Nov 2024
Here we review the best portable air conditioner of 2017. We also review casement and vertical air conditioners.
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See Our Selection of the 3 Best Portable Air Conditioners.
1. Vertical Air Conditioner
2. Quiet Portable Air Conditioner
3. Small Portable AC
TOP 5 COMPARISONSee the Best Air Conditioners as chosen by Amazon.
✅See a list a list here of portable ac’s.
When the heat gets going, it feels as if your bodily functions just slow down and you can think of nothing else but to cool down.
Your sweat is running down your temples and you know it is time for a portable air conditioner.
Since you are doing some research, you are looking for the best conditioner brands that money can buy.
It is always easy to go for the cheapest air conditioner, but once the temperature heats up, you may soon realize that the air-conditioner you bought is insufficient.
It is very important to look at the BTU (British Thermal Unit) that a unit is capable of as well as the area that the air conditioner can cool down.
The BTU in simple language is the amount of energy (input or output) needed to decrease or increase the temperature. The higher the BTU, the better the air conditioner will function.
The scientific explanation of a BTU, as explained by the boffins, can be found here… if you really want to make your head spin.
When to Use a Portable Air Conditioner
- Neighborhood by-laws preventing the use of casement or permanently installed air conditioners.
- When you rent an apartment or house and you are not allowed to make permanent changes.
- When you don’t want to go through the hassle and extra cost of installing a permanent aircon.
- As a temporary measure until the old air conditioner can be repaired or replaced.
- When you don’t want install a permanent air conditioner in every room due to the high cost.
- When you are out camping. Use an inverter generator to power it.
How To Determine The Best Portable Air Conditioner For You?
Apart from the price, you also need to know what the area is that you want to cool down.
If you just go on price alone, your air conditioner may not be able to cool down the area that you need it for.
Before you buy, measure the length and width of the room that you want to cool down and multiply the two with each other.
Let’s say you measure 20 feet by 20 feet… then the area you need to cover will be 400 square feet (20ft x 20ft = 400 m2 ft.). Just multiply the two measurements with each other.
The recommended BTU required is 20 BTU/sq. ft., but we recommend 35 BTU/sq. ft… just to make sure.
Therefore, you must make sure that the portable air conditioner you buy is capable of handling the largest room.
Although some brands may have a higher cooling area capacity than what is stated here (some brands actually supply a range), we have chosen the cooling range at the lower end, since the cooling area will also depend on the heat load.
Best Portable Air Conditioner Reviews
Updated Nov 2024We have made a list to compare the top 5 best portable air conditioners and have mostly looked at factors such as the BTU of each unit, the cooling capacity of the units as well as consumer reports and reviews.
| Brand & Model | BTU | Cooling Area (sq. ft.) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 Whynter ARC-14S | 14 000 | 400 sq. ft. | |
 Honeywell MN10CESWW | 10 000 | 350 sq. ft. | |
 LG LP0817WSR | 8 000 | 200 sq. ft. | |
 EdgeStar Ultra Compact | 8 000 | 150 sq. ft. | |
 Honeywell CS10XE | +/- 7 000 | 175 sq. ft. |
For easy reference, find below a comparison chart of the best portable air conditioners.
The best portable air conditioner is one that does not just circulate the air around but actually gets fresh air from the outside or vents the hot air through an exhaust. We have chosen the top 3 projectors below due to the fact that all of them at least have an exhaust that removes air through a window.
Buying Tip: The more you spend, the better quality conditioner you will get… that being said… a price under $450 is acceptable.
Top 5 Best Portable Air Conditioner Reviews
✅1. Whynter ARC-14S Vertical Air Conditioner
This air conditioner is one of the strongest portable air conditioners available at 14 000 BTU and is suitable for a room size of 400 – 500 sq. ft.
The most effective way of actually cooling down a room is not by recirculating the hot air and cooling it down, but by actually removing the hot air from the room.
The Whynter ARC-14s has two pipes that ensure proper air circulation takes place.
One pipe is for the intake of fresh air while the other pipe removes the old hot and stale air, therefore, this air conditioner needs to be near a window to allow for the pipes to gather and remove air.
The installation of the pipes is a breeze due to the window slider with two holes that is supplied with the aircon.
The video on the product page clearly shows how you will install the window slider and pipes.
Consumer reports and reviews are generally favorable and out of the five portable air conditioners reviewed here, the ARC-14s got the highest rating.
✅See more high resolution pics here as well as an installation video and information.
- Can cover a large area (400 sq. feet)
- Easy to install and use.
- Good customer service.
- Intake and outlet to close to each other. Hinders effectiveness of the air conditioner.
✅2. Honeywell MN10CESWW Quiet Portable Air Conditioner
Another vertical air conditioner from the Honeywell brand.
When the heat gets to you, the last thing you need is extra noise and this air conditioner has been praised for its low noise levels as indicated by consumer reports.
In fact, it is much quieter than a window air conditioner.
The unit does not require any draining at all since any water build up will evaporate by itself.
It has an automatic temperature control and also makes use of an exhaust to vent air outside.
This portable air conditioner is available in three colors that include black, black/silver and white.
Included in the price is also a beautiful cover that will protect the aircon when not in use.
✅See more beautiful pictures here as well as consumer reviews and reports.
- One of the quietest portable air conditioners.
- No draining of water required
- Fairly strong aircon that can cover up to 350 sq. ft.
- Auto temperature control.
- If the unit is faulty, customer support may be lacking and they might give you a hard time.
✅3. LG LP0817WSR Small Portable AC
This portable air conditioner is from a well-known brand and should function well straight out of the box.
With an effective area coverage of 200 sq. ft., it is one of the smaller portable air conditioners in terms of size.
Although less effective than a double pipe system, it still has one pipe that expels hot air outside.
According to most consumer reports and reviews, it works… just make sure that it can handle the size of the room, otherwise it will not really help.
Buying this unit is a matter of how much you are willing to spend… it is one of the cheaper units and you get what you pay for.
Still, not a bad choice.
✅See more images here as well as get more info.
- Well-known brand.
- Price.
- Installation of the suction pipe may be a bit tricky.
- Some units may leak water.
- Can be a bit noisy.
4. EdgeStar Ultra Compact Small Portable AC
This is a very small portable ac that also functions as a dehumidifier that can remove up to 50 pints/day.
The single hot air exhaust will ensure a higher efficiency than an air conditioner without it, but it still needs to be nearby a window.
If you want to sleep with this unit, you will probably not be able to, since the noise level is a bit high… use it in another room or use the unit in an office environment.
Of all the air conditioning units reviewed here, this unit has received the highest ratings as gathered from consumer reports.
The reason why we have moved this portable ac down the list is due to the fact that it has a higher price than other units with the same specification of 8 000 BTU.
In case of a power failure, the unit will automatically restart with the same settings that it had before the power failure.
- Easy to install and use.
- Small and portable.
- Also functions as a dehumidifier.
- Small cooling footprint.
- Not as quiet as you would like it to be.
5. Honeywell CS10XE Windowless Air Conditioner
This beautiful and stylish windowless air conditioner is excellent for small areas where you don’t have access to windows.
The air conditioner gets filled up with water and the temperature gets reduced through the evaporation of water, thereby also producing a humidification effect.
It will cover a small area of 175 sq. ft. and is ideally positioned next to your bed, sofa, dining area or any other area that you want to cool down.
Of all the units reviewed here, this is the cheapest one.
This unit is actually an air cooler and not really an air conditioner, since the air is not treated or filtered.
Of the top 5 reviewed here, this is the cheapest unit and the big advantage is that it does not have to be near a window as stated earlier.
Performance can be an issue though.
This unit has been sold a lot, but it is most likely due to the lower price, since out of all the units we have reviewed here, it has received the lowest ratings from consumer reports.
- Easy to install and use.
- Low power consumption; thereby cheaper to operate.
- Small cooling footprint.
- Not as effective as air conditioners with single or double intake and exhaust pipes.
Originally, we had another brand in mind to include in our top 5 best portable air conditioner list, but the pdf instructions were for a different model.
The point is that if someone does not take care in providing the right information online, how will they take care of you after you have bought your air conditioner and what does it say about the product quality?
Window Air Conditioner Reviews
Casement Air Conditioner
✅Frigidaire FFRA0511R1
This is a number 1 best-selling window air conditioner and generally window units or other permanent air conditioners are rated higher than portable air conditioners.
This ac is no exception and is rated higher than any other portable air conditioner reviewed here.
The rating for this window unit is 5000 BTU and will cool a room of up to 150 sq. ft.
The added bonus of this aircon is that it will also dehumidify a room at a rate of 1.1 pint/hr.
The main reason why this aircon is so popular is because it works and has a relatively low price level.
If you are looking to buy three or four air conditioning units, then this unit is the unit to go for due to the extremely competitive price.
Just make sure that the rooms that you want to install it in are not too big otherwise this conditioner will not be sufficient.
If you are looking to cool a larger area of up to 450 sq. ft., then this unit from the same brand will do the job.
Overall, consumer reports and reviews are favorable.
- Easy installation.
- Excellent price point.
- Noise levels can be a bit high. Some people can sleep with the noise while others can’t.
- No electronic temperature reading.
✅Pioneer WYS012-17
This ac unit from the well-known Pioneer brand should give you a minimum of hassles and last a lifetime.
Of all the air conditioners reviewed here, this ductless air conditioner has received the highest ratings from consumer reports.
Why go ductless?
Although the initial price is higher, in the long run it will be cheaper and you will have an easier time installing the ac.
With a cooling area capacity of 350 – 450 sq. ft., this air conditioner should cover most rooms.
When the remote control unit fails, you will still be able to control the unit manually although it is not recommended in the long term.
This is a big advantage because some air conditioning units from other brands cannot operate without the remote control and this can be extremely inconvenient since a dysfunctional remote control may render the unit useless.
If you are not the type of person that likes to do things yourself, you are probably going to have to get a professional installer to install this aircon.
- Relatively easy to install with detailed instructions.
- Improved air quality. No ducts to clean.
- Ductless air conditioners use less power.
- Price.
- Most consumer reports and complaints are about faulty devices.
This casement air conditioner has been specifically designed for window casements or sliding windows.
Conclusion
Generally, it is better to buy a casement or window air conditioner since they are more effective than most portable air conditioners.
However, as discussed earlier, there are times when you have no choice but to buy a portable ac and when you do, you will have to do a bit of research.
When it comes to the best portable air conditioner reviews, the cooling area that you want to cover is important and if you are only looking at the price, you might be disappointed, since your small portable air conditioner may not be able to cool down your room sufficiently.
