Royal Sovereign ARP-1200EX Portable 12,000-BTU Dual-Hose Air Conditioner Review

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(More customer reviews)This air conditioner is not particularly powerful nor well thought out. "A leading consumer magazine" says that portable air conditioners don't work as well as window units, so given that, I suppose it works as well as one could expect. It did cool a 400 square foot room, but not powerfully so. And nearly every other aspect of this unit is annoying.
Performance: I started the unit in a 400 square foot room - the size it's rated for - at 84 degrees, with the outside temperature about 95. The room quickly felt cooler, and within a couple of hours had cooled down to 79. There it stayed - the unit could not get it any colder. But it sure felt better than when it was 84. I consider this performance barely acceptable.
I tried it in some other rooms. Rolling it between rooms was not hard, even on a pretty deep carpet. Surprisingly, it didn't cool much faster in a 300 square foot room with fewer windows. And in a much larger room than recommended, all it did was circulate the hot air from near the ceiling, raising the temperature at people level. Don't fight the laws of physics.
Operation: This is where it gets irritating. The air louvers are useless, because they're on the top of the unit. They adjust a bit vertically, but you can't direct the air left or right. This hardly matters because the air can't be aimed at someone unless they're standing next to the unit. It's noisy at all fan speeds, less so on low. I didn't notice much difference in cooling between those settings.
The LED temperature readout is difficult to make out when there's light behind it, and since the air conditioner typically sits in front of a window, that'll be most of the time. The room temperature reads two to four degrees low. So with the thermostat set at 78, the room temperature leveled off at 80 (according to three different digital thermometers).
The remote control works OK, but doesn't get any information from the unit. So if you change the settings on the unit, and then use the remote, the unit will pick up all the settings from the remote. If this is confusing, use one or the other but not both.
The water tank is unlikely to fill except under high humidity conditions, says the manual, and I agree. Our humidity indoors was 35%,. After three hours of operation there was no water in the tank.
Assembly: The assembly instructions need more details. The hose adapters that screw to the window plate can go on eight different ways - facing in or out, inserted into the plate from the outside or inside, and with the latching tabs on the sides, or top and bottom. I ran through most of these before getting it right: Insert the adapters from the outside, putting the flanges through the plate to the inside. Put the screws through the plate into the adapters. The tabs should go at the sides in most cases, so the hose connectors will angle down.
The other thing they should tell you is how to remove the hose connectors. Pressing the locking tabs is difficult. But just turn the connector a bit on the flange. It'll press the tabs for you and pop right off. Once all this is clear, the hose setup is quite convenient. The hoses extend to 44"; if the hose connectors are included then the total length is 52".
Recommendations: A lot of other Royal Sovereign models are available. If I had to do it again I'd get a 14,000 BTU model with louvers facing forward. Always get two hoses. The single hose models don't cool as well because they vent inside air outside. This sucks air back in from somewhere, and it's probably hot.

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With an energy-efficiency rating of 9.2, this portable air conditioner offers comfortable and economical cooling for rooms up to 400 square feet. The unit features three fan speeds and a dual-hose system with 12,000 BTU's per hour for fast results and quiet performance. In addition, its convenient, digital LED with remote-control settings provides the option for either continuous operation or setting the automatic 12-hour timer. The 12-hour timer programs the machine to turn on or off anywhere from 1 to 12 hours in the future, making it easy to cool the house for the evening or shut it off during sleep. Durable casters ensure smooth mobility, allowing the unit to be put to use almost anywhere, from bedrooms, family rooms, and computer rooms, to wine cellars, garages, and attics. Other details include a rotary compressor, 5-foot-long ventilation hoses, a 4/5-liter-per-hour humidity-removal capacity, a thermostat ranging from 64 degrees F to 90 degrees F, and simple-to-clean carbon filters that collect large dust particles and prevent bacteria build-up. The 1300-watt air conditioner measures 16 by 20 by 33 inches, weighs about 79-1/2 pounds, and carries a one-year parts-and-labor warranty.

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Soleus Air Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier and Fan, 8,000 BTU, White/Blue, PE2-08R-62 Review

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(More customer reviews)I cannot get a window unit due to my window size, and this unit came with a window kit that fit my windows. It worked absolutely perfect for 2 months. Then, on a particularly hot day, the bucket filled up with water and the unit shut off. I drained all the water, which is an absolute pain in the rear to do due to the drain being less than half an inch off the floor. The unit leaks water like a faucet ever since, all over the floor. There is really no effective way to use it anymore. I ordered a different brand that doesn't have water leakage issues. I should have listened to all the reviews I read. I practically paid several hundred dollars for a few months use. What a waste. The unit cools great, but what good is that with water all over your carpet? Stay away from this product.UPDATE: The unit only leaks when moved. If the water reservoir fills up, and must be drained, the unit must be moved to do so because the drain plug is literally right on the floor and there is no pan or container you can get under it. The reservoir will fill eventually, the unit will have to be drained, will have to be moved, will leak. Once all the water leaks out that is going to leak the unit works great until its time to drain again. Like I said, it took 2 months before I had to drain, but this process was a major PIA. I would avoid this unit, but I still gave in another star because it does not leak except during the drainage process.

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8,000 BTU Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner with Dehumidifier and Fan has dual motors offering a 3 speed fan with oscillation, a 50 Pint evaporative dehumidifier, and adjustable thermostat with 24 hour programmable timer with memory, from 64° to 90°F.A washable and reusable air filter keeps circulation clean and loss of power protection with auto restart feature. Heavy duty casters and remote control offer you assistance in unit placement and controls.All in one appliance to fulfill all your comfort needs.

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Sharp CV-P10MX 9,500-BTU Portable Air Conditioner, White Review

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(More customer reviews)I just purchased this Sharp CV-P10MX from Bed Bath and Beyond for [...]- 20% coupon + 8.25% tax - 5% bonus CASHBACK rebate for using my Discover card. Total net purchase price for me was about [...]. That's the best deal I could find and I didn't have to wait for shipping. I got the A/C unit today.
The unit is big. Look at the measurements carefully before purchasing. You need enough space right next to your window for this unit. Even though this is a portable unit with casters to move it around, the exhaust hose setup is more or less semi-permanent. Once installed it's not meant to be taken off very easily. So keep that in mind. Once you've installed it, you essentially can't use your window again to bring in fresh air--not without taking down the exhaust hose installation.
Don't get me wrong. I LIKE this portable unit quite a bit. I do solidly recommend purchasing this unit if you need a portable AC. For what it does, it does it well. The cooling performance is SOLID! Don't listen to other users with similar NON-Sharp units complaining about it not working or not bringing the temp down enough. They either have faulty units or didn't install the exhaust hose properly. These kind of AC units WORK and they work quite well for what they are designed to do. BUT there are shortcomings with these designs. For one, we have blinds AND curtains installed on our windows. With this portable AC installed on this set of windows, our blinds and curtains become essentially useless. Please keep that in mind. Also, it's a real pain to install the exhaust hosing contraption properly into your window frame and to make sure the insulation is properly insulated. It's not impossible but a real pain.
Another bad design about this particular SHARP unit is that there's no display on the AC unit itself. ONLY the remote has all the info/stats. So you can't tell what's going on with the unit just by looking at it. For example, you can't tell the current temp--or at least what the AC unit thinks is the current temp. You can only set the desired temp. on the remote unit. Additionally, you can't tell what setting the fan is currently running at just by looking at the unit. You have to go check your remote, and even then, you don't really know what the real fan speed is currently running at, only that you've set your remote to a certain setting. If you don't point the remote directly at the unit, it may show that you're running at high speed but really you're running at low or medium speed. It's a bad design pure and simple. The AC unit itself should have a display with all pertinent info AND it should have buttons to allow you to change the settings of the AC unit. As it stands, you can ONLY turn the unit on and off on the unit itself. Everything else is controlled by the remote. Make damn sure you don't lose your remote or else it essentially becomes useless to customization.
Another bad design is that the louvers ONLY automatically adjust UP and DOWN. For side to side adjustment, you have to MANUALLY adjust it by going to the unit itself and using your hands to adjust it. What this means is that you get auto action of up and down but not side to side. If your room is very small, it may suffice for just this up/down action, but if you have a bigger room, you're going to get frustrated with the lack of automatic side to side movement of the louvers. Again, bad design.
One of the biggest reason for getting the SHARP units is how quiet they are suppose to be in the lowest setting--supposedly 36 db--however that is just the sound of the fan operating by itself--meaning when the compressor isn't working to produce the actual COLD air. When the AC unit has kicked in with the compressor, the sound, even at the lowest setting, is not very quiet. It's definitely not something you can fall asleep to unless you get adjusted to the sound. Having said that, the Sharp will be the quietest of all the portable AC units out there. I've done ample research before purchasing this unit and this is by far the most quiet unit on the market today. So if you want the quietest machine, this is the unit to purchase but don't be fooled into thinking that it's truly quiet. It's NOT. It'll take some getting use to before one can go to sleep without ear plugs with this unit on. (I've been using ear plugs since my college dorm days to fall asleep so it doesn't bother me one bit but it will bother others initially I'm certain.)
All in all, I solidly like this unit and I believe it's one of the best out there. I am quite satisfied with this purchase. It will absolutely cool your room. If it doesn't, you've either installed it incorrectly or you have a faulty unit. If installed properly, it WILL work very well. But there are shortcomings--described above--to these portable AC units, by nature of their design, not isolated to SHARP units only. Realize these shortcomings before purchasing these kind of portable AC machines and you won't be very disappointed once you get it home and installed.
I know when the next heat wave comes this way, I'll be sitting happily in my bedroom surfing the net with a very "cool" smile and appreciating my Sharp CV-P10MX very much. :)
(I would give this machine 5 stars if they improved upon the user design. Otherwise very happy with the cooling performance of this Sharp CV-P10MX!)

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Cool, dehumidify, or purify the air (or do all three at once!) for maximum indoor comfort with Sharp's 9,500-BTU Portable Air Conditioner. Sized for individual rooms or small offices, this compact 3-in-1 unit installs in just minutes without permanent installation and moves easily on sturdy casters wherever it's needed. The sleek white unit also features three cooling speeds plus a Mega Cool mode, an Auto Cool function that selects the best fan speed for the room conditions, and a 12-hour timer. The Plasmacluster ionizer releases positive and negative ions into the air, and automatic oscillating louvers sweep the air across the room for even, far-reaching air distribution.
Additional features include patented "Library Quiet" operating technology that won't disturb conversations or sleep and a full-function LCD-display remote control to make adjustments from anywhere in the room. The bucketless design means there's no water tank to empty--instead, a built-in condensate disposal system sends the water out through the flexible exhaust hose. The unit measures 32-3/8 inches wide by 15-1/8 inches deep by 18-1/2 inches high and includes a window adapter kit. It is backed by a one-year limited warranty.

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