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To give another data point, this exact model--the Honeywell HCM-350--was reviewed by Consumer Reports[1] who rated it the 4th best model of 13 models in their l
by computator 6y ago
To give another data point, this exact model--the Honeywell HCM-350--was reviewed by Consumer Reports[1] who rated it the 4th best model of 13 models in their large-room category for humidifiers. (The top three were Boneco 7135, Crane Germ Defense EE-8065, and Honeywell HWM-340.) This is what they said about the Honeywell HCM-350:
"With Excellent ratings for moisture output, convenience, and energy efficiency, this humidifier gets the job done. Excessive noise, often a problem with evaporative models because they use fans to moisten the air, shouldn’t be a major problem. One caution: Its performance using hard water is just average, so anyone with mineral-rich water can do better elsewhere. Plus, this model won’t shut off automatically when the tank is empty. Output 5/5,
Convenience 5/5, Noise 4/5, Efficiency 5/5, and Hard water 3/5."
So it seems like a good model among those available. But having used multiple different humidifiers over the years, I hated all of them for one reason or another, and returned or threw them out within days or weeks of purchase. I think that a good humidifier is an unsolved problem. It's probably the same for the author of the article.
[1] Consumer Reports is a decades-old non-profit organization which puts out a magazine (and website) which does unbiased product testing, has zero advertising, pays for all the products they test, never takes sample products, buys all their products anonymously (so they can't be given better samples for testing purposes), and has extensive laboratories, procedures, scientist/technicians for testing (a private track for testing cars, for example). I never heard of anyone claiming that Consumer Reports was fraudulent or pay-for-play.
- kelnos 6y agoI find it inexplicable that a humidifier that doesn't automatically shut off when the tank is empty can get a perfect score in the "convenience" category.
- rrauenza 6y agoIt might be that you'd like to finish drying out the wick so it doesn't mold? And use up the last of the water? I seem to recall Technology Connections also complaining about the auto shutoff in his videos...
- pfranz 6y agoIt seems easy enough to check the wick for moisture (check if the wick closes a circuit?) instead of using a float. Or using a float, but having a 10 minute lag after detecting an empty tank. I'm curious what the objections would be outside of the objections you mention (which sound like product defects more than an objection to the feature).
- roel_v 6y agoWhy? Evaporation humidifier won't make more noise when they're empty, and water level detection is surprisingly hard to make reliable while still being convenient in consumer devices. And you have to refill them daily anyway, so using it as an 'empty' indicator doesn't really add much (in theory it does, but not in real use). At best one could say it's the energy savings, but for a device that requires daily maintenance (refills) I'm not sure if the benefits outweight the advantages.
- fuzzylightbulb 6y agoFor this type of humidifier you actually want the fan to run after the tank is empty so that the wick dries out. Otherwise you have a wet lump of filter just sitting in an enclosure growing mold and bacteria and gross.
- numlock86 6y ago> [...] won’t shut off automatically when the tank is empty. > Convenience 5/5 How does this go together? Spoiled Dyson user here.