Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Please note: there are TWO versions of this product that might be sent to you from Amazon. I'm not talking about the different colors, I'm talking about actual functioning differences. The version with the solid white handle on the tank is a superior product. The version with the three cut-outs in the handle (see photos I uploaded) is definitely sub-par. One unit is very quiet (virtually silent but for the slight hum of the ultra-sonic vaporizer) and works well with the hard water filter that is available here on Amazon. (this unit gets four stars) The other unit is quite loud (keeps me awake at night with all the bubbling and gurgling) and will absolutely NOT work with the filter (the tank's fill-cap is too large). (this unit gets only two or three stars) You'll notice that this unit lacks the black ring around the area where the water is vaporized. I'm not sure if this has to do with the noise generated, but the lack of the black ring at least lets you know you got the loud one. The quiet version of the humidifier is great. I love the visible mist, and the unit puts out a good amount of moisture. I do wish the tank was bigger. We have ours set to around 75% here in super-dry Colorado, and I have to fill the tank at least once a day. I am thinking about getting one of these for my studio, but I will likely hack some sort of fix so that the tank can be filled automatically from a faucet (so I don't have to refill the tank manually all the time). [UPDATE] I was quickly shipped a free replacement fill cap when I called and told them the spring in mine was rusty and contaminating the water. The cap was identical to the first (with a better/less rusty spring), but they've changed the filter that goes into humidifier, so now the *new* cap works with the filter. The build quality and volume level of the older unit is still clearly superior, but I would now recommend this product (the new version) even though it gurgles and bubbles all night. It's also more than a little annoying that you can't really wipe out the inside of the fill tank (the hole is way to small), so you can only rinse it out. I'm not sure how sanitary this is. I did buy the drop-in tank cleaner to help with this, but it's going to cost five bucks a month for the cleaner, and ten bucks a month for the filter. That's a pretty high operating cost. [UPDATE - Nov. 2012] The base of the first unit I purchased (the "good" one) is now making a *really* loud noise on an intermittent basis. It's like the motor in the base is grinding or struggling to function. It's quite loud, and was an extremely rude awakening at 3am the first time it happened. The only way to make it stop is to give the base a good "whack" on the side or to pick the base up a couple of inches and drop it down on the table. Otherwise, the noise persists and no vapor is created. I can only assume this means that something in the motor mechanism is sticking and preventing the humidifier from functioning. [UPDATE - Jan. 2014] After several years of using these units, I am going back to paper filter evaporative humidifiers. They are cheaper to operate (filters and energy consumption), don't produce white dust, generally have a larger water reservoir, and are easier to clean. I used to be able to get the Protec disinfectant balls and Crane Drop Shape Humidifier Demineralization Filter (HS-3161) with Amazon subscription, but neither are available via that program any more, and this means I'm spending around $15 every month or two for upkeep on the Crane Humidifier. Paper filters (for evaporative humidifiers) are cheaper, the humidifiers consume less energy, and there is no white dust. Even using filtered water and the Drop Shape Humidifier Demineralization Filter, we still get white dust, and our water is NOT that hard. I just don't trust that my two year old is breathing safe air (or at least the safest possible) with these units. And while some reviewers have said you can clean them easy enough, just swishing around bleach in the enclosed tank isn't enough for me. I want to be able to scrub the surface clean, and with these tanks, that is simply not possible. [UPDATE - April 2014] While I did remove these from my child's room, I've been trying to keep them going in our bedroom and my office (they were fifty bucks a piece, after all). It has been QUITE an effort though. The loud, intermittent noise of the motor is extremely infuriating. I would say the max life of these units before they start giving you real problems is about a year (I assume the same length as the warranty). While you can take the base apart and fiddle around with the fan that makes the noise; the respite from the noise usually lasts only a few days (or even just a few hours). I took mine apart, blew out the dust, lubricated the fan, and within a couple hours it was making noise again. And to be clear, it's not a tolerable noise. It is VERY loud, and the only way to stop it is to whack the base until it stops. It has something to do with the way the fan sits in the housing. Another reviewer noted that if you loosen the screws that hold the fan housing to the base, it will stop the noise, but for me, it was only a temporary/intermittent solution. While it is now easier to stop the sound by whacking the base (I have to do this fewer times than I used to to stop the noise), the noise was not eliminated by loosening the screws. The older unit I have (the first one I bought) utilizes a fan that just "sits" in place (there are no screws that fasten it to the base), so there is no fixing that one other than the whack method to jostle the fan around. FURTHERMORE, the newer unit's vaporizer stopped working. The fan still spins (and makes the terrible sound), but no water is vaporized; thus, the unit is completely useless except to make loud annoying sounds. I would definitely NOT recommend these units. I am now using Essick Air 821-000 Digital Control Evaporative Console Humidifier. It's big and ugly, but it's very quiet, has a humidistat, doesn't produce any white powder, is MUCH easier to clean and maintain, is cheaper and more energy efficient to operate, and has a HUGE reservoir that is very easy to fill and doesn't need to be filled as often. I just wish it came in black or dark gray. I also replaced the Crane unit in our child's bedroom with a Honeywell HCM-710 that I picked up from Goodwill for three bucks. You can easily fill it with a pitcher (no lugging the tank around the house), and on the low fan setting it's every bit as quiet as the Crane. Best of all, there is no more white dust and I'm back to using tap water instead of filtered water. The evaporative wicks are $10 and last 6 months, so considering the Cranes conk out after a little over a year, I'm still saving money.