Honeywell 470CFM Evaporative Air Cooler

This was a great purchase, but it does pull a lot of electricity! My smoke detector went off a LOT the first year (2016), when my central air went out last year. But I have asthmatics in the house in a climate which is mapped bright red for high humidity, so I had to do SOMETHING! Honeywell is a very reputable company, so I gave them a shot. I didn't want to do it, but to make my wife happy I allowed her to get one. It was a miscellaneous expense at the time, and our insurance company gave us a voucher so we were able to purchase one asap! The total price last year was no where NEAR $400, or we would NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET ONE EVEN WITH A VOUCHER! This year (2017) our central air went out again (my wife believes they may have taken advantage of her, and did only enough to get a call back this year, because the needs of the Navy come first when you're military, and I couldn't be home when the AC guys came). We saved up funds this year because we wanted to purchase another one this year, and another next year because we did the math and it would cool the house better with 3 @ 1200sq ft (its more like living space of 1000sq ft. two flat with 3 bedrooms & 6 people). But the price as of today 7/6/2017, is well over $400! We are military and the most attractive thing which attracted my wife to this product was the trusted brand (despite the few negative reviews), and the PRICE! I trust my wife to make wise investments while not overwhelming me trying to live outside of our means, but yet getting everything we need to get by in life. I wanted to get another one for them this year, but I guess like everything else... it will just have to wait. I fight for this country so we have the rights we want, I just wish that trusted brands could just keep things affordable. But I respect the rights that I signed up and swore to protect for this country, so I can't get mad when trusted brands, or anyone for that matter decides to exercise their rights to price hikes. I just wish things stayed affordable! We are ALL one miscellaneous unforeseen expense away from having the right to suffer in silence, because someone raised the price to things we relied on, or tried to honestly obtain. At some stage of life... you just want to have all wins for the past positives you put out into the atmosphere you know? The machine works very well, put ice in the top, and keep it coming (you have to buy bags of ice, or do what we did and get ice trays & rotate between 2 or more ice trays at a time so when it melts you have more to keep the house as cool as possible, while making the air breathable). Its not too loud, but the sleep mode is still a nice option. The swing mode isn't exactly an oscillate mode fans have, due to the short 14" window, but my wife and children are always thinking of ways to make what we have, work to fit our needs. They put old fans around the unit, and it helps to carry the cooled air further, most breathable up to 5ft away from the swamp cooler. We wish the window was wider so the swing mode could swing with more width from the base of the unit, like 180 or 130 degrees. Its not an air conditioner, but its better than a regular fan blowing hot air that you can't even feel, because its so hot! It wont matter how low or tall the fan you put in front of the swamp cooler is. The stick broke to our fan, but the top still works, so it can sit on the floor in front of the swamp cooler, and circulate the air, and one fan can sit high, if you have one that does oscillate pretty good. To help the swamp cooler air circulate, because the swing mode works well due to the force of air pressure coming from the swamp cooler. From a distance of 3ft you can feel the air blowing from it on a 90+ degree day. The window on the swamp cooler has blades that you can manually adjust so you can direct the air where you like, and it comes with a remote. But having 4 kids...THAT remote can be ANYWHERE, who knows? Thankfully, you do not depend on the remote to do anything that you can't do yourself! The swamp cooler is so easy to fill, they can all pitch in and feel like they're helping to do something productive to help improve our situation. Thank God they're a good family and they don't complain, I would feel so bad if they complained. For our 1200sq ft home, the one cooler does well to make the air breathable. Its still HOT, but its 98 degrees OUTSIDE, and inside its 85 degrees. Don't expect miracles LOL. Its easy to use, a baby can push the buttons, fill it and read the flotation device inside the swamp cooler to make them feel important, and its fun for them to put the ice in the top, and the wheels mean that you can roll it from one of their rooms to the next even if you're only 4, or pregnant and on bed rest while your mate is deployed. They all camped out in my room and the swamp cooler kept that room cool while they sleep, and it was easier for my wife to keep an eye on them and help them if they had trouble breathing through the night. I would recommend this product, maybe ask your insurance company if they have vouchers, if you need help to get just one. Because even just ONE made a positive difference to my family. If all you can afford is one swamp cooler (get this Honeywell 42pt portable cooler) and some dollar store ice trays, GET IT and roll it from room to room it's easy, doesn't raise your electric bill as high as central air (when the AC worked). The swamp cooler seems to work better this year than the first year (people rarely make things that get better with time, they mostly get you on the comeback, more concerned about their finances rather than their brand), and we're so happy we have one! However, I would recommend at least 3 for a 1200sq ft home on a 90+ degree day, and maybe going to a store and sharing popcorn and a cold refillable drink until the weather cools off a bit. My wife said the people in the stores can be so nice, they'll tell you when things are about to go on sell for $1-$3 on a markdown price. God bless America, and help us with improvements. LOL I hope this review was helpful. The swamp cooler does NOT leak, but the fans around it does not look very professional, so I wont share the pictures, everyone has their own unique way of doing things, and this is our story, I would encourage everyone to be creative and get the whole family in on it... a good fun and productive family summer project huh? Then you can remind them how good it is to just be a kid.