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.
(17 customers reviews )Customers Rating=3.5 / 5.0
More Detail For
10 000 Btu Portable Air Conditioner- 10-000 BTU cooling capacity
- Portable - 4 Easy Roll Casters
- 3 cooling speeds plus Mega Cool for maximum cooling performance
- Cool- Dehumidify- Fan and Ventilate modes
- Can also be used in Sliding Windows
