With so many cheap humidifiers flooding the market, it is quite difficult to find a suitable model that won’t fall apart after a few months. There aren’t too many good quality reasonably priced models on the market right now, but the Homedics Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier is one such choice. With a retail price of around $75 it is still quite affordable, but is it worth the asking price?
More info below.
Design & Operation
Homedics is an American company formed almost 30 years ago in Michigan. They create a range of health and wellness products and have a few different humidifiers currently on sale. The HUM-CM50 is one of their best sellers, and is what we will be taking a look at today.
Let’s start off by taking a look at the design of the unit. In terms of aesthetic appeal this is definitely one of the better ones we have come across so far. It has a teardrop shaped design which looks much better than some of the cheaper clinical looking models on sale.
The main base of the Homedics ultrasonic humidifier is white and has the Homedics branding at the bottom of the base. This white section expands to the top of the unit, and the main control dial is near the bottom of the base. The top of the unit has an oscillating head, and the clear blue plastic tank makes for a very nice contrast against the white base. It certainly looks more like a decoration than a piece of equipment, so points go to Homedics for making a nice looking unit.
Product Features
Moving onto the features , there are a few to discuss. The tank can hold up to a gallon, which is more than average for a standard humidifier. There is a handy auto-shutoff built into this machine, so it will switch off when the tank is empty. The tank is very easy to fill, and there are no issues with spillage or water leaking during this process. Homedics claim to have added an “anti-microbial additive” into the tank, which supposedly helps to prevent the formation of mold and bacteria in the tank. If this works then it is certainly a great feature to boast about. However, we have no real means to test this out so we aren’t too sure how true this is. Even so, you should still stick to the standard humidifier maintenance if you decided to purchase this unit.
There are four different vapor settings to choose from which will give you a variety of settings to suit most scenarios. All of these work as expected, and the highest setting will give a very generous volume of vapor. The lower settings are ideal for overnight usage, and the lowest setting should give you over 24 hours of usage before needing a refill. The highest setting should give between 7-9 hours of water vapor, with the third setting giving about 12-15 hours of usage.
This is an ultrasonic humidifier, so even on the highest setting it is virtually silent. The Homedics cool mist ultrasonic humidifier is a filter-less model, but it does come with replaceable demineralization cartridges. These will help to prevent white dust forming if you have hard water in your area. Of course if you use distilled water then you will have no need for these cartridges. Otherwise you can expect to pay around $20 for 3 cartridges, and these should be replaced about every two months.
The nozzle is the last feature worth a mention. This is an oscillating nozzle which moves in a 120 degree area, and ensures that water vapor is evenly distributed around the room. The nozzle does make a slight clicking noise when it changes direction, so if you are a very light sleeper then this might bother you! It wasn’t enough to bother us, but it is worth a mention.
Aside from that there isn’t really that much more to say about this particular unit. It works well, looks great, and has a number of good features. The pricetag of around $70 is more or less what you can expect for a quality unit, so if you are looking for something a little better than the cheapest models on the market, then this might be an option for you.
This Homedics cool mist humidifier comes standard with a one year warranty.
Pros
- Looks great
- Reasonably priced
- Ultrasonic (fairly quiet)
- Four settings
- Oscillating nozzle
- Filter free
Cons
- Oscillating nozzle makes a slight clicking when changing direction
Summary
If you in the market for a decent humidifier, then the HUM-CM50 Homedics ultrasonic humidifier model is worth a look. The design is good, and it works as advertised. You can get more info on this model and read some of the many happy user reviews of this model on the Amazon page.
