This is my 6th small humidifier. This time I was determined to find an ultrasonic model that featured an automatic shutoff, a rotating mist outlet & digital controls. While they are such practical features, you'd be surprised to learn how hard that combo is to find! I came across this one from Crane a big name in plumbing fixtures. As I hadn't heard of them making humidifiers before, I was leery. You know how it can backfire when you buy something that isn't a mainstream name or model? That won't be the case with this machine.
I am totally & pleasantly surprised. It arrived on time, well-packed & was intuitive to get started. It's SO quiet! The reason that I chose this one over a quite comparable Holmes or Honeywell is because it includes an ionizer a feature that one would normally need to purchase a separate air purifier to have. It also offers BOTH cool & warm mist. While I don't expect to use the warm mist (cats,) it's good to know that it's there. This is by far the QUIETEST humidifier of the six that I have had!
Unless you're independently wealthy & can afford to run it with distilled water, you will need the optional demineralization filter to avoid the white powder deposit left by hard water. So just go ahead & buy one.
This machine is a real winner in every way. And oh, btw, did I mention that is QUIET????????
This is my third small humidifier and my first ultrasonic one. The other two were evaporation style one using disposable filters and the other using a permanent filter which water was circulated over. The second is in the trash bin, didn't last two years. The first is a Vornado and works ok but is loud and requires replacing the filters every year.
Now onto the Crane. Based on the great reviews I read about the Crane humidifiers, I was looking for the drop shape one, but could not find it anywhere locally. My local Frys had this one so I picked it up. It humidifies really well, there are three settings, the highest pumps a lot of moisture in the air. So much so that it will dampen the carpet and other objects around if the fan in the room is not on. I usually keep it on low or the second setting and keep the ceiling fan on low. I also like the adjustable nozzle on the top. It has two rotating sections that can be aimed independently, so you can aim it in two directions. The warm mist feature is not necessary steam, it warms the water prior to misting it. You can feel the warmth a few inches over the nozzle, but it's cool after that. I usually use the warm feature and the ionizer all the time.
What I don't care much for is the tank design. It must be flipped over to fill and there is no handle or any easy way to old it while flipped. Also, the handle on the top is not centered, so when holding the full tank it tilts forward a bit. When setting back in the unit, you need to level the tank before it will slide completely in. it's not the biggest deal, just a minor annoyance.
I'm also not a big fan of the buttons on the front. They are completely flat and sense the heat from your finger. If your hands are cold or damp from just handling the tank, sometimes the buttons don't register a press. Since they are completely flat, I can't find the buttons by feel while trying to make adjustments in the dark. The display is also way too bright at night, I have a piece of index card taped up to cover it.
Overall I like the humidifier and does a wonderful job of humidifying, but the design could be improved a bit.
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This Crane humidifier with touch controls works pretty well.
The Pros are:
Quite good humidity output that allows you to control how fast you change the humidity in your room. Also has timer so you can have it shut off after several hours, which is good if you don't want it running all day or night.
The humidity level can be changed from 40% up to 60%. Mine seems pretty accurate, as I compared against a digital humidistat about 10 feet away and they typically run within 5% after you allow a couple of hours (I'm using it in a 500 sq ft. room).
The antimicrobial plastic polymer does seem to slow down the amount of bacteria that grows, so if the machine is cleaned once/week, it should be fine. It's easy to clean
We fill it with water that was filtered by a good under the counter water filter, so not much white powder, even on the TV.
The Cons are:
Remembering to remove the nozzle prior to removing the tank to fill it. It usually goes flying somewhere on the floor.
It's pretty quiet, but mine has an annoying high pitch hum from the ultrasonic transducer. It's OK if you have the TV on or some other sound. I think to sleep with, it may not work for you. I can't sleep with it on.
The tank is kind of a pain to fill since the handle is designed pretty poorly and is not centered so you will need two hands to handle it for sure.
As for reliability, ours is only about 2 months old, so far so good.
I hope this helps !
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This entire unit seems very fragile, and this fact is probably demonstrated best by the manufacturer's repeated instructions in the manual of "DO NOT carry Water Tank by handle when it is filled with water." Why? Presumably because the handle is so weak and fragile that it will break off. Yes, it's THAT flimsy.
The primary reason, though, why this unit is essentially unusable is that the humidity sensor on this one I've received is faulty. When I plugged it in, it stated that the "present" room humidity is "40%," and once during a 5-hour run, it registered "41%." However, at the time I started it running, my HygroSet Digital Hygrometer w/ Calibrating Kit, recently calibrated, read that the actual, in-room relative humidity was 34%. Hygrometers on humidifiers are notoriously inaccurate, so I simply assumed that this one on the Crane Ee-8064 read slightly high. I was wrong....
After 5 hours of running at the highest setting, the tank was nearly emptied, and my personal hygrometer read that the RH had risen to 53%. However, the readout on the humidifier itself still read 40%. Completely dysfunctional.
If you want a unit to run wide-open in a room to get it humidified quickly, this might be a fair choice, but, based on this experience, I don't trust this unit's sensor. It's not one I'd trust to leave on overnight or to let run if I were to leave the room, for it can't possibly self-regulate if the sensor can't detect a 19-point change in relative humidity. I'd pass on this one.
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This humidifier has lots of features and controls that matter. With a built in humidity monitor, it can be set to run automatically and keep a room at the desired level. To protect from too much moisture, having a humidity level control is important, and tends to only be on more expensive models. You can also configure 3 levels of output, which is quite a lot on high. And finally a timer control in 1 hour increments between 1 and 12 hours and continuous (up to 24 hours -probably the tank capacity). So you really can control how long, how fast, and what level. And it has a large tank to last too. Then you have the auxiliary stuff like ionizer (air freshener, although I cannot tell), and "warm mist" mode. The warm mist is the most controversial because it isn't hot steam. But it takes 15 minutes *after* the button is pressed to actually start spewing warmer mist, so don't expect to immediately notice. Personally I am wary of warmer mist due to worry about it being more conducive environment for mold. It is fairly quiet, but not silent. It is a low hum like a small motor but not very prominent, and a bubbling sound like a fish tank aerator, but not as loud or distracting. I'd prefer constant white noise, but the bubbling sound is still quiet. It is quite light (when empty) and easy to use. Overall it is quite nice.
It has a few minor drawbacks. (1) It has a rather short power cord, but is easily solved with an extension cord. (2) However quiet, the bubbling noise being audible might bother some. (3) The tank has no usable handle, which they are very clear about in the manual. There is a flimsy handle only for use when empty. I'm not sure why it has one at all if you might accidentally use it. But it is fine. (4) It is "germ defense", not maintenance free, so you still have daily and weekly maintenance, although not too bad, and there are 2 areas to clean. (5) Removing the tank can let some water drip if you aren't careful due to the open reservoir design, and emptying the open bottom reservoirs when full takes some attention to not tip and drip.
Take heed of maintenance required. Even though it is "germ defense", it doesn't mean maintenance free. Daily you still have to completely empty it (both tank and reservoirs) and dry. Weekly you have to use a water and 2-tbs white vinegar solution to soak 30 minutes, shake, rinse, dry, and in both tank and reservoirs. You must do this to keep it a safe, germ & mold free environment or you could do more harm than good. It doesn't really sound too bad to do, but I really wish they would make a maintenance free one. I wish there were disposable parts or quick wipes or something that didn't sound like a chore. This is true of any humidifier
You cannot use it on or near wood surfaces or furniture (or anything else) that might be damaged by too much moisture. There will be more moisture in the immediate vicinity too, and you cannot use a towel under it due to the vent opening underneath. So if you have a lot of wooden surfaces or sensitive stuff, you might be hard pressed to find a good place to use any humidifier. This one lets you set it from 40-80% humidity, but as they advise, you should only set it from 40-50%. It both risks damage from moisture, as well as an environment for mold. So the key is to strike a perfect balance. This is true of any humidifier.
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I have an Air-o-Swiss humidifier that came with one of these, but I don't think I'll replace it because it's ridiculously expensive.
