Portable Air Conditioners

Reviews

This humidifier works great. Complaints I've read about the bucket make me wonder if they redesigned it. The bucket comes out very easily and much of the top is covered, so spilling is not very likely. I find the unit to be pretty quiet. I like the design for sending the water to a pipe in your house that sends the water outside. There is a separate hose screw located on the side and up about 12(?) inches. It's much better than poking a hole in the bottom of the bucket as I needed to do with my other humidifier.

This is my 2nd dehumidifier so I felt I had something to compare it with. The first one died after about 2 years and since I live in a very humid area and have hardwood floors a dehumidifier was a MUST! I was told without one I risked cupping and/or buckling of the floors. It's summer and the A/C unit is continually running so you'd think that it would be pulling a lot of moisture out of the air but I find that I am emptying the dehumidifier every day. My old one would get full over a two day period. This one fills up every day and it makes me think that it is more efficient than the old LG one I previously had. I find the bucket easy to remove and I like the fact that it has a filter I can take out the wash, a feature the old one didn't have. So, all in all, I feel that this baby does a much better job of removing the moisture from my home and would recommend it to anyone considedring it. I only gave it 4 stars because I've only had it for a little over 3 weeks and can't really assess it's durability.

I have been suffering from indoor allergies during the past 17 years. I am particularly allergic to dust mites. I lived almost my entire life in Puerto Rico, where it is warm and humid year round. I tried everything to combat my 24/7 runny nose and congestion, including prescription drugs, immunotherapy (allergy shots), allergen free mattress and pillow covers, and nose surgery (polyp removal and sinus drainage). None of this gave me any relief. I knew that dust mites thrive in warm humid environments, so I even tried a dehumidifier. Unfortunately, I had to return it shortly afterwards. As a general rule, homes in Puerto Rico have no central air conditioning, so it is hard to keep the humid air outside. In addition, running an air conditioner unit and dehumidifier nonstop was extremely expensive and impractical. I moved to the Washington, DC, a little over a year ago. This area is well known for high humidity levels, but it is definitely not as humid as Puerto Rico. I moved during the springtime, and for the first time in my adult life, I had little to no allergy symptoms. Once the summer arrived, my runny nose and congestion came back. I was sick until early December, when, literally overnight, all my allergy symptoms disappeared. This made me realize that very low humidity levels in fact do have an impact on the dust mite population. I had read EPA and NIH studies indicating that the ideal humidity level to keep dust mites and mold at bay is between 40-50%. I was happy and allergy free until May of this year, when it started getting hotter and more humid. I then decided to give the dehumidifier one more try. After reading the reviews in Amazon, I decided to purchase the Frigidaire 50-Pint Dehumidifier. This is the best purchase I have ever made, period. My health and quality of life have substantially improved after using this product. First, the dehumidifier is very easy to use. I love the fact that it has an LED display, with actual and targeted humidity levels. It has a sleek contemporary design so it blends in nicely with my studio apartment's color scheme and furniture. The noise level is extremely low. In fact, it makes as much "noise" as my air conditioning unit. The bucket is very easy to handle and seems to be of good quality and sturdy construction. I usually empty it twice a day. Most importantly, the dehumidifier has been able to maintain the indoor humidity levels at 35-45%. I still take my allergy medication and get allergy shots, but after my past frustrations with conventional nasal allergy treatment, I can say without the shadow of a doubt, that the Frigidaire dehumidifier is keeping my dust mite allergies under control. Hopefully I will be able to reap the benefits of long term immunotherapy, but for the time being I will continue to rely on the Frigidaire dehumidifier for allergy control during the humid months. This is definitely a must buy item.

Great product, works well, easy to set. A bit noisy depending on where you intend to place it.

Had the de-humidifier for a couple of months and am mostly satisfied by the product. It efficiently removes 50 pints of water about every two days. Unlike others I have had no trouble emptying the tank, and find that the unit noise is not too bad, especially when compared to an older unit that made the whole house vibrate! My only complaint so far, is that as others have mentioned, the re-circulated air passes out from vents on the side. I'm finding initially this air is cool, but as the unit continues working the air becomes very warm. As I use the de-humidifier in a (windowless) basement we are finding that conditions get increasingly uncomfortable during the day. I'm currently leaving the unit off during the day, and using it at night to remove moisture. I am curious that no-one else has experienced this problem, especially those in apartments using the de-humidifier as an alternative to an air-conditioner.

Reviews

I recently purchased two of these fans based on the review that I read on Amazon. They are relatively quiet and I like the small amount of space that they take up, but a BIG problem ... well ya see I had one of them on for about two weeks run and then it stopped. Lights are on, just no fan ... funny but not in a good way. If I knew the fan would have given out after on two months I would not have spent $60 on it. It looks cool, and has some cool features, but in the long run it just isn't cool that it doesn't cool.

Trust me I have been through a couple of good brands sold at Costco (like seville ) and other brands like Honeywell. But none satisfied my criteria of quietness. I am bothered by the sound at night while sleeping and I don't really care about it in the day. The others would be OK for a day or two and then make a sound afterwards. But this little gem of a fan, is not only the best looking fan and fits into any modern home with its contemporary design, but is also the quietest by a big margin. I have had it for 4 months and I use it everyday and it hasn't made a sound that would bother me at night so far. Its almost whisper quite while oscillating. The only beef I have with it are the bright LED lights, which are actually functional as one can easily see the mode its running in compared to other fans. I got used to them so its not that bad. The remote is pretty good as well with a small form factor, wish they had lights on that too to see in the dark.

Summary: I love this fan. I bought it having semi-high expectations - it blew them out of the water. The remote is very nice, the color of the fan fits with all my interior design/dark colored themes. It's sturdy and the design is perfect. Performance: The fan is SUPER COLD! I actually have to lower it to temperature setting II b/c III ends up being too cold. I used to sleep with AC on 68 - I know, I know, it's very cold. I now set my AC to 75 and sleep next to this fan blowing on me. It is the best thing and has already saved me $50-$100 off my expenses. Bottom line: Get the fan, you'll be very happy!

This is a quiet, efficient fan. We loved the first one so much that we bought 2 more for other rooms in the house.

Here was my original review I posted, until it died. My additions are at the bottom. For people who are worried about noise, and watched the video the other poster posted, remember, that was a directional mike on a camera very near the unit. I was shocked at how silent this is compared to my other fans. At high, this is still less noticeable than my Honeywell at low. Granted, it doesn't move as much air as that does at high, but I didn't want that much airflow unless I'm drying out my basement. For my great room, this is outstanding. When I have the TV on at a normal volume level, 12 feet away I can barely notice the fan noise at high. At medium, I can kind of notice it if I really try. I've got oscillating space heating towers, and as others have complained, the rotating unit is annoying and distracting. This accomplishes a great range of motion with only a small portion inside noticable as it moves. And that's more seeing light behind it as the inner mechanism pivots side to side and you are lined up right. There was no smell or noise along with the ionizing on this unit, but by the same token I haven't noticed anything accumulating around the base as their customer support told me I would when I asked about cleaning the unit. Their reply was that there is nothing to clean in or on the unit, that the "dirt" will fall to the floor near it. I have no rattling, no unusual noise at all, on any of the settings from the oscillation, no wobble, nothing. It is incredible on low, because the room feels fresher, you get some slight air movement occasionally as it passes you, but nothing too obvious. Very subtle and very silent. On medium, same thing just a bit more of the breeze. High, it's enough to make me comfortable after work when the house reached 81 degrees since I had the air off all day, without having to turn on the air conditioner. Now compared to my smaller "turbo" honeywell circular fan, it's not as powerful - but then towers would never be that powerful as far as I can tell. If you need a very huge blast of air, this isn't for you. But if you're looking for something to make your area more comfortable without the annoyances of a standard fan, this is definitely a solution for you. Most attractive of all the ones I've looked at, blends very well into the room unobtrusively, and does its job well. Which is what I always look for, something designed well and functions well. This is and does. EDIT: 24 hours later, the unit no longer oscillates. Light comes on, but the internal mechanism simply no longer operates. So returning it. Went from 5 star review to 3, won't give it a 1 since clearly this is not a "normal" issue otherwise all these people who reviewed would've had a different story, but also obviously it's a crapshoot...

Reviews

Works great (in dry heat, of course) and I'd recommend to friends. It definitely keeps the temperature down by at least 10º, and I find the noise of the fan quite soothing. The only problem is that our dogs and the cat splay themselves around the entire cold-air area (about a 10-15 foot swath), leaving very little cold-air space for the 2-leggeds.

I bought this cooler in September of last year. I used it about 3 times. This year I used it once then I went to turn it back on for the second time and it won't even turn on. That sucks. I have this big unit and nothing to do with it. I want to return it but nowhere to return it to.

In an effort to lower our power bill by using our air conditioner less we bought a couple of these portable coolers. We weren't sure what to expect, but they help cool the family room and bedroom while saving on the air conditioner. Our June power bill was less this year than 2009, so we're pleased with the results.

The only good thing I have to say is that it showed up faster than I expected. The "cool air" function is broken. The thing keeps beeping at me (which indicates it's out of water) despite having filled the reservoir to max as instructed. I let it run for a bit because I thought it might just need a bit for all the systems to get going. After 48 hours, it's essentially behaving like a really bulky fan. Not what I paid for. I'll be returning this.

I dont reccomend this to anyone where its hot and humid . I dont know about anyone else but it doesnt help me at all.It was a waste of money.I have tried it several times at different heat levels and no help at all.dont know what adding ice does ,because it doesnt help me at all.

Reviews

We live in an apartment and wanted the flexibility of portable air conditioners so as to avoid blocking the window from regular use. Having read the tons of good reviews on this site, we didn't hesitate to buy two units. How I wish we hadn't. These units are NOT suitable for home use. If you read the reviews carefully, most of the happy customers use the units in their offices. What they don't mention are a few key problems that are only an issue at night or when one is trying to sleep: 1. The units lights are EXTREMELY, blindingly bright. Truly painful, in fact, and will set the entire room aglow. There is no adjustment for the lights, so we had to make a makeshift, awkward cover just to be able to sleep. The lights are so bright, in fact, that they completely obscure what is written on the buttons, rendering them entirely useless. If they were going to make something bright, it should have been the words on the buttons, not some random accent lights surrounding the buttons! 2. The unit beeps very loudly every time you turn it on or press any of the buttons. So, if you are like us and have a small child at home, this can be problematic. When we turn our unit on in our bedroom, we can hear that the beep is audible in my son's room, even over the sound of his own air conditioner unit (quite a feat considering how loud it is - more on that next). 3. The unit is exceptionally loud. I don't generally have a problem with loud air conditioners, because I like the white noise, but what people who use this in an office fail to mention is the jarring WHACK the machine makes as the compressor turns on and off every few minutes in a smaller bedroom space. Perhaps this doesn't happen in a larger office, or perhaps it doesn't really bother the users, but it is a real problem at home. When it is really hot, or if you set the unit to a very cold setting, the unit doesn't adjust as frequently, and this is less of a problem in our larger bedroom, but in my baby's room, the constant on and off slamming sound was enough to wake him at least a few times a night on its own. 4. The unit has all of these bright lights on it, but it has no indicator light to mention that the unit is full of water from the compressor and needs to be emptied. Instead, if it is on the slightest of angles (how many people have perfectly level floors?), it will simply dump its contents onto your floor, or better still, it will beep loudly until you empty the unit. This is particularly awesome when it happens in the middle of the night! 5. Finally, the instruction booklet SUCKS. Absolutely no information to explain why the unit is making certain noises, how you can prevent the disturbances it presents, etc. A worthless piece of paper that serves to irritate rather than help. I hate this air conditioner. Loathe it, in fact, and hope that I can dissuade anyone else from purchasing it for home use. Please, please reconsider before making this purchase!

Well, I just got it today. Amazingly fast shipping. The directions are clear, and you are up and running in minutes. I like how you can set the desired temperature and the internal thermostat adjusts according to the outside temperature. Air seems nice and cold, but today is not an oven like a few days ago. More to come on performance. The plastic window adapter is cheap... cheap.... cheap. It is flimsy, and doesn't fit well in my window, too short. So I had to use a lot of duct tape. Also, because it extends, the inner piece is narrower then the outer, so if you stretch it there will be a gap... once again... duct tape. Would be nice if there were a slider door adapter. Anyway, here you have my initial impression.

The A/c has been working well. The room i bought it for is much larger than what the a/c can handle. For best results do not exceed the suggested room size. But the unit is pretty quite and runs well. Set up was pretty simple. Decent buy overall

Very impressed with the performance! Cools great and isn't any louder than a window unit. The packaging is well done. It came with a few gashes in the cardboard, so I was a little worried at first. But after I started unpacking it, I was relieved to find that it was double boxed with lots of Styrofoam sheets. This is my first fist portable. Well worth the investment. I only hope that I can get a few years out of it.

quick delivery, a little bit noisy with the fan on high but overall good compact design and functions well. not much difference in noise from a mid range window ac

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

I've owned one of the Danby 12,000 BTU air conditioners (model DPAC 12030) for two years now. A unit of this size struggles to cool a 400 sq.ft. room a few degrees (with 30ºC outside, window curtains drawn). I find the best way to use it is to have the air blowing directly toward me. My main complaints about the unit are: * After a few months of use the small LED display, which is needed to operate the unit, slowly went dim to the point of not being able to read it. After many phone calls to Danby I was finally able to get the display replaced under warranty by a local electronics service company. But a few months later the display went dim again - as though Danby hadn't bothered to upgrade this obviously faulty component. To their credit, Danby agreed to replace the display one more time out of warranty. * The air coming out of the unit had a strange smell of oil for the first season. The service company said that sometimes the compressor leaks oil and it was probably the smell of the oil burning off of the compressor housing. * The unit is not real quiet. For the first year there was a rattling noise that occurred when the compressor kicked in, but this noise seems to have gone now.

Reviews

Bought this to hopefully cool a very small sleeping area. It didn't even push any cold air out. Tried a couple of different coolers -- including the seller's recommended one, and it still didn't work. Returned it, but don't know if they'll give me my money back or not. I give it zero stars.

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