Honeywell HCM650 4-Gallon QuietCare Cool Moisture Humidifier
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Honeywell HCM650 4-Gallon QuietCare Cool Moisture Humidifier
Customer Review: For about $50, this is a very good product.
Summary: 5 Stars
Update 1/21/2010 When I wrote this review, the price was about $50. Now it's about $60. As the price increases, the expectations increase as well, and the stars go down if the expectations are not met. At $60 I'd knock of a half star if I could.
You get what you pay for. Selling for about $50 this unit merits 5 stars. If the price was $100, I would have expected more and would have assigned fewer stars. See below.
What I Like: Adjustable fan speed; Adjustable humidity level; Adjustable run time, Large water tank; It displays the humidity level.
Things I would have liked to see, but did not take off stars considering the price: A low water shutoff or standby mode; Better water tank design for filling.
Additional thoughts:
To its credit, the unit has an adjustable humidity setting. When the unit reaches the set humidity level, the fan shuts off and the unit enters standby mode. When the humidity falls below the setting, the fan starts again. Keep in mind that the humidity sensor is inside the unit and will tend to read higher than a humidity meter elsewhere in the room and adjust the unit higher accordingly. In my case there is about a 10% point difference.
If the unit was any more expensive, say in the $70 to $90 range, I would have deducted a star for the absence of a water level sensor. The fan continues to run even if the water in the tank has run out.
Have a care when refilling the water tank. It has a nice carrying handle, but when the tank is turned over and set down as is necessary for filling, the rounded top causes it to tilt to one side rather than resting straight up without tipping. When full of water it did not tip over on its own when carefully set down on the handle. But, if it was accidentally bumped, I can see where there could be a problem. For me, this not a serious concern because my kitchen sink is deep enough that I can fill the tank there. On the bottom of the tank is a large combination lid and valve. After filling the tank and screwing the lid back on, I always hold it over the sink and turn it over to make sure the lid does not leak. If it doesn't drip, the tank can be carried by the handle back to the unit. The manual suggests holding the tank with both hands.
As to noise, quiet vs noisy is pretty much in the mind of the listener. The unit has a fan. The noise level reminds me of a window air conditioner, or a fan one would buy for cooling purposes in the summer. I have my unit in a 12' x 18' room off the back of my house that has large windows on three sides and several house plants. When I am in the room for a while, I shut the unit off.
When the unit is turned off, the adjustments return to their default settings. That means when the unit is turned on again the fan is set to run continuously at the highest speed setting, the humidity sensor is at the almost impossibly high setting of 56% and the timer is turned off. The settings do not change if the unit switches to standby mode because the humidity setting has been reached.
I expect that every 6 to 8 weeks I will need to soak the wick material in the cheapest vinegar I can buy at the grocery store for an hour or two to dissolve the minerals that get left behind, being careful, as noted by the manual, not to crush the wick material. At the same time I will wash out the base with soap and water to remove any algae that may have started to grow.
The HCM650 is listed as a 4-gallon unit. That means that under ideal dry laboratory conditions an output rate of 4 gallons per 24 hours is achieved . In real life, as the humidity in a room increases, the actual output rate will decrease. However, the output rate becomes much less important once the room humidity reaches the level that has been set and the unit goes into standby mode. As I measured it, the water tank held not quite 7 quarts.
The HCM650 is listed as a "Honeywell" product. As reported on the user manual, "The Honeywell trademark is used by Kaz, Inc. under license from Honeywell International Inc." Not to worry. Google Kaz, Inc. It's a huge company with many well known brand name products. But if you had a choice between two humidifiers, what would it be; a Kaz or a Honeywell?
Customer Review: Gets the Job Done
Summary: 3 Stars
Despite the use of the word "quiet" in the name, this is not a particularly quiet unit, though the sound it produces is the sort of white noise typical with equipment with fans. It does a nice job of humidifying a small room (about 15' quare) in a very dry climate. Note that the "continuous cleaning cartridge" is intended to be replaced every 30 days of use. It is definitely an improvement over the 8-year-old unit it replaced.Customer Review: Great Buy!
Summary: 5 Stars
I already had a 3 gal Honeywell for my bedroom and needed something a little bit bigger for my living room. This unit is wonderful! I can fill it up with water and set the fan, humidity and time and walk away. And it came with a cool little cleaning ball. I love both my Honeywell's and would highly recommend them!Customer Review: HCM-650
Summary: 4 Stars
Height: 14.5"
Width: 9.25" (note: cord protrudes 2.5" from right side of humidifier; cord is attached 8" from front of humidifier, 5.25" up from floor)
Depth: 16.5"
Blower outlet is 2.5" x 2.5", 6.125" up from floor
Water tank holds about 1.8 gallons. Protec cartridge is held in a little cage attached to inside of water tank cap. Fan on High can be felt 20' away. I pre-fill 2 1gal containers and carry them over to humifier to refill water tank - minimal water drippage on floor.
Sound pressure levels, at 6.5':
High Fan: 48.6 dB
Med Fan: 47.2 dB
Low Fan: 45.5 dB
Fan Off: 32.2 dB
(measured with Extech 407750 Digital Sound Level Meter, A weighting, Slow (1 sec) response)
Compare: HCM-640BW, HCM-645, HCM-646 have same 4gal/day output but different controls; HCM-630, HCM-635 have 3gal/day output and different controls.
HCM-650: Power button (lights up), Fan Info/Up/Down click switch, Timer Info/Up/Down click switch, Target Humidity Info/Up/Down click switch; 2-Digit LED display: defaults to current humidity reading; Fan (High: 3 bars, Med: 2 bars, Low: 1 bar), Timer (1-18hrs, in 1hr increments), Target Humidity (25-65%, in 1% increments); Humidity OK light
HCM-635, HCM-645, HCM-646: Power button (lights up), Fan Up/Down buttons, Target Humidity Up/Down buttons; Fan LED's (Low, Med, High), Target Humidity LED's (35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%)
HCM-630, HCM-631, HCM-640BW: Fan dial (Off, High, Med, Low), Target Humidity dial (continuous); Power light, Humidity OK light
Less moisture output than: Honeywell HCM-6011i QuietCare 11-Gallon Console Humidifier with Air Washing Technology
Noisier than ultrasonic humidifier: Air-O-Swiss AOS Ultrasonic Humidifier - 7135
Customer Review: Honeywell Humidifier
Summary: 4 Stars
I did a lot of research before buying this and I feel that it is a good buy. I love the variable speeds and adjustable levels for humidity. It is also very quiet running. The only thing that I would complain about is that it blows out the front instead of top. You have to place it where no one is in direct line of air flow. The air is very cold and you can feel it a good 10 feet away. I just have to watch where I place it. The tank holds plenty of water and usually lasts 2 days. I am very happy with it and would recommend it.