Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Great humidifier! March 28, 2007
jess (philadelphia)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
This humidifier has been a life-saver. I really like that it's easy to clean and maintain (although the build-up that accumulates on the heat element is a bit hard to remove), I've never been shocked by it, it's simple to use, and the materials are sturdy.
I had one previously that was terrible - it was the thinnest plastic ever and leaked constantly. I have had no problems with this humidifier except that the first one I had got a hole in it when I dropped it (on to a ceramic tiled floor from a few feet up), so after hastily replacing it with the cheap one that gave me problems, I quickly ordered up a duplicate of my original humidifier, and have been happy ever since. I've had this brand and model for 2 years now.
Excellent little humidifier August 6, 2007
E. A. Jones
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
Last winter when my husband and I needed a humidifier we had a lot of trouble finding a warm mist humidifier, which is the kind we prefer. We found this one in a half-opened box at a retail store and grabbed it, and were surprised at how great it worked!
It's very easy to use - just fill the tank and place it in the unit. The tank even has a handle on the bottom of it to make it easier to carry, as a full tank is pretty heavy. We have one in our bedroom next to the bed. Within seconds you'll hear and see mist generated. There are two speeds, high and low: on low a full tank will last 2-3 nights, on high it lasts 1-2. The filter parts to clean come off easily and some parts can be put in the dishwasher to clean. It's pretty compact, too, so it won't take up a whole table.
I love using a humidifier when I have a cold, as it helps clear congestion and soothes my throat. A humidifier is a necessity for me. We bought a second one from Amazon but our cats broke it within a few weeks. We'll be buying a replacement when the weather gets cooler!
The tank does drip easily when lifted out of the unit so you'll want to put the humidifier on a towel or something, just to protect your furniture. The water deposits on the heating element will build up and are sometimes hard to get off, but it hasn't affected the way the unit works.
 "Objective" review January 12, 2008
Scott Robinson (New York, NY USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Yesterday I went downtown to look for a humidifier for my bedroom. What I thought would be an easy project turned into one of frustration. I wound up going to three different drug stores to try to get an idea of what to buy. Most of the humidifiers I saw were by Kaz (Vicks), who makes many different models. To make choosing a model supposed easier, somewhere along the line the company put a graph on only some of their model's boxes to indicate which model to buy based on your needs. (I wanted it for colds and flu). This graph was at one point changed and updated. But the problem is that Kaz doesn't label their boxes too well as to what model applies to the graph. From what I can tell it is these newer graphs that grade their humidifiers as Best, Better, Good or nothing depending upon the purpose intended. But if you are trying to choose between warm or cool all Kaz tells the consumer is some people prefer the warm mist to the cool mist while some don't. How this is supposed to help the consumer decide I'll never know.
Anyhow, I wound up with this model (v745A) because it was supposed to be all purpose and being the winter here in the NE I thought warm rather than cool mist would be better. An added benefit with the warm mist is that you can add an inhalant and with my current cold that would help. I did have some concerns about whether this unit would be enough for my 16x16x10 room. Kaz only labels some of their boxes with the size room the unit is good for but this one does not say. All my observances below were made using this unit on the high setting.
BUILD: The unit itself is built OK nothing more (and I didn't expect more) but seems a little flimsy.
NOISE: OK, the noise. Come on people, this device boils water for steam, hence the name "Warm Mist". You should not expect this to be absolutely silent so stop whining. And for those of you with the "Princess and the Pea" syndrome do NOT buy it. But for those who want an idea of what it sounds like from 3 feet away think of it is like the sound of a rainy day or it is like having an aquarium in the room. It is not loud at all (certainly no louder than a fan on low speed) and could be soothing to those who like white noise.
PERFORMANCE: This unit does humidify my bedroom but it does take a while to have its effect, so I would start it before I went to bed. The amount of mist that comes out is probably not as great as if you were boiling water in a soup pan. [Please do not have unrealistic expectations: your room will not to turn into a steam bath and you will not see the mirrors fog up as they do in the bathroom.] Ideally, two of these in my room would probably suit it better. I can not say that the added inhalant has a great effect. I can smell it in the mist as it is coming out right above the unit but would not be aware of it otherwise. Incidentally, Vicks makes a personal model of these, but I would skip it in favor of this one because you could just breath in the vapors as it comes out of the top of this unit for the same effect.
CONCLUSION: Overall I am OK with this purchase. Frankly, I don't see how anyone could "love" this device or anything like it. It does what it does. I am not sure if another model would have been better. Kaz really needs to make choosing between these models easier. Having used it now I would only recommend a WARM mist for winter use (when most colds and flu occur). It would be too warm and uncomfortable at other times. I have not had it long enough to test its durability.
 3.5 stars, Wonderful for dry homes February 26, 2008
K. A. Lewinski (Michigan, USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
3.5 stars
I bought this humidifier because the air in my home was so dry I was getting nosebleeds. Within a few days I felt so much better (even skin and lips aren't as dry/chapped).
PROS:
- Has a high setting and a low setting
- Quiet compared to other humidifiers
- Automatically shuts off when the tank is empty, and a "Reset" light appears to let you know to fill it.
- Is relatively small/compact. I move it from room to room, and it's not too heavy even when full.
CONS:
- Requires cleaning more than once a week, I wash the tank every other day just to be on the safe side.
- Minerals do build up in the "heating chamber" and the inside of the large part of the "removable tray" rather quickly, I would suggest using distilled or purified water. Or just make sure you clean it regularly (one or 2 times a week for the Removable tray and heating chamber), I use a soft-bristled toothbrush to remove mineral build-up.
- "Medicine Cup" is on the small side. I don't use this feature, but others might find it inadequate.
***I don't mind cleaning, it only takes about 10 minutes when you clean all of the parts, even when I had to scrub off the mineral buildup.***
3.5 stars, Wonderful for dry homes February 26, 2008
K. A. Lewinski (Michigan, USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
3.5 stars
I bought this humidifier because the air in my home was so dry I was getting nosebleeds. Within a few days I felt so much better (even skin and lips aren't as dry/chapped).
PROS:
- Has a high setting and a low setting
- Quiet compared to other humidifiers
- Automatically shuts off when the tank is empty, and a "Reset" light appears to let you know to fill it.
- Is relatively small/compact. I move it from room to room, and it's not too heavy even when full.
CONS:
- Requires cleaning more than once a week, I wash the tank every other day just to be on the safe side.
- Minerals do build up in the "heating chamber" and the inside of the large part of the "removable tray" rather quickly, I would suggest using distilled or purified water. Or just make sure you clean it regularly (one or 2 times a week for the Removable tray and heating chamber), I use a soft-bristled toothbrush to remove mineral build-up.
- "Medicine Cup" is on the small side. I don't use this feature, but others might find it inadequate.
***I don't mind cleaning, it only takes about 10 minutes when you clean all of the parts, even when I had to scrub off the mineral buildup.
|
