bit-tech Shopping: Sunpentown WA-7500M Portable Air Conditioner

• Dehumidifier Function
• Fan Function
• Manual Control
• Timer
• Washable Filter

Rating: 6

Time with product: 1 Days

Strengths: Cools down

Weaknesses: Not as quiet as advertised and perhaps too awkward for a small room.

Summary: I just installed the unit. First of all, the "window kit" was too large for my window so I had to take it to a hardware store to saw it in half. The exhaust tube is 5 ft. as advertised, but they recommend that you use the smallest amount of tube possible and that you have no kinks in the vent. If you're placing it right in front of a window and have 2 ft. or so for the tube to attach to the back, it should be no problem, but I'm positioning it in a corner, which makes for an unattractive and potentially not as effective setup. It definitely cools down the room and the slower fan option is pretty quiet, but the "cool" function is rather loud for a small space. But hey, it works. For the price, I don't know if I could ask for more. If a window unit is not an option (like in my case), this may be your best bet.

Rating: 4

Time with product: 1 Month

Strengths: Affordable, portable, easy installation

Weaknesses: Manual-had no temperature gauge, only a knob that is similar to a fan's speed dial. Aesthetically, it could also use some work redesigning the late 80's early 90's look. No side vents, only a front.

Summary: Overall, an affordable and quite (compared to its window counterpart at the same BTU) machine (at $340 including s&h). It does it job, my room is 13'x12', and it brings down the temperature to 70 degrees in a little over an hour (current outside temp is a very sunny 85). There is also a circuit tester built into the plug. Perfect for people living in older buildings where the popular> 10,000 BTUs air conditioners would short the main circuit. The downsides to this machine is that its manual-had no temperature gauge, only a knob that is similar to a fan's speed dial. Aesthetically, it could also use some work redesigning the late 80's early 90's look. There was also no side vents, only a front, that was also conveniently high enough to blow over my mattress, so it can cool you down directly. The lack of side vents was a major disappointment because it took longer than otherwise to cool down the room. Would recommend this to someone who is on a tight budget and in a small electric circuited building. It takes a while compared to its window a/c counterpart, but its portability does make up for the extra time waiting for it to cool the room down.Edit: It has now been one month. This thing doesn't cope well in extreme hot weather. Recently had a week with weather in the high 90's and the thing won't cool down the room under 84F. Even turned on maxed, it refused to cool down the room any further...after a week of uninterupted use, it spewed out hot air for a hour before cooling again.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 7 Days

Strengths: Price, size, and style

Weaknesses: weight

Summary: This is a good unit if you need to cool a fairly small room. I use it to cool a room that's about 120 sq. feet, and it does a decent job. The unit is small enough, but at around 65 pounds, it could weight a little less. But overall, it's a good buy.