BLOWN AWAY
I tested cheap home air con units – one bargain B&M model kept us cool all day
We tested the best systems to keep you cool when the temperature rises
IT’S been sweltering hot recently, and it's become increasingly unbearable to sit at home with no air conditioning.
Luckily, there are at-home air conditioning units available to buy - which simply require a bit of water and ice to keep the room at a lovely temperature.
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But how do they stack up against the extortionate in-built version?
Hayley Minn put them to the test on the hottest week of the year - and found one that was an unbelievable price of £69 that kept her lovely and cool…
Blaupunkt Air Cooler Cube, £20, B&M
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If you’re looking for a desktop air conditioner for your home office, this little one from B&M is a brilliant option.
Thanks to its 500ml water tank, it can provide up to six hours of cool air.
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But the problem I had with it was I was forced to put it on the highest setting for me to feel any air, which was quite loud and drained the water quicker than its intended six hours.
On the plus side, its seven coloured mood lights provided some cute decoration for my desk.
Considering this is just £20, you can’t get much better than this if you’re short on space.
You may even get used to the loud fan after a while!
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Rating: 3/5
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Blaupunkt 3-in-1 Large Air Cooler, £69, B&M
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I didn’t have much hope for this air conditioning unit from B&M, considering its bargain price tag of £69, but it was incredible, and just as good as some of the more expensive ones I tried.
It’s got a large 5.6L water tank, so it was able to keep the air cool all day without me having to refill it constantly.
Plus, it comes with two ice packs, which made the room even chillier.
The swing function also ensured my whole living room was a comfortable temperature.
Plus, this air cooler doubles up as a humidifier and fan, so you don’t have to buy another two bulky items for your house.
Amazing value for money!
Rating: 5/5
Challenge 7K Air Conditioner, £175, Argos
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This was one of the two more expensive air conditioners I tried, and required a pipe to go out the window in order to work properly - which meant there were only certain rooms in the house it could be used.
It definitely did cool down the room very well - you’d hope so for £175.
However, it was far too noisy to sleep with it on, and generated quite a lot of water, meaning it needed to be emptied daily.
Also, it claims to be portable, but it is extremely heavy.
While it has detachable wheels to move around the floor, there was no way I could move it up or down the stairs, so I had to just decide where it was going from the start.
Rating: 3/5
Beldray 6L Portable Air Cooler, £35, Argos
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For £35, I probably shouldn’t have expected much, but this Beldray air cooler really wasn’t great.
For starters, it looks like one of those old heaters your Nan had back in the day, so isn’t the most appealing to look at.
But also, it’s a faff to use.
Unless you use a few jugs of water to fill it up, you have to remove all the components from the back of the unit to fill up the 6L tray every time you refill it, and then reattach them again.
It really didn’t seem to cool the air down much either until I put the ice packs in.
On the plus side, this is much quieter than many of the others, so it’s a good one for nighttime.
Rating: 2/5
LOGIK Portable Air Conditioner & Dehumidifier, £199.99, Currys
This air conditioner, which also handily acts as a dehumidifier, is the most expensive of all that I tried, but it was very good, and comes with a whopping 17 temperature settings.
It requires an exhaust pipe to go out the window but setting that up only took a few minutes.
Unlike Challenge’s unit, this was lightweight and actually portable, so I was able to take it up to bed with me, as well as using it to cool me down in the lounge.
Although it created quite a bit of noise, I managed to sleep through it - but the unit comes with a handy timer anyway, so it can turn off automatically in the night.
The only issue really was the hefty price tag.
Rating: 4/5
Guong Portable Air Conditioner, £45.99, Amazon
While the Guong portable air conditioner from Amazon is very small, it’s very mighty, and absolutely perfect for a home office.
Plus, not only is it an air conditioner, but also a fan, humidifier and night light.
It has four speed settings, and even when it was on the highest, the noise level was quiet enough that I could concentrate on my work.
The water tank is also really easy to fill and lasted most of the day without any refills.
The fact it’s so small means it’s very easy to move from room to room as well, unlike any of the big ones.
Just don’t expect it to be able to cool down an entire room.
Rating: 4/5
PELONIS 5L Air Cooler, £109.99, Amazon
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With a 5L tank, this air conditioner, which also acts as a humidifier and fan, from Amazon went all day without me needing to refill it, and did quite a good job of cooling the room, as long as it was on the highest setting.
But the highest setting was very noisy.
It also wasn’t too hard to fill the water up, unlike some of the others I tried.
Despite it being quite large, I found it really easy to move around the house, which meant I could bring it to bed with me and use it in the lounge.
It also comes with a handy remote control.
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Considering the price, I think this one could’ve been slightly better.
Rating: 3/5
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