Everpure EV9006-00 Victorian Series Drinking Water Faucet, Chrome Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $229.99
Sale Price: $99.99
Today's Bonus: 57% Off

Very smooth operation & a great accent to the sink... Many compliments by guests who stated they wanted one also!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

If your looking for a tap to perfectly suit a Victorian home this is the one. Detail of the tap is fantastic. Excellent product and of excellent quality. Worth every cent!

Vornado HU1-0012-11 Standard 2.8 Gallon Vortex Humidifier Review

Customer Ratings:

I've come to trust the Vornado brand, so I had no qualms about purchasing this humidifier. I generally keep it on the "low" setting and it is more than adequate for humidifying my bedroom. However, as others have noted when water is being fed into the main unit, it is loud. I can't say I've been woken up by it, but more than once I've been laying (awake) in bed and have been startled by it. The cat has become accustomed to it though. The filters do start turning brown relatively quickly, but I've not had any problems continuing to use them. The manual suggests you empty everything out if you're not going to use the humidifier for 12 hours, but I only use it at night and am too lazy to empty it out every single morning. Initially I was also concerned that the construction seemed a little flimsy, but I haven't had any problems. I would make sure to put it somewhere where it won't get bumped into though. Despite the "quirks", I would still recommend this product.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

We have tried just about every style and brand of humidifier, trying to find one that is NOT a giant hassle to maintain and is quiet enough that it doesn't keep me awake all night. To make a long story short, the Vortex evaporative humidifiers are the best. They are perfect for the humidity boost we need in winter.

The highest speed does sound like a small box fan, but we just turn the fan speed to the "low" setting at night, which makes it virtually silent. The Vortex does make a "glug" sound (3-6 glugs in a row, in my experience) when water from the bottle(s) periodically discharges (a couple times each night?) into the bottom of the unit. However, I found that my husband and I quickly got used to this. I can tolerate and sleep through this sound MUCH better than the continuous and louder giant-pot-of-boiling-pasta noise made by other humidifiers.

No doubt, how much cleaning and wick replacement you need to do depends on your water quality. I'm on municipal water, which I assume is about average, and my wicks last for at least 2 months of continuous operation. I occasionally use the wick life extension method of soaking them in water with 2 tsp of vinegar, but I don't think it helps all that much. The filters are easy to find and not terribly expensive. There is no complicated disassembly involved to clean the unit and change the wicks, since you just lift off the top and wipe out the base. I do this once a season, no problems. The accumulation of mineral deposits that need to be scraped and scrubbed off is WAY LESS than we had with any of the other humidifiers we tried. That is, we have NO scraping and scrubbing whatsoever with these units.

Trying to find a solution, we went so far as to have a built-in humidifier installed with our HVAC system (forced air). That system boosted the humidity 2% max, wasted water, and had an expensive filter/wick that was painful to change. Just TWO strategically placed Vortex humidifiers do an excellent job of humidifying for less money and hassle. We've had the built-in system deactivated for years now, relying only on the Vortexes ... or "Vortices", if you are a nerd such as myself. (-:

Best Deals for Vornado HU1-0012-11 Standard 2.8 Gallon Vortex Humidifier

Pros:

If you want to humidify a small to medium-sized room quietly and efficiently this is definitely the humidifier for you! I have owned other brands of humidifiers that are as loud or louder on their low speeds then the Vornado is at high speed. I found there to be No Loud Gurgling Sound from this humidifier when filling itself from the water tank. With the fan set on medium you can barley hear it & it does a fantastic job of maintaining a very comfotable humidity level.

Cons:

Removing the water tank from the humidifier is a bit awkward. Instead of placing a handle at the top of the tank (which would be easy to grab) the manufacturer opted to only put a slight bump there. You have to be careful carrying & then loading the water tank into the humidifier if it is filled to capacity; or else you might spill water all over the place. The control knob is hard to grab & turn. Anyone that has difficulty using their hands will find this feature very hard to deal with.

Over all the humidifier does what it is meant to do very well & very quietly. The problems are design flaws that Vornado can easily fix on future models if they so choose to do. I would not hesitate to recommend this humidifier to other people. Filter life is about 60 days.

Honest reviews on Vornado HU1-0012-11 Standard 2.8 Gallon Vortex Humidifier

Okay, this humidifier is good as all previous reviewer said. But one thing is deceptive about this humidifier. Manufacture claim that filter will sustain its use during 60 to 90 days. How come? I had my filter for 15 days and it begin to smell a little. Of course, you can use some water treatment solutions with your water and I guess this will prolong life of your humidifier to say 25 days. But I wouldn't imagine it last for more than 30 days. Of course, everyone has different water in their home, but it seems to me Manufacture used totally distilled without any impurities or mineral content water, in order, to claim one filter to work for a such long time. One more thing, if your house have some smells, they will somewhat diminish, but your filter will be smelling funny faster than usual. So, I think, in one sense, this filter acts as a cleaner of your surrounding air as well. In any case, I bought two of them (humidifiers) some extra filters and I am happy with it.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Vornado HU1-0012-11 Standard 2.8 Gallon Vortex Humidifier

We found the gurgling sound of the air going into the tank to be noticeable while we slept, but our brains learned to "tune out" that sound, as it does with all other sounds normal to one's environment. The fan is virtually noiseless, as this is the trademark of Vornado fans. Very simple and clean design.

Discount Crystal Humidifier - 300 Cigars

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $15.00
Sale Price: $9.99
Today's Bonus: 33% Off

I purchased this for a very large humidor I purchased. I wasn't sure at first if it would be able to handle the job alone since the humidor is listed as being a 500 capacity. I use only Xikar pg solution and it has worked perfectly so far. It doesn't take up a ton of space, which was very important to me. I check it every four weeks or so and add a bit of solution. Combined with the 70% solution, my cigars stay between 68-70% and I am happy

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

wow! what a perfect humidifier for a large box or as in my case, super-dry climates.

I live in Utah where is about as dry as you can get... i only wished i would have gotten this sooner!

looks better than any crystal humidifier ive seen... Just buy it, and fill with distilled water.

it comes ready to store with no water inside, just dried crystals, im buying another for my "Just In Case" kit.

Honeywell QuietCare PermaFilter Humidifier, HCM-800 Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $69.99
Sale Price: $59.50
Today's Bonus: 15% Off

After years of replacing cool-mist filters, I wanted to try a humidifier with a so-called permanent filter. The noise is not really any more bothersome than other cool-mist humidifiers on the market. The problem with this product is the filter system. For the first month or so, I was able to keep the filter clean per the product instructions. But then, as with all cool mist humidifiers, the filter accumulates dust from the air intake and other mineral deposits. Unfortunately, it is absoultely impossible to clean the deposits and debris out of the interior wicking of the filter. The manufacturer's instructions say (in fact warn) only to clean the unit using vinegar...well, that method only works for some of the mineral deposits for the first 4 weeks or so. Plus, even with the vinegar method, you can't get the particles washed out of the interior of the filter! So after 3 months, the perma-filter doesn't retain sufficient moisture to effectively humidify the air. You are better off buying a regular cool-mist humidifier with a filter that can be replaced every few months. It will save you time, money and frustration. I have never written a review of any product before but this product is so poor that I felt compelled to do so at this time and warn others not to make the same mistake I made. This is truly one of the worst products I have ever purchased.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

We bought 3 of these humidifiers last year for all our bedrooms. Even though it was a big chunk of money, I was tired of continually having to buy replacement disposable filters for our previous humidifiers (Holmes). Three at a time got expensive!

We were so excited to use our Honeywell humidifiers, and they worked like a dream. During the winter our kids had serious coughs, and we could adjust the humidity output to make the room extremely humid for them, and keep it at a medium level for ourselves. They worked wonderfully, and I was 100% satisfied.

As time went on, I realized cleanning them was quite a chore, and using vinegar (to remove hardwater buildup) did nothing for the moldy smell. Rather than use the 1tsp of bleach (recommended), I found I had to use at least 1 cup to get rid of the mildew smell. After cleanning the filters like this about 6 times, they became quite degenerated, and no longer held enough water to get moisture adequately into the air.

Frustrated, I (then) read reviews and heard you could not buy replacement filters. However, I decided to call Honeywell myself, since I couldn't bring myself to throw away 3 expensive humidifiers. I called Honeywell's Customer Care (1-800-554-4558) and found out you CAN buy replacement filters, at $24.99 each, with 6.95 shipping (for any size order).

Despite the filter issue, my overall opinion is that these are still terrific humidifiers, and I'm glad to continue using ours. However, beware that the filter will not last the life of the machine even though it's considered to be a "permanent" filter. Going forward, I'm going to be sure to stay on top of cleanning mine out (at least every 2-3 weeks), in order to be able to use less bleach and extend the filter life.

Even if I do have to replace the filters every year or 2, in the long run it's still alot cheaper than buying disposable ones monthly. And you'll enjoy a very nice humidifier (with multiple humidity settings) in the process.

Best Deals for Honeywell QuietCare PermaFilter Humidifier, HCM-800

I purchased this product at a retail store recently and overall I think it's great. I was concerned about a line in the manual that said to discard the filter at the end of the season, but when I contacted Kaz / honeywell about it, they said it was a misprint and with proper care the filter will last for the life of the product. Makes sense since that's what is advertised on the box! They got back to me quickly, too.

The machine is not silent, it's got a fan on it which to me provides some nice white noise to block out odd noises that might bother my sleep. It obviously puts out a lot of moisture because I have to refill the tank once a day, and that does as well as the crappy old vicks vaporizers that I used to use...those things were terrible. They made boiling bubbly noises and started to spit when they got old. 65 bucks for the Honeywell isn't cheap (not to me anyway) but the cost was worth it so far. I haven't had it very long yet so we'll have to wait and see how it does in the long term.

Almost forgotthere is a dial control for humidity level; the window is green when the humidity is right, and blue when the humidity doesn't match the setting on the machine. It amounts to a nice night light since I don't know or care how it functions; I just leave it on high all the time.

Honest reviews on Honeywell QuietCare PermaFilter Humidifier, HCM-800

Ok, so here is the straight dope on the filters.

Basically, this unit operates under the same principle as a whole-house humidifier you would find in a forced-air heating system. So the "filter" is the same thing as a humidifier pad. The HCM 800, since it is self-contained, just uses its own blower, and the unevaporated water coming off the pad (filter) is recycled, rather than sent down the drain. So it is a given that you will get some amount of scaling throughout the system, and mold, etc., on the humidifier pad, just like in a whole-house unit.

I wouldn't try cleaning and then reusing the pad in a whole-house humidifier, and I wouldn't try do the same with the pad in these, either.

The good news, though, is that replacement humidifier pads are readily available, and cheap. For this unit, just get (for example) a HC22P humidifier pad, cut it down to size (about 6x9) and stick it in the plastic housing where the old pad came out. The pads are flexible when they are wet and are easily taken out and installed without damaging the rest of the unit. The HC22P is about $9 at Home Depot. You could get a bigger replacement pad and cut it into several replacements for the HCM 800 if you wanted to get it even cheaper. They cut adequately with a scissors, if you don't have a band saw handy.

Overall, the buildup on the HCM 800 isn't appreciably nastier than what you find in a lot of whole-house units, when they get serviced. Ok, those are pretty nasty, sure, but that is the price you pay if you want to avoid the fine mineral dust of a piezoelectric mist unit. Nobody gets humidified air without paying some sort of a price.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Honeywell QuietCare PermaFilter Humidifier, HCM-800

To copy another reviewers text:

"I called Honeywell's Customer Care (1-800-554-4558) and found out you CAN buy replacement filters, at $24.99 each, with $6.95 shipping (for any size order)."

I bought two (2x) filers, Price Total $56.93, 7-10 days by UPS Ground.

Buy Evenflo 655000 Humidifier Filter

Customer Ratings:

For the Evenflo 655000 Humidifier...you have to have the filter. No question about it. For roughly $10.00, product and shipping costs, the filter is in place and works like a charm. It pays to shop at Amazon...prices are still one of the best....A Happy Customer! :)

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Optimus U-32030 3.5 Gallon Warm Mist Humidifier with Wicking Vapor Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $65.99
Sale Price: $62.37
Today's Bonus: 5% Off

We've been using this for almost two weeks. It replaced a 4-year old Honeywell HWM330 Quick Steam Warm Moisture Humidifier which developed a persistent leak. This humidifier holds 2-3 times as much water. On full blast, it needs to be refilled about ever 16 hours. But at full blast, it's kept the humidity in my living room between 35% and 50% when the outside humidity has been below 20% constant. That's pretty impressive!

Two details make the Optimus even better than the Honeywell. First, the Optimus tanks are flat on top, so they rest stably in the sink as they fill. Second, there is a second handle on the bottom so it's easy to lift out of the sink and carry to the base. It's even quieter than the Honeywell which sounded like a drip coffee pot most of the time. The Optimus is also fairly quiet (NOTE: See update below).

Note: This appears to be a two-tank version of Optimus U-32010 3.0 Gallon Warm Mist Humidifier with Wicking Vapor System.

UPDATE Nov 2011: I just ordered a second one for the upstairs in our house.

UPDATE Dec 2011: After a month with the second unit in the bedroom, I feel I need to make a couple changes:

First, it's hardly silent. In a room where you are moving around, it's not noticeable. In a room where you are trying to sleep, it gurgles away all night. It's not unpleasant but if you are sensitive to sound when you sleep, it may not be a good solution.

Second, if the unit is not perfectly level only one tank will drain. The other will stay full.

One last thought. Steam humidifiers all work pretty much the same way running water over a heating element. Heating water to steam tends to make sound. It also causes minerals in the water to build up on the heating element. Obviously it requires a tank of water which can/will leak eventually. Also, to keep costs down, the materials and build quality have to be reduced to some point of tolerance. Sure, you could make a truly great humidifier that never leaks but it will cost multiples of what this does. And even then, you'd need to replace seals and keep the heating element clean.

I live in Colorado where the winters are cold and dry. It's wonderful having warm moisture in the air. It's hard to keep the humidity above 25% when the furnace is going. I can buy 10 of these for what it costs to put a good whole-house humidifer on the furnace (I know, I installed a cheap one when we first moved in it doesn't do anything). If this leaks, we'll put it on a tray. If it gets worse, we'll throw it out and buy a new one.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This product really seemed like the holy grail of humidifiers -seemed good for use with hard water, holds lots of water, useful for a larger room, no fans, easy to fill, etc. I should note that from the manual, it also looks to be sold under the Kenmoore name.

Also, in case you're wondering what a Wicking Vapor System is, the heating coils are wrapped in a sleeve which sticks into the water reservoir. The sleeve is heated and evaporates the water; minerals are left in the sleeve which is replaceable. You are supposed to check it every time you fill it up and you cannot run it without the sleeve.

My main problem was that I set this up and did not notice that the seal between the white and clear plastic on mine was bad. It leaked all of the water tank onto my carpet floor and it sat there until I noticed and this thing holds a lot of water.

Otherwise, it worked as expected, invisible steam, quiet operation. I can't say if mine being broken is common or not.

I should note that since the heating element sticks into the water basin, that water gets very hot. Also, the tank on the left does not have a sensor to stop operation if it is removed, so I would not recommend this for a child's room.

Best Deals for Optimus U-32030 3.5 Gallon Warm Mist Humidifier with Wicking Vapor

To date, I am very pleased with this humidifier. It is quiet and powerful. In fact, with the door to my bedroom closed, it actually produces too much humidity, so I've moved it into the larger living room. I have noticed that the humidistat does not work -once you click it off, it does not go back on, no matter how low the humidity goes. This is also true of every other humidifier I've ever owned, so I wouldn't make it a "no-buy" point. My one concern is that there do not appear to be replacement absorption sleeves available for sale, which might make my purchase of this humidifier a bad investment. I hope that Optimus will make the replacement sleeves, which are critical for the proper operation of the humidifier, available for sale very soon.

Honest reviews on Optimus U-32030 3.5 Gallon Warm Mist Humidifier with Wicking Vapor

This humidifer uses a somewhat unique design in that the heating element is protected by an absorption sleeve "sock" that wicks the moisture up from the tray the two tanks are emptying into. Optimus uses this in order to claim that one does not need to clean the heating element. While technically this is true, one instead has to clean/replace the protective/wicking sleeve. After about 2 weeks of continuous use (using tap water), my humidifier had built up enough mineral deposits on the sleeve to start making odd noises that prompted me to try cleaning it.

I have been able to partially clean the sleeve by soaking it in vinegar, but with the amount of mineral build-up that remained after cleaning, it's clear I will eventually need a new sleeve to continue using this humidifier. Based on the amount built up over two weeks, I would estimate one sleeve will last about 4-6 months.

As another reviewer has already pointed out, replacement sleeves are apparently not available. They are listed on Optimus's web site as part number U-30002. I was not able to find any retailers actually selling them online, although amazon does have a product page here: Optimus U-30002 Replacement Warm Mist Humidifier Absorption Sleeve for U32000, U-32010 ad U-32030, 3-Pack.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Optimus U-32030 3.5 Gallon Warm Mist Humidifier with Wicking Vapor

The advertising for this item claim that it is maintenance free. However, the manual says you need to clean it eery time you fill it. The latter is the true statement. The sleeve that covers the heating element is the essential ingredient for proper maintenance, and after only a few fillings of the tank, not only was the sleeve crusted with mineral buildup, but the element under the sleeve was also covered and required a lot of scraping, still not coming completely clean. The sleeve will need replacement at additional ongoing cost, but as many other have reported, there are no sleeves either at Amazon, Walmart, or Optimus itself. Do not buy this item.