Customer Reviews

Hamilton Beach 05521 TrueAir 3.5 Gal. Cool Mist Humidifier

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This product is extremely easy to use, fill and clean. The water tank on the back has a sturdy handle and pulls right up. The tank is completely sealed, so after filling it you can carry it back without risk of spilling anything. It holds enough water for a day or two, which is nice. The filter is easy to change - lift up the front housing and drop it in. The motor is quiet - not silent, but it is in the bedroom and we sleep fine. Dialing a particular humidity is great. It turns itself on and off to maintain that level - you just dial and leave it alone. It keeps our 10x18 bedroom at 50% no matter the weather. Much better than other humidifiers I've used.

October 2004: Replacment Tank. I would like to add that recently, I knocked the water tank against the sink - fairly hard (I slipped) - and the bottom corner of the tank cracked, and was leaking. One call to Hamilton Beach and a new one was on its way, free of charge. Now *that* is customer service.

November 2005: Repurchase. After five years, the old unit was gunked up on the inside beyond cleaning. The instructions say to store it, "completely dry, sealed and in its original box", when not used for over two weeks. I never bothered (who has time for all that?), so it was out in the room permanently for 5 years. Of course, it collected dust and grime on the fan blades and inside the housing. It was not possible to disassemble the unit for cleaning - I tried but it looks like once put together, it was never meant to be taken apart by anyone, not even a technician. With such high-maintenance storage instructions, many owners will have units that stay out and get grimy inside. They really should make it easy to thoroughly clean all of the internal parts.
That said, I purchased another of these units. The new one came with a tank made of a different kind of plastic - slightly more rubbery and not so stiff. Perhaps the old, harder plastic cracked too easily or something. The new tank is ok, but one time after filling it up, the plug came out and I had to sop up a couple of gallons of water off my bedroom floor. I kept the old, hard tank from the old unit and am using that now. It works fine.

I bought this humidifier a month ago after much research. So far, it hasn't shown any mechanical trouble. The filter is holding up just fine after 4 weeks, despite daily use. Surely the quality of water in your area dictates how frequently you will need to change the filter. Nevertheless, it is recommended that you flip the filter over (to prolong it's life)when you refill the water. In my case, filter change maybe warranted no sooner than 2-3 months.

The large capacity of the water tank is good enough for 24 hour operation (on quiet setting). I use it all day night long on the low setting and it uses up about half the amount of water in the tank. At first the low setting may seem noisy especially if there is very little ambient noise around you (like when you can hear the wall clocks in your house ticking). But after a few minutes it sounds just like a dull whirring sound that is hardly objectionable. I use it in my bedroom at night and it doesn't disturb my sleep.

It is easy to see the level of water through the tinted tank. The water tank is easily removable when handled vertically. There is no leakage/spilling when you do so. There is a wide fill hole at the bottom of tank for refilling water. There are two problems though with refilling ...firstly the tank is too large to fit under the faucet in the kitchen sink, so you need a jug or hose to fill it up or use the faucet in the bathtub...secondly, the cap on the fill hole is pretty tight (the upside is that it is spill-proof) so I wouldn't recommend the unit for feeble people.

The other part of the unit, housing the motor and fan, comes off easily too. I do wish it had a latch, because you need to be careful not to knock it off when removing the water tank. When the water tank is replaced on the base tray, some water from the container fills up the tray, making a gurgling sound. It makes the same tiny gurgling sound periodically during operation too. This water in the tray is taken up gradually by the filter (which sits under the motorized fan), to generate the humidity when the fan is on.

The digital panel is easy to read. I do not however agree with the humidistat's reading. I have another humidistat in the room that I compare the reading to. The humidifier's reading is always lower, usually by 8 to 10 percent. Setting the desired level of humidity is simple although it can be done only in 5 percent increments. The unit shuts of automatically when the desired hunidity level is reached.

The base is easy to lift if the unit needs to be moved. Of course it is much more convenient to do so after removing the heavy water tank. As long as care is taken not to slant the base tray, there is no leakage or spill.

One point to consider if you are paying heating bills in the winter is that, since this IS a cool-mist himidifier, it will make the room cooler. So you may need to turn up the heat in the room a notch.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the unit's performance and recommend it to any able-bodied adult considering a cool-mist humidifier. To sum up, here are the PROS and CONS:

CONS:
1. Water tank is too large to fit under kitchen faucet
2. Cap on fill hole is tight. Some strength required to turn it
3. Humidistat not accurate
4. Motor unit is not securely latched to base tray to prevent accidentally knocking it off when removing water tank.

PROS:
1. Very good performance
2. Low operating sound on quiet setting
3. No leakage or spilling when handled correctly
4. Portable
5. Dishwasher safe; Easy to clean
6. Desired humidity level can be set manually
7. Automatic shut-off when desired humidity reached

PRO/CON depending on whether you live in hot or cold climate: Makes the room cooler.

Water Tank:
A large tank should mean less fillups, however, I found myself filling up nearly every night, and I only used the humidifier at "quiet" when I went to bed. It's somewhat simple to fill up, but since you have to flip the tank upside down to fill it, it's cumbersome to fill in a bathtub, which is the only place other than the kitchen sink that the tank will fit for. Since I use this product in my bedroom, I use the tub.

Noise Level:
I thought that the quietest setting was quite tolerable while I slept and I probably could sleep through the mid-level. However, I purchased an identical model for my mother, and she said it kept her awake all night. So, your mileage may vary, but keep in mind that if you are a very light sleeper and bothered by slight noises, there probably is NO humidifier that will be quiet enough for you.

Operation:
The LCD display is large and easy to read. The 2 buttons to increase/decrease the desired humidity and the control knob for OFF/Quiet/Medium/High fan level is very easy to operate.

Effectiveness:
All in all, yes, the humidifier is doing what I hoped it would do. I wake up with less throat irritation and without stuffed up sinuses. However, I purchased this unit thinking that the digital humidity level operation would work precisely. First, the humidity can only be increased/decreased at 5% increments. Second, I have not been able to reach my desired humidity of 50%, even when I've blasted it at HIGH. The highest I've reached is 45% and it's in my bedroom. Unless you live in a mansion, this humidifier SHOULD be able to control the humidity in a bedroom with ease. Not so I found out. Furthermore, when the humidifier is off, the LCD still displays the humidity, but will always drop 3-5% when you turn it back on. What's the purpose of having a humidistat when it doesn't appear to be accurate?

Summary:
All in all, it does the job. But the LCD display and operation is not worth the extra cost, above the cheaper models. I've already shipped this unit back to Amazon.com and purchased a less expensive Holmes model from Target, which you can also purchase through Amazon.com. We'll see how that one fares.

After reading the other reviews I wanted to throw my 2 cents onto the pile. It appears to me that some people purchased this product expecting a miracle cure for their dry winter air without realizing that it's just a machine and dependant on many other factors. For one, if you want to humidify an entire house or very large apartment/duplex, either buy a bigger model or get more than one. It lists the square footage it can cover effectively for a reason. If you live in a place bigger than the recommended square footage, you'll have to keep doors closed in the room (like a bedroom) for this humidifier to have an effect in that space. My apartment is just outside the recommendation so the humidifier runs a little longer, but the QuietMist setting 24/7 only has me filling the tank every other day so as not to let it fall below a quarter of a tank. Plus, it can reach my setting of 45% without a problem. I've noticed a difference in my skin, I don't electrocute my cats anymore, and my tropical plants have perked up and multiplied. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was because of the filters and how often they have to be replaced. I would prefer to be able to wash them periodically and save myself some money. The final word, though, if used correctly this is an excellent product.

(This review refers model (5519). Same review applies, this model just has a bigger holding tank...)

I've been searching for a good humidifier (at the right price) for a long time... Finally, here it is! One that can control humidity level and give me a digital read out of the current humidity. This model also has a nice size water tank that can be filled without taking the whole unit to the sink. This model also included a filter system to help clear out dust and pollen. A nice size fan pushes the air to circulate the whole room. It also shuts on and off automatically, to keep the desired humidity level. There are 3 speed settings; quiet, med, and high. The high makes a good amount a sound, but I only use it when no one is in the room and need a boost of humidity. Quiet is just that... Like a portable fan at low speed. Worth every penny!

I bought this humidifier in desperation after suffering from a lingering sore throat, waking up each morning parched from thirst. It made a difference almost immediately.

It is a vast improvement over a much inferior humidifier I had a few years back. The tank easily lasts a full 24 hours between refills, and it is easily placed on the top rack of the dishwasher for cleaning. In fact the whole thing comes apart quite easily for cleaning.

The digital display is also well worth it, as it will cycle on and off if the room becomes humid and you can set it to your comfort level. I find it to be nice and quiet at the low setting (actually kind of soothing as I go to sleep because it functions like white noise).

An excellent product well worth the expense.

I have had this humidifier for about two months now and have found the following:

PROS:
1.This humidifier works well for me. I keep it in my bedroom and only use it at night and I like the white noise that the quiet setting gives off.
2. It does a fair job.
3. It has a digital readout (very nice feature).
4. It has a large water tank.
5. It is easy to use.
6. I have not had any mechanical problems with it.

CONS:
1. The filters have to be replaced about once a week, otherwise they get moldy and start to smell (and who wants to breathe in mold?)
2. The filters are WAY too expensive. Amazon sells them for seven bucks and this is the cheapest I have found. This is a lot of money to shell out every week.
3. Filters are hard to find. Not many places carry them.
4. The cap on the water tank is VERY hard to open. It takes forever to get it off.

Bottom line, I would not purchase this humidifier again simply because I hate shelling out 28 bucks every month for filters. Even though the cap is hard to get off, it isn't impossible and its something I can live with. Maybe HB will come out with a filter that can be reused by putting it through the dishwasher or something, but until then I would not recommend purchasing this humidifier unless you have a lot of money to put into buying filters. Even though it works well, it just isn't worth it.

This is absolutely the best humidifier I've ever owned. It doesn't leave the floor and walls wet! I live in Alabama and in the winter, I usually have to refill it every to every day. In the summer it can be extremely humid here so it rarely runs. I read in one review where it was hard to refill the tank in the tub since you have to turn the tank upside down to refill it, but I've never had a problem refilling the tank. I love the fact that you can put the tank in the dishwasher. As far as the sound, I usually have mine set on the lowest speed which is quiet. On the highest speed, it's about as loud as having an osculating fan going in your room. Some people might like it because it drowns out all white noise. All I can say is....My skin isn't dry anymore..My sinuses are open and my lips are no longer chapped!!!!!! I would highly recommend the TrueAir Cool Mist Humidifier to anyone!!!! Did I mention this humidifier was suppose to be for my daughter but after using it in my bedroom, I decided I needed it more. I'm going to be purchasing another one for my daugther's room!

Not wanting to go through another winter with dry skin, I decided to look into purchasing a humidifier. After much research, I decided on the Hamilton Beach 05521 TrueAir Cool Mist Humidifier. I have used this humidifier for a few months now and it's hard to tell if the humidifier has helped or not.

My skin is still dry, but I don't think it is AS dry as it would have been. The humidifier runs 24/7 on quiet.

The digital readout is very nice, I can't imagine one of these without a readout. The thing is though, it almost never raises the humidity above 35-40%. I've even let it run on high all day once in awhile, and all that does is use up all the water faster. Even on quiet, I have to fill the tank twice a day. And my wife and I are getting tired of filling up the tank all the time.

The one thing that I really hate about this unit is the filter. It gets really filthy very quickly, even after turning it over every time I fill the tank like the directions say. After about 3-4 weeks it starts smelling pretty bad and needs to be changed. At ten bucks a pop, I would expect the filters to last a lot longer.

If I would have been able to try this unit out for a month before purchasing it, I would have returned it and kept looking around for something else because of the filter. I don't know if all humidifiers go through filters this fast, surely they can't all be this bad, can they?

Other than the filter, it's not a bad unit. And I would definitely recommend getting a unit with a digital readout so you can see what the humidity level is before and after you use it.

We live at 7000ft altitude and humidifiers are necessary due to the very dry mountain air all year round. In the winter, with heat on, we are sleeping in extremely dry air. We have tried all kinds of cool air humidifiers and so far, this one is the best. We like being able to set the actual humidity level we want, and seeing the current level. The lowest fan level is very quiet, the higher ones are not. There is no indicator when water is low, so it is necessary to check the water level. We expect to change the filter every 6 weeks or so, which is not a problem.