Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Honeywell 300 CFM Indoor Portable Evaporative Cooler, Fan & Humidifier with Detachable Tank, Carbon Dust Filter & Remote Control, Silver/Gray

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024

Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase

I wasn’t sure if this unit was going to work in my house because I already use a Mastercool swamp cooler as the cooling system. Regardless of what room I put this unit in, it’s going to lower the temperature at least 10° even when the swamp cooler is running on high. As you can see in the photo, I put it next to a fan to help circulate the cool air even more. I do the same when I move it in to the bedroom during the evenings. I’m very happy with my purchase…

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Alice Wakefield

I cut my A/C bill in half.the first month

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2017

Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase

I do have central A/C but it's very expensive to run, so this works for me on all but the hottest of days. I like that it doesn't require a hose hook-up, so I can wheel it around anywhere, even outside. There's a drawer in the back that slides open to pour the water in. Adding a couple gallons once per day is about my average. There's a water "gauge" near the bottom, but I've learned not to trust it as the float gets stuck occasionally. When the water gets low it will beep a few times as a reminder. If no water is forthcoming, no problem, it will continue in Fan mode and no immediate action is required on my end.

It has a powerful fan even on Low, and will swing the airflow with internal louvers if a guest demands that you share. It works best with cross-ventilation, or two open windows, but sometimes it's SO hot outside I'd rather not.

They won't cool your house or even your room much, but operate much like a fan, just with cooler than normal air. And on hot days, that feels great.

Tip: If you're considering one, be sure to check the Amazon Warehouse, where I picked this up for less than half price. Many are perfectly fine but returned because I think some buyers may expect more of a portable air conditioner, or their ambient humidity is too high to receive any benefit. Mine varies but is usually around 40-50%. On days when it drops to 30%, I can really feel the difference in efficiency.

UPDATE: 8/13/2017: Still loving it. In fact, I came here to order another one but I guess the middle of summer isn't the best time to find a good deal in the Warehouse.

24 people found this helpful

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Nicholas R

Worked Better Than Expected

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2016

Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase

I feel compelled to leave a review for this machine, simply because the reviews are so mixed. This unit does exactly what it says. It allowed me to cool down a small office that wasn't being properly handled by my a/c. The room is a small corner office with two large windows facing south and west. The office gets considerable sunlight throughout the day, and heats up about five to ten degrees warmer than the rest of my unit on average.

Eventually, I plan on doing things right and running a/c ducting into the office, but for the time being, I needed a cheap and portable solution that would make working in my office a little more bearable. This little unit easily brings the temperature down about five degrees and makes the room much more pleasant to work in. I'm watching humidity and temp in the room, and the unit will quickly up the humidity, by design, but all you need to do is crack a window to vent a bit, close the door to the office, and let this little unit rip, and it stays nice and comfortable. I couldn't be happier.

Yes, its loud, even on the lowest setting. It's considerably louder than the tower fan I had in my office previously (also a Honeywell), but that tower didn't do anything but move warm air around. The air cooler measurably reduces the temperature, and the hum it produces is lower in frequency and less shrill than the tower, so although it is loud, it sort of fades into the background a lot easier. It also adds a nice tinkling of water as the cooler is running that isn't unlike the sound of a small fountain.

The oscillation, or swing as they call it on this model, is great and will sweep my room efficiently. Even without the unit cooling, it moves considerably more air than a normal tower fan.

That being said, it's not without drawbacks. For one, it's cheaply made. Right out of the box one of my grill slats was missing a tiny chunk of plastic. A quick hunt in the bottom of the box found it, and a little dab of superglue fixed it back up. Definitely not the best reassurance of quality when the item is coming out of the box slightly broken. The grill itself is very cheap feeling and if this unit isn't properly cared for I can see it breaking more of these slats and looking pretty rough fast.

Filling it with water is also a gigantic pain. There is no removable water canister like one of Honeywell's humidifiers. Instead, there is a pull out tray where you have to lug water over to the unit. It took me way longer than I would have liked, trekking back and forth to the kitchen to refill a water pitcher, to fill the cooler's 2.5 gallon tank. A removable canister or some better method of filling this thing would have been preferred. Luckily, the 2.5 gallons should last me four to five hours which should get me through the hot part of the day, and the fan on its own will be great if I just need to move some air around at night.

So, as long as you temper your expectation and know what you're getting out of this unit, I can't see being disappointed by it. It's important that you check your humidity levels in the room you are looking to cool with an air cooler before you even consider purchasing. If you're sitting at 40-50% humidity or above most days when its the hottest in the room, this unit is going to be an expensive tower fan at best and a sauna maker at worst. If your room is like mine, and you are somewhere in the high 20s to low 30s relative humidity when the air cooler is needed, this thing is going to work amazingly well.

For those of you in Southern California wondering if this will work for you, this room is located in Downtown Los Angeles and is aprx 80 sqft. Relative humidity in the room ranges from high 20% to high 30% depending on time of day, and on hot summer days can hit 90F near the hottest point of the day, but normally is around 84-86F at its hottest point. The air cooler effectively lowers the temperature in the room by 5F to 10F and runs humidity up to 45%, making it much more comfortable. The hotter it is for me, the dryer my air is, and the more effective the air cooler will run. This unit works perfectly as a temporary air cooling solution, and in the right environment is going make you much more comfortable.

135 people found this helpful

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Michael Redo

Know what you are buying

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2019

Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase

First off, this is not a substitute for an air conditioner. I purchased this unit because my office is on the top floor and in winter, because heat rises, in the afternoon, the office becomes a static electricity charged oven. This unit sits by my desk and works perfectly to cool the area around me and also provide some much needed moisture. This will not work well in humid environments, nor will it replace a/c to cool an entire room, but for my purposes, it works perfectly.

If you overfill it, it will leak - don't ask me how I know. That was only because I didn't understand the first time I used it how the fill indicator worked. Have had no other problems with leaking since then (and I've had it a few months).

The only thing I wish is that it actually had a lower setting. On low, the fan is still quite strong and quite loud. Minor thing to me when the rest works so well.

3 people found this helpful

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woahwoahwoahwhat

Somewhat Successful

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2018

Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase

I live in the Bay area, California in an in-law unit that is partially underground and therefore not really equipped for air conditioning, so I picked this up in hopes of cooling my small bedroom even just a bit at night. I read in a few places that this is *not* designed for humid areas--it's really only for dry heat--so I figured it would work relatively well in my circumstance. The result was not spectacular but not horrible either. I have been using it for about a month now, and I have a few observations:

- It blows somewhat cooler air than a regular fan. It requires that you have windows open around it, so it's a bit hard to tell what is just pulling in cooler air from outside and what is cooling that it's actually doing. It definitely isn't anywhere near approaching what an air conditioning would do, in case you are hoping for a significant change in the temperature.

- I tried putting cold water/ice cubes in the tank and it helped a bit, though the process is a little challenging. The tank is pretty big, so you would have to chill a fair amount of water to make a difference. Additionally, unless your ice cubes are on the smaller side, they will not fit in the chilling tray and you will actually need to remove the entire top to get them into the tank, as far as I can tell. It's not an impossible process, but definitely not a seamless one (and it virtually always results in some degree of spillage).

- A full tank of water lasts you a good amount of time, so you don't need to do a lot of repeated filling even if you are planning to use it most nights.

- It's pretty loud. It doesn't necessarily bother me because it's probably about the equivalent of a white noise machine, but if you prefer total silence when you sleep, and if this is anywhere near your head while you're sleeping, it might bother you.

- It's pretty easy to move around. The wheels on the bottom make it pretty mobile, so you don't have to worry too much about it being cumbersome.

Overall, it has helped a touch--maybe not quite worth the price, but if you are desperate and in an environment with dry heat but no possibility of an air conditioning, this is a helpful tool.

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Anonymous

it works great. However

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2016

Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase

DO NOT BUY!!!!!
I bought this product in the middle of April. It now has a leak. It is the middle of July. 4 months! It leaks and causes property damage 4 months from when I bought it. That is ridiculous. This is the second time this has happened. The first time it happened, I emptied it out and examined it for holes. Not one. I hen filled it and watched for leaks. None, so I figured it was a one time thing and continued to use it. Now its happening again. The water is coming out of a spot where there is a seam as you can see in the attached picture, so it is obviously faulty manufacturing. I called Amazon, and they told me they don't have to give me a refund simply because it is over 30 days. They instead, passed the buck, in true corporate fashion, and gave me Honeywell's number. I called, and immediately got an outsourced call center and got the buck passed again to some company that Honeywell contracts with. No answer. "The office is currently closed", and they only do business Monday through Friday. Again. Do not buy. It's built to last just long enough where you can't return it. Almost $200.00 wasted, and that is not counting damage it caused to property.

UPDATE 2023
I never got the problem solved that originally inspired this negative review. Had to repair it myself. Anyway, this thing is a piece of garbage. It is just a glorified fan, and only slightly a bit cooler right after you put fresh water in, but as soon as the water becomes room temperature (which happens well before it runs out of water), it may as well not even have a cool function. If you want the cool function to do anything, your going to have to constantly be changing the water and adding ice, which will melt before you have a chance to make more. Furthermore, what prompted me to update this review, after only a few short years (bought in 2016, it is now 2023), the fan no longer spins, meaning this piece of junk is literally just a paperweight after less than a decade. An appliance like this that is so expensive should last a minimum of 20 years of heavy use, and I only used this in the spring/summer, so the 8 years I have had this thing is misleading as it has only had about 4 years worth of use. Do NOT buy this piece of junk, especially now that they raised the price to over 200 dollars (and that is ON SALE). The used price for this thing is more expensive than what I paid for it brand new in 2016 without any discounts. This thing is worth, AT MOST, 30-40 dollars. If you want my advice, buy a real AC unit. They are basically the same price.

23 people found this helpful

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Ryan

Modern Design, Functions Great! Wonderful Purchase!

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2015

Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase

Part of the reason we chose this cooler is because it has low power consumption which is a huge plus for us because using it vs using a different cooler saves us money. I want to note how "nice" the look of the cooler is. It is very modern, so it fits right into my home decor. It is not too big and yet not to small and it can hold 21 pints of water. I love how it alerts me when the water tank is getting low, it makes it so I don't have to constantly be checking it like a mad man. It is very powerful and has 4 different speed settings. This cooler cools the whole bottom level of my home very easily and effectively. I love how it has a handle and wheels so I can move it very easily with little effort. I have a bad back so lifting things and moving them around is hard for me to do. One of the best features of this unit is a dust filter which helps clean the air. I think that is just awesome, especially having animals and young kids. I also like how it has a long power cord, roughly 6 feet, so I can literately move it anywhere around my main level and be able to keep it plugged in the same spot. It does come with a remote which is great because it works now matter where I am in my room. It's nice because if I am sitting down on the couch, I don't have to get up to mess with the cooler! This unit also features a nice LED electronic display, which goes back to adding to the modern design that I know and love! Overall, this was a great purchase!

14 people found this helpful

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daseffekt

Like a cool breeze on the lake

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2018

Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase

I honestly wasn’t expecting much from this evaporative cooler beyond a fan that blows some moisture, but I was instantly convinced it was a great purchase the first time I turned it on. I’m cool and comfortable again, and I like that it blows just enough moisture to not dry my sinuses out the way a regular fan or a/c does.

I’m in Southern California, which is an ideal climate for this cooler, but the room I use it in has about 50% humidity on average and it still works GREAT.

Just understand its capabilities when making your decision. It won’t cool an entire room the same way a/c does, but it still has significant cooling power with much more comfort than a/c. The main difference, as I said before, is that instead of drying you out with a flow of dry air like a/c or regular fans, it moisturizes just enough to feel comfortable.

The main downside is that it is bulky. There are a few convenience features that mitigate this downside, but just be aware that it has some heft.

I would also like if the “low” speed setting didn’t blow quite as hard. I find that it blows hard enough to not need the medium and high fan speeds, but if I had this situated further away, I can see it being useful.

Overall it is great and well worth the money. It is a quality product and I look forward to years of use. If you’re looking for an alternative to a/c, I can’t recommend this highly enough.

3 people found this helpful

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Choe Gu-Sung

The High Humidity Experience in Hawaii

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2017

Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase

I recently moved into a new apartment. Although it did not face the sun, it still got unbearably warm in the afternoon and retained that heat throughout the evening. Fans did surprisingly little to make my nights tolerable and my only other choice – unless I cared to break the building’s rules by sneaking in a portable air conditioner – was to have a window-mounted AC unit installed. For this slice of civility, I would need to pay more than $1,500 over the duration of my lease.

For some people, that might be a worthwhile expense. However, it just made me feel like the money in my wallet would evaporate along with the heat. Since a third fan would not likely accomplish what the first two could not, I looked around for swamp coolers. The fact that they function less well in high humidity was dispiriting, but I decided to take the risk and buy this unit. After using it for a month – and because I did not see many reviews from others using it in humid environments like Hawaii – I feel confident writing a review.

PROS
- Makes temperatures bearable (in certain conditions)
- Significantly cheaper than air conditioning

To make sure I could properly assess how well the unit functioned, I bought a humidity and temperature monitor. I used this model ( ThermoPro TP55 Digital Hygrometer Indoor Thermometer Humidity Gauge with Jumbo Touchscreen and Backlight Temperature Humidity Monitor ) and strongly suggest that anyone considering a swamp cooler buy a humidity monitor for reasons I will discuss below. For the week before my unit arrived, my bedroom’s average temperature was in the upper 80s with humidity hovering around 50%.

When I first used the cooler, I placed the thermometer in front of the air outlet and the temperature dropped to 80 ºF and the humidity rose to around 60%. This was more than enough to be able to sleep comfortably and even get under a blanket because it got too cold. Great! What a change from sleeping in the buff.

The instructions recommend keeping a window AND door open to let the humidity escape, but I prefer to keep the door semi-closed for a bit of privacy. This traps the moist air and increases the humidity to around 65%. When I wake up in the morning, the air coming from the unit feels only slightly cooler than air blown by a fan. This has been further corroborated by my experience when the ambient humidity (i.e. without the swamp cooler running) is around that figure. In such conditions, the cooler functions as little more than a fan.

For this reason, I think it is critical to have realistic expectations of what this unit will do. If your room’s humidity is significantly more than 50%, I would not recommend this product. This also means that you must be okay with not getting value from the unit on days that are unusually humid, which may be the very days you would most want to cool yourself down. Furthermore, it is important to remember that this will NOT cool an entire room. It must face a person or a bed.

Of course, this unit has benefits that might outweigh its drawbacks. Hawaii has the nation’s highest electricity prices, which makes operating an AC unit – even sparingly – a painful experience for those on tight budgets. The more you pay for electricity, the more attractive this unit becomes. Since it only requires tap water and does not draw more power than a 100-watt lightbulb, it is also a much more environmentally friendly option than air conditioning.

CONS
- Loud
- Bright lights

Even on the lowest setting, the unit’s fan is both strong and loud. When I run it on low during the day with my windows open, I can just barely make it out over the sound of the nearby freeway. On high, it competes with the loudness of the nighttime freeway itself. At night, this does not particularly bother me since I sleep with ear plugs, but it might bother someone who is a light sleeper or has trouble getting to sleep in anything other than total silence. I wish the unit were a bit quieter, but I feel like I would have to spend twice as much to get a product that does that.

The unit’s front has a series of intense blue lights to indicate fan speed, cooling, whether it is on a timer, and oscillation. Unfortunately, this only adds to the swarm of other things in my room the emit light when I am trying to sleep. I wish the manufacturer had included an opaque slide I could put over the lights to block them at night or had positioned there somewhere else so it would not face me while I am in bed.

CONSIDERATIONS
- Requires daily refilling
- Heavy
- Maintenance

Using the unit on its highest setting overnight depletes the water tank. I could get two days of use on medium or low. In either case, however, I end up refilling the unit daily. This does not bother me since my bedroom is only a few steps away from my bathroom, but it is an extra minute or two that one must add to their routine.

I separate the tank from the top half containing the fan when I refill the unit. However, filling it up all the way makes the entire thing surprisingly heavy. This may not make the swamp cooler a good fit for the elderly or those with disabilities. Moreover, it is impossible to tilt the unit and wheel it around. The tray that you are supposed to use to fill the unit opens and lets water escape. Whose bright idea was it to not include a latch or something?

The instructions recommend performing monthly maintenance on the unit. I have not gotten around to doing that, but when I pour out the old water I do sometimes notice that it is slightly dirty – almost like lightly used mop water. This is because it is pushing air through a curtain of water that captures a lot of dust and other particulates that are floating around. Gross, but if it were not in the water, I would be breathing it in just the same. At any rate, I will update this review when I get around to cleaning the unit, but people considering buying it should be aware that it requires more maintenance than a traditional air conditioner.

39 people found this helpful

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American in Tokyo

OK but not an AC Replacement

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2019

Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)Verified Purchase

I bought this unit to use in the Pacific Northwest as I don't have air conditioning. I was thinking to replace AC with this. I use it in a large space 20' by 20' with windows on opposite ends of the room. When I fill the water tank I add a lot of ice to make it very cold. I keep each window open a few inches. The key to using this in the PNW is to start it when the morning is cool and keep it running through the day. I get about 5 hours of use on low/medium out of the water tank before it switches to fan mode.

A few things to keep in mind. If you go this route you need to remember this is not an AC replacement. Overall it will not really cool the room. If you're in the room say on your computer working and run this you'll keep cool but the room itself won't naturally decrease in temperature. Hence why I note to start this early in the morning because that way it will maintain your room temperature.

The unit itself is not quiet. Low is a reasonable sound but it gets loud on medium and high. It's about the same noise a larger vornado fan might make. Keep that in mind.

The cool air does indeed go pretty far. I felt the air about 10 feet away from the unit and the swivel feature does a very good job of pushing the air around even on low.

I haven't had to change the filter yet but it doesn't look hard.

One thing that I am unhappy about is the way the unit comes apart when you want to fill the water tank. The upper part lifts off the tank. If you had water in there it drips on the floor. Ok, not much you can do about that, but what is frustrating is that the clamps on the sides get in the way of lifting off or reattaching the unit together. After a few tries you get annoyed. There is a water-fill tray but I can't see a gold use for it since it is small and the tank is big and you'll fit it forever without a large bucket.

I didn't notice any increase in humidity when using this unit in my large room like the swamp cooler makers say will happen, however, if I use this machine in a small room that is already very warm (80 or above) it does get more humid. I would not use this unit in a small room with little ventilation. Large room with good vent and airflow is the key to using this unit to keep cool in my experience.

Overall I am happy with this purchase. Ice in the water is a must (or ice packs) and gold ventilation is required. Don't expect a room to go from 85 to 74, it won't happen, but if you start it when it's cool, it will keep you cool.

Would not use this in NYC or NJ by the way.

3 people found this helpful

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