KuulAire PACKA53 500 CFM Portable Evaporative Cooler with 325 Square Foot Cooling Capacity, Silver

I bought this two summers ago, for use in the living room. I live in Southern California, so it's been used pretty much continuously. I have a stucco house that retains heat, so even when its relatively cool outside, it gets warmer and warmer inside as the day progresses. This summer we've had lots of 100+ degree days- this unit's gotten LOTS of use.I imagine issues surrounding evaporative coolers are detailed in other reviews, but I'll mention those I'm aware of. People often repeat the old chestnut that supposedly units that use water to cool can only reduce the ambient temperature by 12 degrees- not strictly true, it depends on several factors. I've owned and experimented with LOTS of evaporative coolers (many that didn't work worth a damn); how much they cool is a function of both humidity and the rate of evaporation (which are related, obviously). The greater the amount of surface area devoted to evaporation, the greater the evaporation rate and the cooler the air that remains becomes. The rate of evaporation is also increased by the addition of heat, notably, direct sunlight. Rooftop evaporative coolers in direct sunlight with a large surface area can reduce temperatures low enough to hang meat, in areas of low humidity anyway, as desert-dwellers (I was one for many years) can attest.I am ultra-sensitive to heat so cooling is really important to me. I know from other units I've owned that you need the largest surface area possible in the back, where the pad is (units that don't have pads or don't cool by evaporation CAN only cool by 10-12 degrees, under ideal conditions, by merely passing the air over the surface of still water, with its negligible evaporation rate). And, to increase the rate of evaporation, it's best if you can have the back of the unit in direct sunlight. The hotter it is at the back, the cooler it will be at the front. Rooftop swamp coolers work so well because the two functions are separate- the hot, heat-exchanging pads are outside, the cold air is ducted into the house. You can see how tricky it is to combine the two functions in one unit. How well the pad is kept saturated, and how well the air for discharge is circulated across the pad, will also determine cooling performance.I have another fantastic unit, used in a bedroom, wanted another one of those, a Convair M600C that's like a large box fan on a pedestal with the addition of a a large pad (13"x14") inset at the back. I've had it for many years and it works great, but they're no longer made, sigh, so I bought the Kuul-Aire. And HOORAY it's just as good, even better in some respects (an even larger pad, oscillation, + easy-roll casters).Basically, what I wanted to share is that this unit runs all day/night on about a gallon of water, I put in a gallon of water daily (that's with it set to maximum cooling/evaporation). You'll use more or less depending on your humidity level. Some of the nice things about the Kuulaire are: 1) a large pad (13"x16"), 2) relatively large fan/air outlet (some are tiny), 3) the wide adjustability of the louvers at the outlet (up and down), 4) the very wide oscillation arc (of inner louvers, right to left), 5) the relatively fast oscillation speed of the inner louvers, and 6) a POWERFUL fan. While it's true that unlike a big swamp cooler, this won't appreciably cool the room itself by more than a few degrees, its oscillation arc, oscillation speed and cooling power are so great that it sweeps most of the living room, (couch and love seat), and keeps everybody cool. Even on red hot days over 100 degrees, it's cool and comfortable.I measured the temperature, with the thermometer outside reading 102 in the shade, the temperature in front of the Kuulaire was 78. That was on a more humid day, I'm sure the temperature goes even lower than that when the humidity drops, sometimes it feels positively icy. Humidity tends to be relatively low here, and our living room is so situated that I can have the back of the Kuulaire near a window in direct sunshine for part of the afternoon. However, it works very well without having it in direct sunshine, not necessary for appreciable cooling. Try to have it, if you can, in an area where the air isn't still, where there's some movement of air. That will boost evaporation and performance too. But again, not strictly necessary.The only thing I might add is that if you let the water run out and the pad dries out, it seems to take a while for the unit to start cooling again. You can speed up the process by adding extra water, filling it at least half-full, that seems to re-saturate the pad more quickly. However, don't try to avoid this by keeping it full of water, you never want to let water sit in it for more than a day or so. Bacteria or fungi will grow and make you sick. I clean mine every once in a while by adding a large bottle of peroxide along with the water. I don't know if that's recommended, hopefully it won't cause deterioration of parts. I also clean the filter at the back by soaking it briefly in peroxide then rinsing thoroughly. Anyway, highest, heartiest recommendation!UPDATE 8/24/14: Still using, as good as new, indispensable. But I forgot to say that this isn't the quietest of coolers. A related drawback (or advantage, depending on your needs) is that even the lowest setting has more force (and noise) than you'd expect on Low. I wish it had a lower setting, for when only a LITTLE cooling/breeze is desired. In such cases I move it away a considerable distance. I'll add that though a bit noisy, it's a steady, white or pink noise type sound that I find soothing for sleep. But you really have to turn up the volume on the TV if it's anywhere in the vicinity.

This product would be great for anyone living in hot, dry conditions. Because it puts out a lot of humidity, its cooling effects would probably still be decent. But on a couple of humid July nights, the moisture increase overtook the cooling, and made my un-air-conditioned bedroom the most uncomfortable room in the house. (NOW where to sleep?!)The unit is well-built and easy to use, with uncomplicated controls and instructions. The casters move it smoothly, and are sturdy enough for the weight of machine and water at capacity. I liked the directional fins and oscillating feature.I did consider keeping it as a wintertime humidifier, and it might work well for that.

If its humid where you live, this is not for you. I used to work in a garage in a desert where the temp would reach 130 degrees. That's not a typo. Our shop had outdoor bays with a roof which provided shade but it was still hot as hell. We did have some very large swamp coolers (taller than me and water was hose fed). The air that came out was much cooler than the ambient air and made it comfy to work if the air was blowing right at me. The KuulAire is microscopic compared to those but works the same way. These are NOT as powerful as A/C. These work only in dry climates because water must evaporate to remove the heat. In a closed room, the air will get so humid that the water can't evaporate. I've used up a couple of buckets of water when I ran it all day. To get the most out of these keep in mind:1. Feed it dry air. (keep near an open window or door)2. Vent the humid air out. (open windows or doors. I use a box fan blowing air out a window)3. Keep the element clean and replace when it gets old.The unit is mostly plastic which makes it light but not very tough. I like the remote which lets you control its features like fan speed, lateral swing, and display dimmer. You have to physically tilt the vents for vertical aiming though. The water can spill out of the sides if you bounce it around or overfill it. I can feel the cool air from a few feet away but the room temp is not really affected especially since I keep the room ventilated. It is a bit loud at max but so is a fan.I picked this up in the middle of a heat wave. The highs were in the 90s. Running A/C was costing a fortune so I looked for an alternative that would cool me enough to sleep comfortably or sit in one spot and not sweat my butt off. This worked just fine. When it gets to the point that a regular fan is just blowing hot air at you, this will make a world of difference. A/C is great but this is a great compromise.

After one year of use, this item can only be turned on one speed. Buttons have locked up and don't let me toggle speed. Cant find replacement filter either...worked great year one. It is under screened in patio so it should have lasted...very disappointed. Wasted my money :-(