Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I rarely write reviews, but since this item didn't have any and we bought it recently as a new-baby humidifier, I thought I'd get the ball rolling with this one. We will use our humidifiers strictly for the baby, and although we've only been using this one for a week, I may update this review for a final verdict. After reading numerous other reviews (I'm aiming to pick up another one soon), I feel slightly more educated about the features that consumers might find more desirable in a humidifier.
What I like:
* It works. I wouldn't normally add this seemingly obvious comment as a plus, but after reading other reviews, it seemed worth mentioning. If it fails in the near future, I will update this comment.
* No filters or wicks necessary. I find this feature highly desirable - no added costs.
* Ultrasonic technology makes this unit run silently. And I mean silently! It makes no significant noise. Perhaps with other technologies, the mist volume could be heavier and thus noisier, but the quiet nature of this unit is pleasant. Also, thanks to the ultrasonic tech, the vapor stream is virtually instantaneous when switched on, both on warm or cold. Granted, a minor point, but nice. Which brings me to another pleasant feature....
* Emits both warm or cold mist. And does so effortlessly. One of its 4 face buttons allows a quick and easy switch from warm to cold and back, and as mentioned above, the change is immediate.
* The H4600 has 3 variable spray options. Low spray is perhaps too low, but the option is there if you want it to run all day and night. There is also a dual headed mist nozzle which allows greater choice at aiming the mist, but I don't find this feature particularly useful since the mist spray isn't all that strong to begin with, but it's a nice addition, nonetheless.
* Silver Clean technology claims to fight mold and mildew in the water tank, allowing for healthier vapors and less cleaning. Too soon to judge this feature, but even if it works a little, it'll be helpful and it's better than not having it.
* Easy interface. The front panel has a simple 4 button operation with a lit display. I found this to be a welcome feature. One button is simply On or Off. Another is variable spray volume (low, medium, high) kind of like a fan speed. The third is to switch from cold mist or warm mist. And the last button is for the night light. That blue circle on the face of the unit is the night light. It's fairly bright, but blue, so it's not as bright as it might be otherwise. Since we use this for the baby's room, we like this feature. The lit display shows the volume of spray (in a too elaborate display of LEDs), the chosen hot or cold mist option, and an indicator for low water in the tank. (The humidifier turns off when tank is too empty)
What I don't like:
* It's a bottom filled tank, meaning you need to lift out the tank, unscrew the underside cap to fill it with water. Thankfully, there are little handles on both the top and underside of the tank piece, but I don't understand why humidifiers don't regularly feature a top filling portal. It would be nice to be able to add water with a pitcher poured in the top rather than removing the entire tank, filling it and replacing it. The tank is fairly generous at 2.4 gallons, but that makes the full tank over 16 lbs. when full. Okay for me, but not the wife. Also, and perhaps more egregious is that the output nozzles on top are rounded and interfere with the tank laying flat on its back when being filled. You cannot lay this tank on its back to fill it so it must be held, or at least braced (unless I didn't realize that the output nozzles can be removed?)
* Cost. This is one of the most expensive room humidifiers I've seen. It does have a nice feature set, and so far, operates as advertised, so I think it's worth it, but the price may discourage potential buyers. My wife bought this one because it was expensive. She figured it HAD to be the best one. I'm not sure she was wrong about that.
NOTE: For some reason, the amazon page that displays this item lists the following as one of its features, "Digital display and clock with programmable run features". I believe this was a mistake taken from some other model that isn't being shown, although I've yet to see a humidifier with a digital clock on it. The picture amazon shows is the one we have. Well, I saw no such display or feature.There is no clock or digital display here, let alone programmable features. None that I saw, and I went through the manual. Perhaps this amazon model is one notch higher in this series of humidifiers and explains why it costs $20+ more than ours.
Conclusion: I was so disappointed with the design of the bottom-fill tank, and the poor placement of the output mist nozzles that I thought this was a deal breaker and I planned on returning it. But then I came onto to Amazon to research and buy another model, and after rooting around the reviews, I realize that this model is actually pretty good. I don't think the tank lasts 120 hours (5 days!), but it lasts pretty long. So, aside from the tank filling procedure, everything else about this humidifier is quite nice. Recommended.
** UPDATE **
The rounded silver colored output nozzles on the top of the unit can, indeed, be removed while refilling with water. That's helpful. It's still not perfect, as it doesn't lay flat on its back for refilling, but it helps. Also, the price of this unit has since gone up from when I wrote my review. We paid somewhere between $160-$180. Unfortunately, I don't recall for certain, but if you're thinking of buying this item, make sure you get the model with "Digital display and clock with programmable run features". Ours didn't come with that feature, and it's the only thing that explains the price difference from what we paid. I can't say if the extra cost is worth it, but I hope that helps.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Germ Guardian H4600 120 Hour Ultrasonic Digital Humidifier
The germ guardian 120-hour ultrasonic digital humidifier (h-4600) uses silver clean technology to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria in the water tank.by humidifying clean water, you provide a healthier breathing environment by not spreading germs and bacteria into the air. the ultrasonic humidifier has the option for warm or cold mist.the unit has a 120 hour run time on its maximum setting and has over a 2.4 gallon tank capacity with a low water indicator light that turns on when it is time to refill the tank.and since the humidifier is ultrasonic it's virtually silent when it runs, making it ideal to have on while you sleep.there are no added costs with the unit since there are no evaporating pads, filters or wicks to clean or replace.the high output nozzle broadens mist in two directions throughout the room and the soft blue night light is controlled with an on/off switch.
Click here for more information about Germ Guardian H4600 120 Hour Ultrasonic Digital Humidifier
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