Portable Air Conditioners

Reviews

Quite Air filter, on silent mode one need to look at the led to make sure its on. The quality is exceptional, well worth the premium price ... Although hard to find would purchase this item again. A++++ for Amazon's customer service. Fast delivery!

An amazing piece of hardware. Dead quiet and totally automatic, the remote control isn't really needed. Set the machine on Auto and the plasma clusters turn on if the air has been deemed to be unclean. After a few minutes, it reverts back to a low clean level rest phase totally automatically. Set it and forget it.

It is now one year since I bought this for my mom - she loves it and says it does a great job, but for me, I wouldve bought something else had I known about Sharp's business practices. I went looking for replacement filters today. The product description says no filters need be replaced for at least 2 years, but the "change filter" light for the non-washable filters came on and stayed on at 6 months (she has no pets either) About the only place to get replacement filters is from Sharp's website at full retail price and they want $110 for the hepa filter which is over a third of the price of the unit (thats $220/year folks) I just went and bought the hepa and charcoal filters from Sharp (as I had no choice) and they require shipping costs of $7.75 for the charcoal filter and a separate $14.25 shipping charge for the hepa filter even though I am ordering them together. So yes, if you dont mind getting royally reamed for the accessories, go ahead and purchase this. I am sure that products exist that do as good a job cleaning the air that have a must lower cost of ownership - If I were you I'd buy one of those. PFIL-A078KKFA PRE FILTER $14.50 + $7.75 shipping PFIL-A097KKEZ HEPA FILTER $110.00 + 14.25 shipping

When you live with carpeting, like we do, dust is your enemy. You don't tend to notice it in the air unless you happen to catch the sunlight just right. Some carpet material is better than others as far as dust, yet air pollution is a major concern everywhere. Add to that our body becoming more allergic to dust and air pollution as we age and we really should consider a good air cleaner as a standard home appliance these days. We have used three different types of air cleaners and this Sharp is BY FAR the best. Not only does it do it's job of cleaning the air of dust and pollen, but it does it quietly. We've had this excellent machine running constantly in our bedroom since we got it almost two years ago. I put it on auto mode and it just takes care of it's business without the usual fan noise most others seem to need to work. If the sensor detects a certain level of dust in the air it will increase the fan automatically until the dust level is reduced then returns to quiet mode. In the spring, I change to the Pollen mode and that reduces the pollen as well as the dust. Never have to concern ourselves with turning on and off, just leave it on auto or pollen mode. Before this I used to wake up in the morning with a layer of caked dust in my mouth - otherwise known as dry mouth. It was a morning challenge cleaning this mess out of my mouth and throat. Now, I brush, gargle and am down the road in no time. A truly superior home appliance we will not live without.

It was time for a second air filter in our apartment to compliment the Rabbit Air we bought a while ago.Rabbit Air BioGS (model 421A - covers 600 sq. ft.) Ultra-Quiet Air Purifier w/ Germicidal Sterilization- Low Maintenance - Washable Filters!. We wanted to spend less and find something that took up less room while keeping the low noise qualities of the Rabbit Air. This filter succeeds with the low noise levels, a lower price, unfortunately is only slightly smaller but has the added benefit that the front lights can be switched off while the unit still operates. The Rabbit Air has a very bright front panel that lights up a room in the middle of the night. We would cover it with paper or cloth. This Sharp is very sensitive and changes the air speed more often than the Rabbit Air ever did in the same room. The results? If waking up without teary eyes in the morning is the test, both do equally well. The Rabbit Air now lives in the living room. We can recommend this over the Rabbit Air for apartment dwellers.

Reviews

I noticed that all portable air conditioner reviews give either 4 or 5 stars or 1 or two stars. The difference seemed to be that the one or two star people did something major that caused the problem, and you could tell what it was, just by reading the complaint. (return a unit that is leaking when you open the carton, stand it up and wait two hours before trytin to turn it on, so that the freon is not flodding the pump (it will break), etc. I am a chemical engineer, and have worked with both the theory and practical aspects of AC.- so let me give you a brief rundown of how to ick te best unit for you, and how to get the best performsnce afterward: 1. Picking a unit: (use the sortable list on www.portableacguide.com to compare different models) a. There are two main types: 3-in-1 and 4-in-1. 3-in-1 modes are Fan, AC and Dehumidifier. The dehumidifier mode uses the AC to cool the air until the water comes out, then puts the hot ir it sends outside when working as an AC unit back into the room instead of sending it outside. 4-in-1 adds a heater. Cheap designs use an electric heater coil placed in front of the fan. (Ok if you only want a little heat, now and then, or if you want heat when it is colder than 41 degrees outside. (buy this in Maine.) More expensive 4-in-1 units do not use an electric heater, but act like a "heat pump"- that is, they work like good home units popular south of the mason dixon line (wiki it, kids). More about this when we get to my FAQs on mode 4. Mode 1 FAQ While buying an AC just for the fan is not smart, don't underestmate the fan only control. Moving air over you can add 5 to 6 degrees to the temprature you feel is comfortable. If it is only 76 or 77 degrees out, try just sing the fan, and pointing it at you. It will usually o the job unless the humidity is extremely high. Mode 2 FAQ: AC size is measure in BTU but typically you need 6000 BTU for a room that is 200 sq ft (eg, it is 20x10 or 14x15). This is if the room is well insulated, the sunlight does not stream in, and the AC is left on so you don't need a quick cool-down. people by an 8000BTU unit and expect it to cool the hot, hunid 350 sq fot bedroom in 1/2 hour. The web site I recommended has tips on correct sizing. One tip I will add is that the exhaust hose is 15 inches fully collapsed. The more you extend it nd make it go around bends, the poorer it will work. Lots of sharp bends and fully extending the hose will "derate" the effective size (and efficnecy) by possibly as much as 20%. When in doubt, buy bigger- but too big a unit will make a gale when the fan is on, and will cycle on and off way to often. Mode 4. (yeah, its out of order, but this is for a good reaon). Heat pumps reverse some valves in the AC unit, and suddenly, the pipe going outside gives off cold air, and the indoor part puts out hot air, This is roughly twice as energy efficient as the cheaper heating coil, but stops working around 40 degrees of outdoor temperature. Mode 3 FAQ: Dehumidification only, and, oh yeah, an AC does dehumidification while it cools- Actually , the AC dehumidifies too. If the basement is too damp, you can use a portable unit to warm it up a little and dry it out a lot. Then, if it gets too warm, switch to AC and cool it and dry it. For htat matter, just sit a windo unit on a chair, and let it blow back into the room instead of out a window, and use it as a dehumidifier. In coastal regions, and near rivers and lakes, the air is very humid. Dehumidifiers must cool the air as much as an AC to get rid of the water, (and use as much energy as an AC does), but they dump the hot air back into the room instead of pushing it outside. unless you have a cool damp basement problem, the Dehumidifier only mode is not the answer. But what happens to the water from the dehumidifier action? An AC may use more energy removing the water than cooling the air. (this is why it tale so long to cool a hot, humid room the first time, but if it is keep closed, so that the next day it is only hot, it will not take nearly as long to cool it down again.) A room sized machine will typically remove 10 gallons (40 pints) or more a day. The water runs to the bottom of the unit. Window units drain the water that collects in the bottom of the unit out the window. A portable AC has to collect it. Typical collection resevoirs hold less than 4 pints, at which time a float switch stops the cooling and leaves only the fan (so you think it doesn't cool after just a few hours use if you just plug it in and let it run.) You can attach a hose and drain continuously (use a hose clamp if you do), or else empty the tiny resivoir each time the AC stops cooling. The trouble with using a hose is that the hose is not very high off the floor, and the resevoir will simply overflow if you don't notice it is full. Here is my solution. Elevate the machine a few inches by standing it on a set of bed leg height adjusters (>$10 at a hardware store), then, attach the hose, and fashion a hook to hang the end of the free end of the hose up on the machine. I straightened a large paper clip and tied it around the hose near the free end, and bent the end of the paper clip so that it hooked into a convenient spot high enough up on the machine to know the hose would not overflow before the float inside the machine shut off the AC. Since the hose is transparent, I can see how full the resevior is, and, without shutting off the AC, unhook the hose and drain it into a 1 gal plastic jug that sits on the floor and has a hole in the side near the top. Hang the hose back up on its hook, and use the water on your plants or in your iron. (it is actually rain water that you made yourself). The reason, by the way, they can remove 40 or more pints a day, and only have a resevoir 1/10th the size, is that they blow most of the water they collect onto the condensor coils (the ones that put hot air back outside). This water helps cool the coils and makes the AC run more efficiently- and you don't have to dump it. (They do this to help get back the energy required to remove it from the air that is going into your room.) About 90% of the water collected will be used this way. This means that if you have no humidity, your energy bill will be about the same, since you don't take it out, and don't put it back. However, if you do live in low humidity, maybe you should be buying a much cheaper evaporative cooler, that cools you by spraying water into the air. If I can go back to mode 4 (heater, again, It also means that the manufacturer of units with a heat pump mean it when they say that when you use a unit to heat with, set up a continuous drain. Spraying the water on the normally hot (now cold) side will form ice, and freeze up the unit, causing it to fail to operate, and possible damage to the compressor. For the advanced student, who wants to continuously drain the unit in the summer, Just remember that you are eliminating one of the big energy reducing feature- the re-use of the water to spray cool the hot condensor coils. My hose trick can be modified by putting a tee connector in the hose above the drain outlet of the unit, but below the height that causes the compressor to shut off- connect an overflow hose, and any water that is needed for the cooling of the coils will be available, but the exces will be available to safely drain away. hopefully, you are now hagh enough to draininto a 5 gallon plastic gas can, or something, but you have to know what you will do with all that water. They sell plug in drain pumps that can be used to keep your overflow can emptied out, and that can pump the water through a small plastic tube wherever you want it. Have a whole house AC and don't need more? read this: My house is in Florida- typical daytime temp of 94, with 65% or more humidity, and while night time temps go down to 70 by about 3 AM, the humidity goes up. No one lived in Florida by choice until the invention of AC. My reason for buying the portable units was to create a "zone" in my bedroom at night, (set the Hose AC at 80), and also to have small unit that I could put in my TV room in the cold months to use between 7 and 11 in the evening when we like to watch tV (let the whole house cool, and sleep under blankets in the now cool bedroom when we go to bed.) For this reason, I got a 4-in-1, and because I live below the mason dixon line, I got a heat pump version. I hope this review prevents you from experiencing any of the reasons why so many people had bad experiences with the same products others found to work well.

Reviews

This thing kicks more @$$ than a horsejockey. We used this to replace a GE 10,000 BTU unit we've had for a considerable time - the difference is night and day. Very, very cold air that has a ton of force behind it's airflow, it cools off a summer heated 13' x 16' room literally in seconds, and we live on the top floor of our apartment building, so that's saying a lot. As far as noise goes, it's actually quite quiet, and you get used to the machine's minimal noise very quickly. Consider the noise level a soft-to-medium white noise at it's possible worst. I am partial to white noise, but if you're not, don't worry, this unit will be more than satisfying. This is an EXCELLENT air conditioner for the price (looking back I'd have paid more if I had to, it's that good), and I recommend it to anyone looking for a window unit.

Reviews

Easy installation. It took longer to read the manual than to put together and install the ac. I bought it in the evening after work and put it in the bedroom. I slept well, the unit is very quiet. My room is 14x12 and it cooled very nicely. I only wrote because I don't agree with the other reviews about the noise or smells or it not being powerful enough. This is the best all around experience I ever had with an air conditioner. The remote can use some work, though.

OK, I did tons of research, decided what I wanted, went to the only store in town that carried it. They stopped carrying it... But that had this unit from Sharp and a few LG models. My primary requirements were quiet operation (office) and no need to empty a water tank (lots of humidity here) I used the store's PC to research this model because I couldn't wait for an on line order to ship. The most interesting thing I discovered is that no one else specifies the noise level of their products. This one has it stamped on the box. I found a few reviews where people had used their iPhone to measure sound, and those units all were rated as very noisy. I took that to mean that the other brands were too loud and they know it, so they don't publish the spec. Sharp obviously knows they are much quieter and stamp it on the box. If they were smart, they would also put comparison numbers for other brands so shoppers would know just how much quieter this one is. Every 3db increase is a double in volume. If this is running 20db quieter than my last unit, that's a huge difference. The unit I was replacing was 60 to 65db at 8 feet, and I was sick of the noise. I decided to try the Sharp, and return it if I didn't like it. Good news: It's really quiet, and it keeps my office at the perfect temp even though it's 90 deg outside and the humidity is 70%. My sound meter doesn't go below 50, and this doesn't register at 8 feet. At 6 feet, it will flicker to 50db some, but not enough to hold a reading. Assuming Sharp rated this at 10 feet or more, I'm confident that 38db is an accurate number. I am running it on low/automatic and it keeps the temp where I want it without the fan moving off the lowest speed. When I first turned it on, I started it in quiet/automatic mode in a room that was 80 deg, just to see what the low/quiet setting could do. It was a pleasant 76 in an hour, and 73 in 2 hours (based on a separate thermometer measuring at various locations). All without leaving the silent/low mode. This makes me happy because that meets my requirements for sound and that I don't have to empty water. It's been running non-stop for 4 days, with zero water accumulation. If I had to run it in "mega cooling" mode, it would be noisy and accumulate water as a result. It makes a slight noise when the compressor kicks on, as any A/C unit does. Doesn't bother me, and you would have to be a REALLY light sleeper to noticeit. Even with the slight hum from the compressor, it still doesn't register on my meter at 8 ft, so it's always below the 50db I can measure, even with the fan at medium speed. For those reasons alone, this is a keeper. Bad news: The unit itself doesn't have any LCD, controls, or other way to tell you it's settings. You have to look at the remote. If I ever lose the remote, I have no way to change a setting, or even know how it's set. When plugging the unit in, it will restart at whatever the settings were when it was last used. If you remember them, great... and if you don't want to change them, great... I would rather have paid $50 more to have on board controls if they ever offered such a model. I can live with it, but anyone that tends to lose their remotes better buy an extra one... Also, the temp reading on the unit isn't very accurate. It consistently reads 3-4 deg higher than any thermometer I put in the room. If I didn't know that, I'd freeze at the 76 degrees I normally want in my office - because it would actually be much colder. The thermostat for this is actually somewhere in the unit itself, not in the remote. The remote can be anywhere without effecting the thermostat that turns the compressor on and off. There is a place to hang the remote on the back so you wont lose it. Fine for locations where you never want to adjust things. Even when I manually increase fan speed, it never gets as noisy as my last one. Other: The oscillating louvers only cycle up and down. They can also be set to stay in one place. The side-to-side adjustment is manual, and is fixed where you set it. You can set each side to a different direction to provide broader circulation. I am satisfied with how this works. Also, this unit is a bit thinner than others I looked at, and the exhaust hose exits vertically. That eliminates having to allow space for the hose to curve up to the window. I am able to place this unit within a few inches of the wall, whereas my last one had to be almost 24" away from the wall to make room for the hose. The window kit is well designed to keep rain and bugs out. The size adjustment is a bit complicated because it is designed to adapt to such a wide variety of window types and sizes. It works best if you screw the bottom of it to the window sill. It came with plenty of foam strips to provide a tight seal, and it included a bracket to lock the window so it can't be opened or closed from the outside. The unit is no heaver than my last one (which was a lower BTU output). It is easy to move around on the wheels. You have to point the remote directly at the front of the unit for the commands to register. I haven't had a chance to try the dehumidifying mode to see how well it works. I don't want to have to empty things, and the office humidity is not a problem. Summary: I wish it had on board controls, and I haven't figured out the 12-hour timer yet. I would prefer to be able to set any on/off time I want, but the 12-hour timer may be sufficient once I have time to figure it out. The instructions aren't detailed enough, but sufficient for figuring it out. Other than the lack of onboard controls and a more sophisticated timer, I would rate this a 5+ Even still, I would recommend this to others, and the silent operation is good enough that I'm glad they didn't have the unit I intended to buy or I wouldn't have tried this one.

INSTALLATION Very easy, just snap join several plastic panels for the exhaust pipe OPERATION Very easy, choose "mode", push "power", set temperature, that's it. After running for 4 hours, the room (20X18X10) is still not cool (that is, not feel as you have "air conditioning", outside 85 degree, unit set to 76 degree). But if you are just 3 to 4 feet away from the unit, you feel the cool air. DAMAGE UPS - the shipment box is damaged (torn apart). One of the front panel on the unit is loosen (maybe one of the clip is broken, I just taped it on the outside to secure it).

It's 98 degrees out and I needed an AC unit to cool my condo. I got this Sharp Portable AC Unit. The temperature hasn't dropped more than 1 degree, in an room under 400 sf. I'm really disappointed. This unit could not cool the steam off a dog's s!@t!!! Point blank: do not buy. P.S. It's still 98 degrees!!

It worked wonders in a large master bedroom with high ceilings. So silent!, I love the looks and how fast can fill a room. I don't think I can ask for anything better. It saved me when I most needed it! I truly don't understand when I read the negative reviews! Sometimes I wonder if they work for the competition!

Reviews

From AJ Madison, explaining why some people might have had problems with constant on-and-off cycling: BTUs determine how much cold air comes out of the unit, but problems can occur if the air conditioner is oversized for the space. The more cold air that comes out - the more area it needs to circulate to avoid giving the thermostat a false reading. If the unit is oversized, the cold air bounces off the wall back onto itself giving the thermostat a false reading - causing the compressor to shut off because the thermostat reads that the set temperature has been achieved. While the unit is off - the thermostat is able to read the room's actual temperature, which kicks the compressor back on. This process will continue, causing the compressor to cycle off and on every two to three minutes, but never staying on long enough to effectively cool the room or remove uncomfortable humidity.

This is a quality, quiet, cold producing unit. Had a AMCOR unit previously that was mediocre for cooling and stopped working in one year. I gave it away on Ctaiglist. You will not regret purchasing this unit.

I purchased this Sharp model after considerable online research. I was interested in a unit that didn't require a water pan to be emptied, could cool a room of about 150 square feet, and operated with minimal noise. This Sharp unit meets all the requirements. Even on the lowest setting the room is cooled quickly. The install was simple although the framing can easily be removed from the outside and entry to the room is possible. People in more dangerous areas may not want this setup or should find a way to secure the framing to the window structure. I am most impressed by the noise level of the unit. On the low setting, which is all that's required to cool the room, this AC is significantly quieter than a window unit. The manual is clear, the remote is user friendly, and the unit has a sleek, modern design. A portable AC is never a perfect solution, due to its inherent inefficiency, but this machine does provide practical benefits and great value.

Hello, I've recently had this item shipped. It's fairly big and heavy (95 lbs - check out dimensions to make sure it will fit and leave extra room on both sides for air intake) but at the same time very quiet and effective. I'm used to either central air or through-the-window type of AC but performance, design and remote control functions of this unit are well above my expectations and I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. Thanks.

Where I live, the temp only breaks 95 a few times a year. Because of this, it is hard to justify the cost of central air. The better option seemed to be a portable AC. Use it when you need it, stow it when you don't. This review is not about some of the points discussed in earlier reviews. Yes it is heavy, very heavy, and yes the window attachment is cheap but I am not going to re-hash those issues. For this review I wanted to focus on the unit for bedroom use. My main observation was that, for sleeping, this unit (probably all units) has a lot to be desired. I positioned it right next to my bed thinking that it would quietly maintain a nice cool temp. My first disappointment was how slowly it cooled. I put it on max cool then left the room for about 2 hours. While it was cooler when I returned, it wasn't cold. After settling in to bed, I was presented with my second disappointment. My "library quite" air conditioner was LOUD. Not just the compressor but the bubbling/gurgling of the liquid inside the compressor. Worst of all, when the room reaches temp and the compressor shuts off there is a loud WHUMP sound. Not unlike the sound of someone dropping a box of bricks. It kept waking me up all night and I ultimately had to turn the unit off. In conclusion, this is a solidly built machine with great fit and finish. Once it got up to speed it did do a relatively good job cooling and I like the remote and overall design. However, if you are expecting this to be a whisper quiet cooling machine that will sooth you into restful slumber...think again. You will be disappointed. As for me, I will probably return this unit. The main reason I bought it was for a cool restful sleep and this is something it does not provide. THis

Reviews

PROS: * This is a 10,000 BTU with a 10.8 EER rating. * Cools a large area quickly. I use this model in an area about 20 feet by 40 feet (about the size of a typical studio apartment and kitchen) with 9 foot ceilings. This single unit cools my living room area, foyer, hall, small dinning area, and small galley kitchen with no problems. * I run it just about 24/7, even in the winter (use it on fan only as white noise to drown out the sound of my neighbors and because I can't control the heat in my apartment and it's always too hot). I've been running it 24/7 since May 2007 (a little over 2 years) with no problems. * The timer feature is very convenient. * The controls are easy to use. * I like the remote control too. It's easy and convenient. CONS: * There's a feature that is suppose to allow you to let in outside air or not - called the "exhaust lever". It is nearly useless. I know this because the grounds keepers in my apartment complex come by once a week with their very smelly leaf blowers and lawn mowers and the fumes permeate my apartment even with this lever set so the outside air is not suppose to come in. * As you can see by the photo I uploaded, the air intake grill gets dirty very fast and is very difficult to clean. To truly get it clean you must use a cotton swap dipped in window cleaner or similar time consuming task. * The filter is very basic. No hepa filter or other fine filtration system. Easy to clean, but won't trap fine particles. NOTE: I paid $320 for this at PC Richards in May of 2007. At this time, the ad above shows this at $199.97 - and I'd say that's a great price for this item. I see the Sharp AF-S80NX 8,000BTU Energy Star Window Air Conditioner is more expensive. Not sure why since it's less powerful. It might have different features. But I unless it has a filter that traps fine particles this model shown in this ad and less expensive is just fine. I also have the smaller one in my bedroom - the Sharp S60NX, with 6000 BTUs but be careful when purchasing and comparing. Not all Sharp Air conditioners have the same features, even if they look the same. For example, with the lower BTUs in my S60NX I got a few less features. It does have the same look as the 10,000 and 8,000 BTU models, and it has the remote, but a few other minor differences. The point I'm trying to make is be aware of the details, but still both the 10,000 and the 6,000 BTU models were worth buying.