Pros: Unit works well to cool down the air and the noise is tolerable.Update I was impressed with customer service: minimal wait on the phone, courteous service and prompt replacement of the broken parts (read "Cons" below).
Cons: unit is made entirely of plastic so it breaks easily. To illustrate this point: while assembling, a plastic clip that holds the hoses to the window vent unit broke off. After 4 uses, my wife noticed that a clip that held one of the hoses to the unit itself had also broken off. Bottom line: it is flimsy.
A second drawback is that the window vent section does not adjust to the size of the window. (A piece that we thought would be used to adjust to window size is actually a piece used for a patio door.)
A third drawback is that the hoses and window vent section are rather unwieldy to handle. Frequently, while trying to place the vents on the window while coupled to the hoses, the hoses come off easily off the unit so it is difficult to adjust everything correctly. And yes, the hoses have to be coupled because it is seemingly impossible to try to put them on after placing the vent section on the window.
Portable a/c in general
Do not buy a portable a/c unless you really need its roll about feature. You can purchase efficient (EER above 10), small and quiet window units at half the cost of portable units. That being said, you still might opt for a portable unit if you: do not want to leave a window unit installed permanently, do not want to lift a window a/c in and out of a window each season, do not have access to a large enough window for a window a/c, etc.
If you do decide to purchase a portable a/c, only purchase a two hose unit not a one hose. A one hose unit is almost a scam. It uses room air to cool the unit and then expels the air outside through the one hose. You have just paid to cool that room air, and the one hose unit is equivalent to placing a fan in the window blowing out. Hot outside air will be drawn into the room to replace the air being used to cool the unit. As a result, the unit will provide reduced cooling, and it will run inefficiently. A two hose unit, like this one, uses the second hose to draw in outside air to cool the unit instead of using room air. (This is exactly how window a/c's and central a/c's operate.) Consequently, the two hose unit can cool efficiently and at its full Btu/hr rating.
This particular portable a/c
This unit has the all-important two hoses. It is relatively efficient, not too noisy and will cool a nice size room (200 250 sq ft). For a portable a/c, this unit is as good a choice as I found available, but it has its problems. Here are some with which you must deal.
1. Portable is a relative term. This unit weighs ~ 80 lbs; it is only portable on one floor.
2. The unit is rather large and takes considerable room space. The front of the unit will be about two ft into the room which adds to the room space problem.
3. The hoses are large (5 in diameter) and, to my eye, rather unattractive.
4. The manufacturer recommends running the unit using only one hose at outside temperature above 95 F. So, if it gets rather warm outside, it will get warm inside too.
5. The worst feature of the unit is the poorly designed window installation kit. It does not expand to fit the window width. You will need a saw to make it fit, and then it will not fit another size window if you want to move it. The kit will usually need to be adapted further to fit a window. In my case, there is a window sill, and the kit is not high enough for it. I used some wood pieces, wood stain, my saw again, and weather stripping for the installation. In addition, the hose connectors to the unit did not fit. I used a sharp utility knife to increase the opening size of the connector tabs.
The bottom line: with all of its problems, if you need the feature of a portable a/c, this unit is as good as I found in this small size (9000 Btu/hr).this ac works ok its just the window attachment is crap. it is imposible to get it to stay in the window with the weight ofthe hoses and it just falls out of the window. they should of designed it betterI have had this unit for 4 years now. It does a nice job of cooling off our huge bedroom, 16 by 30. I will agree with everyone about the hoses. But with any portable unit, the hoses are cumbersome. I have had problems with the hoses fall out of the window support but a few screws take care of that. Since this is my 4th year of using this unit, it really deserves 5 stars but I gave it 4 because they really need to design a better window support. I am happy with this unit.Great unit works well. Hose connections are a little flimsey. However the dual hose makes no sense. You can't use it when it's very hot, it works harder to cool new air rather than recirculate. That argument that you get fresh air (more oxygen )just doesn't cut it. Also with 2 hoses it's harder to put in place. It's a BIG unit something I didn't consider. Understand the dimensions relative to your space.
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