Customer Reviews

Vicks V5100N 1.7 Gallon Ultrasonic Humidifier

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

We've been very happy with this humidifier. The cool mist is very fine, so it feels more "misty" and less "damp" or "rainy" than some other humidifiers we've tried. The controls over how much or little mist it produces are effective, and it's very quiet. Although this product is a little more expensive than some other types of humidifiers, it's worth it. I know several people whose babies have been burned by warm mist humdifiers, and they also tend to breed bacteria, neither of which is a concern with this product. Also although we originally bought a cheaper humidifier, it turned out not to be as inexpensive as we first thought because we kept having to replace the wick and it quickly broke. This humidifier doesn't have "hidden costs" and is sturdy and well made.

Also if you take off the lid and watch what it does to produce the mist, it's really cool (not a reason to buy the product in itself, but interesting ....)

Our son gets asthma and croup from colds, so having a good humidifier was essential to keep his airway open. This was our third and final humidifier. After wasting our money on cheapo humidifiers that stopped working after a couple months, and that were awkward to fill and transport without spilling and to assemble correctly to get going, this humidifer worked like a charm. Sometimes there is a slight medicinal smell in the room in the morning, but it's not overwhelming, or that different from any other humidifier. We have had this humidifier for two years now and with proper maintenance it still runs like the day we bought it.

We tried 3 humidifiers for our baby, and this was the best. It's quiet, and the tank is big. You can get two night's use out of a single filling. I also like being able to control the amount and direction of the water vapor. The only downside is having to clean the tank and base on a regular basis (a small price to pay when your baby has cold).

As devotees of ultrasonic humidifiers, we snapped up 3 of these units to compete with the forced-air heat. There is a lot to like: large capacity tank, very quiet, fine mist. Unfortunately, I think there is some type of engineering problem with either the ultrasonic transducer or the water-level sensing circuit. We have sent two back for replacement, because they simply quit working -- regardless of the cleaning and demineralizing routine. One replacement failed after two uses. One of the remaining three is now becoming erratic, and the ultrasonic transducer is delaminating. The water demineralizing cartridges are a great idea, and work pretty well, but be aware that they don't prevent all of the mineral dust. Still, use them.

So in short, these units are a great idea, but they need some better ruggedizing. My Holmes ultrasonic is 10 years old and still runs fine. You're lucky to get 10 months from these.

We recently bought this product for our newborn. Since our purchase she has been able to breathe more freely and the dryness of the air in our house is gone. No more stuffy noses or itchy skin. The only problem is that it is hard to refill the water.

Like some of the other people reviewing this item, ours developed a bad odor after a month of use. I have cleaned the thing thoroughly according to the instructions, but it still smells bad. I cannot find the replacement filter anywhere. It's very good at producing mist, but the room gets saturated with the odor. It's the last time I'll buy a Vicks product.

The humidifier works well, it's very quiet. I bought this last year and when I took it out this winter to use it, the smell was profoundly disgusting! I can't find a replacement filter either in case that's what is causing it. I can't use it with the awful smell.

I had a succession of ultrasonic humidifiers from Sharper Image over the years which were fabulous for conditioning a dry room for a singer. However, there were always two big drawbacks: (1) they'd leave white dust everywhere unless you used distilled water in them; and (2) if you let them run after the water emptied, it'd burn out the fan and then the unit would have to be replaced.

However, ultrasonics are so much better for the voice than standard cool or warm humidifiers, so when Sharper Image recently stopped making this, I looked elsewhere and found the model above from Vicks. Since I know to use only distilled water, the dust thing isn't an issue. My initial impression was one of being very impressed by the significantly greater volume of cool mist it pushed out, and it did so essentially silently. Also it has a far greater storage capacity than the old Sharper Image model, so it needn't be refilled as often.

That idyllic image lasted for my first two hours of use. Then I turned it off to go to lunch. When I turned it back on an hour later, surprise, surprise, no mist would come out. It just plain DIED! I then called the 800 number (which was staffed by some people who had absolutely no - I mean ZERO - prior familiarity with the product), and the only tip I got was from their voice mail which said to unplug the unit for one hour so it could "re-set" itself. I did so, but after replugging it, still no luck.

Can't ANYONE make one of these that is reliable? Vicks sure hasn't.

I bought two of these due to the reviews. They don't work! I had to send one back which was so noisy, they replaced but even if you clean these everyday, in the middle of the night they stop working. When they say sensitive to things in the water they are NOT kidding. I have never had a humidifier that needs so much work to get it to operate. quiet yes, but half the time not putting out the steam. Stick to Holmes units

I've been using this humidifier for more than a year now, and have been very happy with it. It's very quiet for the baby's room, and I haven't had a problem with the white dust, although it's not on 24-7.

Advice: be sure to empty and refill the tank and base daily if possible to keep the filter in good shape. And don't leave the water standing in it while you're on vacation- it's nearly impossible to hand scrub the tank- had to buy a flexible bottle brush for that one, lol.

I recently needed to replace the water tank (I dropped it and cracked it slightly). I was a little disappointed that they don't offer replacement parts for it. I'll search for a used one so I can keep using it. I am able to find filters for it pretty easily at the place of purchase- Meijer (a Michigan chain).

If I can't find a replacement tank, I will probably by a new one just like it.