Costway Freestanding AC – Best Portable Cooling Buy on the Market?
(~500w, 1st person, Casual/Informative/Promotional)
We’ve covered air conditioners on this site all summer, but lately we’ve been hearing the call for a new review.
What about freestanding options?
We took a break from browsing the top central air and window units to explore the freestanding, portable cooling market. Based on our research and selection process, which you can read about in this month’s email newsletter, one model stood out above the rest.
Costway Freestanding AC Specs
This unit stands just over three feet tall, and takes up just over one square-foot of floor space. The unit offers three cooling speeds, four timer options (30m, 1h, 2h, 4h), and a swing setting that moves the vents left to right while the unit itself remains stationary. You can also angle the air flow up, down, or any combination via the two front vent covers.
There’s an option to reduce static electricity in the air, though we didn’t play with it too much. The real five-star feature is the cool/humid option. You can fill the back drawer with water and even an ice pack (two are included) to enjoy a greater level of comfort and air quality.
Pros: Big Value in a Small Package
As of this review, this unit rings up for just over $120. That is phenomenal for a unit so compact and so lightweight. Those smaller specs make it much easier to move with its convenient carry handle, whether you’re transporting it to another room or driving it over to another building.
It’s a value buy because you get so much versatility in air direction and quality. There’s an included remote for even more convenience, and the filter is easy to remove and clean, requiring only a simple four-way screwdriver. The cooling option also makes it a potential humidifier substitute on low settings to counterbalance high heat during colder seasons.
Cons: Recycled Air and Tricky Fill Ups
This unit is a big help in rooms that are closed off. However, it won’t solve the problem that often happens in these spaces. Whereas other systems pull fresh air from outside, this unit does not. Cool as air may be, it’s still recycled from the immediate area.
Filling the water drawer, or removing it for cleaning, can be a little tricky sometimes. While the back pair of the unit’s four wheels do lock in place to prevent it from running off, its light weight means it can tilt at times. Stand it against a surface to make maneuvering here a little more stable.
In Conclusion: A Cool Deal Worth Trying
This Costway model offers everything you could possibly want in a portable cooling unit. It’s good for small-to-medium sized rooms, requires minimal maintenance, and mixes an efficient group of features with an easy-to-manage design.
While it may not produce the cooling power of central air or window units, it’s not fair to judge it on that standard. If you’re looking for a simpler yet capable solution for cooling a single area, give this unit a try. You can use our discount code to save.