Traveling can be a nightmare and very stressful, and we all miss the comfort and necessities located in our home. For many people a humidifier is a prerequisite for a goods nights sleep, and the good news is that some manufacturers have begun to make a range of small portable units which you can easily take with you on your travels.
Boneco is one of these companies and today we are going to take a look at the Boneco travel humidifier, otherwise know as the Boneco 7146 model. Is it a good investment or a waste of money?
Lets start by having a look at the features on offer.
Product Features
Being a portable unit there aren’t a whole load of features to discuss, so lets start with some of the main features. This is a ultrasonic humidifier so it is very quiet when in use. Boneco claims an operating noise of less than 25 dB which is quite good. The unit is switched on and off by using the dial which is located on the power cord. This Boneco humidifier supports most popular “twist cap” bottles like the one in the photo to the left, although a 16.9 oz (500ml) one is what is recommended by the manufacturer.
A 16 oz bottle should give you a full nights usage, assuming you leave it on a low setting. On the high setting, a 16.9 oz bottle should give you around 3-4 hours of mist, but obviously this varies depending on the current humidity of the room. We have heard reports of people using larger bottles such as 20 oz or 33.8 oz (1 litre) with this unit,but this is not endorsed or recommended by the manufacturer. If you do have this in mind, but be sure to look for wider bottles, as these will be more stable. Anything larger than 33.8 oz is a little risky to use with this model, and a 33.8 oz bottle will be more than enough to last the night with a higher output volume.
The unit is held upright by two feet which extend outwards at the back to help keep the unit in place. Aside from extending the feet you will also have to pull up the steam vent to ensure the mist can escape. A really great feature is that this model comes with a European adapter, so no need to worry about purchasing any adapters or converters if you decide to travel in that part of the world.
Operation
Filling the Boneco portable humidifier is quite straightforward, and is done by screwing the included adapter onto the lid of the bottle, then flipping it over and placing it in the humidifier. A ball valve ensures that no water leaks when you do this, and the adapter can accommodate two different size bottle tops. This is due to the two step thread, so you shouldn’t have too much of a hassle finding a suitable bottle to use. Once the bottle is in place the valve is depressed, which then lets the water into the chamber so it can be humidified.
When the machine is working, the blue led will let you know it is operational. When the tank is empty the humidifier will switch off, and the red light will come on. The blue and red leds are a little on the bright side, so this may be a bit of an issue if you are the kind of person that needs to sleep in total darkness. A quick and easy fix to this is to use something like black spraypaint to cover the clear portions near the nozzle, which makes a huge difference in terms of the light output.
When the unit is on the high setting it produces a decent amount of water vapor. It won’t be sufficient for a very large room, but it can make a difference in your average sized room. It doesn’t quite make as much as a standard humidifier, but it definitely makes enough mist to make the room more comfortable. After you are finished with the machine you can clean it off if needed by using the included cleaning brush. Since the entire unit is quite small and compact it is quite easy to get it clean, and there aren’t really many hard to reach places you find on normal size humidifiers. It comes with a plush travel bag, which is a nice means to keep it in top shape.
So that is a quick look at the Boneco travel humidifier. It has a retail price of around $49.99 which is a little on the expensive side. However it is an ultrasonic model and it works well, so with that in mind the price is not too off putting. It is small enough to take anywhere, even to your office, so it is certainly a handy little gadget. This model comes with a one year warranty.
Pros
- Compact and light
- Works well
- Easy to fill
- Simple to clean
- Comes with European travel adapter
Cons
- Little pricey
- Led lights are a little bright
Boneco Humidifier Manual
If you are in search of the owners manual for the Boneco 7146 user manual, you can find if hosted on our site over here.
Summary
It may be a little pricey at around $49.99, but this portable humidifier is a decent purchase. It is easy to fill and use, quiet, and produces a fair amount of steam. If you are looking for a humidifier to take around with you then this is a good choice. You can get more info on this over at the Amazon page.
2019 update:
Please note that Air-O-Swiss as a company no longer exists – their products are now sold under the brand name “Boneco”. This is purely a marketing move, as their humidifier products have been sold under the Boneco brand name since 1965 (everywhere except the USA). They were sold under the Air O Swiss name when the brand was introduced to the USA market in 2001, but they have since reverted to using the original Boneco company name in the USA now. This is part of their effort of unifying all their products under one global brand, so you can be sure you are still getting the exact same quality product and aftermarket service. Hence why this humidifier is no longer known as the Air O Swiss travel humidifier. We have updated this post to reflect that change.
