Humidifiers Reviews

The reviews below are assigned ratings by ConsumerSearch. These ratings are based on credibility in testing, evaluating and identifying the best Humidifiers. See our ratings criteria

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Humidifiers Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Humidifiers Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. Slate.com >> Details/Subscribe	Get Misty for Me: Humidifiers to help you through the winter Laura Moser Jan. 31, 2008		Laura Moser tests seven humidifiers in her own apartment, each for five 24-hour periods, and ranks the results with a numerical score based on performance, maintenance requirements and overall attractiveness. The Kenmore 15408 8-Gallon humidifier is top-rated. Though Moser notes some personal reservations about warm-mist humidifiers, the Honeywell HWM-450 scores highly and "trounced" the other warm-mist humidifier tested. Two ultrasonic humidifiers, the Germ Guardian Manual Ultrasonic and Air-O-Swiss 7142, also rate highly. Though the write-ups on the individual humidifiers are not especially long, Moser does a good job describing the pros and cons of each humidifier and the testing methodology and criteria are well explained.

Humidifiers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Humidifiers Ratings Comments on Reviews

2. Allergy Buyers Club.com	Humidifiers Editors of Allergy Buyers Club As of Feb. 2008		Allergy Buyers Club sells humidifiers and other health-related equipment, so the only ratings here are for models that the retailer actually carries --humidifiers from Air-O-Swiss, Germ Guardian, Graco, Ecor Environmental and Desert Spring, as of our most recent visit. It appears that these humidifiers are indeed tested and there are notes regarding noise level, ease of cleaning, etc. However, because the site's scope is so narrow, we don't know how the many other brands of humidifiers stack up. In addition, only higher rated humidifiers ("very good" or better) get more extensive discussion.
3. Allergy Consumer Review.com	Humidifiers Editors of AllergyConsumerReview.com As of Feb. 2008		Allergy Consumer Review, a sister site to Allergy Buyer's Club, has additional helpful "consumer expert" reviews of humidifiers, as well as advice on choosing a humidifier from President Mercia Tapping, who suffers from allergies herself. If you poke around on this website, you will find reviews and comments on a wider range of products, including Bemis and Hunter, which are no longer sold by Allergy Buyers Club.

Humidifiers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Humidifiers Ratings Comments on Reviews

4. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Humidifiers: Indoor comfort Editors of Consumer Reports Oct. 2004; updated Nov. 2006		Consumer Reports tests 15 humidifiers, including seven tabletop evaporative models, four tabletop warm-mist humidifiers and four console models for its most recent ratings. Each is tested for performance, features and whether the unit met or exceeded the claimed humidification area. Since all models are rated good to very good, Consumer Reports urges consumers to consider their specific needs when purchasing a humidifier, including noise output, size of area needing humidification, willingness to clean/maintain the unit and energy costs. Despite a 2006 update, the rating chart has become dated and all but two of the humidifiers listed are now discontinued.
5. Amazon.com	Humidifiers Contributors to Amazon.com As of Feb. 2008		Humidifier owners contribute ratings of their humidifiers with the usual mix of positive and negative comments. Among humidifiers with numerous postings, the Crane Adorable line fares best. No current humidifier earns more than four stars, and most earn even lower ratings from owners.
6. Sears.com	Humidifiers Contributors to Sears.com As of Feb. 2008		The consumer-written reviews here are limited to Kenmore and Holmes, which are the brands carried by Sears. No humidifier scores particularly well, though there are not a great number of owners posting here. We did see some complaints about the difficulty of finding filters for the 8-gallon Kenmore humidifier.
7. Purity Planet	Humidifiers Editors of Purity Planet Not Dated		This consumer information guide for homeowners has a section about humidifiers. In addition to advice on purchasing and upkeep, it provides information on several leading humidifiers. No specific models are rated but opinions about each brand in general -- garnered from reading reviews elsewhere -- are shared.
8. Epinions	Humidifiers Contributors to Epinions As of Feb. 2008		Many different humidifiers are reviewed and rated here by their owners, with findings similar to Amazon.com. Noise and poor performance are frequent complaints for many models. However, Epinions gets fewer visitors than Amazon.com and most humidifiers are rated by fewer than ten consumers.
9. Good Housekeeping.com >> Details/Subscribe	Humidifiers Editors of Good Housekeeping Jan. 2004		In this video, editors test nine humidifiers in a sealed chamber, though testers only mention the two winners. Top-rated overall is the discontinued Honeywell HWM-260. The Hamilton Beach TrueAir (which is now distributed as the Graco 1.5 Gallon Cool Mist) gets the highest rating among smaller units; it is a cool-mist humidifier, which is best for a child's room where you wouldn't want the scalding danger of a warm-mist model.
10. Sensible Home >> Details/Subscribe	Humidifiers – Update Bulletin #649 James Dulley Not Dated		James Dulley is an environmental engineer and syndicated columnist. He states that his list of humidifiers includes "the highest quality humidifiers for home use." Included in the list are Slant/Fin (now Enviracaire) and Bemis, which agree with the recommendations of other reviewers. However, we noticed that a recalled Hunter model (number 33350) and two discontinued Vornado models are still included here, and this report has not been updated in several years. No humidifier ratings are included but there's a good buyer's guide, including a chart to help you determine the output capacity you need for your home.
11. USA Today Magazine	Fighting Winter Dryness Editors of USA Today Magazine Mar. 2003		Although there's an indicator that these humidifiers were tested, this short article doesn't detail any performance measures and they are not compared to other humidifiers. The Vornado 4x4 Multi-Room Humidifier (since discontinued) is said to vaporize four gallons a day, but this model must be cleaned each week. The Hamilton Beach TrueAir Cool Mist Humidifier (which is now distributed as the Graco 4-Gallon Cool Mist) is also highly rated for its dishwasher-safe parts and humidistat.
12. About.com	Humidifiers and Vaporizers Vincent Iannelli, M.D. Dec. 5, 2007		Pediatrician Vincent Iannelli, M.D., About.com's Guide to Pediatrics, offers his top five humidifier picks for children, though he doesn't refer to any testing in the brief write-ups. The Vicks 3100 Cool Mist and Vicks Ultrasonic models are top-rated. The Ultrasonic gets middling ratings by owners on user review sites, however. He also warns parents to avoid warm-mist humidifiers to eliminate the possibility of a child being burned. (Note that ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com.)
13. Consumer Guide.com	Humidifiers Editors of ConsumerGuide.com As of Feb. 2008		Consumer Guide's humidifier reviews don't offer much useable guidance. Air-O-Swiss and Hunter humidifiers get Best Buy recommendations, but those reviews were written several years ago when Consumer Guide gave some type of recommendation to virtually every product mentioned with scant evidence of any real testing. More recent ratings of a trio of Kenmore humidifiers are more measured, but discussion is brief and offers little that could not be gleaned from reading product literature.