Hiland HLDS01-WCGT Patio Heater Review — Big Heat, Handy Table, Some Real-World Quirks

If you’ve ever tried to host an “outdoor dinner” and watched everyone migrate indoors the moment the temperature drops, you already get the appeal of a tall propane patio heater. The promise is simple: keep the patio usable longer, without turning the whole evening into a cold-weather endurance test.

This review is built from real customer experiences — the good, the annoying, and the “why is this dented” moments that show up a little too often with large patio gear.

TL;DR — the quick verdict

Owners buy this heater for one reason: it makes a patio hangout feel warmer fast, especially when everyone’s sitting or standing within a few feet of the heat. The hammered bronze look gets a lot of love, and the table tray ends up being more useful than most people expect.

The tradeoff is that the overall experience can swing wildly depending on what shows up at your door. Some customers unbox a clean, solid unit that fires right up. Others deal with dents, bent parts, missing hardware, or a pilot-light learning curve that turns “quick setup” into a small project.

The heat you actually feel (and where it works best)

Most happy owners describe the heat as the kind you notice — the “ahh, that’s better” warmth that makes deck dinners, cigar nights, and small gatherings feel comfortable again. A common theme is that it performs best as a targeted comfort zone. Pull chairs in a bit, angle it where people actually sit, and it does its job.

A few reviewers mention it won’t perform miracles in deep cold unless you’re close — which lines up with how most tall patio heaters behave. It’s less “heat the whole backyard” and more “make this part of the patio nice to live in.”

The table tray: gimmick or genuinely useful?

This is one of the surprise wins. Plenty of buyers admit they didn’t care about the table at checkout, then ended up using it constantly once the heater became the center of the patio. Drinks, small plates, snack bowls — it’s the little convenience that makes the setup feel more “hangout-ready.”

That said, the table is also one of the most complained-about parts. Some owners say the clamp can wobble or gradually slide down over time, and a few point to plastic components that don’t feel like they’ll stay perfect forever. If you’re the type who leans on the tray or loads it up, you’ll probably want to test it and keep expectations realistic.

Lighting and ignition: easy… after you learn the trick

This is where a lot of the reviews get very honest.

Many owners say it lights reliably once you follow the purge steps (especially after swapping propane tanks). Others say the pilot process is finicky, the instructions are confusing, or it takes multiple tries the first time you use it. A handful of people end up using a long-stem lighter through the viewing hole because it’s faster for them than fighting the igniter.

The most common takeaway: there’s a learning curve, but once you’ve done it a few times, it becomes routine.

Build quality: solid where it counts, flimsy where it’s annoying

When customers praise the build, they’re usually talking about the heater’s core function — it gets hot, stays running, and feels stable enough when it’s set in place.

When customers complain, it’s often about the “big metal shell” stuff: cylinder housing panels that feel a bit thin, parts that don’t line up perfectly, a pole that leans unless you shim it, or fasteners that feel like they were designed by someone who never had to assemble one.

Basically: the heater can work great, but the fit-and-finish experience isn’t consistently “restaurant-grade.”

Wind and stability: plan for real life, not perfect conditions

Tall patio heaters can act like a sail. Multiple owners report tipping in gusts, bent reflector pieces, and damage after storms — sometimes even in winds that didn’t seem extreme at the time. The consistent advice is to add ballast (many people use sand), keep it on a level surface, and move it into shelter when weather gets ugly.

This lines up with common patio-heater safety guidance: don’t use it in high winds, and expect reduced efficiency in colder weather.

Shipping and missing parts: the most frustrating theme

The biggest pattern that has nothing to do with heat is packaging. Dents in the base, bent domes, scratched finishes, and loose hardware show up again and again. Some owners fix it with pliers and a mallet and move on. Others are understandably irritated — because returning a fully assembled patio heater is nobody’s idea of fun.

If you buy this model, the best move is simple: inventory parts and inspect panels before you build.

Propane usage: mixed reports, but do the leak test

Some owners feel the heater is reasonably efficient, especially if they aren’t running it on max all night. Others are shocked at how fast tanks empty. A few suspect leaks, which is why it’s smart to do a proper soap-bubble leak test at the connections before first use and anytime you reconnect the gas.

Customer service: surprisingly great… or a dead end

This one is split right down the middle.

There are reviews praising support reps who stayed on the phone and helped troubleshoot until everything worked. And then there are reviews that claim the opposite — no replies, wrong replacement parts, or long delays. In other words: you might get excellent help, but you shouldn’t assume you will.

Who this heater is for

You’ll like this heater if you want:

• A strong, warm “patio zone” heater for dinners and hangouts
• A finish that looks good outdoors and blends into most patios
• A table tray you’ll actually use for drinks and snacks
• Wheels for repositioning it around the deck

You should skip it (or buy with extra patience) if:

• You hate assembling things — especially when holes don’t align perfectly
• You live in a windy area and can’t easily move/secure the heater
• You want flawless packaging and premium fit-and-finish every time
• You don’t want any learning curve with ignition