Vicks UV 99.999% Germ Free Humidifier

I just got this unit (Vicks V790) from Amazon. (For several reasons, I greatly prefer the steam-type humidifiers over the cold-mist types.)

Pros - It's attractive and well made. Twin independently-fillable water tanks mean you do not have to shut it off to refill it. Holds a lot of water so it does not go dry overnight. Makes a pleasant noise not unlike a drip coffee percolator. The UV lamp feature gives an additional level of sterilization, over and above the boiling action that creates the steam.

Cons - The blue LED power light is indeed bright. I turned mine toward the wall, and now it also serves as a night light. (If it really bothers you, a small piece of electrical tape will cover it.)

(EDIT) Previously I complained here about lack of vapor output. But after running it for a few days, output greatly increased. Apparently there is a slight break-in period. Naturally, water usage increased also, as did the boiling noise, but now it's... Read more

My new house has gas heat and I found it really dried the place out. I was especially getting tired of the static electricity buildup due to the low humidity -- I was getting zapped basically every time I walked somewhere and touched something.

I had no idea that shopping for a humidifier would be so hard. I learned a lot by browsing and reading reviews. I decided that what I wanted was:

* "Hot" humidifier -- makes steam rather than spritzing cold water
* Quiet -- gurgling ok, noisy fan not ok.
* Something that would let me set a humidity level and would turn off the unit once that level was reached (I wanted to avoid ever coming home to a tropical jungle atmosphere)
* Easy to refill
* Easy to clean
* Germ killing UV light
* Big enough tank to run for 10+ hours without a refill
* Ships from Amazon ($15 shipping from a 3rd party seller? no thanks)

This humidifier is the only one I found that matches ALL of the... Read more

After buying two other humidifiers and throwing them away we finally bought this model last year and are very happy with it. The main feature we hated about the other models were Noise and the filters. This model is nice and quiet, it has a low humming sound and a gurgling sound that actually is very tolerable, and maybe even soothing. Our two year old doesn't mind it at all, he sleeps better with it I think. Another advantage of the warm steam is that it keeps my sons room nice and warm and he needs that since he kicks off his blanket most of the time. The warm steam might be a disadvantage for people living in warm dry climate but it works great for northwest winters.
Although this unit does not have a filter a mineral pad comes with it and is recommended to remove minerals from the water if you use tap water. You can't find the pad in most retail stores but can buy it here on Amazon.
Also it has a Ultraviolet Light bulb (great Feature) and after a year of use the... Read more