Customer Reviews

Air-O-Swiss 7146 Travel Ultrasonic Humidifier

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This unit is the original travel/portable humidifier. I shopped around and looked at the several imitators, but decided to go with the Air-O-Swiss name/reputation that I know and love.

This unit is tiny, and comes with a power adapter with both US and European plugs and a soft cloth carry bag.

I use it at McMurdo Station, Antarctica where the average humidity is in the single digits. It puts out less water than my full-size Air-O-Swiss unit at home, but a remarkable amount for a unit this size.

The blue light that others have complained about is fairly bright - as most blue LEDs are - but it's no brighter than most night-lights, and hasn't bothered my sleep. The blue light switches to a red light when the water runs out... kind of a nice heads-up feature if you don't have the output set high enough to see the "steam" coming from the spout.

Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to make this purchase again, and I'd replace this unit with the same if needed (unless or until Air-O-Swiss comes out with their own new replacement/upgrade). There are a couple other copies that are less expensive, but I haven't tried them - I went with the quality/service that I trusted at the cost of the higher price tag.

PROs: operates very quietly and very compact - great for travel and personal use by bedside at home. Bottle neck adapter has two (2) size fittings for use with standard plastic bottle. Adapter is very tight inside bottle's neck so water does not leak out. When turned upside down, metal ball stopper is water tight. Fold out 'feet' to mitigate tipping though it may not be sufficient to prevent tipping with larger bottles eg: one liter bottles. Has variable humidity adjustment which works reasonably well too.

CONs: bottle neck adapter fits into inside of bottle mouth - it is not a 'screw on' adapter. A positive about this is that it'll work with standard sized bottles (supports two sizes) however removal and insertion of adapter into bottle neck is VERY tight. Some plastic bottles are very thin walled. Press fitting the adapter can be problematic as bottle's wall may collapse from applied pressure during insertion. Therefore thicker walled plastic is recommended esp. if/when larger bottle is being used. Seniors with limited hand mobility may also find it difficult to manipulate due to tight fit. NOTE: though unit comes with stabilizing pullout feet, filled bottle is simply inserted into receptor - there is nothing to 'clamp' adapter and bottle to hold it in place ergo care should be taken as bottle can be knocked off unit easily. The water tight adapter will prevent the water escaping from the bottle however weight from falling bottle can/might cause damage to surrounding objects.

WARNing: Due to relative ease with which unit might tip, use of glass bottle is not recommended. Use in child's room may also not be recommended.

SUM: at price point and intended use, pros out weigh cons and therefore worthwhile purchase. Had adapter come with rubber 'O' rings for easier insertion and if adapter could have been clamped in more securely, it would have deserved 5 stars. CONs however only earns it 4 stars IMHO.

After my government issued ID and money, this amazing gadget is the third key thing I would take on a trip to a dry place. After three miserable trips to Phoenix where my eyes were dry and red and I felt tired and miserable, I brought this portable humidifier for the fourth trip (in as many months). What a difference it makes to sleep with the thing lacing the air with balmy droplets of water. I wish I had had it on other trips to other arid places (including, incidentally, Beijing), but also the many arid places in the Middle East, such as Riyadh. I also plan on taking it to any place cold enough to require forced air heating in winter. I really like shoes, but will leave a pair behind to accommodate this humidifier in my usual complement of carry-on baggage. It's that good!

I've been using the Air-O-Swiss on my desk at work for a few weeks now. At first I was impressed by how quiet the humidifier ran. I empty the water every night and dry out the parts but the last few times I've used it, there is an annoying hum that comes and goes. For the amount of money I paid for the humidifier I would expect it to be flawless for more than a week. I wouldn't mind if it weren't for the cost.

The unit is lightweight and easy to travel with. Like others have noted, there is a slight hum from the motor but not loud enough to bother me. The blue light lights up the entire spout, and can reflect through the entire water bottle which is a bit too bright for me for sleeping (I like to sleep in complete darkness). However, I simply put the humidifier in the hotel bathroom, which comes in handy as a nightlight, and leave the bathroom door open. On a recent trip to Denver I noticed a clear difference in humidity between having it on/off. I have also been using it in my office daily which is quite nice. One water bottle lasts throughout the work day on the medium level. And compared to my full-size Sunbeam cool mist humidifier, it doesn't leave my furniture/carpet all wet. However, like others have noted, some water bottles will not fit (e.g. Dasani makes theirs a little wider) but most do. It would be nice if we could shut off the light. Also I wish the plug on the AC adapter could fold down for ease of transport (I worry about putting it in the same pouch as the unit). However, despite its minor flaws, I still love it and would definitely buy it again!

I bought this for travel about a year ago, but find that I use it at home as well despite having 3 full-size humidifers I could use instead.

I have two full size air-o-swiss ultrasonic humidifiers and a vicks ultrasonic at home. However, this unit is so easy to use and takes up such a tiny bit of space that I have been using it at home as well as traveling. My other big units are just collecting dust in the garage now.

Part of the beauty of this unit is how easy it is to fill - you just use one of your empty water bottles. No big heavy container to lug to the sink and hope you don't spill on the way back. In addition, it is super easy to keep clean because it is so tiny. you just need to brush the small chamber where the ultrasonic membrane is located and it comes with a little cleaning brush. The large humidifiers have so many nooks and crannies that they're a real pain to keep clean. Even those with the ionic silver that supposedly retards microbe growth still get gross inside.

I highly recommend this as both a night time at home and travel humidifier. If you live somewhere dry and need a humidifier 24/7,then perhaps it's not the right one for you. But for intermittant use it is perfect!

NOTE: I first tried the similar unit by sunpentown and it had very poor performance so I returned it for this one. Perhaps I just had a bad unit, but based on that experience I cannot recommend the sunpentown unit despite the similar look and size to this one.Sunpentown SU-1051W Travel-Size Personal Humidifier, White

Pros: Very small, hardly takes up any space in my 22" Travelpro. Also uses a standard 0.5 Liter water bottle. It works.

Cons: Won't work in a large hotel room. Have to keep in the minimum setting or else it soaks the area in front of it. I basically keep it right on the nightstand on the lowest setting.

I used this humidifier for 30 days in a bedroom in the Pyrenees and it worked well. The only problem is that you have to find the correct size water bottle for it. The smaller personal water bottles, half liter, now have openings which are too large for the fitting that comes with the humidifier. After spending twenty minutes or so in a hypermart comparing bottle top sizes I found that the 1.5 liter bottles have the correct opening size. Since the unit recommends a smaller bottle, I simply filled the 1.5 liter bottle half way and it worked like a charm. I emailed the manufacturer to inquire as to an adaptor that would fit the newer sized small bottles and explained the problem, but the response was that there was only one adaptor. I may experiment with lobster claw rubber bands to jury rig the adaptor, but I have not reached that stage yet. Nevertheless it worked as advertised and I was quite pleased with it.

I travel for a living and it used to be difficult to find travel humidifiers (my previous one was so difficult and big, it never made a trip). Normally I resort to running a hot, steamy shower to add humidity to a hotel room but that is no longer eco-friendly. However, I bought this after waking up in Breckenride, CO (winter) with my eyelids stuck to my eyeballs and my nose in undescribeable pain. It is expensive, but works like a charm. If you put it on minimum, it will run through the night. If you put it on half strength, it will run out of water in the early am. I got up and refilled, then put on max, and my pillow was slightly damp when I awoke--but that's OK! Easy to clean. I've only used it three days, so I can't testify to it's longevity yet. I would recommend to a friend. Comes with a travel bag and converter plug, with is a nice touch.

I like this little compact humidifer. It is very small, and very well made, and packs easily. The cool mist prevents foggy window syndrome that is generated by warm mist. All you need is to buy a bottle of drinking water. Then just refill with tap water. I used it in Palm Springs, and in Redlands in the heat of the summer. I slept better and found my nose still breathing by morning. I had had a severe nose bleed, so my doctor told me to always have humifier with me. This serves my travel needs when I leave the beach. There is no damage to furniture, no wet marks, no trace left behind.