McPower TCU-330

The same 3 500 W ceiling, a different switch

McPower states the identical maximum load as the ChiliTec ST35 reviewed alongside it in this hub — 230 V, 16 A, 3 500 W — which puts every heater reviewed on this site well within range. The highest wattage among them is 2 000 W (the De’Longhi Radia S, the De’Longhi HCM2030, and the Rowenta SO2212F0 on Turbo), drawing roughly 8.7 A, comfortably under the 16 A ceiling. The Dreo Atom 316 draws about 6.5 A at its stated 1 500 W, and the 1 000 W units in this comparison — the Könighaus P-Serie 1000 W, the Bestherm ALBA, the Noirot Radiaflo, and the Alpina CHYO2 on a lower setting — draw around 4.3 A. What differs from the ChiliTec is the control layout: instead of a heating/cooling slide switch, the TCU-330 has a two-position ON/AUTO switch, and McPower’s own description doesn’t spell out how the automatic mode decides switching direction for a cooling appliance the way ChiliTec’s explicit selector does.

Built-in sensor, and the same room-versus-socket caveat

Like the ChiliTec ST35, the TCU-330 measures with a sensor built into its own housing rather than an external probe on a cable. That means the reading is taken at the socket, which runs warmer than the room at large once a heater has been cycling — so the room can settle a degree or two below the dial’s setpoint. This isn’t unique to McPower’s design; it’s the trade-off of any thermostat that skips a remote sensor in favour of a simpler, cheaper build.

The shutter, and the marketing language around it

McPower’s listing states an “Einsteckschutz” — an insertion shutter over the socket, meant as extra protection against electric shock when the outlet isn’t in use. That’s a concrete, checkable feature the ChiliTec listing doesn’t mention either way. Less checkable is McPower’s framing of itself as a German brand meeting “German quality standards and norms” for over two decades — that’s manufacturer copy, not a certification number or a standard we can look up, so we’re reporting it as a claim rather than treating it as a spec.

Where we found it in stock

We checked Amazon.de (DE), Amazon.fr (FR), Amazon.it (IT), Amazon.es (ES), Amazon.co.uk (GB), and Amazon.com (US). ASIN B075XJY1WC carried a live offer on DE, FR, IT, and ES, at prices from about 22 € (DE) to around 27 € (FR/IT/ES) — all below the 31.99 € list price shown on the German listing. We found no ASIN at all under this EAN on Amazon UK or Amazon US, so we’re not listing either as available.