Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Due to both health and profession (singers in the house) we have had humidifiers for several years blasting in the cold winters. We quickly found that cold mist humidifiers, or even warm mist humidifiers without an UV germ killing light, produced more coughs and upper respiratory track problems than they solved. We moved then to Slant Finn UV light humidifiers, which solved our health and voice problems, and ran many of these to the ground -- the average lifetime of the SlantFinns was about two seasons without problems, a third if we got lucky... The Vicks UV humidifiers are a tad quieter than the SlantFinn (some of which had a fan to move the water vapor faster), but the Vicks humidifier is not exceedingly quiet. Their loudness is typical of other boil humidifiers and yes, on occasion, the water and pads, or water and chaos theory can get just so that the humidifiers will be loud. Yet, the next day or even hour, they can quiet down. I am sure it depends on the person, but we find the bubbling of the humidifiers soothing... So far, our original Vicks has run very well after ten weeks of continuous daily use, and I have gotten another one which has performed exactly as the first. The best thing is that the Vicks use a floater with a lever to tell the unit whether water is present, or whether they are running dry... The SlantFinns used an electrode and the electrode became flaky and partially dissolved after one season or two, and by season three would be gone and rendering an otherwise fine unit inoperable. Relating to other reports, in our experience, placing the humidifiers in a table or floor has been level enough. We do find that the humidifier knob / setting even 3/4s of the way might shut the humidifier at low humidity levels (45-50%, we like 55- 60%) but turning the knob all the way has resulted in non-stop operation that we like. (The unit might or might not have a hygrometer controlling the power cycle, though functionally we have seen no difference to the SlantFinns which advertised a hygrometer control) Another good thing is that the water reservoirs are not too heavy, nor too tall and fit our kitchen sink and faucets. At continuous use, full power, each water reservoir lasts about nine hours, so the two give you about 18 hours in our experience. This is less than the advertised 24 hours, but then again, we run them at the max humidity setting. The units' mist does smell like plastic for a few days after the units were new, but this was minimal and perceivable only by sticking our noses two inches from the grate. As in many other consumer appliances which have fallen for blue LED indicators, the LEDs are blindingly bright for night use and it is necessary to tape a piece of cardboard over the LED and even then, there is plenty of brightness in the room. As far as the UV light, you can see some of the visible light portion emanating from the UV bulb in nooks and crannies of the unit, but so far have had no eye problems but then again we do not stare at it and the amounts are minimal. The light, between violet and blue, is actually quite nice in color. Our experience with the Slant Finns is that the UV light along with the heat from the unit's bottom might mar fine furniture finishes over a winter, so a protective material is a good idea. We find that we do not need to clean them too often, that the Teflon covered boil chamber works seems to keep salt deposits in control --but not perfectly by any means. I have bought a second unit, and have been equally pleased... So far no problem with leaks, though some (not Vicks) humidifiers we have had did end up their lives in a puddle, but I have to say we ignored signs of problems (small salt water traces indicating small leaks) prior to larger leaks. *** Season 2009 - 2010 Update *** Units worked flawlessly and so far so good... Did acquire a third to fully humidify our space. No leaks, no need to replace the UV lights yet. Humidifers can occasionally boil dry if not cleaned every ten days or so. *** Season 2010 - 2011 Update *** One of the three units needs its UV lamp replaced. Got an economical replacement lamp at eBay (matching the bulb type printed in the bulb I am replacing) but the new UV lamp did not power up, so I will have to get one from Vicks. All units still going strong. No leaks yet. *** Season 2011 - 2012 Update *** Three units going strong. Replaced two UV bulbs. One of those replacements was a swap of an original burnt bulb with a new Eiko GTL3 UV light (bought from Amazon from seller Victoria Supply). This Eiko GTL3 light worked, while a previous attempt at replacing it with a similarly stamped GTL3 UV light from eBay had not worked. For the second replacement, I had an older but unused GTL3 light for my long time ago demised Slant-Finn. That worked too! No leaks yet. Winter started earlier so might get a fourth unit. It has become harder to raise humidity over 40% as winter started early!!! *** End of Season 2011 - 2012 Additional Update *** The oldest unit died. No symptoms at all before failure... When it failed, no lights turned on, no fan stirred. No leaks. The UV bulb, which was replaced once, seemed OK, so I extracted it and is waiting its turn to run its life in a different unit. Hence, we can estimate that the flawless lifespan of each unit is about three winters of daily use. I actually bought a replacement unit and it is going strong... So, two older units going, and a new one has joined the club. The elder unit alas, has gone to humidifier heaven after three seasons of service. *** End of Season 2012 - 2013 *** I updated my review on Jan... Something happened and never made it... Here it is. Of the three units running, all three still run. However, one of the older unit can no longer power up its UV bulb... The bulb is OK. I tried a new one, and I tried the old one in the other unit and all is fine in the other unit, no UV light on the afflicted unit. Still, steam performance is great and there is no leakage. So, in my case, with daily always on usage during Winter, I get about three seasons without problems. The fourth season was too much for one unit, and too much for the UV for the other unit. Still, I continue to be pleased with how well these humidifiers perform, given the large amount of usage. *** End of Season 2013 - 2014 *** The three units are still running, one without powering its UV light. The other older one, though, developed a leak, which "self-sealed" after a week or so of running (over a cookie pan). They still humidify. The third and newest unit is going strong with no problems. Given I like to run my devices to the ground, I am still well pleased with this product. *** End of Season 2014 - 2015 *** Down to two units as one unit developed a small leak, and then this turned into a big leak, bigger than what a cookie pan could handle, and took several books with it and left its imprint on the furniture. Interestingly enough, the unit that self-sealed in 2013 - 2014 remains self-sealed and going strong! They still humidify and do not require overzealous cleaning (of course this might vary based on the mineral content of your water).