Air-O-Swiss AOS Ultrasonic Humidifier - 7135
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Our Price: $179.99 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $99.99 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Air-O-Swiss AOS Ultrasonic Humidifier - 7135
Customer Review: A good purchase
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been using the 7135 for 2 weeks now. I previously used a Vicks Cool Mist humidifier purchased at a drug store and I am much happier with the 7135. However I am a little disappointed in that it hasn't helped with the dry mouth, throat and nasal passages that I still experience upon waking every morning.
PROS:
Quiet operation, makes some bubbling sounds when water drains into the tank, but it does not wake me up, it doesn't gurgle loudly like the cheap humidifiers.
Has a timer, you can set the humidity level, fan speed, and warm or cool mist option.
You can direct the mist with the movable nozzle.
Holds enough water to run for about 24 hours.
I have not experienced any white dust and I am using tap water.
No filters to change out every few weeks like the cheaper models. My Vicks filter would begin growing mold after only two weeks of use.
I was concerned about the warm mist setting making my room feel muggy, but it does not.
CONS:
Shape of the tank does make it a little difficult to refill. I refill mine in the bathtub since it will not fit under a sink.
It has to be placed on a piece of furniture and cannot be left on the floor. This takes up most of my bedside table.
This is minor, but the lights on the front of the unit are bright at night. I like to sleep in a really dark room, so I cover it with a sticky note.
The functions on the front of the unit are not labeled, they use icons to label what each button does. Is a little confusing the first time you use it until you figure out what they all do. The instructions in the manual also use illustrations and are not very good.
If you completely dump all the water out of the base when refilling it, you have to wait several minutes for the water to refill the base before you can turn it back on because the water drains slowly from the tank. If you try to turn it back on immediately you will get the "out of water" icon and the unit doesn't operate.
Overall I find the cons to be minor annoyances and I'd recommend this product.
Customer Review: Great Device - but be wary of water content
Summary: 4 Stars
I live in the San Diego area, and in the winter the humidity in the house is unbelievably low (I never realized until I started the 7135 and noticed the hygrometer reading was around 28%!). Understandably, I had all sorts of sinus issues that made it difficult to get an uninterrupted night's sleep, my contact lenses would dry quickly, and my skin would get so dry my feet would crack open.
This humidifier certainly has made a huge difference in my life. Within a few hours the humdity levels in my house were in the 45%-50% range (used almost a full tank to get there). I quickly bought a 2nd - one for my bedroom, and one for the larger kitchen/dining room/lviing room area.
The device is easy to operate - fill the tank and turn it on. This will put the device into it's auto-mode, which will strive to hit "optimal" relative humidity based on temperature (this tends to be in the 55%-60% range).
Unfortunately, the instructions that come with the device aren't as detailed as you might like. Only very basic instructions on the operation are included (there are more warnings and cautions than instructions). Just turn it on and leave it in auto-mode, and decide if you want the heating function on or not (cleaner water and will slightly warm the area). The system is very quiet - sometimes I hear the faint gurgle as some water is passed from the tank to the base, but you can't really hear it otherwise.
Water content is very important. Water here has high mineral content, and even with the provided filter I still had a heavy coating of white dust in the area. My air purifiers (Ionic Breeze) were coated inside and out with the dust. The only way to minimize this is to use distilled or reverse-osmosis cleaned water, which has stopped the dust, but can get expensive - leaving the system to run all day uses about a tank or so per unit, so that's 7 gallons per day. I currently buy water at .22/gal, so I'm now looking for an RO or distiller to use at home.
A humdifier is a must have in my area, and I'd highly recommmend this for its ease of use and effectiveness.
Customer Review: Great for baby!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this for my infant daughter's room because she suffers from frequent ear and sinus infections. You do need to keep it 3 to 5 feet off the ground so that the mist can disperse in the air before hitting the floor. The mist is super fine, it reminds me of the steam that comes off of dry ice in a witch's brew during halloween. However, even the fine mist will dampen then floor if you do not have the unit high enough off the ground. I have mine probably almost 3 feet high. Since I'm not quite high enough, I set the mist output level to 3 and the desired humidity level to 50 when she sleeps at night. My carpet is never wet but if I had it going full blast it probably would be. I have never had dust of any kind. I was worried about dust at first after reading other reviews so I bought distilled water but that got old really quick. So I used filtered water from my refridgerator dispenser and never had problems. I recently had a whole house water filtration and softener system put in and so now I am able to run the humidifier without the demineralization cartridge and again no dust. You must clean the unit as instructed!! Use only clean tap water to clean it. You are basically just giving it a good rinse and rub down. I haven't had the need to use the calcium cleaner. One time I did spill water, I had just cleaned the unit and put it back together with a full tank and went to carry the whole thing back upstairs and water did spill. So do not attempt to carry the entire unit with a full tank loaded. It will cause the water to slosh and over release from the tank. Filling the tank is a bit awkward as it will not fit under a standard bathroom sink faucet. In the past I would just fill a water pitcher with filtered water and then pour it in the tank. Now since I have the whole house filter I just fill the tank in the bathtub faucet nearby, much easier and quicker. It is very quiet. It makes an occasional quiet bubble noise as water from the tank is released into the unit below but it's not disturbing at all. We're very happy with it so far! I've had it about 6 months or more now.Customer Review: Super quiet... some design flaws.
Summary: 4 Stars
We have been using this humidifier for three months now and so far it's really been great. Originally got it to humidify children's rooms when they're sick and it is so quiet it doesn't disrupt their sleep. Even when water "glugs" out of the tank into the base, you can barely hear it. As far as I can tell the humidistat works well and the machine really does regulate mist output based on the external reading. You truly can't hear it coming on and off, you have to really listen. That feature is wonderful.
We've had no problems with white dust, or with mildew in the unit and have had no scale buildup. I like that you can buy granules to change out the cartridge inside the tank rather than buying whole new cartridges. That's a huge money saver and it's not a big deal to change out. It's very easy to clean, I didn't think the silver stick or the cartridge would make that big of a difference but they really do! The water coming out is so clean and doesn't make the room smell musty. If the room does get musty, you know it's time to change the cartridge.
I only have two complaints about this machine. First, there is no handle on the bottom of the tank to make filling it with water easier. Even cheap models have this feature so I don't know what happened in the design process here. I've just taken to holding onto the fill hole. The tank is so sleek that trying to hold onto that is futile, it just slips right out of your hands.
Second, when I received the machine and used it for about a week, a small leak developed in a seam at the front of the tank. It started to leak in the corner of the arch that fits over the controls. The Amazon.com seller never responded to me when I tried to find out if I could make an exchange, so I ended up going to the Air-O-Swiss website and ordering a replacement tank for $20. Everything works fine now.
Sure, I wish this humidifier was cheaper, but if you want something quiet that doesn't make a room overly wet and clammy while still not spending over $200 for something industrial, this works fine.
Customer Review: Expensive, but worth it.
Summary: 4 Stars
After using several other humidifiers, most of which lasted only a few months before breaking, I decided to bite the bullet and try an expensive one. After considerable research, I chose the Air-O-Swiss.
So far (two months) it seems well worth its high price. It is by far the easiest to live with of any console or tabletop humidifier I've owned.
It has performed beautifully in my modest 15' X 15' bedroom. No problems with over or under humidification. No white dust (so far, at least). No more morning sore throat, dried out nasal passages or hacking cough, either.
Further, it's blessedly quiet. Admittedly, my others have not been ultrasonic devices, so I can't compare with other machines using the same technology, but compared to standard evaporative units this is a silent delight.
The tank is large enough that it needs to be filled only once or twice a day (except during extremely cold weather). Filling it presents no more difficulty than any other unit I've owned.
I like the easy to use, well designed automatic mode, as well as the option of warm or cool mist. I use warm while I'm sleeping, cool to reduce operating costs when I'm not in the room. (It's on 24/7 because I'm home all day.)
On the downside, it is expensive to buy and maintain (the filter cartridge refills and sticks are overpriced, but they do work well). High maintenance cost is the reason for 4 rather than 5 stars.
In addition, it does occasionally slightly moisten the rug nearby, although not consistently and never enough to soak through (the instructions warn against using it on the floor, so I knew I was doing so at my own risk). The tank removal and replacement process inevitably results in a few drops dripping on the floor, too. No leakage problem, however.
Overall, though, the Air-O-Swiss has been a great upgrade with virtues greatly outweighing its minor imperfections.