Product review - Air-O-Swiss ultrasonic travel humidfier
No amount of luxury at a hotel can help prevent me from waking up with a dry throat in the middle of the night - for some reason, the climate control at most hotels seems to keep the room a very unpleasant 30% humidity, and for some reason, I am very sensitive to dry air.
Last year I mentioned the Air-O-Swiss "AOS 7146" ultrasonic travel humidifier. I finally ordered one and am happy to report that it really does work as advertised. The humidifier itself is small at just 4.5"x2.5"x3" and at tad over 0.7lbs it will barely take up any room in your bag.
Included in the box is the humidifier itself, a bottle adapter, a carrying pouch and a power supply with a set of international prongs.
To use the humidifier, you simply grab a water bottle (no larger than half a liter), insert the adapter in the bottle, and place the bottle in the humidifier. On the back of the unit is a knob to adjust the humidity level. On the bottom of the unit are 2 folding stands, which should prevent a heavy bottle from tipping the humidifier over.
The unit produces a very fine mist of cool water, which is easily absorbed into the air. The unit does lack a hygrometer, so you'll either need to keep it on "high" all day, or adjust it when you feel things are getting too humid.
For my test, I brought along a pocket digital hygrometer. When I entered the hotel room, the meter read 34%, which is usually too dry for me. After about an hour with the travel humidifier the humidity level had reached a comfortable 46%.
The Air-O-Swiss AOS 7146 ultrasonic travel humidifier retails for $59.99, but can be found for at your local Bed Bath and Beyond store, which means you can pick one up with one of their easily obtainable 20% off coupons. I ended up paying a little over $48 for mine, which is quite a good bargain.
Filed under: Gadling Gear Review
