BONECO Warm or Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier 7144

I followed all directions which are Simple compared to 2 Honeywell "Germ Free." I've used the Honeywellmodel and actually convinced myself #34 is working; even though I never saw evidence of (vapor/moisture) onwindows. More importantly, my skin was still dry and getting worse. My nostril/nose membranes weretightening up from dryness, occasionally even bled. Honeywell tells (deceitfully) us, their customers (stupid)we won't see any evidence of its Humidifier working as they promised.I have a small condo. When I bought the first Honeywell, believing them (there'll be no evidence of its mist)I thought I needed a second Honeywell, yes, I bought a second Honeywell. These were bought from Ama-zon.com last year. After that winter, I even bought new filters from Amazon.com. During my recent PCM(doctor) visit, I discussed my situation with nose bleeds, etc. He said, your humidifiers aren't humidifying.That should have been obvious to me last year but it wasn't.Next Woe: be very cautious believing 5 & 4 star reviews. Presently, I average out all the reviews.Reviews can be as misleading as the Manufacturer and Seller's Perspective.Air-O-Swiss received a range of reviews, some positive while others were more discriminating.What a dilemma to be in! Several ISSUES won me over.1-I don't need to daily and weekly sanitize every nook and cranny of the Ultrasonic Humidifier, whereas,the Honeywell was a daily/weekly chore.2-Both Humidifiers require refilling the water tank one to two days depending upon usage and room size.These tanks gain a lot of weight when filled with a gallon or so of Water.3-Ultrasonic Humidifier's claims are fairly well correct with IT's Claims.4-I do hear it working. It emits a slight grinding sound. Maybe not grinding but certainly not high pitched.Its rather muted. I have to admit I have excellent hearing. I have positioned the Humidifier about 3 feetfrom the foot of my bed. Please keep in mind, this room is small.5-AIR-O-SWISS receives 5 Stars from me because: a) Its adjustments on the humidifier are easy to see(I'm visually impaired); b) easy to understand and operate;BEST OF ALL: I can adjust the degree of humidity I want and I can visually see Vapor pouring o/o thetop in several different directions. Vapor actually forms on the window. This Humidifier does just abouteverything it claims for itself so far.6-I've been using this Humidifier for several days and my findings are: skin isn't dry; nose membranes arenot tight & dry, no nose bleeds. The Humidifier stays at the humidity I designate and I have begunto sleep the night through w/o coughing repeatedly, then couphing up phelgm, etc.7-Before buying this product, I researched what is the best rated Humidifier for my life style on the market.AIR-O-SWISS, this model, was always rated the winner.8-I consider it Expensive to buy along with supplies the consumer will require for occasionally cleaning andchanging the filter for a new filter.Financially I felt it was o/o range for me, BUT, I knew also I needed humidity in my home in an effortto alleviate related health issues: dry skin rashes; nose bleeds, etc.9-I am content and happy with buying this humidifier. Its an investment pertaining to my health.10-I recommend everyone, all consumers, particularly with expensive items, research the quality of theproduct before buying.Yesterday, I filed the above initial report on my personal experience with the Air-O-Swiss Ultrasonic Humidifier.I then went to the Amazon page showing this humidifier with its description plus reviews.I was totally surprised to read Amazon's new posting concerning the legitimacy of claims made for this productand/or method it was shipped.As I'm typing this update, I'm noticing the AOS sounds as though its working hard to maintain the humidity I've set. The humidifier is in the same room as I am now. When IT reaches the designated humidity level, that's when it seems/sounds as though its putting a "lot of effort" into working.If there is any change, one way or the other, I will update this report.I am unhappy with my purchases of the 2 Honeywell (?) humidifiers. I wish Amazon would consider my case even though its long pass returning it, etc. I have two (2) Honeywell humidifiers, including filters I had to buy becausethe filters which came with the humidifiers had to be replaced. The company involved is "KAZ".Rev Pat12-13-12 Update: I'm learning when I fill the tank (about a gallon) it is very heavy to lift, carry and position onto the base. One previous reviewer mentioned this is an "awkward" setup. It is awkward to hold this gallon or more of water,turn it around in order to "get it in position" to be placed onto the base. I've been using it for about two weeks and guess what, " a red flashing light kept bobbing up & down" on the "screen." Think of the screen as home computer's monitor and it does have a "key pad" which is so easy to understand and use. This RED light was telling me "its time to clean thewater tank" which was so easy to do, much different from my experience with last year's fiasco with HONEYWELL.Be ware of HONEYWELL Humidifiers. Don't buy them.So far as cons, cost is always a factor, same with this humidifier. Supplies are Needed: cleanser and filter. Then there's a really big CON: Swiss-O-Air does not mention its best to use distilled water. Research distilled water. Most people be-lieve its water left standing for days in an container of some sort. Wrong! Its a costly process which many can not afford. That is, if you buy it from the local bottling company or buy Amazon's distilling gadgets. Most of us will resort to letting our water stand still for days.... Today, I'm first trying my way: I have a fairly large electric water boiler, mainly used for my daily tea drinking. Now I'm using it in my own concoction for distilling water. 1st, I always pour water into my coun-tertop, small water filtering system. Then I pour it into my "big" electric boiler. Now, I'll let the water cool down and store it in whatever container I can find in my little home. After a day or two, I'll use it for the Air-O-Swiss.Amazon should Insist on correct detailed DESCRIPTIVE INFO. on the products they allow to be sold on their web site.Shame on Amazon for not doing this for their customers! I run into this problem with Amazon all the time. When itoccurs, which is often, I email Amazon with my concern, then I just don't buy the product, that is if I "catch" this weak- ness/fault/deception. Now with the SOA everything seemed "upright." Today, is the first time I realized Its recommended to use DISTILLED WATER. I think this is unfair to us, the customer who are making THEM Rich.I ran into this problem with the Honeywell's also. I imagine all these appliances would do better/operate more efficientlywith distilled water. I believe we're not told this by the manufacturer and/or seller because they know this adds to thecost of their product which then might make it less attractive to us.Rev Pat

We recently purchased the Air-O-Swiss AOS-7144. On the first night of using it there was a highly noxious and metallic smell. We kept running the machine for 24 hours to see if that would remove the smell and it did not. After reading further about ionic tools we found this is common. While many of the articles referencing problems with ionic machines reference the problem to air cleaners, the described symptoms are the same. Additionally of concern, this ionic process apparently also creates additional ozone which can be damaging to lungs.Once we discovered these problems we attempted to return the product. Because it was a third party seller Amazon would not initially refund the product and referred us to the seller. After going to the seller's website they indicated they would not provide a refund unless we first contacted customer service. We tried for a couple of days and waited on the phone for up to an hour with a voice mail saying an agent would be right with us (apparently when they are closed their voicemail does not indicate this and simply lets you wait on the line). Finally, we reached a customer support person who said they would not refund us the money because we purchased the product through Amazon. It took several attempts to get the customer service person to provide this policy in writing (she repeatedly said she could not do so and refused to let me talk to a supervisor until she realized I wasn't going away until she did so). Finally, I talked with a supervisor (Desree) who said they would provide the policy in writing after consulting and going through the corporate office (will wait and see). I re-contacted Amazon who said they would take steps to try and help us collect the money but would not specify they would reimburse. Additionally, Amazon stated they would not help with the refund for another five days from the date of this review because it was still within the expected day of delivery for the product (even though we have had the product for over a week).Hopefully, this details out about a potentially dangerous and certainly noxious smeling product which has extremely bad customer support from both the seller and Amazon.