Pricey but Effective
Pros:
Powerful, Ease-of-use, Stylish
Cons:
Heavy, Pricey, User's Guide is weak.
The Bottom Line:
Good Value: pricey, but you get your money's worth.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I purchased this portable air conditioner primarily to use in one room: a master bedroom (upstairs) that becomes much warmer than the other rooms in the house.
This A/C unit is rated at 11.5k BTUs, which seemed like a good fit, based on the fact that the room is large, and requires a lot of heavy-lifting on the part of any A/C unit.
I'm happy to report that this product does cool the room effectively, which is what it is supposed to do.
Set up and installation was a twenty minute process, much of which was specific to getting the window hose thing properly fit. The functions and settings are intuitive and easy to use: a remote control (supplied) controls all settings, including the louvres orientation, which is a nice touch.
I like that this product has a de-humidifier and ION particle thingy, but doubt that those functions will ever be used to any extent. The on/off timers are easy to set, and are examples of a function that _will_ be used quite a bit.
Apparently, this unit does not require that any trays be emptied, periodically, although there is a spout on the rear side that allows the user to remove water that's been collected in de-humidifier mode. The instructions could have used some clarification on this (and other) matters. The user's guide also contains some weird grammar and lame ommissions. On the other hand, this unit is so easy to use and figure out, little explanation is required; again, it's pretty intuitive.
Bottom Line: although I've had this product a short time, I am pleased with the performance: it does what it's supposed to do.
The real question and concern is this: how effective is a Sharp 11.5k BTU Portable Air Conditioner relative to the competition. That's one question or issue that I can't address. There are a number of people who suggest that the BTU rating is less than useful, and that an EER or energy efficiency rating is a better guage of potential performance. Again, based on my limited testing, I have found that this thing cools a large room pretty well, even on very hot days.
