Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

When you see as many reviews as this Ontel Arctic Pure Chill 2.0 Personal Air Cooler has as evenly divided between “great” and “garbage ,” with almost nothing falling in the middle, that tells you everything you need to know. Some people know what this device is made for, while others simply do not. Let’s start with what this is not: it is NOT an air conditioner capable of cooling down a room, even a minuscule room. Sorry, but you’ll need an air conditioner for that, and they cost more than $37.00, okay? What this device is would be considered an evaporator cooler also known in the south as a “swamp cooler.” It is a primitive, but still widely used air conditioning system that doesn’t contain any chemical refrigerant like Freon, but rather, it uses cold water running over an absorbent wool moisture collection filter to cool down a room or house as the water is recirculated and replenished with a pump while it evaporates. Swamp coolers need a constant water supply in a larger home unit, but use 15-30 percent of the electricity of similar sized air conditioner systems and last for decades. They’re big machines, especially the older ones. They work okay for what they are, but nothing beats a great central air setup, split system, or even a good window unit. This Arctic Pure Chill Personal Cooler is basically suitable for a tabletop next to your easy chair, or a nightstand in your bedroom. You will not get goosebumps from the cool air this little portable device throws off, but it does cool as advertised, especially when loaded with ice cubes and when you wet the filter cartridge and pre-freeze it. One fill will keep the system running for 10 hours (on the lowest and most useless setting), but a bit less than 8 hours on the high setting. The setup couldn’t be easier, and there’s a quick start guide sticker on the side of the compact and lightweight unit. There’s also a more detailed manual, and that tells you everything you need to know about maintenance, use and care. The LED nightlight is pretty cool, with several colors available, or it cycles through them all, and it does have an “off” switch if you don’t want it on (contrary to claims otherwise in some other reviews). Thanks for reading this far, so I will reward you with a wrap up. It works as advertised, but don’t expect miracles or to be wearing a parka in the house in the middle of August. It was quiet enough to me on most settings, but admittedly a bit too loud on the highest setting with the “Turbo” function engaged (see my video), but overall, I liked the Ontel personal cooler and recommend it. However, in the interest of fairness, I will update the review if it breaks down or fails in other ways as I use the device more frequently.