Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am writing this review after prolonged experience with the Air-O-Swiss 7135. I bought one early last winter because I live in a walk-up in New York City which has ancient central heating that I can't adjust. Consequently, it dries the air like there's no tomorrow. I chose the Air-O-Swiss because they have a reputation as a company that produces a high quality products - however, after my experience I'm left wondering just how this reputation came about. The 7135 is initially fantastic - it looks great, feels sturdy, is virtually silent and does its job well (although for a humidifier this size in a medium sized studio with brutal central heating, the best you're going to achieve is around 35% humidity). The tank is easy to fill, the unit is easy to maintain and all seems well. One thing I will say is to echo the experience of others who have found that the digital readout on the unit is around 10% out - I have a good quality hygrometer which is situated nearby and they both give totally different readings. But not to worry, since I need the unit to go full blast all the time, it does not matter to me what the readout is. It's never going to give me my ideal 45% humidity, so I never need it to shut off. Now, onto the problem. The first unit I bought in 2007 developed a leak after about 3 months of use. The tank, when filled with water, doesn't leak by itself - neither does the reservoir in the base. But put the tank on the reservoir and turn it on and after around 20 minutes water begins to gush from the join between the two. Whatever physical mechanism prevents water from coming out of the tank when the reservoir is full, ceases to work and the result is flooding - a disaster if you've gone out and left it running. I was told that perhaps there was a hairline crack somewhere which was letting air in and screwing with the level of the water in the reservoir. I looked everywhere and concluded that if there is a hairline crack, it's going to be impossible to find. So the store I bought it from exchanged it for a new one. I have to point out that I treated the unit with kid gloves, never banged the tank on anything and was always extremely careful to position the tank on the base gently. Whatever caused it to fail, it wasn't maltreatment. So, I had a new unit. I didn't use it much because it was the end of the winter anyway, so it was stored in the box in the closet over the spring and the summer. At the time of writing, I've used the new one for approximately 2 months and it's developed exactly the same overflow problem. It only overflows when the tank is on the base and it's switched on, after around 20 minutes of use. Contacting Air-O-Swiss I've been told that the tank probably has a hairline crack somewhere and that I should order a new tank at a price of $29.99. But two factors are telling me "no." First of all, this is the second unit I've had and it's developed exactly the same problem after a similar duration of time. This alone tells me that the model itself has an issue - but that's not all. I spoke to the women in the store that I bought it from and she told me that they have had quite a few units returned with the same problem. I also spoke to a guy at work recently who has had a couple of these and they overflowed too. From reading some of the rave reviews here, I suspect that people have rated this product based on its initial performance, which admittedly is great. I wonder how many of them have gone on to experience the same problem as me and many others, a few months down the line. I think basically what's up is that the tank is not made particularly well and I believe that Air-O-Swiss is fully aware of the issue and figures that they'll just sell replacement tanks and that most people will be happy with that scenario. But it is already enough that I have to buy replacement filters and a silver stick once a year. Add to that the cost of a new tank every few months and it's just not worth it. I honestly feel ripped off with this product and would advise others not to buy it. I know what it's like when you see a bum review on Amazon among lots of rave reviews: the tendency is to think "what's his problem? He just got a faulty unit!" - but in this case, I think that given the experience that I've had with two units and the experiences I've heard of others who have had the same unit for a while, the review is justified. Don't waste your money on the Air-O-Swiss, there's a very good chance that yours will leak too.