Hessaire MC18M 1300 CFM Portable Evaporative Air Cooler - 2-Speed Fan, 53.4 dB, Cools Up to 500 sq. ft. - High Velocity Outdoor Cooling Fan for Patio, Garage, Workshop & Backyard (White)

If you live in a dry climate that gets to be on the toasty side, an evaporative cooler might be your ticket to cutting down your electric bill while still getting the relief you need. I live in Idaho, and our summers (especially the entire month of August) tend to be brutal. Being in a desert, there's almost nothing to speak of by way of humidity. An ideal setting, then, to talk about this product.I've used several portable evaporative coolers over the years, and most of them have the same problem: the designers focused on the fan, not the evaporative space. So sure, you've got all of these nifty little features where you can create intermittent breezes, maybe a "silent" mode that barely pushes any air at all, and then a setting which pushes so much air you could create your own jet stream. Of course, the area for water evaporation is tiny, and you rarely get a water pump more powerful than a standard 5V fountain pump.Here's the problem with that: your fan is simply there to move air. Pushing hot air around isn't going to cool much of anything. With the evaporative pads being so small and underpowered, the fan easily overwhelms the very thing you bought a swamp cooler for. With most of these units, the slower the fan runs, the more the evaporative pads can cool... but of course, the smaller the space they'll cool, as well.This Hessaire does not have that problem. As the product photos demonstrate, the entire back of this unit (at least, right down to the water reservoir) is devoted to the cooling pad. Hessaire doesn't skimp on the water pump, either; you'll keep that pad saturated, which is exactly what you want. Now understand that I'm not implying that they neglected the fan--they most certainly did not: its low setting is very likely all you'll need depending on your application. Hessaire's low is their competitor's high.As to how well it works, as I type this, the outside temperature is 94 degrees. We have the Hessaire in our living room in front of our open front window, and it's aimed down a hallway where it circles air through our kitchen, then back into the living room again. The temperature in that hallway is 78 degrees. Yesterday it hit 97 outside, and that hallway never cracked past 80. The living room and kitchen are both at a pleasant temperature.Keep in mind that a swamp cooler's not an air conditioner. If you like your rooms a bit on the chilly side, no swamp cooler ever made will do that for you (unless, of course, it's also chilly outside). Rather than suck humidity out of your living space the way an air conditioner will, swamp coolers will add it. You'll have to rethink everything you know about room cooling when you rely on these things. Keep windows open--if you don't, humidity will build up, and your cooler will stop working as well. In our case, by keeping the windows shut, we'd be adding Florida's humidity to Idaho's heat. No thanks.But now back to this particular cooler. While I mentioned the bells and whistles others put into their coolers, there's little of that here. There's no remote control that you'll never use. There's no timer that'll shut it off after so many hours. There's not even an automatic shut-off in the event you run the pump dry (so be vigilant about keeping the water reservoir full--something you don't have to worry about if you're using the hose feature).Yes, a hose feature. If you're using it to cool a patio or deck, you can hook a standard garden hose to the water reservoir. Inside the unit is a float valve much like you'd see in a toilet tank, and it functions the same: as the water level gets lower, it allows water in from the hose. No muss, no fuss.You've got five power settings--and that's it: High fan with pump; Low fan with pump; High fan only; Low fan only; and Pump only (for saturating your pad before turning on the fan). All of these setting work exactly as expected, and they will keep working until you turn the knob yourself.It's a swamp cooler, and that's all it tries to be. Maybe that's why it works so much better than competitors' Swiss Army Fans. Yes, there's better-looking units out there--but for the money, it's hard to find anything that works better.Or is as easy to maintain. Once you remove the back cover, you have access to everything. Try cleaning the gunk out of the pump of a Frigidaire EC300W-FA evaporative cooler. Go ahead. Have fun. With the Hessaire, it's no problem at all. Hard water deposits building up on the water distributor? A toothbrush and a bit of vinegar sets you free. You can reach it, you can clean it...And you can replace it. Burned out the water pump? You can find them at several places online. One of the kids stuck a pen in the front grill and broke a fan blade? You can find a replacement for that, too. Try to find a replacement evaporative pad for a Luma Comfort evaporative cooler. I'll wait. (No, really. If you find one, let me know.) With the Hessaire, that's no problem, either. A lot of the stuff I just mentioned is available right here on Amazon, or on Hessaire's website. You're covered.So what are you waiting for? If you're in a dry area that has pounding heat, you're going to love the day you received your Hessaire. Maybe mark it on your calendar and celebrate it. It really is that good!