Reviews of Sharp KC-850U Plasmacluster Air Purifier with Humidifying Function

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List Price: $449.99
Sale Price: $335.99
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If you're looking for a nearly silent purifier, this unit does it. Granted you need to keep it on low for those super-quiet noise levels.

Pros:

* Filters extremely well

* Quiet

* Water tank easy to remove

* LED lights can be turned off

Cons:

* Water tank empties in 8 hours on low, less on higher fan levels

* Water tank doesn't have a handle for holding it "upside down" while filling. Makes it slightly more awkward when filling in the tub bent over.

* Unit is decent sized and is floor model. It's no huge, but it's not small either

The unit also has LED's the purport to tell you how "clean" the air is... how many particles are floating in the air. My house gets quite dusty, but I've still never seen the unit display anything but "all green" on this display. Perhaps it doesn't work on my unit, or perhaps it doesn't work well. And it's this gauge which makes the unit go into a higher fan mode when the air is dirty and the unit is in auto mode. So my unit never leaves low fan. So at this point I manually turn it to medium or high when I'm not in the room.

I'm not sure if it's worth the price here on Amazon, > $350 currently. But I also have never purchased another purifier. Maybe it does work much better than the competition and is worth that price. However I found the unit on clearance at Best Buy and paid less than $200. At that price point, I consider it a worthwhile investment.

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So many air purifiers in the $100 to $300 range are essentially the same thing: fan + HEPA filter + carbon pre-filter. You'd think for that much money there would be more to it. On top of that the designs are typically more industrial than consumer oriented. While Sharp KC-850U at its core is still just HEPA + carbon prefilter, it's leaps and bonds better in all the other regards than the market norms.

Pro:

* The embossed front panel design looks clean and modern

* It has sensor that monitors air quality and humidity and adjust itself accordingly

* LED light's brightness can be adjusted and turned off

Con:

* The humidifying functionality is rather weak, it's not enough to replace my stand alone humidifier in the living room

* replacement filters are expensive, according to the manual the HEPA filter (around $100) and carbon filter (around $60) good for 5 years, humidification filter ($35) is good for 2 years. You can wash the carbon filter and humidification filter, but in my experience they can only be washed so many times before they wear out.

* These Sharp air purifiers are far from mainstream, makes me worried how long I'll be able to purchase the filters before they are discontinued

I'm tempted to -1 star for the lackluster humidification performance, but the unit is so well designed with great attention to detail comparing to everything else I've seen, it deserves a 5.

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we have both 850 and 840 units in our house. the 840 is more than enough for even a large bedroom, and the 850 is great for the family/living room.

the units are silent and because the fans are " behind" the filters, should remain silent forever.

there are 3 stages of filters, a dust screen, particle filter and then HEPA. you will never need replacement filters, so dont be paranoid and buy spares or anything. every month you just vacuum the back of the unit to clean the dust filter. I also vacuum out the particle filter each month and sharp recommend washing it every couple of months.

we live in a dusty environment and we can " taste" the difference in the air with these running, they do an awesome job.

we have them running on automatic and to give you an idea about how sensitive they are to odors and particles in the air, in the morning when I spray deodorant ( in the connected bathroom), the unit detects it and goes overdrive!

I would recommend these to anybody, as im surprised how much they have improved our quality of living.

Honest reviews on Sharp KC-850U Plasmacluster Air Purifier with Humidifying Function

This air purifier with humidifier is just about the best I have seen. It works

like a charm, delivering pure and clean air. Totally and completely recommend

buying it, worth every penny you pay for it. Morever, it is so easy to set it

up or clean its filters. Definitely a strong buy.

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The newer models are quieter but this model does a very good job of controlling air quality and humidifying the air.

Buy MAF-1 Emerson MoistAIR Humidifier Wick Filter

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I also received a BestAir brand, not the MoistAIR brand as advertised....

It's shorter than the Kenmore Brand I should be using, but it works well in our humidifyer. It has a wire-type exterior 'frame' for better reinforcement, and it costs much less than the Kenmore Brand. This, combined with the humidifyer treatment I found for $2 a bottle at Walmart makes a much less expensive way to keep our home humidity up. Keep in mind that you must use humidifyer treatment if your filter gums up or becomes yellow and hardens...that means you have hard water and the water cannot wick up the filster. The life of your filter will be dramatically less if you don't use a treatment.

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I ordered a MAF-1 Emerson MoistAir humidifier filter and received a sub called BestAir Humidwick. When I said would return them , they said these should be as good as the originals. I have no way of knowing until I use them! THAT MEANS i WON'T know until about two months down the road.

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Ask if this is a GENUINE filter before you order it. The one I ordered (with the same name but from a company called "thepartsbiz") was not. It might be as good but, then again, it might not. However, by using the "MoistAIR" name, it implies it is a genuine filter. I eMailed the company (through Amazon) but they haven't bothered to respond. Guess who I'm not buying from again? Looks like a number of vendors sell this product so who knows what they're selling?

(I'm rating it "one star" only because it wasn't as represented.)

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Like some others I received a BestAir brand instead of Bemis brand. It was ordered from the seller 'Buy-it-now-store'. I cannot vouch for the other sellers.

It lasted less than a month, turned rusty brown along the top within days and stank upon initial use. I went back on Amazon and ordered some Essick Air Products brand replacements (not realizing I was buying from the same seller). I had paid $7.89 for the Bemis brand the first time and $9.99 for the Essick the second time and received the same BestAir brand filters. I will not be ordering from 'Buy-it-now-store'

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Although the item description plainly states "Emerson MoistAIR Humidifier Replacement filter", what I actually received was an "RPS Products BestAir Humidi-Wick" aftermarket replacement. I feel this is misleading and fraudulent the description should include wording that "this is not a genuine Emerson product" or something to that effect.

Since it looks to be equal in quality to the orignal, I wouldn't have minded too much if it actually fit correctly! Unfortunately, it's nearly two inches too short in length, so the ends won't butt up against one another as delivered. In order for it to work properly, I had to grab both ends and stretch it out to the correct length before installation. That should not be necessary and isn't with genuine Emerson filters. I definitely will not be buying these on Amazon ever again...

Cheap Aprilaire Humidifier Maintenance Kit for 550 series

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I recently bought a house and it has an Aprilaire Humidifier 550. I did some research online on how to maintain it and after looking at mine I figured I needed to replace a few parts. The price for this kit was much cheaper than going direct.

Negatives:

1. There were small protrusions on the sides of the new distribution tray. The old one did not have them and the protrusions prevented the setup from fitting correctly into the humidifier. The problem was easily fixed but cutting out some notches in the protrusions and then everything fit snugly. I am not sure if this is normal and a problem since I may have an older 550 or not but it was a little annoying.

2. I received a manual with the kit (which I did not expect to get) but it for was other model Aprilaire Humidifiers and I don't think it covered the 550. Which is no big deal since I didn't need a manual. Just thought that was odd.

Positives:

All in all I got it up and going quickly with this kit.

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The HVAC company did a winter tuneup on our furance. They mentioned our Aprilaire 550 humidifer wasn't working and quoted $230 to repair it (including a new solonoid). I bought this maintence kit and a new solonoid on Amazon all for $70 including shipping. Simple 30 minute install and the humidifer is working like new again. This maintenace kit has everything you need including correct orifice and couplings. I'll definitly do my own humifier mainteance from now on with this kit.

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Purchased along with a solenoid, completely retrofitted the Aprilaire 550 humidifier in new home we moved into. It's like brand new now....excellent quality parts.

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Confirmed that I have a 550 model humidifier and everything fit together nicely except for the water distribution tray fitting into the scale control insert. The insert is just a bit too wide and deep by about a 1/4 inch but it did not make that big of a difference to fit into the humidifier. No one will notice anyway and it works as it should. Just be sure to use a hair dryer for the feed tube as it does not seem that pliable.

Aside from the slight fitment issue, it is nice having everything nice and new inside and ready to go. I just moved into this house and who knows how long it's been since the existing was replaced.

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Bought this kit instead of calling a repairman. Kit had all parts and fully detailed instructions. I figure that I saved over $100 doing this myself

Review of Cigar Oasis XL

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I recently got a great new humidor for my cigars and I live in Colorado. It's almost impossible to keep the humidity up so I've been known to use a shot glass full of distilled water, drymistat tubes and several other options (all at the same time) to try and keep it up. The idea of an automatic humidifier appealed to me, but I didn't like the aesthetics of using a plug-in one and snaking the cable on the wall.

The Cigar Oasis appealed to me because it comes with both a battery pack and a power cord (with a small ribbon cable that can fit between the hings on your humidor).

I put new batteries in, set it to 70 and let it sit in my humidor for a week. My hygrometer in my humidor never went above 60, even tho the Cigar Oasis said it was 80%. I contacted support and they said it was set to 70% at the factory and that I should try it plugged in but that if I was confident in my hygrometer reading it included instructions for how to recalibrate it. I did that and messed with it daily for the next week or so and it never really helped.

2 weeks in it ran out of water (supposed to last at least 3 months). I refilled it with distilled water and the next day the batteries died (supposed to last 3-6 months).

I finally gave up and plugged it in. A couple days later it seems to be running perfectly, altho I now need to recalibrate it again. I hate the look of the plug, but what are you going to do?

So, end result, it works great plugged in. On batteries it sucks power and never quite works right.

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I have purchased a total of 6 of these. Out of the six, only 2 worked perfectly... The others would either fluctuate dramatically and/or not keep the accurate settings even after they were calibrated.

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Absolutely perfect for west tx!! No other product can beat this one for a humidor w 75 to 100 sticks!

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I've only had the privilege of owning the humidifier for about a month but so far I have to admit that this is a very efficient humidifier.

Best one I have ever found to keep my cigars at the proper humidity.

If you are running on battery power I suggest using Energizer Ultimate Lithiums and fill the tank with distilled water prior to assembling the unit.

Discount Medisana Ultrasonic Personal Humidifier

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I've been through dozens of humidifiers. My favorites have always been the ultrasonic Cool Mist ones, but after a little while, there is always scale buildup, problems and I end up throwing them away.

My son got the Croup the night before we were heading to Disney, and the hospital had told me to get a cool mist humidifier to help him breath at night. We ran out to the store and I found this little gem.

The size was perfect for traveling, and he loved the blue nightlight.

The best part is that I've had ZERO scale build up....and the cleanup is simple.

The small size is great for traveling, but the drawback is that it doesn't hold enough water. They claim 9-12 hours, but in reality, with the fan turned on to increase the flow, we were getting about 6 hours. Still great for traveling, but I would love to have the exact design in a bigger size for permanant home use.

I'm going to order a couple of extras so we have one for each of the kid's rooms.

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Simply put, not only the most aesthetically-appealing humidifier I've owned (the accompanying image fails to do justice by its soothing azure luminescence) but the quietest and most convenient--which makes it the most useful and used such product. I purchased this one from Amazon after loaning my first Medisana to an ailing friend and not getting it back. It's the most compact humidifier on the market, which results in some trade-off in water capacity and running time (count on a good six hours)--but it's as easy to accommodate on your nightstand and to refill as a glass of water. Turn the blue light off and you'll be unaware of its presence, except for the noticeable improvement in breathing.

As a couple of previous reviewers have noted, the nozzle appears to have a predilection for getting jammed, or smog-bound, a problem I never noticed with the previous, apparently identical model. I'm not convinced it's due to the use of eucalyptus oil, but it's definitely not a terminal condition. I removed, washed and dried the nozzle to no avail. Then I did the same with the cannister, filling it to the top and even shaking it before re-setting it on its base. Voila! Immediately the vapors stopped congregating in the nozzle area and burst forth as buoyant zephyrs on a therapeutic mission. Haven't noticed any problems since this initial obstruction. If the nozzle doesn't deliver its little clouds of glory the instant you push the "on" button, turn it off, try the little refill-castanet maneuver with the cannister, and you should be in business.

Not recommended for the living room or office, but as an agreeable, comforting night-time companion, it rivals my cat.

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I've had this humidifier for a few weeks now and, on the whole, have been very happy with it. I would definitely recommend it to others while there are many cheaper humidifiers on the market, this one is a class act.

Pros:

1) Visually appealing. This is definitely the most attractive practical appliance I own. The blue light also makes a great nightlight if you happen to get up in the middle of the night.

2) Compact and portable. Filling it up is no problem (the tank is just slightly larger than a large grapefruit) and it's easy to find a place to put it around the house. (Mine is currently resting on the windowsill by my bed.)

3) Easy to clean. Because it's small and straightforward it's easy to dry completely or, if necessary, wash with a gentle cleaner.

4) Quiet. Aside from some gentle drippy gurgles from the water, the motor and fan are very quiet. I'm a light sleeper, but the noise from this doesn't bother me as I'm falling asleep.

5) Automatic shut-off.

6) Long-lasting. The tank may be small, but this machine is very efficient! The humidifier generally runs 7 hours or so for me, and since it's so easy to refill it's not a hassle at all when it runs out.

7) Non-drippy. While I might not trust it on the finest hardwood, I haven't yet seen any drippage or humidity buildup on the surfaces where it rests.

8) The nozzle is adjustable, so you can direct the humidity flow in about 300 degrees around the machine.

9) While the mist isn't cold, it can feel refreshingly cool in an over-heated room and is still pleasant at warmer temperatures.

Cons:

1) It's a small machine, so don't expect it to adequately humidify a large room. Even so, I've found it perfectly adequate for humidifying a small dorm room. Since using it I've had significantly less static in my room and fewer problems with dry skin. If I keep it on my desk or by my bed it helps me breathe better regardless of the overall room humidity (or open windows).

2) It is very difficult to add water to the machine once it's already partially filled. This can get very annoying if you have it running during the afternoon but would like to top it off so it will last through the night. I have yet to find an effective way to do this that avoids spilling water all over myself and the floor.

3) The blue "on" light can be very bright at night if you're a picky sleeper like I am. I've overcome this by piling some post-it notes and small objects in front of the illuminated "on" button, but it is still mildly annoying.

4) The AC adapter is rather large, and the power cord is rather short.

Overall, I feel the pros greatly outweigh the cons! I have never tried the eucalyptus oil (I was scared off by previous reviews), but with plain filtered water my humidifier hasn't clogged yet.

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I ordered the Medisana humidfier upon the recommendation of a friend, to replace a very noisy humidifer in my office. The Medisana product works well, but needs frequent refilling. DO NOT USE THE EUCALYPTUS OIL, which plugs the output nozzle. Why they supply it is a mystery. If the output nozzle stops working, remove it and dry it thoroughly before replacing it. This makes no sense, but it works. The little blue nightlights aren't an issue at work, but they would drive me crazy at home. Luckily, you can shut the nightlight off.

UPDATE: 12/2008 My humidifier stopped working for no apparent reason. I filled the reservoir, pushed the buttons and it ran for about 30 minutes before stopping, never to come to life again.

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Newsflash if it seems to 'stop working' suddenly, soak up or use a straw and pull out some of the water from the reservoir where the mist comes from. If the water level here is too high, the mist will not push itself out of the hole.

I like it. It's small, easy to fill. I have placed it 2-3 feet above my head on a shelf above my bed. So the mist falls over me all night. It seems to help with dry eye and seems more effective than a larger, louder one that does the whole room.

It really does mist out all night.

It does make noise little buzz from the motor and some dripping of water noises. I'm uptight about noise at night and I seemed to adjust to it.

The light IS SUPER BRIGHT. I turn it off, but the button is SUPER BRIGHT. So I cover that up.

more later as it ages,

sd

011608

so, after a while it sort of stops working. i'm kind of a geek with mechanical stuff, and hate sending stuff back or throwing it out becuase then i have to spend more money to buy another so i took it apart.

i found that the little oscillator that creates the mist (it sits underneath the hole where this mist comes out of and looks like a flat camera battery) gets covered in stuff (probably deposits from my water) and if you scrape it off gently, it will start to work again.

this requires a tiny little phillips head and removing 4 small screws and 4 tiny tiny screws and some agile fingers to pop the ring back on while keeping some other parts in place.

Review of Honeywell 50028044-001 Replacement Inline Filter for TrueSteam

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List Price: $82.95
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Don't pay a technician to change your inline water filter.

This filter installs easily and quickly. No tools are necessary. Just turn the water off where the humidifier's water line tapped into your water pipe, then remove the tube endings from the old filter, insert them into the new, and turn the water back on. It may take you longer to read the directions that come with the filter than to install the filter, and the directions are themselves straightforward and simple.

Replace the filter each heating season to help prevent sediment buildup.

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I replaced my existing Honeywell TruSteam in line Filter after 1 year with this new one. The installation was extremely simple and the old filter had filtered the scale and sediment from the water suppy for a whole year with only a 1/4 inch of sediment in the humidifier when it was cleaned. I highly recommend this filter.

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Filter was just what was needed for Humidifier... worked so well I bought a replacement in anticipation of the next season!

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This is a polyphosphate cartridge. Practically, it cannot "filter" the scale-causing minerals from the water, as there is far too much volume of minerals to hold in the tiny cartridge. Instead, the cartridge releases a small amount of polyphosphates into the water. Those chemicals inhibit the formation of the scale -in simple terms, they keep the minerals suspended in the water and inhibit them from forming the white deposits. Of course, the minerals have to go somewhere, and they can't stay suspended indefinitely as they won't evaporate as steam. Some of the mineral material inevitably forms scale, while the rest is flushed out of the humidifier tank in the flush cycle (which is frequently problematic on the troublesome TrueSteam humidifiers). So the polyphosphates released by this cartridge help to inhibit scale by keeping the minerals suspended until they get flushed.

Now that you understand how it works, you can go get a standard 1/4" quick-connect, in-line polyphosphate scale-inhibiting filter that's twice the size for half the price. Either way, you can only expect it to last about 6 months. The polyphosphates used in these filters are "food grade" and considered acceptable for whole-house use, including drinking water (although there's no benefit for drinking). Polyphosphates are sometimes used in lieu of water softeners.

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We have very hard water, at least according to the test kit from Honeywell. It destroyed my first humidifier packed with minerals. Fortunately, the warranty covered the equipment and I was only out labor. But didn't want to chance this again (as the humidifier is wonderful). So a filter seemed necessary and this one was recommended. Upon shaking it, it seems as if it is filled with some type of grain I kinda wondered if it wasn't salt to soften the water. In any event, it installed very easily (just cut the water line and inserted an end into each side of filter note that it does have a flow direction). I won't really know how well it worked until the next cleaning. As well a little pricey.