Air Conditioners: Expert and User Reviews

Our AssessmentConsumerReports.org assesses almost 40 room air conditioners for a variety of factors including comfort, performance under brownout conditions, energy efficiency, noise level and ease of use. This roundup is considered the final word on air conditioner ratings. A large ratings chart is included but brand-reliability information is not. Owners are invited to leave their own ratings for included air conditioners, but not many units receive more than a handful of scores. One unique aspect of ConsumerReports.org's review is that it rates left and right airflow separately.

Our AssessmentWalmart.com has a good selection of window air conditioners and a fair number of reviews on some. The Frigidaire FRA086AT7 receives a 5-star average from about 30 reviewers. Walmart.com is one of the few sites where you can find user reviews for a large variety of air-conditioner brands including Frigidaire, GE, Haier and Sharp.

Our AssessmentJR.com is the online version of a well-known New York City electronics store, J&R. The window-mounted air conditioners it offers don't have a large number of reviews, but the Friedrich CP06F10 is a clear standout with about 15 user reviews (more than any other unit) giving it an average of 4.5 stars.

Our AssessmentUp-to-date air conditioners are hard to come by at Amazon.com. Large numbers of user reviews are for outdated units, which isn't always immediately apparent. Among the scattered reviews for ACs at Amazon.com, noise is the most common complaint. Still, it's hard to compare them to others because the majority of air conditioners get only a few reviews.

Our AssessmentMore than 20 window units are sold here, but few have been reviewed by owners. The only units we found to be reviewed by a large number of users generally earn lower ratings. Best Buy sells a wider variety of brands than Sears or Lowe's, so the site is definitely worth a look.

Our AssessmentLowes.com sells mostly Frigidaire window air conditioners. While none of the model numbers match up with those on Frigidaire's own site, a Frigidaire customer service representative explains, "These are basically the same units. The 'LRAs' [model numbers] are units we manufacture to be sold exclusively through Lowe's stores," easing our concerns about the store selling outdated merchandise. Customers can leave comments and rate air conditioners on features, quality, design, value and ease of use, but not on noise -- an oversight, in our opinion. Owners do comment on noise within posts, so read them carefully if this is an important issue for you. The Frigidaire LRA087AT7 boasts a 4.5-star average from 28 reviewers, and Frigidaire's LRA107BU1 has only three reviews, but those three give it a solid 5 stars. This site is worth a look, particularly if you're considering a Frigidaire unit.

Our AssessmentAJMadison.com is an online appliance retailer that allows users to post ratings and comments for products they've purchased. This retailer sells a large number of window air conditioners, so it's a good site at which to compare features and prices. Readers are invited to write reviews and five units have more than a dozen, but most air conditioners have received no more than one or two owner-written ratings.