dimmable, 1/2/4 hour timer
  3. Dimmable, 2/4/8 hour timer

Dimming the lamp produces less heat, so it's up to you to find your preference. We found that on full output, with a new candle, the depth of melt was around 1cm across all of them. Lamp 3 struggled to melt the wax at first, but was fine once we had changed to a tighter spot. 1cm may not seem a lot, but believe us when we say the scent throw from the wax is really very good – even using cheaper candles that struggled to throw a scent when actually lit.

Build quality

We found that each of them has a similar build quality and feel, but our preference would be lamp 1 or 3, in that order.

Performance

Overall, each of the three performed very well. The differences were in how quickly the wax melts and to what depth. Scent throw from all of the candles we tested was excellent, even when using a two-thirds burnt candle.

How long does a candle last?

The melt pool on a candle after one hour under a warmer lamp

We wrote this after a month of testing, and none of the candles we used had fully lost their fragrance. Our best guess is that one 30cl candle will last for many weeks, even if melted every night. It's important to remember that only the top 1cm or so of wax is melted during each session (see image). Once that stops smelling, you can remove the top layer and start again with the same candle.

Would we recommend buying one?

That's a resounding yes from us. Here are the things to consider:

  1. Safety: Candle warmers do away with the open flame, which can reduce the risk of accidents – though the lamp and wax still get hot, so always follow the manufacturer's safety instructions and keep them out of reach of children and pets.
  2. Fragrance: Candle warmers very effectively release the fragrance of the candle without burning it – a good option if you enjoy the scent of candles but don't want the soot that burning can produce, especially from paraffin candles.
  3. Longevity: Since the candle isn't burning, it can last a lot longer when used with a warmer.
  4. Aesthetics: Some people love the ambience of a real flickering flame. Candle warmers don't give quite the same look, but you can choose warm or cool bulbs to help with the ambience.
  5. Cost: Candle warmers might save money in the long run because the candle wax lasts longer. However, the initial cost of a warmer is a real consideration.
  6. Variety: There's a wide variety of candle warmers available. Choose one that suits your style and fits the size of your candles.
  7. Smoke and soot: With no flame, there's no smoke or soot from the candle itself.

Using wax melts rather than candles? Read our tea lights vs electric burners test to see how the type of burner affects scent throw.

Back to blog