Venta LW44 Air Humidifier and Purifier All-in-one
by Venta
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List Price: Our Price: $314.30 You Save: $213.69 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Venta LW44 Air Humidifier and Purifier All-in-one
Customer Review: Excellent!
Summary: 5 Stars
Before purchasing this unit, I owned one of the smaller sizes. I love this product. Easy to clean; works great! Would highly recommend.Customer Review: Bad smoker, bad...but hear me out...
Summary: 4 Stars
Even though I have an LW14, the smallest of the three units offered by Venta, I thought I would post my comments here since it seems to be the most read section of the reviews.
I'd like to start out by stating that I am a smoker. Yes, I know, I'm a bad man, but let's skate on past that for the moment so you'll understand just why I think the Venta is such a great product. I live in Colorado where the humidity can get as low as 5% on some days. I keep my bedroom door closed year round to prevent my cats from overwhelming me while I sleep, read or watch television and just generally trashing my room with bits of fur and whatnot. Keeping the window cracked for ventilation in the winter keeps my room well below gas chamber thresholds while I smoke but also reduces the humidity to that of the outside air. I also have electric baseboard heat which further reduces the humidity in my room. While I have a large Hunter humidifier/air purifier that sits next to my wood stove for the rest of the house it's affects obviously can't be felt in my bedroom.
I tried the Sharper Image Ionic Breeze to purify the air in my bedroom but the cigarette smoke overwhelmed it and I had to clean it frequently, otherwise I'd have to endure the "short circuit" sound it puts out when the plates would get dirty. I've also read negative reports about breathing the high levels of ionized air put out by the unit.
Having said all of that, I have to say that the Venta has exceeded my expectations. Yes, the fan is a little loud on the LW14 but I bought this one used and a new fan may be quieter. I've also bought an LW24 for my girlfriend and it's 3 setting fan is indeed whisper quiet on the lowest setting. My bedroom now smells and feels fresh and clean and I feel that I'm eliminating the smell of tobacco in my room almost completely. While tobacco may be my vice that doesn't mean I care for it's affects on the walls of the room or the smell of stale tobacco, but no one's come up with a nicotine delivery system that doesn't leave those deposits behind, yet, so...
To all those that complain about the price let me say that you're buying a unit that has a 10 YEAR WARRANTY! How people expect the company to support such a warranty with a $50 product and still show a profit is beyond me. Show me another company that provides such a warranty, because I'm not aware of one. I agree with the comments that state that the unit as constructed could go for $50 or so at a Big Box store, but then it would have a 90 day warranty. I know as Americans we've been trained to believe that planned obsolescence is good, but I don't buy it...which is why I drive a Volvo...8) From all accounts, including my own experiences with Venta customer service, they're exceedingly liberal about supplying replacement parts. Contrast that against a company like Black & Decker where getting replacement parts under warranty just about takes an act of Congress.
Could the plastic housings be more robust? Certainly, and I do agree that it should be because they appear to be a bit thin and delicate. Treat the unit gently and you won't have a problem. But again, Venta customer service will take care of you if approached correctly. Get shrill and demanding and they'll most likely give you a hard time in return. Be reasonable and calm and they'll take care of you. American buyers expect their things to be as robust as a Timex watch, which takes a lickin' and keep on tickin', while German buyers appear to have a different sensibility about such things. Different strokes and all of that...
To those who complain about the looks of the unit I have to point out that it's a an air purifier/humidifier, not a merry go round. If you want something flashy, buy it, but expect to replace it on a regular basis. Form follows function...or should...and this unit meets that model. As consumers we're being led by the nose by American manufacturers to believe that flash over substance is what we should buy. I believe we should think for ourselves and be smart consumers, not lemmings.
To those that prefer 70% humidity I suggest that they live in a sauna...or the Amazon. Sweating walls and windows create the perfect breeding ground for mold, which has it's own health downside. 40 to 45% humidity is perfectly acceptable from a health and comfort perspective, given where I live.
In summation, I would absolutely recommend this unit to others. The initial purchase price can be a bit daunting but shop around a bit and you'll find a more reasonable purchase price than the MSRP.
Customer Review: Effective, Intelligent & Expensive
Summary: 4 Stars
Update on January 15, 2008:
Yesterday, the motor in my Venta unit began making a grinding sound after nearly six year of flawless operation. I called Venta customer service this afternoon. After wating a rather long time on hold, I was connected to a very pleasant man, George, who asked me to put the phone next to the motor so he could hear the noise. I did, and he did.
Without a moment's hesitation, George said he would have a new motor shipped at no cost to me, and that delivery could be expected within 5 - 7 business days.
It's always a pleasant surprise to find a company standing unquestioningly behind their warranty. If only more understood that's all it takes to create loyal customers.
*****
Update on September 17, 2007:
I'm pleased to report , my review, below, is still true in every detail. This product has been a terrific investment.
*****
I live in a desert~like New York City apartment and have owned my Venta Air Washer for almost exactly two years. During this time it has been operating on the "high" setting, 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The Air Washer lives up to all of the manufacturer's claims.
The Air Washer is a product of fanatical German engineering, over~design and bullet~proof construction, which accounts for it's rather grotesque price. However, I have owned products of inferior engineering and construction that have had to be replaced after one or two seasons. It is obvious I will own my Air Washer for many years to come.
The principles of operation could not be more simple (it's like a High School science project developed into a luxury product):
1) A fan blows room air straight down into a reservoir of water.
2) In this reservoir of water, a few dozen disks are slowly rotating to multiply the surface area that is wet.
3) Because you are blowing air onto a enlarged wet surface you are multiplying the rate of evaporation.
4) Humidified air is exhausted out of the Air Washer through vents in the side.
THIS WORKS.
On the "high" setting the water reservoir needs to be refilled daily in my apartment (this is highly dependent on your local weather or heating cycle). I end up carrying a couple gallons of water to the device or carrying the device to the bathtub and then back to its spot in my livingroom.
The design of the Air Washer is "neutral." It sits unobtrusive and un~noticed in a corner. It is nearly silent. It is built like a tank: It would be a challenge to damage this product on purpose.
Why not Five Stars?
The Venta Air Washer consumes expendables. You need a water treatment solution to prevent mineral deposits forming on the rotating disks mentioned above (weekly). AND you need a periodic cleaning solution to remove deposits that develop pn the bottoms and walls of the reservoir. I have tried operating the Air Washer without these things. They are required for optimal performance.
Like the device itself, the Venta treatment and cleaning solutions work perfectly and simply. But, THE EXPENDIBLES ARE EXPENSIVE! Assume youy will spend US$50.00 per year.
Also, you would think that for a company selling a FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR humidifier, the Venta aroma therapy scents would smell a bit less like a Central American bordello (not that I've ever seen one of those). Skip these even if they're free samples.
If you want the very best at any price, buy this product.
I am not affiliated with either the manufacturer or Amazon.
Customer Review: Expensive, but very quiet and effective
Summary: 4 Stars
Having used a Venta humidifier in Germany several years ago, I was delighted to see that they are selling in the U.S. now as well. I had a case of sticker shock though, as they are now much more expensive than their older models used to be, but since I used to be very happy with them, I decided to go ahead and buy one anyway.
All Venta humidifiers belong to the class of cool mist humidifiers, which in my opinion is the best principle, as you don't "over-humidify" the room. Normally a cool mist humidifier has a filter that sucks up water from the tank and a fan blows air through the filter. Thus the water evaporates into the air and increases its humidity.
The difference in the Venta humidifier is that it doesn't use filters, but two arrays of plastic disks that rotate through the water. A fan on top of the device sucks suckes air through those disk arrays and the water drops that were lifted up from the tank evaporate.
One of my major gripes with other cool mist humidifiers is that the fan is very noisy even on the lowest setting. The Venta fan is pleasantly quiet. I keep the device in my bedroom at night on the lowest fan speed and I don't notice the fan at all.
While it is true that you won't have to replace filters every few months, you WILL need to replace the water treatment additive at every cleaning cycle (usually 10-14 days), so there ARE some maintenance costs. The LW44 comes with two fillings of the additive, afterwards you have to spent about USD 16-18 for a bottle of the water treatment which will last for 12 cleaning cycles (4-6 months). Venta also sells a cleaning solution, but according to their manual you won't need it in most cases. In any case the cleaning solution costs about $10 and is only good for one cleaning, so using it frequently will really drive the maintenance costs up.
All in all this is indeed the best humidifier that I ever had. I'm not giving it five stars, because I still think the price is outrageously high.
Customer Review: expensive but well worth it
Summary: 4 Stars
We liked the first one so much we went and bought another. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the price. We added a second LW44 after we added another room to the downstairs of our colonial bringing the downstairs square footage up to about 1400 sq. ft. including a two story foyer. We keep the upstairs bedrooms closed off during the winter. I can't understand people who say this unit doesn't humidify. We have a digital humidity gauge and keep our humidity between 35 and 40 % all winter. Before the humidifiers it would go down into the 20s which feels absolutely horrible. Your skin cracks and dries out, you get more colds, and static electricity is a problem. None of that since we added the ventas. The water that I pour out is absolutely filthy. I clean one of them every weekend, alternating between them. I love the idea one writer suggested about using dishwashing detergent instead of Venta's expensive additive, I just might try that.
I also take issue with people who said they're noisy. They have 3 speeds and on low speed you would practically have to stand right on top of it to hear it. When it's really dry, cold weather and we have them both going on high speed, we still watch TV and barely notice them. It's a lot quieter than a regular fan.
There's a small plastic part that drives the 2 multidiscs that has gotten stuck a couple of times, probably because of all the minerals in our well water clogging them up. I called Venta and they shipped me out a replacement and threw in a couple of extras. Very promptly I should add. It was a snap to replace.
This is our 4th winter with the Ventas, and our friends are on their 3rd winter with theirs. I'd buy another in a heartbeat. Good product and great 10 year warantee. Experts recommend your house should never drop below 30% humidity...it should always be between 30 and 50%. Even if you don't buy a Venta, buy some kind of humidfier.