Arctic Air Ultra Review: Better Than the Original?

Arctic Air Ultra is the updated version of this As Seen on TV personal space cooler. Is it a significant improvement over the original? That's what I want to find out in this review.

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[Goadenhomestead]

Its a mini swamp cooler. They work great if the air is dry, if its humid then it wont work.

[jbrtx]

I just got one of these. It sits on my desk, and I can stand being in my den when the temp is 90, when it's blowing right on me from about 30 inches away. Without this I couldn't, I'd have to turn on the AC when the temp hit about 85. This saves on AC bills. It puts out 75 degree air when the room temp is 88.

[Wiley_Coyote]

Here's the thing to keep in mind. Ad copy for these things talks about how it lowers the temperature 20 degrees. It doesn't. It may blow out air 20 degrees cooler than the room, but the effect on the entire room can be negligible. It's really just a more efficient fan, that's all.

[wildjiggaboo]

Would have been good to see what the ambient temperature was inside your room to see the difference it made.

[malonemyers]

I brought the original version and it's adjustable I can adjust it up, down or middle and it gets very cold. Also I soak the filter in bleach water then put to dry out in the sun and reuse

[EddieB]

Best "as seen on tv" reviewer

[mneff]

Put a bucket of ice water behind the fan!
That is what we did when I was a kid. We was so poor we couldn't afford a A /C.

[jTempVids]

If it was $10 or maybe $15 I would consider giving it a try.
These do work. How well they work depends on the humidity level where you live. Plus these are basically wick humidifiers, so they do add some humidity to your house.

[rajeshraghavan]

Place 2 frozen water bottles right behind the ordinary fan ...

Now compare it 👌

[wishyouwere]

So glad to see that Bailey takes her inspection duties so seriously ;)

[adndgirl]

Thanks for this review. Quite useful! My original Arctic Air crapped out after only a year, during my first time using it this year during a video conference with the office. Worst timing. While I was trying to get it going (my house was 93 degrees) I managed to spill water all over and had to drop out of the conference. I am especially glad that you pointed out the new anti-spill feature. The lights don't mean any to me and I have the new one set up next to my computer in the house so I don't need the USB.

Also, I like your style as opposed to the giggle girls' approach. In short, I really enjoyed this review! From now on, I will check with you before buying anything from TV ads!

[winterdreams]

I'm glad they improved their product! I was very dissapointed that the original one wasn't good, because we definitely need one during the summer.

[BWT]

Just bought 4 of these from Lowe's up here in Canada and I'm surprised they work decent on the main floor of my house. AC broke and repair guys are booked up for 5 days. I have 2 in the kitchen from two sides and 2 in the family room. It's not bad for emergencies or if your current AC can't handle a very hot day. 1 out of the 4 was used and still wet inside the box. Someone used it and re boxed it and the shop assumed it had not been open. Filter smelled of mold.

[MrBodeci]

If you have hard water use filtered water to help your filter last longer, also wash with a vinegar bath to help improve filter life

[markk]

The bigger the ice cube the longer they last so what I would improve on Ultra II would be a bigger or at least taller water tank. Other then that I'm impressed with the result, it is a nice addition to central cooling in those areas that seem warmer then the rest of the house.

[curpat]

This is probably one of the most thorough reviews I've seen good work!

[MrFmiller]

Thanks for the review. I appreciate companies which respond to customer's preferences. I would not have purchased the original model but am considering this one.

[mattc]

I’m guessing the usb connection doesn’t draw enough power for the stronger fan speed

[jenimccabe]

I just bought one of these yesterday as I DESPISE the heat and I live in Kentucky, where it is hot as hell from March thru October! My mother in law, whom I am currently living with, is always cold and therefore keeps the house at least 75 degrees ALL YEAR so I had to do something! Huge difference when you use the filter straight out of the freezer and I highly recommend doing that. It'd been about 24 hours and so far, this is good money spent!

[udmbfckx]

A few things you missed to mention:
1) Room temperature to begin with.
2) Humidity (%)
3) What was the temp on the $10 Walmart fan? (For baseline comparison).
4) Temperature blowing out of the Arctic Air at 1, 2 & 4 hours.
5) For the geeks in us, what is the power consumption in watts?

Ok, so there are some improvements, is it worth it?
My only concern is, how would this do in warm and humid Central Florida? In the Summer?

I wonder if I can have a second filter alternating and cooling in my 12V Danfoss Compressor RV Fridge in my RV Minivan while the other one operates. I can also add some ice.