SU-4010G: Dual Mist Humidifier with ION Exchange Filter [Green]

I purchased this item December 2011 so am in my third season of use. This item has peformed extremely well. I'm pleased that it is still running like new after several years, as one of the chief complaints I've seen about many humidifiers is that they don't last.I was concerned about the "white dust" issue that others have experienced. Also, because I live in an area where the water is primarily mountain run-off (therefore quite soft with a low mineral content, as opposed to well-water), I opted to forego using distilled water due to the expense. I have not had any issues with the white dust/film that others have reported, but this may be due to they type of water I use.I use the humidifier in a smallish bedroom, and it works well at raising the humidity but only in the area within 5-6 feet of the humidifier. I believe this is due not to the quality of the unit but to physics. Mist simply doesn't travel far, and only travels down. I originally had the unit on a shelf across the room from the bed. The height was good (if the unit is close to the floor, the falling mist will get the floor damp) but in order to get the humidity level near the bed to 50%, the humidity in the area nearest the humidifier would get to 70-80%. As I was concerned about mold and because I only needed the humidity near the bed (I primarily use the humidifier while sleeping), I bought a small plant stand, placed it on a desk near my bed, and put the humidifier on that. Yes, it's a little cumbersome, but it keeps the humidity level near the bed the highest. And when it is really cold out (near zero) and the forced air is running all the time, it is hard to get the humidity even near the bed to be more than about 40-45%. Therefore, depending on where you plan to place your unit and the level of humidity desired, you may need to consider getting a unit rated for a larger area. I don't think this is an issue unique to Sunpentown -- based on my research, this seems to be the case for ratings pretty much across the board (unless perhaps you purchase a much more expensive unit.)When you first fill the unit, some of the water will fill the reservoir in the white base. Once this has filled, you can remove the colored top portion, add more water so that the unit is completely full and it will run at the highest setting for about 7-8 hours (I haven't done it in a while, but it seems it made it through the night). Unless it is very, very cold out, I never need to run the unit at the highest speed all night. Typically, I try to run the unti for 2-4 hours before bedtime to get the humidity to my desired level, then I usually turn the unit down to a very low level to maintain the desired level during the night.The one issue I did have is that the first year, I threw out the filter hold with the old filter. It is the round piece that screws onto the filter. Because you don't need to unscrew the filter from the filter holder during normal use, I forgot that the filter holder was not part of the filter. I was able to order a replacement from Supentown for about $5 (with another $5 for shipping), so it was not a deal=breaker but something to be aware of.It would be wonderful if you could refill the unit from the top (rather than having to remove the colored portion and do a quick flip to keep it from dripping). I don't find it hard to flip the filled unit over when filled and set it back on the base, but if you do not have much arm strength it mightbe a little heavy or awkward. There are certainly design improvements that could be made (I found the LED indicator lights extremely bright in a dark room so put some blue painter's masking tape over them -- it dims them but they are still visible.).I rated this item 5 stars because I believe it has performed well for the price. Is it a breeze to use? Not exactly. I empty and dry it virtually every morning. It needs to be set up and filled each night, and it is not unobtrusively placed. There are probably a few design tweaks that could make it more user-friendly, but the reality is that the nature of humidifiers makes them a bit high maintenance regardless of the type or brand. I have found that the benefits outweigh the effort, but others may not.

Pros:1. It actually turns on. I got this unit after my Crane Adorable Humidifier (Penguin shape) refused to turn on.2. It just works. I have a 10x13 room and this humidifier took my room's humidity from 21% to 42% in about 3 hours.3. I really like the form factor. The unit is only 5.31 inches deep so it can easily fit on top of a short bookcase that also has a small depth. Few other humidifiers would fit where I have this humidifier right now.4. It is fairly easy to fill. The top of the tank is flat so that when you turn the tank upsidedown to fill it, it can lie flat.5. I'm pretty happy with the mist quality. Even on the highest setting, you're not going to see fat droplet sizes coming out. You are not going to end up with a puddle on the floor as long as you put it on a surface at least 2 feet above the floor.Cons:1. Some reviewers have complained about water leaking out of the tank. I noticed that on my unit, the washer (or o-ring) for the tank cap is a little bit too big. If you turn the cap shut too tightly, the o-ring will roll on itself, and the next time you unscrew the cap and screw it back on, the washer may not provide a good seal because it is out of place. Even the manual tells you to make sure the washer is in place when screwing on the cap. As long as the washer is in place, it won't leak. This is just a slight annoyance.2. If you are blowing warm mist and you want to change it back to cool mist, it'll take awhile for it to become cold again because the unit does not actively cool the water. You'll have to either pour out the existing warm water in the base or wait until all the warm water in the base gets sent out. I am not a big fan of warm mist so it's a non-issue.3. The unit is fairly quiet and I am pretty sure most people can sleep with the unit on without a problem. However, I am an ultra-sensitive sleeper and anything louder than completely silent is too much for me. If it was the just the humming noise, I think I would be able to take it, but what bothers me the most is the inevitable random water sounds caused by the ultrasonic plate generating large droplets of water and those droplets of water coming back down. Almost every humidifier will do that. The water noise is fairly low, it is just the randomness of the noise that annoys me when I try to sleep. When I am awake and my computer is on, I barely notice the humidifier because my computer is many times noisier than the humidifier and my computer is already pretty quiet.Tradeoffs:1. Yes, the tank is only 4 liters, but do you want a humidifier that fits on a bookcase or not?2. Sure, the tank only last 12 hours on the maximum setting, but isn't that the point of a humidifier? If you desperately want humidity, wouldn't you want the humidifier to empty the tank as quickly as possible?Other thoughts:It is nice that this unit comes with a water filter, but of course the manual will recommend that you fill it with distilled water rather than tap water. Considering that I'll be breathing the water I put into the humidifier, I've been filling my tank with water that I've passed through a Brita filter in a water pitcher. However, doing that is somewhat a pain because it takes multiple pitchers to fill up the tank. I am thinking about getting a faucet filter so that I can fill the tank quickly.UPDATE: My 10x13 room just hit 50% relative humidity and I'm loving it. My windows are starting to fog up, maybe I should turn it off.

This is the only humidifier that I've ever liked. It's quiet, it works (hygrometer actually measuring an increase in humidity), the controls are simple and effective, it's easy to fill and empty, it doesn't get dirty, the filters are very easy to manage (no gross soggy white things), and it's about half the price as Boneco (Air o Swiss) and I'm convinced it's the exact same thing. Highly recommended for 500 sq ft.

A little whiny noise-wise, but still quiet and as effective as any humidifier.

A very good humidifier

This humidifier is amazing here in our dry Alberta climate. There have been no issues with it getting mound, calcium, or clogging. It makes our sons room SO humid. So glad we bought it. Our friends with new babies bough the cheap crane humidifiers, and complained that none of them worked after a few months. This one is going strong. It's shocking how powerful it is. Absolutely love it. Kind of wish that the water tank was clear, but that's just a small thing.

Performs as advertised, very efficient and quiet.