Air-O-Swiss 32838 Ultrasonic Humidifier
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Air-O-Swiss 32838 Ultrasonic Humidifier
Customer Review: HORRIBLE Customer Service & a JUNK product. Perfect!!
Summary: 1 Stars
WHEN it works it is OK. It has all of the defects described by the other reviewers. But they make up for the defects with rotten customer service. I bought this unit on January 31 07. Used it until the end of March, at which time I cleaned it and replaced all of the consumables per the instructions. I put it back in service two weeks ago. Six days ago it stopped working. I called their customer service. They use an out-sourced customer service group that will NOT talk to you, but rather, insists on taking your number and calling you back in the evening. Of course, they called back when I was out and left a message that they would call the following evening. They did not. I called back the next day and went through the same thing. That evening, since thay had not called by 8:30, I called them. This time, they insisted that I go through some trouble-shooting (all of which I had done previously). They then told me to leave it unplugged for a 1/2 hour (by which time they would be gone) and then "reset" the unit by pressing a button combination. I did this. The next day I called them again and got the same "wait until tonight" pitch. I insisted on an RMA number, which I received. HOWEVER, before they will tell you where to ship the unit, you need to FAX them a proof-of-purchase (their email address bounces back). The you have to wait for them to call. It is now 6:30PM on a Friday night and no call. So I called them and got their voice mail, where I was instructed to leave a message. So It will not get shipped to them this week. Next week I am traveling, so it won't get shipped until the following week, which means that they will not get it until after Christmas, which means it will be mid-January before I get a repaired unit. These people are total idiots. For a $200 humidifier, I would expect some sort of real customer assistance. Be warned before you buy.
UPDATE: Well, a month after I sent the defective unit in, I received a TOTALLY DIFFERENT AND MUCH CHEAPER UNIT in return. I am now on my THIRD phone call with these idiots and have yet to talk to someone who can resolve this problem. The right person is "not in the office" and will "call me back." HAH!! They NEVER call back. I wish I had never heard of these people.
Customer Review: How dangerous is the white dust?
Summary: 2 Stars
On the subject of humidifier dust, the best objective source I've found so far is the EPA: [...]. So apparently the jury is still out. Today I opened up one of my computers that had been wrecked by ingesting humidifier dust from an Air-O-Swiss day in and day out. Because its fan was always operating, it ingested an amazing quantity of the white stuff. I don't see any reason to wait until the EPA figures out whether or not humidifier dust is harmful to me, my children, or my pets. I will try Air-O-Swiss's suggested "fixes" but if they don't eliminate the problem, it's time to change to a different type of device. All things considered, maybe it's smarter to have professionals install a system for the whole house, like the Crane EE-5301.Customer Review: Humidistat not reliable; Works well with distilled water
Summary: 3 Stars
I left a similar review for the AOS7135.
I became wary of inhaling this white dust so I switched to distilled water but it was too much of a hassle to buy 10-14 jugs each week for each humidifier.
I think this will work well for you if your water has low mineral content or if you don't mind buying a lot of distilled water regularly.
The humidistat is rather useless. Mine typically remains at 25% even though 3 other external monitors report 38-42%. So the AOS7135 never shuts off and over-humidifies my room. You might be better off with the less expensive AOS7135 (if you are ok with the looks) or the AOS7145 (if you don't need the heating option).
I returned the unit and purchased the Vornado Evaporative humidifier instead. I use it with the Protec cartridge and make sure to clean it well every week to reduce bacteria build up in the wicks. So far so good.
Customer Review: I like this, but need improvement.
Summary: 3 Stars
This had been broken twice.
Display works, but no mist came.
I returned 1st one to customer service and replacement was sent to me.
In first month, 2nd one worked well, but same defect was happened again.
I believe this uses weak relay well-unknown maker LiLi's.
I have another humidifier AOS 7135 and this was also broken by different reason, which is corroded ultrasonic plate.
So, I picked up relay from AOS 7135 and replace AOS 7142's by it, then 7142 works again.
I like this humidifier because of rich mist if this works well, but maker needs improve choice of relay.
Well, I find curious one in Japan, Teknos JH-720.
http://www.amazon.co.jp/TEKNOS-%E6%B8%A9-%E5%86%B7%E8%AA%BF%E7%AF%80%E6%A9%9F%E8%83%BD%E4%BB%98%E3%81%8D-%E7%9C%81%E3%82%A8%E3%83%8D%E3%83%8F%E3%82%A4%E3%83%96%E3%83%AA%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E5%8A%A0%E6%B9%BF%E5%99%A8-JH-720/dp/B0045EP4PI/ref=pd_sim_sbs_k_1
This looks very similar as AOS 7142 and price is about $140 now.
But when I bought JH-720 2weeks ago, it was about $80, aginst AOS 7142 $229.29.
Different points are,
- Tank material is different. AOS uses polycarbonate or acryl, JH-720 uses polypropylene.
- JH-720 does not have silver stick.
- JH-720's resin in cartridge is less than AOS.
- JH-720 has sound device, AOS does not have.
- Display is modified for Japanese market.
- Body color.
Customer Review: It Works for Me Most of the Time!
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased this unit about a year ago because of the low humidity. I use it year round most of the time. When I first purchased it, it was pretty quiet. But then it started making gulping and glugging noises after about a few weeks of using it. I decided to stick it out. It seems to be intermittent with the noises. Sometimes it is better then others....but if you are a light sleeper and are easily bothered by noises at night then this isn't for you. Most of the time I can sleep through it, but I do recall hearing it sometimes during the night if I am not sleeping well. I don't think the humidity gauge is all that accurate. I have other units that read humidity as well and this units is usually below what the other one is reading. It does make a difference in the air and the bottom line that is what counts. Every once in a while it tries to tell me it is out of water when I just filled the water reservoir. I usually fix the problem by turning it off a couple of times and waiting a few minutes in between until it decides it wants to cooperate with me. A few times it just didn't want to turn on. But I figure all machines in the price range will probably be just as big of a pain as this one has for me. I only have to fill it once in the morning and once at night. Hope this review will be helpful for others!