How did I come to be testing whether air coolers are worth it? With the heat of summer already upon us here in the Southeast – and a forecast of 30-degree temperatures next week – I recently found myself searching for a cost-effective way to keep my home cool. If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I’m not one to spend extra money on appliances that might only be used for a couple of hours a day during the hottest weeks of the year. But this time was a little different. My young cats are recovering from being neutered, and the thought of them sweltering in the heat air made me panic a bit!

So, I took the plunge and picked up this budget-friendly misting air cooler from Amazon for just £34.99 (price correct at time of sharing). I’ll share the link again at the end of the review so you can read what I actually thought about it first!

Evaporative air coolers, are a brilliant, cost-effective way to lower room temperatures using the natural process of evaporation. Unlike traditional air conditioners or a big heat pump system, they use far less energy, which means no scary electricity bills. The model I went for is a misting fan which uses the same principles as an evaporative cooler where it takes iced water from the tank above the fan and mists it into the air where it evaporates and cools that spot.

First Impressions – unboxing

The first thing I noticed was how lightweight this portable air cooler is – it’s a small device but packs a punch with its powerful fan and three fan speed settings.
It doesn’t come with a plug just the UBC cable, and only works when plugged in, so you’ll need to have one ready.

It has a great remote control which can be used to change the settings of the fan, the misting and the light, as well as setting timers.

There are three speeds for both the fan and the mister which is useful and although you can definitely hear it working – it’s not annoyingly loud and it’s possible to work or sleep.
There’s a handle for lifting so it’s perfect for moving around common areas like the living room, bedroom, or office space.

The water tank is super easy to fill with water or ice cubes to help the fan draw in hot air and push out cooler air. It’s worth noting that the hole at the top is small and round so you can’t use large ice blocks (from your packed lunch box!) to cool the water as they wont go through the hole.

How Does It Work?

With the misting fan air cooler, the iced water you put in the tank above gets pulled through and sprayed out the two holes above the fan and wafted into the hot room with the air moved by the fan.

Real-Life Performance

I tested this cooler fan with my windows and doors closed as our cats are recovering from surgery and can’t go out so we were reliant on the air cooler alone and didn’t have any natural breeze etc. Although with fans, and unlike air conditioning units, I think you are supposed to have the windows and doors open to take advantage of any breeze. I tested it in our large open-plan downstairs and in a small bedroom with the door closed. I also tested it when I was sat right next to the air cooler and also on the other side of the room.

Note: You can move the shield in front of the fan (as seen in the image above) to direct the airflow to where you need it.

Distance from the air cooler:

I noticed that the air cooler felt very effective when you sit right by it but not at all if you are a long way away as it’s too small to materially lower the temperature of the room and the real benefit is the feeling of the air movement when you are close to it.

Air cooler noise levels

The cooler motor isn’t too noisy either, which is always a bonus for a living room or bedroom setup. Compared to a full ac unit or portable air conditioner, it’s a fraction of the price, and you don’t need to keep windows shut tight to avoid wasting cool air. The noise changes according to the level you have the fan or mist on and you can change this via the buttons on the front of the unit or the remote.

Did the air cooler reduce the temperature in the room?

I put our room thermostat next to the fan and tested if, over a while, the temperature reduced. I was surprised to see that it didn’t actually change. I was surprised because I felt so much more comfortable next to it due to the air movement.

Quite random lights!

One slightly odd feature is the neon lights in the water tank! You can cycle through them using the remote or the button on the front of the unit and have your own little rave – although it’s probably far too hot, so don’t bother!! ; )

Things to Consider with an air cooler

Like all cooling appliances, air coolers need a bit of regular cleaning to avoid any dirty water building up in the tank. Keeping the water temperature low with ice packs helps boost cooling performance, too. And don’t forget: a misting air cooler works best with an open door or window to maintain good airflow, so don’t be tempted to shut everything up like you would with a window air conditioner.

This is a small, portable model that’s cheaply priced and won’t make a big difference to your room temp in the same way that an air conditioning unit would. What it does do is make you feel more comfortable and less stressed or sweaty in a heatwave.

Should you buy this misting air cooler?

There are plenty of air coolers on the market these days, from small personal coolers to large air coolers and you can spend literally thousands of pounds on them if you want to. This one won’t chill an entire house but for cooling a personal space or a whole room up to a few square feet, it’s a brilliant choice and extremely affordable. It’s also far more energy efficient than blasting an ac unit or heat pump for hours. Add ice to get the most effective misting and try and take advantage of a discount of deal so you don’t pay over the odds.

In recent years, the advantages of air cooler technology have become more obvious – they’re more eco-friendly, use less energy, and bring in fresh air instead of recycling the same warm air. So if you’re looking for a cost-effective way to tackle the summer months without worrying about power consumption, a portable air cooler like this is a great option.

Would I recommend it? For someone like me who usually hesitates to spend extra money on seasonal gadgets, it’s turned out to be the best choice for my specific needs. Especially when it means my little fur babies stay cool and comfortable during a heatwave! We just don’t have enough hot weather for me to justify spending a fortune – especially as my coffee machine has broken and I’ll get far more joy from a new one of them!

Shop the air cooler here (affiliate link)

Shop your choice of fans, tower fans and air coolers over on my Amazon Storefront on this link.

Read my other product reviews here