Sunday, May 4, 2014

Honeywell Easy to Care Cool Mist Humidifier, HCM-750

Honeywell Easy to Care Cool Mist Humidifier, HCM-750Last fall I purchased a Honeywell HCM750 cool vapor humidifier, made by Kaz. Initially it worked fine but, following its instructions, after a couple of weeks I cleaned it. When I put it back together, it would not run and had to phone Kaz customer service. I am quite handy with these gadgets and followed their instructions but could not get it to work; it appears the core of the humidifier is a magnetic rotor that makes the fan turn and it just would not work.

Finally I sent the unit back for repair/replacement, and since it was winter and wanted to keep the humidity in my house at an appropriate level, I purchased a second unit, which I figured later on to use in the bedrooms area. It was around Christmas time, but it took three weeks to get the repaired unit back. Once back it worked fine, and I kept both units going. When both were working, my electronic temperature and humidity control was measuring between 25 and 30%, which I consider on the low end of humidity during the winter months, with gas hot-forced-air heating, and I kept the units runnning 24-7, except when adding water to the tanks.

A few weeks later it was time to clean both units and lo and behold, one of them would not run and had to play with the magnetic rotor for maybe one hour or so until it would start running properly. Put both units back to work, and the next day, one of them is sitting in a 12-inch poodle of water. Could not figure out what was the problem; took it apart, put it back together, and then again problem with the magnetic rotor. Finally got it to work only at medium speed (it has a 3-speed dial).

By this time I was quite disappointed and decided to take both units and donate them to a non-profit organization, while looking to buy another brand for next winter. Sorry I bought it. I will do better next time.

We should have researched before purchasing this humidifier. It worked fine for a couple nights, then randomly stopped working. We played around with the assembly of the tubing and got it to work, only to have it break down again a few nights later. We ultimately returned the unit, assuming it was defective, only to get a brand new one that also stops working on a regular basis.

In short, I would NOT recommend this humidifier to anyone who wants a reliable unit that you know, actually functions. If you want to tinker with it for hours on end, then this is for you.

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This humidifier worked fine for a few weeks, then the pump failed. I called up customer service and they sent a new pump. It ran another month and now this pump is failing. It's a poor design, the bushing on the pump rotor wears out and the pump rotor jams. I'm replacing the pump with a small table-top fountain pump. These last much longer under continuous use.

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After using this product for about 6 months, and letting it run dry a time or two, I found that, as others have noted, the pump would lock up (with a loud "clack") and the water would stop flowing. I disassembled the pump and tried various fixes involving washers, but my thinnest washer was still too thick to let the impeller spin.

I then had the idea of lubricating the impeller and the inside of the pump. I didn't have any silicone spray, but I did have a candle I used for fragrance. Smearing a fingertip with the oily wax, I wiped the wax all over the impeller, the removeable cap, and the inside of the pump, and reassembled the pump. Voila! No more locking up. This worked until I accidentally let the pump run dry again; after relubricating it it's working fine again.

This is an easy fix for the only problem I've found in what is otherwise a great product. I particularly like the fact that filling the humidifier with water is very easy and requires no disassembly; you can just pour it into the large openings even while the unit is running. Also, the wicking is clearly visible at the top of the unit so that you can tell that all's well with it.

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We bought one of these near the end of November and were initially happy with it. I read some of the other reviews out here; we didn't have any issues with the motor, and didn't find it particularly noisy. It worked well for about two months. I took it apart and put the washable pieces through the dishwasher on a few occasions. The humidity in the house was finally hovering around 35-40%. No problems so far.

The other day, I decided to relocate it. I picked it up and there was a huge wet spot on the carpet where it had been sitting. No good. I cleaned it again, and set it on a plastic lid from a storage container. Sure enough, the next day it was sitting in a puddle of water.

I called Honeywell product support, they said it was defective and wanted me to ship it back to them at my expense. I told them I didn't have the box anymore and it would be cheaper for me to just toss it and buy a new one. Mwa waaa.

Pros: works well, not particularly noisy, kicks out plenty of moisture (as long as you fill it once a day).

Cons: leaks like crazy although there are no apparent cracks in the water containing portion of the unit. Maybe it isn't a leak, I suppose the warm motor could attract some condensation but I doubt it.

We threw it out. Buy something else.

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Saturday, May 3, 2014

OSKAR Humidifier

OSKAR Humidifier - WhiteI must be crazy for giving three stars. Here is a brief history of my experience with Oskar Humidifier:

FIRST UNIT. Works fine for one month, then the "no water" light came on even when the unit is filled. (Memo: Do not order from "Wizard Electroland." Seller refuses to reimburse shipping even though the item is defective. Amazon kindly intervenes.)

SECOND UNIT. Order from Amazon. Happy to have my brand new humidifier. Fill gently with water to the exact specified point. Turn "on." Item does not turn on. IT DOES NOT TURN ON.

THIRD UNIT. Order from Amazon. Kind of happy to have my brand new humidifier. It works fine for three days. Then last night at 5 a.m. it wakes me up with a tisk, tisk, tisk, risk sound. Sound mysteriously disappears; I fall back asleep and have bad dreams about humidifiers.

I also must be crazy for ordering three of these, but here is why: It is nearly impossible to find a non-ultrasonic humidifier. The design and size are perfect for my apartment. Cleaning and refilling (the most onerous parts of humidifying) are easy. It is made by a Swiss company (used to mean something) and they have very good customer service. (I contacted them for more detailed cleaning instructions than the manual provides.)

I don't know what else to say. In theory it is the perfect humidifier, but order at your own risk.

I can't think of any product I've been more disappointed in that I've purchased from Amazon. This humidifier is all aesthetics and zero quality. For $150 you'd expect a certain amount of build quality from a humidifier, not cheap flimsy plastic that feels like the slightest stress could break it. The design of the humidifier makes it very easy to spill water if you bump into it, there's nothing keeping the water in the reservoir other than gravity. Most disappointing, the blue LEDs are slowly dying one at a time... I'm down to 3 left, soon I'll have no idea what fan speed or humidity level I have selected. I've noticed that the slightest bump can fool this thing into thinking it's out of water, which is a bad thing if you have kids or pets in the house since it will automatically shut off when empty. You could easily pick up a humidified for 1/3 the price that will do the exact same job. I may as well have burned a $100 bill... DO NOT waste your money on this one, anything is better than this.

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We've tried a number of different humdifiers for our daughter's room. Most of them are loud, spew white dust (hard water here), are difficult to fill, and don't automatically shut off.

The Oskar, while more expensive than many others, addresses all of those concerns.

Pro's

-It's amazingly quiet

-You can fill it without taking it apart

-You can turn down the blue LEDs

-Doesn't fill the room with white dust

-Unlike another reviewer, I thought it was pretty easy to see the fill line (but that could be my room's lighting)

-Stylish!

Cons

-Spendy

-It's lightweight plastic, which isn't immediately apparent from the pictures. Not a major con, but I though it would be more substantial.

Overall, it's amazing. So much so that I bought another one today.

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So far, I like this humidifier. I have two. The other is an Air-O-Swiss U650. The OSKAR is very quiet (though the Air-O-Swiss is, too), and since it is evaporative, there is no mist and no white dust (which the Air-O-Swiss does produce). The OSKAR emits cool air, which does seem to cool the environment a tiny bit, but that's not a big deal. I did, however, read somewhere that heating may do a better job of killing bacteria. Anyway, the OSKAR does a great job of reaching the targeted humidity level. My only complaints are that its features aren't that helpful there are only a few buttons, it doesn't tell you the current humidity level (the Air-O-Swiss does), and you have to remember what one bar, two bars, three bars, etc. mean (each one corresponds to a specific target humidity level). Lastly, one thing I really don't like is that it's very difficult to see inside the unit and to tell how much to fill it with water. It says to fill it to the top of the stick, but squinting and looking inside, it's hard for me to tell when I've reached that point, and I've overfilled it, which leads to flooding. However, I do like the fact that you can fill it without having to remove a big tank and carry it to the kitchen sink (which you do have to do with the Air-O-Swiss it spills water as I am walking, so it creates a mess). You can put water in the OSKAR without even moving it. Overall, it's light on functionality but looks nice and does a good job.

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It is great product. No leaking, very quite and pretty design.

I like it very much, so I am ordering 2 more for each of my children rooms.

Honeywell 50027998-002 Water Level Sensor for TrueSTEAM Humidifiers

Honeywell 50027998-002 Water Level Sensor for TrueSTEAM Humidifiersas described, worked perfect. I would highly recommend this product to anyone and everyone that needs a replacement for this humidifier.

Price was good, delivery very fast! This was purchased as a spare, I have replaced the original once already, i believe the heat from the humidifier cracks the plastic housing around the elements and causes an error in the unit.

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Friday, May 2, 2014

Small PermaWick Filter

Small PermaWick FilterThis was a perfect fit for the old one. Filter says "permanent" but its only permanent until it turns dark with age or mold. Had no success cleaning the old one, it just started disintegrating around the edges. So I bought a new permanent filter to replace the old permanent filter.

No thought was given to the packaging of this item. The filters were shipped in a tall bubble brown envelop. The filters were consequently, bent and squished at corners. when placed in the humidifier, there was ample room at the corners for water to gather. Poor packaging made this product quality less to be desired.

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I need this type of filter for my hunter humidifier. The filters were very easy to replace. If the humidifier last long enough, I will be buying replacements again next year.

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The filter performance is great. I have used this product since October. Did not know whether I could find one to fit in my humidifier, was happy to find it worked.

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Xikar Cigar Travel Carrying Case 10 Count

Xikar Cigar Travel Carrying Case 10 CountJust returned from a 15 day trip through Costa Rica and me Xikar travel humidor performed great. Held its seal perfectly fine and kept my cigars at perfect humidity.

This is a must have if you want to bring cigars with you on the road. With propelyne glycol solution it keeps your cigars at the perfect humidity level. Just don't over-fill it or you could damage some wrappers!

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I got this as a gift for a new cigar smoker. He loves it! There isn't any calibration to worry about and it keeps your cigars at a great humidity. It's definitely durable for travel, but also small for easy storage.

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I go on trips and take 4-5 cigars with me, and this is perfect for the job...it also fits one of the drymistat humidifier tubes...cigars come out perfect...only negative comment i can make is that the seal/washer comes loose, but very rarely.

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great product, great service, great price. Would recommend using this vendor again. Same product in the store was much more expensive.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Aura Cacia Essential Oil Lime

Essential Oil Lime - 0.5 oz - EssOilThis lime essential oil is just like opening a fresh lime, tart and sweet. It is just perfect for the lotions and soaps I make!

The smell of this oil is wonderful. Aura Acacia oils are high grade without the high price. I mixed mine with lemon and grapefruit to make a really great winter blues synergies blend.

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Quality Importers Alhambra 100 Cigar High Gloss Humidor, Maple Finish

Quality Importers Alhambra 100 Cigar High Gloss Humidor, Maple FinishThe humidor is great! I love it. It even came with a humidifier, which doesnt work the best. I would recommend buying a better quality one than the one it comes with.

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