Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Having been directed to an evaporative type humidifier, I became intrigued with the basic design of the Venta and AirOSwiss models. Both use fans to draw air over water, with turning discs passing through the water with tiny grooves and bumps on the discs to vastly increase the surface area over which the water evaporates. No heat to worry about drying out and automatically shutting off, and no bubbling water from a warm mist unit. Also, no droplets of water accumulating on nearby carpet or furniture as you would see with an ultrasonic humidifier. Also, no swampy mold accumulating in the 'swamp style' Honeywell unit that uses a wicking method to draw the water up into a sponge to then be evaporated, leaving a wet sponge to grow all kinds of stuff. The pros and cons are pretty clear:
Pros: No heat to worry about if the unit runs dry- the fan keeps running but so what? It's just a fan; also no to worry about overheating when it runs dry, no ultrasonic misting to leave water droplets on carpet/furniture, easy to clean, no filters to be replaced. No wicking sponge, so the discs are easily removed and cleaned and no 'swamp thing' accumulating in the wet wicking sponge as in other units. Also the water seems to trap small air particles so that there is an actual cleaning function. Air is drawn IN through the TOP of the unit, blows over the plastic turning discs, and comes out the sides.
Cons: Evaporative, which means it cools (fine for the desert country, not so good in winter in the Midwest), no heating, and the fill valve on the water tank is the stupidest location you can imagine, so that at best you can fill it only 3/4 full. Also, it won't shut off when water runs out, so power will be consumed with no humidification happening. See below for the one last 'con' relating to the warranty.
The other con: They SAY on their website they have a 10 year warranty, yet when I got this thing from Bed Bath and Beyond the plastic shaft inside had corroded over time and was crumbling. It was a major effort to get these guys to agree to replace it. It is NOT SAID on their warranty, but apparently the 10 year warranty does not apply to the rotating disc set (surprise!) inside. I told them they had better put that in writing if they don't want to tick off a lot more customers other than me. They eventually replaced it but it took a number of emails and phone calls, so this is not exactly the fastest responding company I've seen. Also note, the 10 year warranty does NOT apply to the water tank and its part . . .that's only 3 months.
For [...] or more, the above limitations cut it to a 3 star, even though it's a reliable humidifier that cranks out the humidity from the unit with no filters and very little maintenance. As a personal aside, I can't stand the reviews which deride humidifiers because their hygrometers show no change. Humidifiers can only be evaluated by how quickly they put water into the air . . . the ultimate humidity change in a space is dependent on the room's air flow, items of absorbency, and atmospheric conditions- none of which are in the control of a humidifier! This item definitely puts out the water into the air.
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AIR-O-SWISS 2055 Ionizing Air Washer & Humidifier2 In 1 Air Purifier & Humidifier From Air-O-Swiss, No Expensive Filters To Replace, Cleans The Air Of Particles Smaller Than 1.5 Microns, Ionic Silver Stick Prevents Microbial Growth, Detachable Water Tank For Easy Refilling, Suitable For Rooms Up To 600 SQFT, MAP Price $259.99.
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