Best Portable Air Conditioner Without Hose – 2021 Reviews
Normal air conditioners are great but they are hardly practical. With the need for a hose system, the portability of these machines is questionable.
That’s why a lot of people now turn to air conditioners without a hose when looking for a portable unit. Whether you want to reduce the temperature and humidity in a single room, or maybe even want to take the unit camping with you, a portable evaporative cooler will do the job.
However, with so many variations on the market, it can be difficult to know which is the best for your needs.
That’s why we have come up with this top 5 review round-up. For our findings at a glance, just head to the table below. For a full review of each of our picks plus a detailed buyer’s guide, keep on reading.
Top 5 Portable Air Conditioners Without Hose (Evaporative Coolers)
Portable Evaporative Cooler Reviews
There are different models, brands, and designs of evaporative coolers today.
Even so, they differ in terms of build quality, durability, power efficiency, cost, and cooling efficiency; and this, fortunately, allows one to compare them to each other.
This comparison allows for the best coolers to be identified, and this review focuses on 5 of the best portable air conditioners without hose. Among these 5, the best evaporative cooler is identified.
1. EDITOR’S CHOICE: Honeywell CO30XE portable evaporative cooler Review
This is a well-designed, high-quality, and high-capacity portable evaporative cooler that can be used in both indoor and outdoor environments.
It is specifically designed to be used in the Midwest and Southwest regions of the United States, but it can also work well in other dry areas where air humidity is less than 60percent.
It has an effective airflow rate of 525CFM, which converts to 892 cubic meters per hour (CMH). This makes it ideal for indoor use in rooms whose size does not exceed 320 square feet.
It features caster wheels that allow one to move it around. Its sturdy build gives it strength as well as makes it durable.
Likewise, its ultraviolet(UV)-stable and weather-resistant finish allows for placement in outdoor environments.
Its effective air-throw in an outdoor setting is 9.3yards. It is also water-proof and can be installed outside the house.
This innovative model is designed and manufactured by JMATEK Group Limited, and marketed through Honeywell International.
This light-weight model weighs about 25pounds; and is 18inches long, 13.9inches deep, and 33.7inches tall. It is also a 3-in-1 combination of an evaporative cooler, a fan, and a humidifier. It also comes with a washable dust filter.
Its variable-speed fan can be set to spin in one of the 3 set speeds; high, medium, and low fan speed. It can also be set to sleep.
This fan can operate individually to recirculate the air in the room, while the humidifier can be set to add moisture to this air.
Even so, if the cooler, humidifier, and fan are programmed to operate together, then this model produces a moist breeze that cools the room. This product is shipped alongside its manual and remote control. Its color scheme is gray.
It features a 30-liter capacity water tank, and a top-loading ice compartment. Ice cools the warm air much rapidly than liquid water.
There is also a low-water alarm that notifies the user when the tank needs to be refilled. The water tank is also detachable.
Its key merit is the use of a high-performance honeycomb cooling medium. This consists of a honeycomb cooling pad that measures 16.75inches in length, 13inches in width, and has a thickness of 2mm.
This pad soaks water well, and when it is fully-impregnated with water, it presents a large surface area for heat exchange between the flowing warm air and the wet pad. Water is delivered to the cooling pad at a high-pressure by the water pump.
To protect this pad from contamination with dust, there is a carbon-dust filter fitted between the rear frame of the honeycomb pad and the rear grill, and this ensures that inflowing room air is first filtered before it is cooled and moistened.
It features a user-friendly LED display that is positioned to allow for angled viewing of the digital programmable control panel.
Also, its full-featured remote control can be used to program the equipment. It also uses a timer to shut off/power off the unit after a specified period of use, with the maximum timed-use period being set at 8hours while the minimal timed-use period is 30minutes.
This power-efficient model draws about 252watts of power, and it can be used with an inverter if the power source provides direct-current (DC) electricity.
It comes with a 6-feet long power cord, and its cooling fan is powered by a 0.39 horsepowers(HP) motor.
It also allows for adjustment of the air-flow by using the swing function to orient the louvers so as to achieve a vertical airflow or adjust the angulation of horizontal airflow. The cooling fan which blows air through the louvers features a capacitor. These louvers can also oscillate.
Even so, this model suffers from 2 main demerits which are a lack of automatic overheat protection and germ protection.
This means that the pseudomonas bacteria which can grow in the moist pad can be blown alongside the moistened cool air into the room. Even so, this model has an ETL safety certification mark, which means that it is safe to use in residences.
This model is supported by a 1-year warranty guaranteed by the equipment manufacturer.
- Adjustable airflow.
- Uses a high-performance honeycomb cooling medium.
- Energy-efficient model.
- Airflow capacity of 525CFM.
- Can comfortably cool and moisten the air in a room with a floor area of 320 square feet.
- Portable.
- Environmental-friendly model.
- Features an OFF-timer.
- 12months warranty.
- Lacks automatic overheat protection.
- No germ protection mechanism.
Bottom Line
Honeywell CO30XE is a well-designed, high-quality, and high-capacity freestanding residential evaporative cooler that can be used in both indoor and outdoor environments. It works wells in dry areas where air humidity is less than 60percent.
It has an effective airflow rate of 525CFM (900 CMH) which makes it ideal for indoor use in rooms whose size does not exceed 320 square feet.
Its effective air-throw in an outdoor setting is 9.3yards. Its superb build quality, durability, power efficiency, affordable cost, and high cooling efficiency makes it the best evaporative cooler in this review.
2. Quilo QE1SKS Tower Fan Review
This is a compact, freestanding residential evaporative cooler designed for whisper-quite operation in the home.
This model was a finalist in 2019 in the product design excellence category of the Global Innovation awards. Its low-noise fans are powered by a brushless DC motor.
It is designed as a 3-in-1 portable air conditioner that combines the functions of an air cooler, a humidifier, and air fan into one lightweight product.
It is also designed to work best in areas with ambient humidity of 60percent or less. Moreover, this power-efficient model consumes 7.4watts during sleep mode and 36watts during turbo mode of operation.
Likewise, its low-energy LED lighting not only provides a comforting glow in the dark, but it also allows the owner to see the water level in the tank.
This innovative model is designed and manufactured by Quilo, a subsidiary of JMATEK Group Limited.
It has an effective airflow rate of 211CFM or 359CMH. This makes it ideal for indoor use in rooms whose size does not exceed 130 square feet.
It has 2 caster wheels positioned at the back which allows it to be wheeled around. Its sturdy build gives it strength as well as makes it durable. Even so, it is not suitable for outdoor use.
This light-weight model weighs about 12pounds; and is 9.84inches long, 12.44inches deep, and 28.86inches tall.
Its variable-speed fan can be set to spin in one of the 3 set speeds; high, medium, and low fan speed. This product is shipped alongside its manual and remote control. Its color scheme is silver.
It has a 7-liter capacity water tank, and a top-loading ice tray. It also comes with a low-water alarm that notifies the user when the tank needs to be refilled.
The water tank is also detachable. The side handles on the cooler allow one to easily hold the unit when re-inserting the water tank, or when carrying it around the room.
Its key merit is the use of a honeycomb cooling medium. This consists of a honeycomb cooling pad, a re-usable and re-washable pad filter, and a reusable water filter.
Water is delivered to the cooling pad at a high-pressure by an efficient built-in water pump.
Moreover, to protect this pad from contamination with dust, there is a carbon-dust filter fitted between the rear frame of the honeycomb pad and the rear grill, and this ensures that inflowing room air is first filtered before it reaches the pad.
It also has a user-friendly LED display that is positioned to allow for angled viewing of its programmable control panel.
Moreover, its full-featured infra-red remote control can be used to program the equipment. It also uses a timer to shut off the unit after a specified period of use, with the maximum timed-use period being set at 7.5hours while the minimal timed-use period is 30minutes.
This power-efficient model can be used with an inverter if the power source provides direct-current (DC) electricity.
Another advantage of this model is that it allows for adjustment of the air-flow by using the swing function to orient the louvers to oscillate so as to maximize the spread of the blown cool air.
On the downside, this model lacks automatic overheat protection and does not have any germ protection mechanism. Even so, this model has a UL safety certification mark which means that it is safe to use in homes.
This model is supported by a 1-year warranty guaranteed by the equipment manufacturer.
- Adjustable airflow.
- Uses a re-usable honeycomb cooling medium.
- Energy-efficient model.
- Airflow capacity of 211CFM.
- Can comfortably cool and moisten the air in a room with a floor area of 130 square feet.
- Portable.
- Environmental-friendly model.
- Features an OFF-timer.
- 12months warranty.
- Lacks automatic overheat protection.
- No germ protection mechanism.
- It cannot achieve vertical airflow.
Bottom-line
Quilo QE1SKS tower fan is a compact, freestanding residential evaporative cooler designed for whisper-quite operation, and is powered by a brushless DC motor.
It is designed as a 3-in-1 portable air conditioner that combines the functions of an air cooler, a humidifier, and an air fan into one lightweight product.
It is also designed to work best in areas with ambient humidity of 60percent or less. Moreover, it has an effective air flow rate of 211CFM (359CMH) which makes it ideal for indoor use in rooms whose size does not exceed 130 square feet.
3. Luma Comfort EC110S Review
This is a high-capacity, high-performance, and compact freestanding residential evaporative cooler that is designed for whisper-quite operation using the cyclonic cooling technology.
It works well in enclosed spaces with ambient humidity of 60percent or less. It is designed as a 3-in-1 portable air conditioner that combines the functions of an air cooler, a humidifier, and an air fan into a single well-built, lightweight product.
However, it does not have an ice tray which means that ice cannot be used as the colling medium. Even so, this power-efficient model consumes 110watts during full operation.
This compactly-designed model is made by Luma Comfort.
This model has an effective air flow rate of 500CFM or 850 cubic-meters per hour (CMH). This makes it ideal for indoor use in rooms whose size does not exceed 250 square-feet.
It also has 4 caster wheels which allow one to move it around. Its compact design features a rounded fan head that is attached to a rectangular body.
Even though it can be used in outdoor settings, it is recommended that it should be housed under a waterproof roof so that rainwater does seep into its fan-head.
This light-weight model weighs about 16.5pounds; and is 12.75inches long, 11.25inches deep, and 34.50inches tall, which makes it taller than both Honeywell CO30XE and Quilo QE1SKS tower fan.
Its variable-speed fan can be set to spin in one of the 3 set speeds; high, medium, and low fan speed. As expected, this product is shipped alongside its manual and remote control. Its color scheme is silver.
Luma Comfort EC110S comes with a 6.7-liter capacity detachable water tank. However, it does not have a water-level indicator.
Its use of a high-performance cooling medium and water is delivered to the cooling pad at a high-pressure by the water pump. Even so, it lacks an air filter.
This model features a user-friendly LED display that is placed directly beneath the fan-head in the front panel. This display allows one to view the digital programmable control panel.
There is also a full-featured remote control that can be used to program the equipment. Moreover, it uses a timer to shut power off the unit after a specified period of use.
Its louvers are non-adjustable. Apart from this, this model lacks automatic overheat protection, and there is no germ protection mechanism.
On the upside, this model is supported by a 1-year warranty guaranteed by the equipment maker.
- It uses a high-performance cooling medium.
- Energy-efficient model.
- Airflow capacity of 500CFM.
- Can comfortably cool and moisten the air in a room with a floor area of 250 square feet.
- Portable.
- Environmental-friendly model.
- Features an OFF-timer.
- 12months warranty.
- No ice tray.
- No water level indicator.
- Lacks automatic overheat protection.
- No germ protection mechanism.
Bottom-line
Luma Comfort EC110S is a high-capacity, high-performance, and compact freestanding residential evaporative cooler that uses cyclonic cooling technology.
It works well in enclosed spaces with ambient humidity of 60percent or less. It is designed as a 3-in-1 portable air conditioner that consumes 110watts during full operation.
Likewise, it has an effective airflow rate of 500CFM (850CMH) which makes it ideal for indoor use in rooms whose size does not exceed 250 square feet.
4. BEST BUDGET: Honeywell CL201AE Evaporative Cooler Review
This is a compact, high-quality and high-capacity portable evaporative cooler that can be used in indoors and outdoors environments.
Its superb build quality makes it suitable for use in cooling residential places in the Midwest and Southwest regions of the United States.
Even so, it can work well in other dry areas where air humidity is less than 60percent. Its operational design is quite similar to that of Honeywell CO30XE, with the exception being in the casing design, and the lack of a digital LED display in Honeywell CL201AE.
Also, Honeywell CL201AE can handle a lower work capacity as compared to Honeywell CO30XE. Even so, Honeywell CL201AE is designed and manufactured by JMATEK Group Limited, and marketed through Honeywell International, Inc. Its model number is CL201AE.
Honeywell CL201AE has an effective airflow rate of 470CFM, which converts to 799CMH. This makes it ideal for indoor use in rooms whose size does not exceed 280 square feet.
It has 4-5 caster wheels which allows one to wheel it around the house. Its sturdy build gives it strength as well as makes it durable.
Interestingly, even though it has an ultraviolet(UV)-stable and weather-resistant finish that allows for placement in outdoor environments, it is recommended that this model should only be used indoors.
This light-weight model weighs 23.4pounds; and is 18.9inches long, 14.6inches deep, and 32.9inches tall, which makes it almost the same size as Honeywell CO30XE.
Honeywell CL201AE is a 3-in-1 combination of an evaporative cooler, a fan, and a humidifier. It also comes with a washable dust filter.
Its variable-speed fan can be set to spin in one of the 3 set speeds; high, medium, and low fan speed. It does not feature the sleep speed like Honeywell CO30XE.
Like Honeywell CO30XE, Honeywell CL201AE produces a moist breeze that cools the room. Honeywell CL201AE is also shipped alongside its manual and remote control. Its color scheme is silver.
Honeywell CL201AE comes with a 20-liter capacity water tank, and a top-loading ice compartment. It also has a low-water alarm that notifies the user when the tank needs to be refilled. The water tank can also be detached from the unit for servicing or cleaning.
Like Honeywell CO30XE, Honeywell CL201AE uses a high-performance honeycomb cooling medium, which contains a honeycomb cooling pad that is fed with pressurized water.
This water comes from the water pump. This cooling pad is also protected from dust using a carbon-dust filter that is fitted between the rear frame of the honeycomb pad and the rear grill of the unit.
The control panel of Honeywell CL201AE allows for the user to program its operations. Moreover, an infra-red, full-featured remote control can be used to program the equipment.
There is also uses a shut-off timer that can power off the unit after a specified period of use, with the maximum timed-use period being set at 8hours while the minimal timed-use period is an hour.
Honeywell CL201AE is an energy-efficient model that draws about 250watts of power, and it can be used with an inverter. It also comes with a 6-feet long power cord, and its cooling fan is powered by a 0.3HP motor.
Just like Honeywell CO30XE, Honeywell CL201AE allows for adjustment of the air-flow by using the swing function to orient the louvers so as to achieve a vertical airflow. These louvers can also oscillate.
The 2 main demerits of Honeywell CL201AE is that it lacks an automatic overheat protection mechanism. It also does not have any germ protection mechanism. Even so, it is ETL-certified.
Honeywell CL201AE is supported by a 1-year warranty guaranteed by the equipment manufacturer.
- Adjustable airflow.
- Uses a high-performance honeycomb cooling medium.
- Energy-efficient model.
- Airflow capacity of 470CFM.
- It can comfortably cool and moisten the air in a room with a floor area of 280 square feet.
- Portable.
- Environmental-friendly model.
- Features an OFF-timer.
- 12months warranty.
- Lacks automatic overheat protection.
- No germ protection mechanism.
- Lacks a LED display panel.
Bottom-line
Honeywell CL201AE is a well-designed, high-quality, and high-capacity freestanding residential evaporative cooler that is best suited for indoor use.
It works well in dry areas where air humidity is less than 60percent. It has an effective air flow rate of 470CFM (800 CMH) which makes it ideal for indoor use in rooms whose size does not exceed 280 square-feet.
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5. KuulAire PACKA43 Portable Evaporative Cooler
This is a high-quality compactly-built, freestanding residential evaporative cooler designed for indoor air cooling and humidification.
Its design as a 3-in-1 portable air conditioner allows it to function as an air cooler, a humidifier, and air fan. This lightweight model is designed to work best in areas with ambient humidity of 60percent or less. It also comes with an adjustable water control knob.
This power-efficient model is designed and manufactured by Portacool, LLC.
This compact model has an effective airflow rate of 350CFM or 595CMH. This makes it ideal for indoor use in rooms whose size does not exceed 175 square feet. It has 4 caster wheels which allow it to be wheeled around the house. This model is not well-suited for outdoor use.
This standalone model weighs 18.4pounds; and is 15.7inches long, 12.6inches deep, and 27.7inches tall. Its variable-speed fan can be set to spin in one of the 3 set speeds; high, medium, and low fan speed.
It is shipped alongside its manual and remote control. Its color scheme is silver.
It has a built-in water tank whose capacity is 15liters. However, it lacks an ice tray. Even so, it comes with a low-water alarm that notifies the owner when the tank needs to be refilled.
Moreover, its side handles on the cooler allow one to easily hold the unit when dragging, wheeling, or carrying it around.
It uses a high-efficiency rigid cooling medium. Water is delivered to this medium under pressure, and this is possible because of its power-efficient water pump. It also comes with a washable filter that ensures that particulate matter from the room air does not contaminate the cooling medium.
This model does have a control panel, but it lacks a digital LED display. This panel is at the front section of the slightly angulated top panel. There is also an infra-red remote control that can be used to program the machine.
It also comes with an efficient shut-off timer that can power off the unit after a specified period of use, with the maximum timed-use period being set at 8hours.
KuulAire PACKA43 allows for adjustment of the air-flow by using the swing function to orient the louvers to oscillate and direct the blown cool air so as to maximize its spread across the room.
Its conspicuous demerits are a lack of automatic overheat protection and non-incorporation of a germ protection mechanism.
Regarding warranty, this model is supported by a 1-year guarantee.
- Adjustable air flow.
- Uses a high-efficiency rigid cooling medium.
- Energy-efficient model.
- Airflow capacity of 350CFM.
- Can comfortably cool and moisten the air in a room with a floor area of 175 square feet.
- Portable.
- Environmental-friendly model.
- Features an OFF-timer
- 2months warranty.
- Lacks automatic overheat protection.
- No germ protection mechanism.
- Lacks a LED display panel.
Bottom-line
KuulAire PACKA43 is a high-quality compactly-built, freestanding residential evaporative cooler designed for indoor air cooling and humidification.
It comes with an adjustable water control knob. It works well in a room whose air humidity is less than 60percent. It has an effective airflow rate of 350CFM (595CMH) which makes it ideal for indoor use in rooms whose size does not exceed 175 square feet.
What is a Ventless Portable Air Conditioner?
Now that we’ve finished the reviews section, we’ll spend a little time looking into what ventless portable air conditioners are, and how they differ from standard systems.
The fact is, ventless air conditioners work under different mechanisms. So much so, they are better known as Evaporative Coolers and sometimes even Swamp Coolers.
Let’s take a closer look…
The standard air conditioning system
Normally, air conditioning units have ducts, pumps, and cooling units; and these components allow for hot room air to be drawn out of the room at relatively high pressure so that it can be cooled, while the cooled and humidified air is pumped back to the room, with the ducts serving as conduits for streamlining airflow during air transfer.
However, ducted systems have several disadvantages, with the most conspicuous one being bulkiness (hence must operate from a stationary location), lots of points of failure (especially the joints), need for specialized installation skills, and expensive maintenance and operation costs.
Moreover, they are quite costly to purchase, and their refrigerant gases contain hydrochlorofluorocarbons(HCFC) which pose environmental and health risks as HCFC are a recognized air pollutant, ozone-layer depletant, and are also toxic when inhaled by people.
The Ventless Portable Air Conditioner
This has led equipment manufacturers to develop cost-effective, eco-friendly, and healthier alternatives that can also be moved around.
This alternative equipment is the portable air conditioner without a hose, which is more accurately called a ventless portable air conditioner.
It is usually designed to cater to the non-commercial needs of residents living in small apartments. Moreover, businesses and small factories can take advantage of its portability, and use it as a mobile air conditioner.
At the functional level, these air conditioners without hoses operate as evaporative coolers, which means that their principal operation is evaporative cooling.
What is evaporative cooling?
Evaporative cooling differs from air conditioning in two major aspects. First of all, in air conditioning, both heat and moisture are removed from the air circulating in an enclosed occupied space, usually a walled and roofed room.
On the other hand, in evaporative cooling only heat is removed (or dissipated) from such air, and moisture is then added to the cooled air, with the net effect being that the enclosed occupied space is now supplied with a cool humidified air that can increase its ambient humidity.
Secondly, the cooling process used in air conditioning uses chemicals, mainly highly-volatile refrigerant gas such as Freon, to absorb heat from the flowing air; while in evaporative cooling, water is used in place of volatile refrigerant gases.
A little on the origins
Historically, evaporative cooling was the initial phase of the evolution of air conditioning, and it is still used today to perform the tasks that the original air conditioning systems were designed to do, which is just cool the circulating air.
It was also described as a swamp cooler because algae grew in the water container that held the cooling water, just as it (algae) grows in swampy environments.
Even so, a better descriptive name is wet air cooler as it provides the enclosed space with cool humidified (wet) air. Presently, evaporative cooling is still used in areas with a dry climate, hence its designation as a desert cooler.
The process of ventless air conditioning
Water is chosen as the cooling medium because of its high enthalpy of vaporization, which means that about 2257joules of heat energy is required to change a gram of liquid water into water vapor.
This phase transition from a liquid state to a gaseous state allows for heat in warm air to be transferred to the water, while also allowing for the liquid water to load the flowing air with water vapor hence making it humid.
What to look for when buying an Evaporative Cooler (i.e a portable air conditioner without a hose)
The 3 key factors that one needs to consider before purchasing an evaporative cooler are described hereafter.
To begin with, one must consider the price as it is prudent for one to select the best model within a specified price range that serves his/her needs.
Secondly, the design and airflow capacity of the cooler must be considered. This is because the cooler needs to fit in the room, while at the same be able to effectively cool the room and this means that its flow capacity must match the room size.
The air-flow rate of any ventless portable air conditioner is stated in terms of cubic feet per minute (CFM), which describes the volume of air that is recycled in one minute.
Thirdly, one needs to consider the type of cooler as there are two cooler types; residential and industrial/commercial coolers.
The benefits of portable air conditioning
Human life has been changed by urbanization, industrialization, and the scientific revolution. Nowadays, people spend more time indoors than at any other time in human history.
Even so, the indoor environment poses a unique challenge to modern life, and this challenge relates to the level of comfort.
In any occupied enclosed space, the air tends to be heated up and then acquire a stale smell due to poor circulation and accumulation of waste gases as warm air circulates very slowly in a poorly ventilated space.
This makes the space smell stuffy, and depending on the external climate, the air can accumulate lots of moisture so as to become heavily humidified to make the space uncomfortable for its occupants, whose sweat poorly evaporates from the skin.
Likewise, the air can be rapidly dehumidified in dry climates so that the occupants suffer from the rapid drying of both skin and mouth.
In both cases, the occupants feel uncomfortably hot because high ambient humidity inhibits proper heat loss through sweating, while the hot dehumidified air in dry climates exacerbates sweating and fluid loss thus causing the occupants to feel thirsty as well as hot.
Fortunately, there are special types of equipment designed to counter the challenge posed by poor air circulation, and these pieces of equipment are colloquially described as air conditioners.