Duracraft DWM250 2-1/2-Gallon Warm-Mist Humidifier
by Duracraft
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Our Price: $47.88 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Duracraft DWM250 2-1/2-Gallon Warm-Mist Humidifier
Customer Review: same product as honeywell humidifier hwm-910 but $5 cheaper
Summary: 5 Stars
We have tried all kinds of humidifiers - ultrasonic, blowers, etc. Tried higher priced honeywell model (Honeywell HWM450 Quick Steam Warm Moisture Humidifier) - which works fine, but is noisy steamy noise.
We originally bought the Honeywell HWM-910 through Target around 2003 and liked it so much and went and bought two more. My wife threw out several of them when I didn't clean out the heating unit (even though I could of cleaned it and kept on using it. I had left them sitting in garage over the summer and looked like trash to her). Next spring, I'll clean them out and put them in nice storage box!
Found having two of them in the bedroom at low setting was perfect - got the volume of humidity and didn't have to refill them at night...lasts I think at least 12 hours at the low setting.
I have been spending quite a bit of time researching the different humidifiers available.
The Duracraft DWM250 is the same product as the Honeywell HWM-910 but is about $5 less and through Amazon comes with free shipping if you buy over $25. The cheapest Honeywell HWM-910 is $36.50 (with shipping factored in) when you buy from Amazon affiliate. Given it's the same product and manufacturer and just a different marketing brand logo of Duracraft instead of Honeywell, I choose the Duracraft model (saving over $11.50 per order). I just bought 3 more of the Duracraft humidifiers and I expect them to last for years. We live in semi-arid environment and in the winter the humidity is very low.
We'll plan on turning down the heat to rest of the house and use these to keep us warm and comfortable humidity level while sleeping.
I checked wikipedia and it talks about Honeywell brand and Kaz company and Duracraft which are just marketing brands of the same product.
If anyone finds a better combination of value and performance, I'll consider another brand/model in future, but for now I think the time I spent into researching is paying off. Just wanted to stop getting products that go to the landfill much too quickly and get some value.
You can always buy extra water tanks and pre-fill them and leave them in room if you want to replace the water at night but not bother to refill (if you use only one humidifier at high setting). It is $15.99 ($19.94 with shipping, so probably makes sense to just buy another humidifier at less than $25)
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Notice that this water tank can be used with both Duracraft DWM250 and Honeywell HWM-910.
Customer Review: One of the most difficult purchases in a long time
Summary: 4 Stars
My grandparents had a cabin in Canada, and their "humidifier" was a shovel full of snow in a big pot on the wood stove. Ah...those were the days. Fast forward to the present, in my home without a wood stove, to a complaining wife and stuffy newborn. What I thought was a seemingly easy task turned into a nightmare, thanks to the internet and Amazon reviews.
The type was easy. Cool mist is too moldy (unless they are kept clean, and let's be realistic, who actually cleans humidifiers?) and filters are pricey, ultrasonic has the added benefit of the "white powder" in the air and settling on everything, and the whole-home kind that are attached to the furnace ducts aren't really made for small heat pump HVAC like I have in my house. So, warm mist it was, and I started on my journey to find the perfect one.
And it was a journey. I found fancy ones with all sorts of features, and cheap ones that made steam. All had one thing in common, those that hated them and gave them one star, and those that loved them and gave them more stars.
Meanwhile, my wife borrowed her mother's humidifier, which happened to be a many year old version of this particular one. It's the same humidifier we've borrowed every year since my wife and I got married five years ago. After playing with the idea of a UV lighted, mineral pad soaking, multi-gallon capacity, built-in hygrometer monster, I decided to get two of these units instead--at a cheaper price. Why?
For one, my mother-in-law's unit still runs like a champ after all this use. We really only use it at night for sleeping. The trick is to fill it up and run it on high while getting ready for bed, and then turn it on low when going to sleep. The water lasts all night and it increases the humidity nicely.
For two, many of the features offered on more expensive models are all but useless. So many people complain about filling the things--is it really that hard to walk to the sink once a day? In order to kill airborne germs, a lot more is needed than the tiny UV light offered in other humidifiers. If the built-in hydrometer is out of whack, too bad! Mineral filtration pads? Unless a person is unlucky enough to live in a "liquid rock" area, a good wiping with paper towel soaked in vinegar once a week is all that's needed to clean the heating element.
Sometimes, less is more, and I believe this is definitely the case with humidifiers.
Customer Review: Very Smart Purchase
Summary: 4 Stars
I really like this humidifier and have been on the very difficult journey to discover which humidifier will work for me, whether cool or warm mist is better and which actually does what it says the same as everyone else. I get frequent sinus infections and am in great need of a humidifier here in the northeast during the cold months with the heat. I just constantly don't feel good without one. For over 10 years I have used cool mist humidifiers. I honestly never considered a warm one. The last one I had was a Holmes and it was certainly not cheap. I took good care of it and it still worked only 1 year. The filters were expensive and the unit was very noisy Last year when it worked it worked well, but last winter it worked only half the time. I did not know where to turn.
A friend suggested a warm air humidifier and I looked into it and liked what I read. I then researched, reading reviews and customer comments - even using Consumer Report. I kept coming back to this one and saw the definite mix of positive and negative reviews. I read all the negatives and saw that most were looking for the humidifier to do or be more than it said it was.
I live in a studio apartment and the humidifier says it is for rooms 400 to 700 square feet. Perfect for me. It also says that it runs up to 12 hours on one filling and it does. When I run it on the low speed it lasts 12 hours exactly. The directions also say to disinfect it before the first use. This is very important. With something like a humidifier it is very important to follow all directions. If you do not, you don't have a right to complain if it does not work correctly. This humidifier is very easy to clean/maintain and also very easy to fill. If you do not want to be filling it every 12 hours or more then get a different humidifier. For me, it is very simple and easy knowing I need to easily fill it every 12 hours.
The humidifier also makes no noise at all on either the high or low speed. I find that when running it constantly on low my humidity level is perfect and I feel great. This machine does exactly what it says it does so make sure that it will satisfy your needs. It is easy to use/maintain - so much simpler than a cool mist humidifier. I will never return to a cool mist one again.
I highly recommend this unit and say just make sure it is what you want before purchasing. Hope this helps you with your humidifier decisions.
Customer Review: So far, so good...
Summary: 3 Stars
Like others, I researched humidifiers for a long time. Last year was the first time I considered buying one but just didn't do it. This year, as soon as the weather turned cold, I noticed sinus trouble. For the next three weeks, my throat was sore/dry and nasal passages were... well you know. I was convinced that it was the dry air (forced hot air) in the house.
I finally bought the Duracraft because of the good reviews and price. The unit is in my bedroon, which is only 130 sq. feet. The humidity in my room is 35-40% (without humidifier) and the first night, I used it on low. The unit is VERY quiet, with slight gurgling sounds. It kind of sounds like small rain drops hitting your window sill. Not un-pleasant at all. On low, the unit lasted for 12 hours. The humidity only went up about 5%.
In the morning, I tried it on high for about two hours and the humidity shot up to 60%, but the windows were getting fogged and my ceiling was damp. I have yet to determine how long it would run on "high".
The next night, I put it on at 8:00pm (low) and closed my bedroom door. The humidity went to 50% and again, it lasted for 12 hours. My throat has felt much better and sinuses are clearer. I cannot attest to whether I need to keep my door shut or not. But my main concern is how I feel in the morning.
I cannot comment on cleaning yet, but I am using filtered tap water to hopefully help with cleaning.
This unit is definately for small rooms (on low) and will function even better if you can close a door. It is very easy to fill and as I stated, lasts for 12 hours on low. I am not sure why some people claim that it is only lasting for 6-7 hours, on low? Ideally, I wish that there was a medium setting as this would be ideal, for me. But definately not a deal breaker.
I do agree with others that when you first start the machine, you cannot tell if it's working... it's that quiet. I will do an update in about a month.
Update: 3/2/2010
To me this unit screams for a medium setting. Low is okay but is a little too low. High has good output but only lasts about 6 hours and on this setting my ceiling gets wet. A directional nozzle could take care of that problem. To me...if this had a bigger tank for the high setting and a directional nozzle or had a medium setting, this would get 5 stars from me. It is an extremely quiet machine.
Customer Review: My humidifier after tons of research
Summary: 4 Stars
I spent literally hours researching humidifiers and hope my experience will help you make a good purchase.
Here are my conclusions:
1. It is near impossible to find a good quality humidifier and many people (myself included) get frustrated with the search. Who knew humidifiers were so hard to make!?
2. The best one on the market seems to be the "Air-O-Swiss AOS Ultrasonic Humidifier - 7135" at a cost of over $140. It seems that unless you are willing to open your wallet for this particular model, finding a good humidifier is a crapshoot and you might as well get the cheapest one that seems to work. Every humidifier has reports of malfunctions and/or poor craft. Even this model has over 10% reports of malfunction. Other than that, though, people's only complaint has to do with false advertising related to the size of the tank.
3. My purchase: I have had the Duracraft DMW250 for a few weeks and have not had any issues with it.
This product seems to be exactly the same as the "HONEYWELL/ENVIRACAIRE HWM910 Warm Moisture 2 Gallon Humidifier by Honeywell/Enviracaire." It only has a 1 gallon tank but it works well for my bedroom and has greatly improved the air quality during our New England winters. I no longer wake up with sore throats and dry lips. I refill it basically every day and it lasts for about 14 hours on the low setting. I don't have to worry about buying and replacing filters because this is a warm mist humidifier, although I may pay more in my electric bill than I would for a cool mist since it takes more energy to heat the water. It is virtually silent! You will hear a small "gurgle" or "bubble bubble" once in a while but that's it. It's construction seems flimsy but it's really easy fill and take apart for cleaning. It's one of the least expensive models and it works well.
4. My advice? Don't spend a lot of time researching. A good quality humidifier simply does not exist.
Buy the Air-O-Swiss if you have the money, or purchase the cheapest model you can find that has a lot of reviews and a decent to good review average (statistical research suggests that people review things either when they are really happy or really unhappy). Amazon's prices are better than other places I tried and their product reviews were aligned with other consumer reports.