Evapolar Cooling Unit Review
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Use discount code ELLEMULENOS for 15% off any Evapolar purchase now through 09/21.
And just when I thought we made it through the LA summer, it comes back and slaps us in the face with a heatwave. I know my Texas friends think I have gone soft when I say “it’s going to be 89 F on Wednesday”, but when you don’t have central AC, that is HOT. Our little 850 sq ft apartment heats up to the point where my coconut oil is completely liquid and it becomes cooler outside than inside. So yeah, 105 F in Texas is worse, but while you’re holed up in your nice AC, know my apartment is 80 F+ ;)
If you’re new around here, no, I don’t have central air conditioning. It’s actually not uncommon for California residences to only have heat / not have AC. We knew our apartment didn’t have AC when we signed the lease, but they told us they would put one in. Should have gotten that in writing, because here we are almost a YEAR later and the answer is currently “no". We even offered to pay for part of it! Regardless, we love where we live and have tried to offset the heat with fans. I think we’ve only had it really bad like 3ish times over the coarse of several days each. When it gets bad, we typically close all the windows and drapes and try not to move. Hah! We also have fans - a Dyson and a Vornado which I reviewed here. Most recently we got a Evapolar mini personal AC unit and I’m excited to tell you about it today! Use discount code ELLEMULENOS for 15% off through 09/21.
evaLIGHT Plus (c/o) | Pacsun L.A. Hearts Bikini | Sparkling Ice Popsicle | American Eagle Sunglasses
My husband actually learned about Evapolar on TikTok of all places! He scrolled past a video one day and showed it to me. I immediately knew we needed to get one to help us survive the LA heat waves since we don’t have central AC. What makes Evapolar different? Well the biggest thing for us is that it doesn’t use the electric current that a portable AC unit would use. (Most ACs use around 1000W and a medium fan starts at around 30W for reference - the most Evapolar uses is 12.5W) Our landlord tells us they can’t put AC in our unit and we aren’t allowed to get anything similar, as they’d have to rewire the building’s electricity to support the excess current. For reference, some units in our building have AC and some don’t. It’s kind of weird, but we are trying to stay on our property manager’s good side / don’t want to put up too much fo a fight;) The Evapolar units are able to use less energy to operate because it is an evaporative cooling device. It draws in warm air and passes it through wet pads to create a cooling effect. This is not only eco-friendly since it doesn’t use freon, but also effective!
Note that Evapolar is a PERSONAL cooling device. I received a question if it would be good for a home gym that is in a garage. My answer was no. First of all, this was in Texas and I know how hot it can get. Second of all, I wouldn’t rely on it to cool a fairly large and non-insulated area where you will be sweating already. Evapolar is great don’t get me wrong, but it isn’t going to do what a large AC unit can do - that isn’t a fair comparison. We like to use it up close and well, personal! Nick sleeps with it on his nightstand. I like to work with it blowing right by me. It produces a nice breeze that keeps me cool and happy! The biggest benefit for me in comparison to more traditional fans is that it is a soft breeze which means it isn’t as harsh on my face AND it is quieter. When we take phone calls or meetings, we typically have to turn the fans down to minimal use, which makes it warmer. We can leave Evapolar on a full blast all the time, because it makes little to no noise. Also because it uses water to cool, it also spits out moistened air like that of a humidifier. This is great for your skin, especially in a dry climate like Los Angeles. As I’m typing this it is 85 degrees out side and probably 80ish degrees in our apartment. My Evapolar is blowing a cool 76 degrees on my face and it feels like a nice breeze! I’ve seen it work as hard as 10 degrees cooler, but that is typically when it is a little hotter.
I have the evaLIGHT and really like it, but there are 3 different units you can buy. I’ll review the details of each below:
evaCHILL
$99
uses 7.5W electricity
6.69 x 6.69 x 6.77 inch // 1.65 lbs
Water refill cycle 3-8 hours
White or grey options
Best for portable needs like camping, in a car, etc as it has handle, night mode available
evaLIGHT Plus
$149
uses 10W electricity
7.08 x 7.08 x 7.16 inch // 2.8 lbs
Water refill cycle 3-8 hours
White or black options
Removable water tank for easier filling
LED backlit wheel / button with options like night mode / sleep timer and color options for the water tank
evaSMART
$229
uses 12.5W electricity
8.14 x 8.54 x 7.24 inch // 4.01 lbs
Water refill cycle 4-9 hours
White, black, or grey options
Removable water tank for easier filling
Smart home compatible, touch screen controller, night mode / sleep timer
Here’s the pros and cons that I mentioned above, but these are broken down for you if you are a list person:
PROS OF EVAPOLAR
Cools air (versus just stirring warm air like fans)
Uses less electricity than a standard AC unit or fan (the most it will use is 12.5W, a medium fan starts around 30W and an AC unit is typically about 1000W)
Produces less noise than a fan or stand alone AC Unit
Portable and comes in 3 different sizes to fit your specific needs - ALL units can be powered by a plug-in, laptop, or power bank, though the “chill” model is made specifically for travel
Costs the same or less than an average fan and significantly less than a stand alone AC unit (costs a little more than my Vornado, but a lot less than my Dyson and well under an actual AC unit)
Eco-friendly (no freon or like materials)
Doubles as a humidifier
Great for personal use
CONS OF EVAPOLAR
Water tank has to be refilled (max it will last is 9 hours, though it will continue to cool even when that is empty)
Won’t cool as much as a standard AC unit (again, it is a personal unit)
At max cools 10 degrees cooler (whereas an AC can make it more like 20 degrees cooler)
Needs cartridge replacement every 3-6 months depending on use and water quality - you can buy an extra cartridge upfront and save $10 on the first replacement, which can last up to 3 years being stored / not used
OTHER NOTES
You can add on a diffuser to any of these models! They sell a little $20 attachment to make it appealing to your sense too! Do not add essential oils to the water tank directly.
On that same note, make sure you use filtered water in the tank. This prolongs the life of the machine as essential oils and bog down parts.
I haven’t had any issues but am careful where I place the unit and what I place in front of it. I try not to put my laptop or phone in front of it, as it is a humidifier and is like an AC unit in the sense that moisture is being released from it.
Overall I love my evaLIGHT Evapolar personal AC unit and would recommend! I wish there was a larger size, because I would buy it! I don’t necessarily care about the smart features of the current larger unit, but would pay a small up-charge for a bigger tank. I can make it through my work day on one tank as is, but would prefer a bigger tank for sleeping, as it doesn’t really make it through the whole evening. Other than that, it is great!
Have you tried evaPolar? What did you think? How are you keeping cool these days? BRB gonna go grab a popsicle ;)
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