13000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner Review
| Product Code | B005JSL64C |
| Product Rating |  |
| Price | $638.54 |
| Where To Buy | See More Details |
| Customer Review | See More Reviews |
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #2839286 in Home
Customer Reviews
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By anonymous
26 Sept 2010 (originally five stars *****; after 3 years, four stars ****)What a great machine! (4th one). Powerful. Worth the price. We've had it a month and I can't speak more highly of it. It gets five stars. Even with central air conditioner, from June through October, the northwest corner of our house sizzles all afternoon and stays hot several hours after sunset (heat radiating from out to in), keeping this space uninhabitable until 2 AM. This machine has made this space pleasant, after long last. I'm glad this classification of portable air conditioner was invented. I'd never heard of it. The tubing to the window is no fuss, no muss. I wouldn't hesitate in buying more of these units, if let's say our central air conditioner died. We don't need a lot of frills--all we need is a reliable machine that cools well--this machine does that, above and beyond. It has some advanced features that I haven't read up on--just show me the on and off switch. A frill it happens to have is a remote control--a nice touch.Of its outer design, the only I thing I can think of to approve upon is to make all four casters be able to move any direction, plus have locks on the two front casters. The design is such that the wheels can move only forward and backward, so when I need to move the machine sideways, I actually have to pick up the machine a bit off the floor and place it where it needs to go. I'm 60-ish. Sort of a hassle but the machine's got so other positive characteristics, I don't mind.I read a review something about draining--I have no idea what they're referring to. A person mentioned they got hit up with a restocking fee--whose fault was that? THE BUYER's! The buyer should have read the distributor's terms BEFORE buying and simply not buy from a company that has a restocking fee--that complaint indicates a stoopid buying decision. A couple people complained about the machine being noisy--this machine is no noisier than other room air conditioners! If you want noiseless, get central air conditioner--who cares about noise when you're sweating bricks? It's white noise.Prices vary a lot. Shop around to get a price on the lower end. Don't buy from a distributor that doesn't have a liberal 30-day return policy. Don't buy from a distributor that has a restocking fee. Don't buy from a distributor that, if the unit is defective, won't be happy to make an even-exchange where you don't have to pay shipping/handling either direction. Be an intelligent buyer when you're plunking down this kind of money, for heaven's sake. Jeez.This is a terrific room air conditioner, good for any room that has a window.-----10 March 2012Just bought our 5th air conditioner of this exact model, bought over three years. Bought this one pre-season (Amazon actually had some in stock!) because once hot weather sets in (we already had two heatwaves since February), this model air conditioner is: (1) hard to come by; and (2) the price goes up. If you're smart, order early (before you need it). We ordered one in June and it was backordered til August--I'll never make that mistake again. One time we ordered in April and it was backordered til June----I'll never make THAT mistake again, either.I stand by my previous review (5 stars). I've had a lot of window air conditioners: this is the best by a longshot. I guess I'm a walking advertisement for this air conditioner.-----23 March 2012Price went up $25. It's not warm out here yet; previous years, as it got hotter from Spring through Summer, Sellers steadily increased prices as their stock got less and less.One thing I noticed. Living in an arid climate of Northern California, we have not had to empty the water-pan that people have mentioned.-----21 April 2012I don't understand how people cannot like this machine, at least in a dry climate. It does a great job. It's robust. It's got a helluva lot of power. We get almost no condensation here where I live in Northern California. Like I mentioned, we now have five of them. Would we have gotten four more if we didn't feel the first one was super?-----2 March 2013 (ugh--2.5 years later)Other reviewers said that this A/C is not good for humid places--I agree! I know so because I live in a relatively arid place (Northern California), and have to empty the water tray (?) only occasionally (once a week maybe), which is a royal pain in the butt even so--the outlet hole is very near the floor and is tiny--we have to put the A/C on wooden blocks to get the A/C high enough off the floor to tip the entire unit at least 45º to get the water out--it's not easy for two people to tip 85 lbs over that far. (I put a question mark after "tray" because Whynter does not furnish the user with schematics, so I have no idea what sort of water holder it is. Is the holder open that lets water evaporate? Is it closed where water is trapped?) If I had to empty the tray daily, I'd be mighty pissed. Lack of documentation of Whynter units is a problem--they keep their designs mum, which I dislike.One of the weak points of this model is the power supply (cord). The cord wore out and we need to replace it.There are some things about the way Whynter operates their business that is unattractive. One detriment is if you need an A/C of Whynter brand repaired. Sears won't do Whynters because, I guess, they have not contracted with Whynter--Sears' repair technicians do not know how to repair Whynter. Sears will repair the following brand A/Cs: Amana, Armstrong, Carrier, Coleman, Frigidaire, GE, Kenmore (Sears' own brand), LG, Magic Chef, Trane (?), Tappan, Whirlpool, but not Whynter. Sears offers Kenmore portable A/Cs--which they will repair in the event it needs it--but the price of Kenmore is double that of Whynter for comparable BTU.At this point, I very well may *NOT* buy any additional Whynter A/Cs for the very reason that Sears is not able to repair them. Sears is the nation's major repairer, and to not be able to let Sears repair Whynter is very much an obstacle. Whynter says to ship the defective A/C to THEM, but the A/C is 85 lbs. Do you have any idea how much it costs to ship an 85 lb. item via UPS Ground? Do you have any idea how much it costs in a boxing materials alone? If the A/C costs a couple hundred dollars in shipping/handling, then another couple hundred to repair the item, it's not worth getting repaired according to the strictures Whynter has created. I have a friend who has a friend who has a friend who can repair anything, but should I have to resort to the black market? No, I shouldn't--frankly, I'd rather not. This is one kick-butt A/C but the repair situation sucks. Next time I'm in the market to buy a portable A/C, I will seriously consider getting a Kenmore or LG just so Sears can service it.-----27 March 2013Whynter's customer service was willing to send us a new power cord at a reasonable price, in a timely manner. I commend them for that. We tipped the A/C over on its back (heavy sucker), disassembled the bottom, removed the old power cord, put in the new power cord, and put everything back together, all in one hour. We did get the A/C up and running, ready for the hot season. YEAH!First, it still doesn't address the fact that if a Whynter-brand portable A/C breaks, you are out-of-luck. Personally, this would be a perfect market for local vacuum-cleaner stores to get into. Repairing the vast majority of floor A/Cs is a need not being met. Who's going to fill that market?Second, it doesn't address the chronic moisture-condensation problem that this machine seems to have--for people in humid areas. On the other hand, for people in ARID and blisteringly hot areas, this is one kick-butt freez-a-rarium machine: it churns out "freezing" like there's no tomorrow. I would like to see a schematic diagram of this machine: I feel I have a right to know what kind of water-pan this A/C has. Is the water-pan a "pan," that is, open and the water will evaporate? Is the water-container enclosed and will grow mold? Why can't Whynter share its diagrams with old and new customers?Whynter has potential. I have never had such a frosty air conditioner. Whynter is doing something right. If Whynter hooks up with Sears/Kenmore repair department where customers can get their air conditioners repaired locally, Whynter/Sears combo would be unstoppable.-----Oh, one thing, the reason why the power cord went defunct is that I used it to turn the A/C off using the button on the cord--DON'T--DON'T--DON'T ever touch that button--certainly don't use that button regularly. I don't know what the cord's button is good for, but leave the darn thing alone! Don't let the kids play with that button unless you want a dead machine on your hands.I rate this machine four stars (****), even with the above happening.
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