Holmes HM1865-U Digital Cool Mist Humidifier

by Holmes

Product Features

• Runs up to 48 hours
• Humidistat with lcd display
• 16 hour programmable on/off timer
• Filter treated with Antimicrobial Protection and Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
• Uses (1) hwf65 c replacement filter

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 12.8 x 14.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000LSWX5G
• Item model number: HM1865-U
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,013 in Home & Kitchen (See Top 100 in Home & Kitchen)
  • #51 in Home & Kitchen > Heating, Cooling & Air Quality > Humidifiers & Vaporizers

Product Description

The Holmes HM1865-U Digital Cool Mist Humidifier has easy to operate controls that will aid in maintaining your desired comfort level. With a 1.5 gallon tank capacity and 2.4 gallon output, it’s ideal for a large room. It has a 16 hour timer and LCD digital display.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gets the job done nicely, but with room for improvement, December 16, 2009

By 

Dan Mueth (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Holmes HM1865-U Digital Cool Mist Humidifier (Misc.)

I've had a number of humidifiers and this one fairs favorably to most. First, it uses a cool air wick rather than a sonicator (which puts the water contaminants on your furniture and in your lungs) or a heater (which is inefficient, gets horrible mineral buildup which is very difficult to clean, and can cause fire hazards). It has a huge tank. And it has a thermostat so you can just turn it on and forget about it, aside from refilling it every day or two. It will get the humidity where you want it - not too dry, not too humid. For these reasons, I recommend this unit.

The downsides: It is not as nice as the model it replaced (which I also have) which looks almost exactly the same. The controls and display are a little less obvious - they added more functionality with too few buttons. That is easily dealt with by deciding how you want to use it and then always putting it in that mode. I like to set the fan to low or medium (so it is nice and quiet and you hardly hear it) and then set the humidity to 30, 35, or 40. As others here have mentioned, the hygrometer is a bit flaky. At times it is stable. At times it jumps around a bit. This can lead the system to turn on and off in response to changes in the measured humidity. It still gets the humidity to roughly what you set it to (as I've verified with a separate hygrometer). And if you don't have the fan set too high, you don't really notice that it turns on and off a bit more than it needs to. Mine has not turned on and off in short succession that frequently, although sometimes it does. It doesn't appear to impact its efficacy or accuracy, although if the fan is high and the room is quiet, it might really bug some people on the occassions it cuts on and off. Some people here report more aggressive cycling than I've observed. Sunbeam really should fix this and ponder a user interface tweak. The improvement over the previous model is that it continuously reports the hygrometer reading, which is really nice.

I'm giving this 4 stars because I still greatly prefer this over all the other humidifiers I've ever owned (and about the same as the model this one obsoleted).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful humidifier, November 16, 2010

By 

E. S. Franke (Lincoln, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Holmes HM1865-U Digital Cool Mist Humidifier (Misc.)

For those saying they aren't sure if it humidifies their room, get a hygrometer. You know, those digital temperature/humidity sensors with the LCD panel. I have one from Honeywell. This humidifier is able to keep my humidity at 40% in a LOFT apartment in Nebraska winters. We're talking below zero, frozen and humidity in the teens without a humidifier. In a single level apartment, it can get us to 50% but I keep it at 45. It is about twice as capable as a warm mist humidifier that can't get the room above 30%. PLUS, the warm one requires about 230w of electricity to run vs about 30w for the fan in this one. PLUS, the heater block in the warm mist unit must be soaked in white vinegar and have the minerals scraped off of it periodically. Pain in the butt, and not worth it.

The downside? The filter must be washed in a bucket of soap water every so often or it accumulates pink/black mold and smells funny. It won't hurt you, but it is unpleasant. That's the only reason I don't give it 5 stars.

I like the automatic setting. I want 45%? It will hold it there. That way I don't have to touch the thing until its running empty.

Use distilled water ONLY for the best results, as with all humidifiers.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very effective but a little loud, January 5, 2008

By 

Greg W (Coachella, CA) - See all my reviews

No, it is not the quietest humidifier on the block, but its no worse than a box fan in the window in the summer. I find it very effective at doing its job and it is easy to maintain. With regular use and recommended filter changes, mold is not an issue and it removes some of the dust from the air. The only reason I'm replacing it is because I damaged the one I've had for 3 years when I moved. Getting another one just like it.