Sunbeam 701 Ultrasonic Humidifier

by Sunbeam

Product Features

• Variable mist output for precise humidity control
• Ideal for medium or large-size rooms; 27 hours of continuous operation on one filling
• Up to two gallon output per day of cool, clean, soothing mist
• Large water fill opening makes cleaning inside tank easy and convenient
• Patented niteView inner tank night light and water level indicator for night time visibility

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Sunbeam 701-000 Ultrasonic Humidifier features an ultra-quiet operation and has an output of up to two gallons per day. Designed for medium or large-sized rooms, the Sunbeam 701-000 offers 27 hours of continuous operation on a single filling. A patented NiteView feature, inner tank night light and water level indicator offer excellent night time visibility. A variable mist output control lets you maintain precise humidity levels with a pure, visible mist and a smooth, quiet operation. The Sunbeam 701-000 also features a large water fill opening that makes cleaning the inside tank easy and convenient.

Product Description

Sunbeam offers the Health at Home line of products as an effective way to take good care of yourself and maintain an active life.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 9.2 x 12.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 pounds
• 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: B00075M1ZK
• UPC: 027045647397
• Item model number: 701
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,739 in Health & Personal Care (See Top 100 in Health & Personal Care)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good humidifier, November 8, 2005

By 

K. Hsieh "Phantom Reviewer" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sunbeam 701 Ultrasonic Humidifier (Health and Beauty)

This product is easy to use, easy to clean, and very effective. I use it in the baby's room and it makes the whole room a lot more comfortable than the usual california dry environment. The unit has a blue light, which you can turn off if you don't want it bright. The humidifier is relatively quiet, except you'll hear dripping sound as the water is transported within. I like the sound because it put me to sleep. The fog is cool, and very concentrated. If you are using hard water, you might find the white dust residue nearby, but not a big deal at all. So far I have had this unit for a year, and it's one of the best humidifiers I have ever used.

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good humidifier, December 23, 2005

By 

Mark Wieczorek (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sunbeam 701 Ultrasonic Humidifier (Health and Beauty)

A few notes about the product's claims & obvious potential flaws (based on reading some other reviews for humidifiers on Amazon).

1. The box claims that the water tank lasts for 27 hours. It may last a day or so on the lowest setting, but on higher settings (which you may not need) it will only last 12 hours. It turns itself off (the humidifier turns off, but the fan stays on - it's pretty quiet) when the water gets too low.

2. It will leave a "wet spot" on the floor in front of it, but I just point it at the radiator, and the heat from the radiator takes care of any dampness that might appear. I do this on the theory that heating the mist will help saturate the air with moisture, I'm not sure if it does or not... but that's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

3. The light is kinda neat, it'll cast a blue light on the ceiling if you turn the light on, and when the water drops (giving that typical humidifier gurgling sound), the light on the ceiling shimmers. It's worth about 5 minutes of entertainment on the first night you own it.

4. I don't have particularly hard water where I live, but it does leave a bit of a crust on the radiator. Minerals probably, I just wipe it with a damp cloth. If you have hard water where you live, you may want to use filtered water, as recommended. Plus there's a bit of scale that builds up, which is normal for any humidifier, but cleaning it is relatively easy with the included brush that stays with the base. You can't submerse it in water because of the fan, but you can fill it with water in the shower for cleaning just so long as you keep it angled away from the fan.

After a few days, the previously smooth radiator had a rough feeling to it, but if you dampen your fingers (with the mist coming out of the humidifier), you'll see it wipes right off. But, I point it directly at the radiator (electric radiator), so this is sort of an extreme case. Use filtered/bottled water if you think this will be a problem.

5. Regarding the other comment about having to flip the tank over to fill it - that's how all humidifiers are, except for the hot/steam ones. The top is clear, molded plastic and not strong enough to fit the cap. Plus, the mechanism depends on the vacuum in the bottle keeping the water in there. It works on the same principle as those soda bottle cat water dishes. You can try this at home - take any soda bottle, fill it with water, and then put it over a soup bowl. Do this in the sink, because it will splash, but once the level of water in the bowl covers the bottom of the soda bottle, the water will stop coming out, defying gravity. Raise the bottle a bit and water will come out, but only until the bottom is covered again.

A previous humidifier I had had the handle on the bottom and the top, which was nice and made it easier to fill, but this humidifier is so much smaller that I can see why they only have the handle at the top.

6. Yes, there's a constant "running water" noise that can be disconerting. It gets louder on the higher settings, but you get used to it. If you don't think you'll get used to it, don't get this humidifier. I think better engineering could have somehow mitigated this sound, but it really doesn't bother me anymore.

Okay, on to the rest of the review.

The whole ultrasonic mechanism is pretty cool. There's a metal plate that vibrates and sends water into the air, the fan blows the air up a chimney and a little dial at the top that lets you direct the mist in any direction you want. The dial also lets you open it close it to different degrees, which is how you control the intensity.

Mist floats up about 4 feet into the air before dissipating & returning to the floor. Hopefully more of it dissipates than reaches the floor, but there will be a damp spot on the floor unless you did as I do and point it at the radiator. I was tempted to use a fan to blow the mist over the rest of the room, but that seems to defeat the purpose (wouldn't a fan blowing cool mist cool off the room more than you want in the winter?). Pointing it at the radiator works great.

The mist is visible, and if you remove the cap, you feel like you can make a science fiction movie, it's that kind of effect. On the higher settings if you close the door, dew will appear on the windows in a few hours.

On the higher settings, it can get pretty misty feeling in the room, like on a cool summer morning or during a fog, or like a sauna if it's warm.

For a while I was afraid that it was too misty and I'd get a sore throat, but now we use it only on the lower settings and it's great. It adds just the right amount of humidity for my 15 x 15 x 10 room with the door closed.

I left it off the other night and woke up with my nose completely dry. I hadn't realized how much of a difference it made until that point.

Plus the cats love it, it really is an entertaining little blue thing. The mist is a lot of fun to play with.

The wicking humidifier was a pain. The wicks only lasted a week or two before it needed to be replaced, and there was a constant fight against bacteria. I would take this humidifier over the wicking one any day. The wick was a 6" x 6" x 2" pad that brought the moisture up & a fan ran over it to distribute the moisture into the air.

This one is easy to clean, and has no wick, and is extraordinarily entertaining.

4 stars as a humidifier/easing the winter dryness and for causing a wet spot on the floor.
1 star for being so darn entertaining and easy to use.
1 star for initial cost (cheap) & maintenance cost (free + water) and relative ease of maintenance.

I'd recommend this humidifier to anyone. There's a humidifier on Amazon that costs 3 or 4 times as much, and I just don't see how, if it's an ultrasonic humidifier, it can be that much better - it's the same mechanism. Maybe it adds a hygrometer or some fancy device, but you don't really need it. Just set the level with the dial. I might pay more for quieter or holds more water, but not 4 times more. Save your money, or buy 4 of these for your big house.

75 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So Far So Good...., September 9, 2005

By 

Mouse (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sunbeam 701 Ultrasonic Humidifier (Health and Beauty)

I just ran out and bought this humidifier at 11pm at night because my daughter seems to have come down with croup. I filled it up and plugged it in, it immediately started misting, and you can control the amount of mist that comes out by turning the knob. It is super quiet! Nice little glowing light that can be turned on or off. I have been through a few humidifiers, the Halls cool mist did nothing but blow cold air for hours, not one drop of moisture! I owned another one that fell apart, plastic cracked etc.

I've read other reviews about the ultrasonic humidifiers giving off a white dust? It say right in the directions that if you use unfiltered tap water which usually has a high mineral count than there is a possibility of white dust which will get on furniture. I have a 5 stage reverse osmosis system and used the filtered water, if I see any white dust etc. I will be sure to update my opinion!

So far this one seems to be doing its job, the baby is sleeping. I guess I'll have to give it a few more days to see if it's still working.

I gave it four stars because it is currently doing its job.....to be continued.....