Buy the older model

I bought this one used on craigslist, after I had bought the older model the 1210E and was extremely happy with it.
I can't have window AC's because I have bars, and a portable seemed like a good solution.

This one had more bells and whistles than the 1210E but as far as cooling...
It does work and it will cool down a medium sized room but...
It didn't work as fast as my previous Sunpentown 1210E.

A friend of mine also bought this AC - NEW a few days ago as the heat went up and returned it to the store after less than a week. So I guess there's something in this machine that isn't as good as their older models.

Because I had the other AC in my home, I was able to compare the two machines.
I don't understand it as they both have similar specs.
It's the same company and what I thought the same inside engine.

I'm not going to sell this AC yet, as it's so hot now outside, and there's a shortage of good AC's for a decent price. The good with this machine is that it does succeed in cooling. It's taken the temp down in my room by about 3-4 degrees. That said. It takes a long time and the older one could take down the temp in the same sized room, in the same time by about 4-8 degrees. The new machine is also so much noisier than the older model.

But all said, if it's this machine or none at all- go for this one- as it does work. I've had it for a full year, and it has worked fine for me. I bought it used- so it's been around now for awhile and there's no problems. No water leakage. I've never had to manually drain it. It always turns on and always slowly, very slowly cools down- but eventually it does cool down the room. Just give it enough time.

As for the foam supplied with the AC. One has to buy an additional foam since the one supplied is too flimsy.

One thing I can say, is that luckily I didn't need to drain it. Seems like in less humid places like LA, drainage isn't an issue.
So if anyone lives in a more humid place, they should read reviews by those living in more humid areas.

In my research I noticed the older Sunpentown models look and have the same specs as the Amcor brand. In my opinion it seems they are too similar for it to be a mere coincidence. So if you can't find the older model Sunpentown brand check out the Amcor's.
I haven't checked it myself, but from the reviews on epinion, it seems many people are generally happy with it.

To Conclude:
If you can get a hold of the older model- buy it.
If not this one will still work for you. It doesn't consume as much electricity as other models- i.e. like the more sophisticated Soleus- so it will also be less of a risk on older homes where the high wattage might cause problems in many rooms.

This is not the greatest machine- but it works and is reliable.