Cheap Air-O-Swiss AOS 7145 Ultrasonic Humidifier - Cool Mist

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List Price: $169.99
Sale Price: $139.99
Today's Bonus: 18% Off

I bought this after reading a review of vaporizers / humidifiers in Good Housekeeping magazine, This Air O Swiss model is different than the one recommended by GH, but it is AWESOME.

It's a cold mist, so it's safe for kids / pets; I only need to fill it once a day; it is designed so that it won't grow mold or harbor germs / viruses; very fine mist & leaves no powdery residue. VERY EASY to USE! AWESOME!

BONUS -much lower energy costs than other humidifiers / vaporizers AND much more effective.

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I had the product about 2 weeks, and decided to clean it, according to the provided maintenance manual. I've noticed that the gold paint on the membrane was in very poor condition and small chips of gold paint were all over. However, the manual says the membrane should be cleaned with the soft provided brush. So I did. That completely destroyed the gold paint layer and the device is not producing vapor any more. The most annoying thing is that the warranty is valid only if the purchased device is registered within 10 days of the purchase, which I had not done (didn't have time to read everything that came with the device). I've just sent email to the support and asked for help with this... We'll see. In the meantime, DO NOT BUY THIS DEVICE UNTIL THE COMPANY CLEARLY STATES THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED. Further, I find annoying that the warranty is invalid without registration. Perhaps we should be buying from a company that has more confidence in their products?

Update: 2 weeks later, I'm still waiting for the problem to be resolved. After a lot of explaining (I spent roughly an hour on the phone and sending emails), they told me someone would contact me and tell me how to printout the shipping label (for return). A week has passed and nobody contacted me...

While I'm waiting to solve the return, I'd also like to comment on how the device was working, while it was working. The device is fairly quiet itself, but the water is occasionally bubbling, which can be loud. They could have solved this differently to avoid the bubbling. I had no problems with white dust some other reviewers mention, but that might be due to the softness of the tap water I'm using. The vapor does have kind-of metallic/plastic smell, but it's almost undetectable unless you are very close to the vapor, so that didn't bother me too much. The design is quite functional, but I haven't managed to fill the tank without spilling some water around, because the tank is immersed into the base, which always contains some water. Thus, if you take the tank off, the water drips off it. I haven't checked how precise the built-in hygrometer is, but I found the device reliably switching off and on according to the desired humidity setting. So, although I can't comment on the absolute precision of the hygrometer, the relative precision seems to be fine. If the device were actually working, I'd give it 3.5, perhaps 4 stars. But because it is not working, I'd suggest you wait until Air-O-Swiss announces on their website that they have reliably fixed the membrane problem. The returns are just too much hassle.

Final update: Around mid-July (a month after I started the painful process of return), I got a phone call from Air-O-Swiss asking me for some number their support sent me by email a couple of weeks back (!?). I didn't understand the point of that phone call, they could have just checked their database/email inbox. A week later I was asked to provide the details about the device (probably for the 10th time). Finally, I got the label and shipped the device back. The pinnacle of the Air-O-Swiss incompetence was the email from July 27th (after they received the device): "We found a discrepancy in the information on file for your defective humidifier. So, that we may send you the correct replacement unit, would you please describe the unit you sent back to us? Or, can you tell us the model number of the humidifier? (example...AOS-7131, AOS-7135, AOS-7145, etc...)" This is simply the most striking example of total incompetence I have ever seen. They have the defective device on their desk, they should have my order in their database, and they are wasting my time asking about the model??

Finally, I got the replacement device on Aug 5th, but haven't yet tested it, as I was on vacation. The whole return process took slightly more than 1.5 months, and probably 10-or-so hours of my time. Their support exhibited total incompetence and disrespect for my time.

I just checked the membrane, it seems to be in a much better shape than in the first device.

Another update: The new membrane lasted about 3 months and then disintegrated, the same as the first one. I'll return it and ask my money back. Long story short: This is not a product, this is a piece of junk.

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My unit worked well out of the box and appeared to be a great little unit, but the brassy/gold coating on the ultrasonic membrane is almost completely gone after only a couple months of use and the unit no longer produces a mist. It appears I have the exact same problem as the previous reviewer James. I can only assume that they got a bad batch of membranes and will have this remedied promptly, and am returning the unit under its 3-year warranty for a replacement. Considering the unit's only two months old, time will tell how many replacements I go through in the next three years if they don't fix the design...

Honest reviews on Air-O-Swiss AOS 7145 Ultrasonic Humidifier - Cool Mist

I should have realized something was rotten by the giant monument of Air-O-Swiss boxes lined up against the wall at the store. I got tired of cheap, crappy humidifiers that required weekly scrub downs, so this seemed like the perfect alternative. At first everything was great. I used the EZ-cal cleaner once a week, and the humidifier kept my room very nice and humid. I kept up my end of the bargain, shelling out $8 for 3 packs of cleaning powder every 3 weeks, but the humidifier gradually became less and less reliable. At this point it puts out a sputter of humidity, and some nights it doesn't put out any. When I wake up the water level is exactly where it was the night before. I have to play with the dials like I'm picking a lock to get humidity, and even then it comes out in irregular bursts (set at maximum level). I have treated this humidifier like the expensive object it is, no drops of bumps, and it's almost useless. I'm going to see if I can return it through the warranty, but I highly suspect I'll be doing this same dance with a new unit (and to the tune of $8 every 3 weeks).

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After one winter season of using this humidifier, it just stopped working altogether. Customer service walked me through possible fixes with no results. He then transferred me to the people who arrange for returns and I was stonewalled there. They took my email address and told me someone would be in contact but it never happened. I called again and after many apologies I was told that someone would contact me by email to arrange for return. Never heard from them. Unbelievable for a product that is supposed to be top-of-the-line.