SPT WA-1230E 12,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control
by Sunpentown
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List Price: Our Price: $339.00 You Save: $301.00 (47%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of SPT WA-1230E 12,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control
Customer Review: If reliability isn't important to you...
Summary: 1 Stars
I placed an order to purchase a Sunpentown portable air conditioner and went to their facility in City of Industry, California to pick it up. When I arrived, another gentlemen was there to pick up his WA-1230H that was in for repair. This got me concerned about the purchase I was about to make so I asked him some questions about it. It turns out that this was *** THE THIRD TIME *** he had brought his AC in for repairs. After the second time his unit broke down, Sunpentown provided him with a new one (which was the one he was picking up from being repaired that day). He told me that the first time his AC broke was within 3 days of purchasing it. 2 separate units breaking down a total of 3 times = YIKES!
Needless to say I began feeling very uncomfortable about throwing down almost $500 on an AC (WA-1220H) that I was no longer confident in. I asked one of the employees about the reliability of the air conditioner I was about to receive and he said it was "good." "So it's not great or excellent?" I questioned. He laughed nervously and then went on to explain that the reliability depended on how the unit was treated (during transport, whether you had pets and cleaned out the filters regularly, etc.). He didn't give off much of a confident vibe while he talked about the product. That, combined with seeing the poor guy picking up his AC after the third repair, provoked me to cancel my order and walk out the door. My gut feeling was that I would be very disappointed with this purchase and that I would have been kicking myself for not paying heed to the warning signs.
I've decided to not purchase a portable AC. Instead, I'm opting to look for a set up that's more reliable. It will be more of a hassle installing, but I will at least be able to enjoy the AC without worrying that it will break down.
Customer Review: 2 Years and No Problems
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had this Sunpentown portable AC for nearly 2 summers and so far I have no complaints. It has worked flawlessly. My family and I live in a 2nd floor apartment unit that bakes during summer days, and the walls radiate heat well into the night, so having an AC running in the bedroom at night is a must in order to sleep comfortably. Initially, we tried running it in our living room area (which includes the kitchen) during daytime hours, however this is just too small of a unit to be very affective in that large an area (again, where the walls radiate the suns heat). It took a little bit of the edge off, and if you are sitting immediately in front, it does feel good (like the AC in a vehicle). Alas, we keep it in the bedroom and turn it on in the late afternoon. By 9pm it's cooled comfortably.
Emptying out the water tank can be a little bit of a challenge since the spout is so low to the ground -- I usually use a shallow cookie tray or muffin tin (rinsed thoroughly afterards) to collect the water. But I seldom have to empty it -- once every month or so.
I actually appreciate the "noise" that the compressor makes when it's on -- white noise helps me sleep.
I feel quite confident in Sunpentown, and if I'm in the market for another AC, I'll look to them first.
Customer Review: Works for me
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this unit in June 06, so I'm on my 3rd year of almost constant summer usage. The unit is a little noisy (about the loudness of some fans set to their highest setting), but that doesn't really bother me because it cools the room like it is supposed to, and I hate heat more than noise :). This is the first year that I've had to empty the tank. It actually leaked a little, but since it wasn't on a carpet, that was ok. My bad, because it does say to empty it occassionally, and I was just being lazy. The rubber plug was a little confusing at first (I couldn't tell if I needed pliers to unscrew it, or just my fingers to pull it out), but I finally realized that it was "plug like" (i.e., just needed my fingers to pull it out of the pipe) rather than an "outside cap" type that needed to be unscrewed. The area that it is cooling includes my dining area, living room, and small kitchen. I keep the downstairs bathroom door closed, as well as the doors to the two rooms off of the staircase leading upstairs, so it's probably cooling about 450 sq feet. I placed a small fan between the dining and living room area to help "push" the cool air into the living room since there is a wall that blocks some of the flow. I bought a second unit for my brother in 07, and it also works well for him.Customer Review: We bought 2!
Summary: 4 Stars
Last summer was the most humid in San Diego, CA I have ever experience in the 16 years I've lived here. My husband was working nights at the time and complained the heat was making it unbearable to sleep during the day. Our home is over 2,200 SF so running the air conditioner is NOT cost effective when there are only 2 people at home occupying 2 rooms in the entire house. I ordered this unit after doing extensive online research on several products. We did have to rig it on a couple of stepstools in order to get a larger collection bin for the water but it was only necessary for a few (extremely humid) days. The unit helped to reduce the temps in our 200 SF bedroom up to 7 degrees. But the biggest benefit was drying up the air enough to make sitting still (and sleeping) more comfortable. The unit is so effective we ordered another one to keep downstairs; it's toooooo heavy to lug up and down the stairs. The noise is insignificant since we fall asleep with the TV on and my only complaint would be set-up. It took us about 40 minutes to put it all together and configure the vent to the window. Of course, trying to set up while sweating your butt off creates more frustration. Love the remote, timer and wheels!Customer Review: AVOID
Summary: 1 Stars
I had ordered one of these units and went to pick it up directly from Sunpentown in nearby City of Industry, California where they are located. While waiting for the air conditioner to be brought out I struck up a conversation with a gentlemen who had brought one in for repair. He remarked that the first one he received was defective and that he had exchanged it for a replacement. The replacement he was having repaired was getting fixed for the SECOND time. At that point I was feeling uneasy about the unit I was about to bring home. I asked an employee about how reliable the air conditioner was and he didn't seem to be very confident at all about the product. I canceled my order.
A while back I had posted reviews of my experience but they appear to have been removed. Although I didn't go through with the purchase of the air conditioner, I believe my interactions with the customer getting a unit repaired for a third breakdown and the lack of confidence on the part of an employee of the company could have value to someone considering a purchase (so Amazon, please do not remove!).