I recently moved to Aurora, Colorado (just outside Denver) and at 5,400 feet the humidity is extremely low. I noticed my skin began to itch, which it had not done before. My doctor advised moisturizing creams, which helped a bit, and an air humidifier. After a lot of investigating I narrowed my search to the Air-O-Swiss and the Williams. In fact, both units seemed remarkably similar with both using a "patented" ionic silver cube and a filter cartridge which seem visually identical. Both units provide warm and cool mist. Possibly the technology is licensed from Air-O-Swiss? The deciding factors for me were:
(a) the Air-O-Swiss listed a capacity of 650 sq. ft. and the Stadler 1,000 sq. ft. I have a very small house 850 sq. ft. which effectively makes the Stadler a whole house humidifier for me.
b) almost every review of the Air-O-Swiss commented on the inaccuracy of it''s humidity meter and the only review I could find of the Stadler said it''s meter was accurate.
THE GOOD: Assembly is a snap. The meter is close to accurate. The water tank is extremely easy to remove and fill. It is dark plastic, but the water level can be seen quite clearly. The tank capacity is sufficient for 9 hours of continual use. The machine is so silent that I have to listen closely at night to hear anything at all. Just a soft "ssshhh." The Control Panel is easy to see and use with many options and has a light to indicate no-water.
My skin itching stopped.
THE NOT SO GOOD: It is expensive and every source I could find had the same price. The filter cartridge needs to be replaced three or four times a year, depending on the hardness of your water, or when white dust accumulates on the unit or on a small mirror held to the fog. The ionic cube must also be replaced once a year. A testing strip is included and if your water has a hardness greater than 21 degrees dH, an ionic humidifier is not recommended. They suggest then using an impeller humidifier. The Desired Humidity cannot be set lower than 40%, but I found that setting it at 60% results in an actual humidity level of about 37% which is what I want anyway.
THE BAD: I couldn''t find any.
SOME NOTES ON OPERATION: The instructions say not to place the Stadler Williams directly on the floor or next to heating. I went to Ace Hardware and found a small, plastic step stool for $12 that is 5" high. This keeps the unit off the rug and makes it easier to access when changing settings. If you have an chest of drawers in the room with space on top it should work equally well. A review of the Swiss-O-Air reported good results from soaking the ionic cube in water for 24 hours before initial use to increase effectiveness. I don''t know if this is beneficial, but I did it and had no bad result.
I set my unit to Auto/Sleep
IMPORTANT: Several reviews of the Air-O-Swiss said that they used de-ionized water. The Stadler unit specifically recommends against this. It is designed to use with untreated water or with a drinking water filter system such as Brita. Using any additives are specifically warned against.
I wholly agree with the previous rater also funny, I used to work in Aurora, CO I now live in Alexandria, VA were it is a bit more humid, but during Winter like everywhere else humidity drops quite a bit and I like to keep the environment at no less than 45% this unit is:
(Pros)
1stylish
2convenient
3easy to carry around/easy maintenance
(Cons)
No major cons the than price for the unit itself and the parts not cheap but overall based on the convenience worth it! Also, the panel can be a bit distracting during the night with all the colors and bright lights but then again, I don''t sleep with my eyes open!
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I bought the WILLIAM to replace my Air O Swiss 7135 because it claims to cover 400 more sq feet (1000 vs 600) and my maybe 500 sq foot bedroom is very drafty in the winter compounded by the baseboard heat constantly kicking off all night. So I''ve got this humidifier to battle it out between a constant stream of cold and hot dry air.
Here are my pros and cons:
Pro Great steam production
Pro Double steam spout
Pro Totally quiet
Con Unit is black on the inside so not easy to see when it''s dirty and needs cleaning and no indicator for cleaning like on the Air O Swiss
Con Lights on panel are too bright. There''s a dim mode supposedly I haven''t found but for now I used some tape to cover up the disco show coming off the panel.
Con Tank is drippier compared to the Air O Swiss when I take it out to refill the tank.
Con Never heard of this company outside of Amazon and I''m worried what happens if I need service or replacement parts and they no long sell on Amazon.
Basically I bought the WILLIAM because I wanted more steam and I feel I''m getting it. As for my gripes; they''re all pretty negotiable.
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There are some nice features on the Stadler Ultra Sonice Humidifier. I like the timer and sleep mode setting alot. I like the look of the unit and it''s light weight, so easy to move around from room to room if need be. It also creates a very nice mist...I am especially pleased with the mist output being very fine, because with other humidifiers I have used there were times I noticed the carpet nearby being slightly damp or with one the leather chair that was next to it having some patches of water. I haven''t this issue at all with the Stadler. I''m not thrilled with not being able to use my tap water though. I have hard water and in order to preserve the filters, I have been buying and schlepping home distilled water to use. I don''t use the humidifier everyday, but it is still an annoyance and actually I think about it before I do use it, thinking about schlepping more water home. I also don''t understand why the indicator lights have to be SO bright. I know LED lights are bright, but these seem like they were the brightest they could find. It''s not a big deal to tape a little cover over the lights, but when many people use a humidifier in their bedroom, it seems like something they could have taken into consideration. So while it''s a much better unit than I have used previously, for the price, I would expect not to have the water issue or the bright light one either for that matter.
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I like the color and design, it is dark and compact and does not look like it should be in a hospital room. As advertised it is quiet make that silent, there is no noise. The tank lifts easily from the humidifier for easily refilling but you want to have a towel handy to put under the tank to catch drops of water when you remove the tank. The filter cartridges cost $20. We have soft water so supposedly we only have to change the filter every 60 days, but if your water is harder you would have to change it monthly so that could be a cost of $240 a year to add on to the cost of the humidifier that is a downside for me. My wife was experiencing some problem with her eyes because of the dryness of our weather and the humidifier has greatly helped. The only problem we experienced was a somewhat acrid odor when we first turned it on so I had to run it in the garage for three days before the odor was gone. We have only had the humidifier for three weeks but other than the initial odor and the the every other month expense for filters we are very happy with the product.
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The least of my worries (I thought) were whether or not the coffee maker carafe would pour well. This carafe ruins the fact that the coffee maker makes great coffee. When you try to pour, either coffee into your cup or water into the maker, it spills ontop the counter. I pour slow, fast, and any possible way you can pour and it still runs down the carafe and spills onto the counter. I have no idea how it does this, but it does. I have never had a pot do this before. A $10 Mr. Coffee pot has never done this, but this $100 dollar one does. It drives me nuts. I would give this five stars if the carafe poured correctly, but I can''t because it ruins all the good things about this pot.
