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Product Details
- Binding
- Kitchen
- Brand
- Sunpentown
- Feature
- Virtually silent dual-mist ultrasonic humidifier disperses warm or cool mist
- Label
- Sunpentown
- Publisher
- Sunpentown
- Studio
- Sunpentown
- ItemDimensions
- Height:1450
Length:1600
Weight:750
Width:900 - PackageDimensions
- Height:880
Length:1600
Weight:760
Width:1450
Editorial Reviews
Effectively relieve dry nose, throat lips and itchy skin with the virtually silent Dual Mist Humidifier with ION exchange filter. Will help you breathe easier and sleep more comfortably. This ultrasonic humidifier disperses warm or cool mist. A split nozzle for bi-directional mist for wider coverage. Sleek design with easy to use control knobs. Large, transparent blue water tank with easy-carrying handle. ION exchange filter demineralizes and treats water to remove scale-forming calcium and magnesium from hard water. This prolongs the life of the ultrasonic generator and prevents white dust particles to deposit into the air.
1. It actually turns on. I got this unit after my Crane Adorable Humidifier (Penguin shape) refused to turn on.
2. It just works. I have a 10x13 room and this humidifier took my room's humidity from 21% to 42% in about 3 hours.
3. I really like the form factor. The unit is only 5.31 inches deep so it can easily fit on top of a short bookcase that also has a small depth. Few other humidifiers would fit where I have this humidifier right now.
4. It is fairly easy to fill. The top of the tank is flat so that when you turn the tank upsidedown to fill it, it can lie flat.
5. I'm pretty happy with the mist quality. Even on the highest setting, you're not going to see fat droplet sizes coming out. You are not going to end up with a puddle on the floor as long as you put it on a surface at least 2 feet above the floor.
Cons:
1. Some reviewers have complained about water leaking out of the tank. I noticed that on my unit, the washer (or o-ring) for the tank cap is a little bit too big. If you turn the cap shut too tightly, the o-ring will roll on itself, and the next time you unscrew the cap and screw it back on, the washer may not provide a good seal because it is out of place. Even the manual tells you to make sure the washer is in place when screwing on the cap. As long as the washer is in place, it won't leak. This is just a slight annoyance.
2. If you are blowing warm mist and you want to change it back to cool mist, it'll take awhile for it to become cold again because the unit does not actively cool the water. You'll have to either pour out the existing warm water in the base or wait until all the warm water in the base gets sent out. I am not a big fan of warm mist so it's a non-issue.
3. The unit is fairly quiet and I am pretty sure most people can sleep with the unit on without a problem. However, I am an ultra-sensitive sleeper and anything louder than completely silent is too much for me. If it was the just the humming noise, I think I would be able to take it, but what bothers me the most is the inevitable random water sounds caused by the ultrasonic plate generating large droplets of water and those droplets of water coming back down. Almost every humidifier will do that. The water noise is fairly low, it is just the randomness of the noise that annoys me when I try to sleep. When I am awake and my computer is on, I barely notice the humidifier because my computer is many times noisier than the humidifier and my computer is already pretty quiet.
Tradeoffs:
1. Yes, the tank is only 4 liters, but do you want a humidifier that fits on a bookcase or not?
2. Sure, the tank only last 12 hours on the maximum setting, but isn't that the point of a humidifier? If you desperately want humidity, wouldn't you want the humidifier to empty the tank as quickly as possible?
Other thoughts:
It is nice that this unit comes with a water filter, but of course the manual will recommend that you fill it with distilled water rather than tap water. Considering that I'll be breathing the water I put into the humidifier, I've been filling my tank with water that I've passed through a Brita filter in a water pitcher. However, doing that is somewhat a pain because it takes multiple pitchers to fill up the tank. I am thinking about getting a faucet filter so that I can fill the tank quickly.
UPDATE: My 10x13 room just hit 50% relative humidity and I'm loving it. My windows are starting to fog up, maybe I should turn it off.
I've tried a bunch of inexpensive ultrasonic, evaporation, and heating element based units but this one is the first that actually went ALL night.
It has a output volume knob that actually works: High is as thick as pea-soup fog and low is merely mouth breathing.
There is a built-in filter on the water supply so that may extend the life a bit but I don't know yet.
The light's aren't the super annoying injection laser diodes that I've seen on other models.
The vapor direction nozzle is nice because you can point the power and water alarm lights away from your bed.
The sunpentown humidifier has an ion exchange filter, so it doesn't smell at all. Plus, it is SILENT!! Even on high, you cannot hear it AT ALL.
We use it in a large living room (twice the size of the recommended area) and it works just fine. Also, you can actually see the mist coming out. In the words of a previous reviewer, it really is like pea soup.
We use it on medium and the water tank lasts for about 12-14 hours. If you use it in a smaller room, the low setting would work just fine, so it would last much longer.
The reason I only gave it four stars is because when the setting is on high, the water vapor coming out of the humidifier is so thick and heavy that most of it falls to the ground, getting everything damp and wet, and getting less moisture into the air. In fact, even on the medium setting, we have it set up on a countertop to maximize evaporation. This humidifier does not work well when placed on the floor.
We have had this humidifier for a few months now, and are very happy with it. Also, it looks very nice. It is not bulky and ugly like other humidifiers.
I've found that I only have to refill the unit once daily if I keep the humidity dial on a lower setting. If you want to raise the humidity, just be prepared to refill more frequently. Of interest is that the warm vapor setting results in vapor that isn't hot so much as luke warm. Still, it's better than cold vapor.
One special notation is that Amazon recommends combining this product purchase with the Protec Antimicrobial Cleaning Cartridges. However, the Protec instruction sheet contained in the package clearly instructs users to never use the product with ultrasonic humidifiers. Heads-up...
PROS:
1. It is thin and compact and can fit on a bedstand, unlike some of its big ugly hulking competitors.
2. It is almost completely silent!
3. The steam nozzle swivels so you can direct where it goes.
4. The translucent blue water chamber is nice for seeing the water level at a glance.
5. Finely adjustable mist levels, and hot/cold mist.
CONS:
1. The blue water chamber fills up from the bottom. So you have to take it off, turn it upside down and unscrew a cap in order to fill it up. Not a huge deal, but not the most convenient method either.
2. The entire unit has to be carried from the bottom since the blue water chamber merely sits on the top of the white section. Again, not a big deal once you have the unit where you want it.
3. The hot/cold mist didn't work for me. Maybe the heat element in mine is broken, but I didn't really feel the difference between the hot and cold settings. I didn't really care; cold mist was fine.
4. It's a little pricey as these devices go. But worth it, in my opinion.
Overall, a very nice unit.
UPDATE 2011: This unit is still going strong. It did start making some annoying gurgling noises, so I ran steaming hot water through both the top reservoir and the bottom piece (unplugged first, of course). This fixed the gurgling problem and also gave me a nice surprise: the hot mist feature, which never did anything before, started working! I clean it a little more often now in order to prevent future gurgling, and I put a ProTec antimicrobial cleaning cartridge in there monthly.
After reading the instructions (some humidifiers are touchy), I placed it on a flat, non-absorbant surface as recommended. This product worked GREAT the first time I used it.
The next day, I filled it up the next day and left for work, hoping to return to a much less dry home when I got back. What I returned to was water all over the bedroom floor, because the humidifer had decided to dump it's contents right out of the bottom.
I buy from Amazon religiously, and rarely have a problem with any of their items, but I can say for certain - between mine and others' negative experiences with this product, they should stop carrying it until some serious quality control issues are fixed.
Returned for refund.
We initially bought one SPT SU-4010 and put it in our daughter's room. After the first night having it run at 1/3 intensity on the Cool Mist setting we noticed that it was significantly easier to breathe in her room than the rest of the house. Of course we immediately bought another for our room, my wife no longer has to take decongestants before going to bed.
The unit is easy to use and to refill, but the one thing keeping me from giving this product a full 5 stars is that when you go to refill the tank, you better have a towel handy because it will drip when you separate the tank from the base unit. It's nothing a few seconds or a little shake can't take care of, but if you're not paying attention you'll leave a wet trail to the faucet. And by the way, you can run the unit at 50% intensity for two nights(roughly 18 hours) on a full tank.
I absolutely recommend this product as does my wife. And she is way, way more discriminating than I am.
- It is ultrasonic, so no changing of filters and the amount of mist can be varied. You can go through a tank in 12 hours or several days, depends on the setting, the weather, the size of the room and how much circulation to the rest of the house you have.
- It is very easy to fill. When filling, don't tighten the filter much beyond sealing, you can tighten it so much that it becomes hard to unscrew it to re-fill. It's easy to see how much is still in the tank.
- Besides a very low hum, the unit does make an occasional gurgling sound, which you will get used to in a few days. I don't even notice it anymore.
- The warm mist is not exactly hot, but it is warmer than the room air, so that's nice.
- Don't worry about leaving it on, it will stop itself and a red light comes on. Very informative.
- Based on the visual level of the water and the setting, you will have a rough idea of how long the unit will take to run out of water.
- We use filtered water, which still has some minerals in it (we live in San Diego - hard water capital of the world), and even though all water goes through the filter, some white deposits do accumulate on the underside of the tank. You might want to clean this stuff off (mostly it comes off pretty easily) every few months. In any case, it's on the underside of the filling unit, you only see it when you turn the tank upside down to fill it.
Altogether, we are 100% satisfied with this unit. If it broke down, we'd buy another in a heartbeat.
Pros:
Humidity - lots and lots of humidity. This thing works alot better than any of those drug store humidifiers that you will find for $30-$40 and then break after a couple of years. It really generates a ton of humidity and is really exceptional in that regard.
Directional misters - the directional misters are terrific and work well. We have the humidifier in a corner and the whole room gets the humidity because we direct the misters right to the middle of the room even though the humidifier is in the corner.
Low sound - this humidifier is very very quiet. After awhile, you will not notice it in the room at all. We switched to this from a heating element humidifier that finally broke down on us, and that humidifier, which literally boiled water, sounded like a lawnmower next to this one. Extremely quiet, especially based on the amount of humidity that it generates.
Neutral:
Analog controls - this is a matter of personal preference. Every humidifier I ever had with digital controls broke, mainly because the controls broke, so I prefer analog controls, but some people like the digital. For that reason, I'm putting it as a neutral, but for me it is a plus.
Cons:
Filter - I don't like filters and this is no exception. First off, you still have to clean the humidifier. You may have to clean it less often than a humidifier without a filter, but you still have to clean it. After two months - with the filter - our humidifier has developed some mineral accumulations.
Filter cost - the filter costs for this unit are outrageous. $30 for the filter is simply unacceptable, as for the price of two filters I could buy another humidifier.
Warm mist - the warm mist on this is a joke. On the "warm" setting, the mist comes out room temperature. On the cold setting, the mist is a little cooler than that. This is not a true dual-temperature humidifier, so prepare to be underwhelmed. If you really want warm mist, then you may need to buy a humidifier based on a heating element rather than this one.
CONCLUSION -
A very very good, but not great humidifier that performs its main function - i.e.: generating humidity - extremely well. Where it goes awry are the in the details, the lack of a true warm mist, the so-so filter and the ridiculously high filter cost. But there is no perfect humidifier, so make your decision accordingly. Best of luck shopping!
On the negative side, the unit cannot be left on the floor. There is a small fan or vent underneath which needs space. The other problem is related to the high vapor output. If the unit is on the floor (even hardwood) the vapor falls out and collects on the floor. There is not enough time for it to be absorbed into the air and a wet spot forms on the floor. So the unit must be high off the ground or turned down to a lower output. I have used towels to protect my floors for water buildup. The tank cap gets tighter have it is drained for so reason I have yet to figure out. I think anyone with weaken muscles (i.e. elderly) could have difficultly opening the cap to re-fill the unit. The warm mist mode puts slightly more vapor out and lessens the room temperature drop slightly, but not by much. Last, you need to be careful where the unit is placed because it is slightly top heavy when completed filled with water.
If you use a humidifier everyday and can stand the fan noise, then the filter style is a good value. Just by the filters in bulk. The SPT SU-4010 can be used everyday or on occasion when humidity is needed, treating a cold for example, then this works well. Just keep it in low output on a table to chair. Running a small quiet fan or ceiling fan will help distribute the vapor in the room. As with any humidifier, you need to exercise care not to over humidify a room, especially in the winter. The condensation on walls and windows can lead to mold and mildew growth. Be sure to regularly dry out and clean the room. Keep the RH around 50% if possible.
Pros:
Quiet
Lots of vapor output
Little to no fouling
Low cleaning requirements
Sleek looking
Cons:
Cannot be on a carpet
Hard to open the cap after use
I called Amazon and the next day I was sent a replacement. Amazon told me that they would deal with the company. PROBLEM IS - THE REPLACEMENT DOES NOT WORK. JUST AS DEFECTIVE AS THE ITEM THAT I HAVE. IT TURNS ON BUT NO STEAM! AMAZON WILL TAKE BACK BOTH OF THEM AND GIVE ME A FULL REFUND. THANK GOD FOR AMAZON AND DO NOT BUY THIS ITEM !!! I am filing a complaint with the Attorney General of California. The US division of Supentown is based in California. The parent is in Taiwan and I am sending the CEO a letter.
Today it basically died on me. It will not produce any vapor and just hums and gets unusually warm. I've just contacted SPT but they have no online support, which is frustrating. I'm hoping to hear back from them soon. If I don't, or if the unit can't be fixed, I will not by another.
I recently realized what I did wrong, I had the knob turned up too high; when the knob is turned down low, the mist will eventually come out very warm, and the water in the tank lasts about 48h!
I have this unit on the floor, and the floor is not getting wet at all. As the only heater in a 12x6 room, it raised the temperature 2 degrees compared to the rest of the house.
I am sensitive to sound when I sleep, this humidifier doesn't bother me at all. Very quiet.
A medicine cup like the Vicks humidifier has would have been nice, the mist is coming out hotter in the Vicks humidifier, but that unit is not as quiet as this one.
Purchased in Jan. 2010, runs great so far, will update if that changes.
1. It leaked within the first week
2. The warm mist is not remotely warm
3. Lastly, within the first week, the humidifier would not work, and the red light to add more water would not go off.
I had a perfectly good Air-O-Swiss humidifier, but it did not have warm mist. So, I thought to trade-up, which was a tremendous mistake. I have bought dozens of products from Amazon, and this was the single worst, the only one I felt that I needed to share my experience. I would advise everyone DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT.
PROS: Basically silent (I sleep with it about 2 feet from my head and can barely hear it), warm/cold mist settings, runs a long time (12-24 hours depending on output), DURABLE, nice looking, nozzle lets you direct the mist 2 directions at once.
TIPS: can be a little tricky to clean- I recommend using baking soda which helps get some of the slime off. ALSO: when screwing in the filter after filling the tank be careful not to tighten it too much. I've noticed it seems to pressurize after use, and it was almost impossible to unscrew the next time. Now I BARELY tighten it and it works fine.
. Fan force Evaporation - A fan blows into a wick. Loud and large and the wick allows bacteria/mold to grow. The wick/filter needs frequent replacement.
. Impeller - A high-speed spinning disk breaks up water into beats. Loud and the droplets are not small enough, so they tend to fall around the unit creating white residue problem. Will not last long due to hard water residue.
. Steam vaporizer - Heats up water into steam. It sounds like a boiling pot of water and is a hazard for children. Uses more electricity and heats up the room. One good thing about this type is that the steam is free from bacteria.
. Ultrasonic - will release minerals and bacteria from the water into the air just like the Impeller type. But I still prefer this type because it's quiet, small, powerful, relatively safe, energy efficient and doesn't foster bacteria growth.
I need moisture throughout the house for a baby who has severe eczema caused by dry skin. Most humidifiers out there are for small rooms of size 250 square feet. This one is rated for 500 square feet which is almost enough for both the bedroom and the living room. Some pros and cons about this particular unit:
.[good] Powerful - I was amazed when I saw the kind of steam coming out of this small humidifiers. It's physically smaller than the two impeller types I bought at the local drug stores, yet managed to pump out enough steam to look like a boiling pot of water. After running for a couple of hours, my humidity sensor went from 55% to 77%. Anymore than that my house would be a sauna.
.[neutral] Small Tank - very small footprint, which is good, but I have to add water 2 or 3 times a day at max power.
.[good] Quiet - True to its Ultrasonic design, it's barely audible, even in the still of the night. Much quieter than the two impeller humidifiers I previously owned.
.[good] Warm/Cool modes - I like the warm mode as it vaporizes the water mist better. And in hot months, I can use cool mode.
.[good] Rotating dual nozzle - I put this humidifier high up in a book case out of children's reach. The nozzle directs the steam away from the book case so that my books and the wood panels don't get wet.
.[neutral] Filter - It has a filter that needs replacement every 6 months. That's additional money and hassle, but necessary. My last two el-cheapo humidifiers eventually died from hard water deposits.
.[bad] Not easy to add water - I have to lift the top handle to take the blue tank out, then flip it in reverse and take care not to drop the nozzle and not to let water drip out to the floor, then unscrew the filter which acts as a cap, then place the whole thing under a kitchen faucet to add water. The bad thing is I have to do this 2 to 3 times a day. I prefer some other designs that allow pouring water into a top hole without lifting the entire tank out.
Some Notes:
Water. Using filtered water, I do not have any white dust from using my humidifier. When I attempted to use tap water, I had white dust on furniture within a day. But I do live in an area where the tap water is disgustingly undrinkable.
Maintenance. I clean my humidifier about once every 2 weeks usually with vinegar. Basically, I empty the water from the base and wipe off the surfaces. I use the provided cleaning brush and a toothbrush for the nooks and crannies on the base and the lid. Total cleaning time is probably about 5 minutes.
Filling. I fill my humidifier first thing in the morning. At a fairly high setting, it runs out sometime during the night. I seldom drip water when filling the reservoir tank. To reduce water drips, I first turn off the humidifier, remove the nozzle, and tilt the water reservoir as I pull it off the base. Likewise, when putting the water reservoir back on the base, I tilt the reservoir so any collected water will fall into the base as I set it in place.
Replacement filters are sold by amazon for $30. How many weeks does winter last? This is a significant manufacturing defect. These filters should last for one month of continuous operation at maximum output, vice two weeks.
We found filters at i-market.com for $50.00, including shipping, for two filters.
The humidifier produces excellent mist but is designed for a 500 square foot room vice using it as a whole house humidification aid. It can supply double that area. The owners manual states the humidifier requires weekly cleaning. The cleaning brush is hidden inside the base, just remove the water receptacle and look at the botton left front.
Regarding the dripping problem when lifting the water container away from it's base, just hold it steady for 3 seconds. To collect those recurring drips, a perfect drip/humidifier container is made by Sterilite for minimal cost. The 6 Qt./5.7 Liter model 1851 with lid has dimensions 13-3/4" x 8" x 5".
Although the 5 inch height comes to just above the middle control knob(s) height, the rest of the container provides ample room while maintaining a slim profile. Wal-mart carries these if Amazon does not.
The filter is not supposed to breakdown and release fine white particles, like older model humidifers did constantly. However, this must be a manufacturer's little "white" lie. Currently, I estimate filter replacement after 14 days of constant maximum output.
1) Quiet
2) It definately works in humidifying the air
3) Easy to use buttons for those who are not tech savvy (great for my grandmother who doesn't read English)
CONS:
1) Has a funny smell when I used tap water. Smelled like something burning. Tested with filtered water and it was better.
2) Don't see the difference between warm and cool. The warm mist was not warm at all.
3) Had a difficult time figuring out why the "add water" light kept being on even though I filled the tank 1/4 full at first. Thinking it needed more water to cover the top of the filter, I added more water and turned it on. The red light still stayed on and the humidifier wouldn't work. Thinking it is not properly placed, I pushed the tank down and it worked. So second time I filled it up I pushed the tank down and still noticed the light being on. Frustrated, I looked at the humidifier and saw bubbles coming up from the filter and all of a sudden the humidifier worked. Soooo...I'm guessing the water needed to fill up the filter inside before the humidifier registers there is water in the tank?
The heating element stopped working today so it now only blows cool mist. A bummer, but still functioning. Had it not been for the superior customer service I've received from Supentown, I'd be more disappointed in this product. Earlier this year they mailed a replacement part free of charge along with instructions and were just fantastic in the way they handled my 2nd complaint to them on this unit. This 3rd complaint is just too much for such an expensive humidifier. Maybe I got a lemon, either way, I give up on this unit. Decide for yourself, there's good and bad to purchasing this humidifier.
12/10/10 - UPDATE ON PRODUCT...
Well, it took less than 30 days for this unit to break. The handle is screwed into the cannister and that handle snapped off last night at the screw (and yes I followed the instructions and supported the cannister from the bottom when carrying it, but the handle still broke off!) Even if a customer is supposed to support it from the bottom when carrying, I think we have a reasonable expectation that it would last more than 30 days!
Called Customer Service at SPT today. They were all over replacing the cannister. SPT asked me to send the the amazon invoice/order confirmation and then presto, they indicated they'd send a new tank out today. So a very positive Customer Service review for SPT (rep. was Rosalie), but the product breakage, quite disappointing.
I've also noticed this unit performs better from a higher elevation than from the floor. Like other customers, I have noticed a wet carpet when it sits on the floor (not soaking wet, but noticeable), but not when placed on a shelf or table. Luckily it's small enough to fit on shelves or tables with no worries.
Based upon this first experience with SPT products I'm disappointed, but SPT Customer Service made me happier by replacing the broken cannister with no hassle. The product loses a star because while I still like the product, I don't love it any more.
==========
Very pleased with this purchase. Works almost instantly once you turn the power on. Provides an excellent mist with no condensation problems on the floor. Smaller unit than other humidifiers purchased in the past and that was a pleasant and welcome surprise. It works just as well if not better than the larger Vicks or Holmes units.
This unit works great, it is dead quiet, it NEVER leaked, and it humidifies our bedroom great! It is really taht simple. Some reviews said it did not last long. We have used ours around the clock, for 3 months, and without a hiccup! Will it still work next year? We will have to wait and see. But this winter, it worked flawlessly!
This is still a great quiet humidifier WHEN IT WORKS. The normal operation is quiet enough for me to place it in the bedroom while I'm sleeping, and from 15 feet away I can't tell if it's on (except for the occasional noise from the air bubbles, every 5-10 minutes). The humidifier can run for about 20 hours on a medium setting and 7-8 hours on the high setting.
I see the company is still tweaking the design because I have bought three so far and all three are defective and different in one way or another.
The first one I bought I used on high, 10 hours a day on the warm setting but after 6 weeks the sonic plate stopped working. It needs to go back to the company to be fixed. The low setting put out lots of mist and seemed like medium-high so it seems dial wasn't calibrated correctly and eventually failed.
I bought a second one for another room and started using it when the first one went out. The fan on this one was maybe 5 times louder as if the fan wasn't properly installed (it had a worbling sound). Because this was so noisy and made it difficult to sleep, it needs to go back to the company to be fixed as well. The mist dial on this one did work, so the low setting actually puts out very little mist which makes sense.
So I bought a third one last week - this one has a quiet fan, and a dial that works well but it has a grey power cord instead white like the previous two and it has a power relay that clicks on and off. After a two days the relay would trip every few seconds on the warm high setting so I'm limited to using only the medium setting for warm or the cool setting almost on high. So once the other two are repaired this one will go back. Lame.
Kudos: this ultrasonic humidifier is the most quiet humidifier I've ever bought. Typical warm humidifiers have a water gurgling noise and cool (wick) humidifiers have fan noise. This humidifier avoids those problems and has only a small fan. The humidity level is controlled by near-silent ultrasound which doesn't get louder at higher mist outputs.
Some annoyances:
-This is too small for the price: for only a little more in cost (in plastic) this humidifier could be twice the size and have a second transducer to put out even more humidity. At least that way if one transducer went out I wouldn't be sending it back for repairs.
-The screw on cap has the same poor feature that leaked on other humidifiiers I've owned. It would be better if the screw-on cap had a thread stop to lock it in place without the possibility of over tightening. (Vornado humidifiers have this feature)
Overall, the features are good and it includes its own filter, even though I keep a Brita filter in the bathroom for better water as well. If they could just produce a reliable unit that lasts say three winters, this would be a good buy.
1. It works. Fills a room with humidity very quickly, and seems to produce a greater volume of mist than other humidifiers in this range.
2. It produces both warm and cool mist. It produces warm mist by warming the water prior to shooting it skyward, and though it only feels marginally warmer than the cool mist, it seems to go through water more quickly on this setting (making your room even more humid).
3. It has a cool ionizer filter. I don't really know if this does much, except take up room in the tank, but it's a feature other humidifiers didn't have and makes me feel like the SPT is an even better value.
4. Most important thing--it is the quietest humidifier I have ever used. I have gone through many, trying to find one that my wife can live with (sleep through). She is a very light sleeper and the most seemingly innocent noises will keep her from sleeping. This humidifier passes the wife test, and for that, gets five stars.
Right out of the box, the filter smelled strongly of the kind of "plastic" smell that indicates cheap plastic was used to manufacture it. I had to let it sit for a day in order for this smell to dissipate, as under no conditions did I want this kind of smell in my (relatively small) bedroom, especially while sleeping.
I filled the filter half-way with distilled water, which is supposed to prolong the life of the filter because it does not have any minerals to clog it. I set the filter on "cold mist" and turned it on to a medium humidity setting. The cold mist started to come out and again I detected an extremely strong plastic smell in the mist. I turned the filter off, took off the nozzle and let it soak in water for a few hours hoping this would solve the problem. Unfortunately, it did not. I turned the filter on again and let it run again for a few hours in a room with all the windows open, otherwise after only half an hour the smell would become unbearable. Even after it ran for 3-4 hours, it still emitted that plastic odor. I will have to let it run again with the windows open tomorrow and am really hoping this solves the problem once all the water that is currently in the filter is misted.
The filter seems to work fine otherwise. I look forward to actually being able to use it to increase the humidity in my apartment, without having to deal with the plastic smell.
I'd give it 3 1/2 or 4 stars.
Features: adjustable saturation, detachable two-directional vapor nozzle, off-cold-warm control, internal de-ionizing filter, about 1 gallon capacity reservoir, indicators for "power" and "low water". The controls and indicators are easy to use and understand. The writing is a bit small (I wear reading glasses now but have good eyes otherwise).
The unit works best with the vapor nozzle installed, it accelerates the mist and allows you to direct where the mist goes. Without the nozzle it looks "really cool" but mist condenses on the surfaces of the unit and surrounding items.
The reservoir is an open-bottom design (remove filter from bottom and fill), it sits on top of the rest of the unit. If it is not properly installed, or if the filter is not properly installed, the unit may leak. You have to be a little quick removing and replacing the reservoir, but it has a nice handle and isn't that hard to deal with as long as you remember to pick it up quickly.
I imagine it has potential for "white dust", using deionized water should help, and should help make the filters last longer.
It's summer, in the Mojave. I have this set-up so the cool mist (low saturation) drifts over my desk. I can feel the moisture and coolness.
We have been using it for just over a month or so now, and are quite pleased. We really love the bi-directional spout. You can push the spouts together and direct your mist in a single direction or in two seperate directions. It also runs ultra-quiet which is perfect when we watch TV in that room.
In the first week or so of using the unit, we noticed that on occasion, one spout would have little or no mist comming out of it. A little tap or movement of the spout would start it streaming again. This was annoying, but after a number of times getting up and moving the spout, it doesn't happen any more. Maybe it was some build up or blockage, I did not wash the spout prior to using.
The water tank needs to be filled twice a day for us if we run it all day and night at about 60-75% mist capacity. Do not leave the unit on when you pull the tank out to refill it as there is some water left in the unit and it will bubble and spatter out all around the unit (looking like a leak) as I found out the hard way.
If I could change one thing about it ... I would have it available in a larger unit. Our living room is just over 15'x20' and it works, but not quite eliminating the static everywhere in the room. I think maybe we could run it constantly at full capacity (and re-fill it more often), but surley two units (at a lower output as two is a little more than we need for our room) would do. A unit with 1 1/2 times the capabilities would be perfect for what we need it for.
The left dial controls the amount of mist generated. Set to roughly medium (12 o'clock), a full tank lasts through the night.
Very pleased with it, I can't really come up with any drawbacks.