The media could not be loaded. I own a large-sized evaporative air cooler that I use on my deck. It is AMAZING at making us feel comfortable on even the hottest/muggiest days or nights. It’s pure science: by blowing out a super fine mist of water that almost immediately evaporates, the air around the mist is cooled by the evaporation. I had my doubts about this little handheld unit, but I was surprised when I put it to the test. See the video: the ambient room temperature was 78.7 degrees as seen on the instant-read thermometer. As I moved the thermometer into the flow of air and mist from the cooler, you can watch the temperature quickly drop to around 75 degrees, and then continue steadily dropping to an ultimate 68.8 degrees. That’s a 9.9 degree drop! But let’s be realistic: this 10-degree drop is occurring in a very small area of space right in front of the cooler. So, only the body part right in that small space is going to enjoy this temperature drop. Hence, yes, it is very refreshing on your face and neck – even your arms if you move it about. But it’s not going to reduce your core body temperature or keep you overall comfortable in a hot environment. So as long as you have the right expectations, it actually works very well. Oh – and it works very well for refreshing a hot pet too – my dogs love it. In terms of features, here are some additional thoughts. The product page describes that the “fan is quiet.” Well, on high speed (there are 3 speeds), it’s fairly noisy, and with a high-pitched whine. I tested the length of the battery, and honestly, I couldn’t wait for that thing to run out of juice – the noise was a bit annoying (you can hear it in the video, although the video doesn’t totally do it justice). While the lower fan speeds are naturally quieter, I can’t imagine really ever using it except at the highest fan speed – so it is noisy. The product page also says the cooler has an “easy fill water tank.” Yes, it’s fairly easy to fill, although you really need to use some vessel with a narrow spout that you can control the flow down to a trickle. Otherwise, you risk spilling water all over the unit (and the instructions warn about this). But what’s not easy is to open the water tank cover. You need some blunt flat tool, like a flat-head screwdriver to pop open the tank latch and cover. I couldn’t do it with my hands alone. In terms of run time, the product page says you can get between 3 and 12 hours on one charge. I tested it on the highest fan speed, and can confirm that it kept running for 3 hours and 20 minutes. I would expect the slowest fan speed would be closer to the 12-hour mark. BUT, one issue: the water tank is very small. It ran dry within 25 minutes. So while you might get 3 or 3-1/2 hours of running time at high fan speed, you will need to refill the water tank frequently. The cooler comes with an LED light that you can set among 7 different colors (or set it to cycle through all colors). I really have no clue why. All that light does is drain the battery (and note, I had the light off during my duration test). Worse, the default is to have the LED light on every time the cooler is powered up. You then have to hit the “light” button EIGHT times in order to turn it off. Rather an inconvenience. I plan on opening up the back of my unit and just snipping the LED wires! I really see no reason for the light at all. Lastly, the USB port cover barely “sticks” – it just keeps falling out with the slightest movement of the cooler. This is why it’s important to use a spouted vessel to fill the unit so you don’t accidentally get water into the USB port. Bottom line: IT WORKS. Wherever you hold it close to your body, you will feel a 10-degree drop in temperature. Just don’t expect it to “air condition” your whole body – think of it more as a nice cooling washcloth that keeps on cooling.
