Honeywell vs. Black & Decker vs. DeLonghi vs. Whynter vs. TOSOT

Portable Air Conditioner

Portable air conditioners are a great way to add localized cooling to specific rooms. Which model is the best for your home, let's go ahead and find out now.

Video made by Modern Castle

The products we're going to be covering are:

1. Black & Decker
2. DeLonghi
3. Honeywell
4. TOSOT
5. Whynter

What makes them portable is the ability to roll or be carried easily to a different room and the ability to connect to virtually any window.

What is BTU

You should know that each of these brands offers models at a range of BTU levels. BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. More BTUs typically means better cooling and better square foot coverage. However it also usually means the product is more expensive.

More BTUs will result in:

• better cooling
• larger coverage area 
• higher price

Design

As all 5 of these units are 3-in-1 products that can use as a fan dehumidifier or air conditioner, they each have a wheeled base and an in-window installation with an exhaust hose.

They all include a remote control and variable fan speeds. As well as digital displays to show the temperature then placement and digital screen location vary between the models on the remote controls.

Black & Decker and TOSOT include digital screens on the remotes themselves. Making it more convenient to monitor the temperature. The DeLonghi remote uses Bluetooth rather than Infrared. So it doesn't need to be pointed at the unit to control it as for size and weight.

All these units are fairly large and heavy although the wheeled bases help them stay portable.

The Honeywell is the lightest and the DeLonghi the heaviest. Whynter is the tallest unit and Black & Decker is the most compact with measurements of 16.5 by 11.5 by 26.0 inches and a weight of 53 pounds. The TOSOT is a sort of middleweight and measures 11.8 by 15.4 by 30.4 inches.

The setup and usability

The setup and usability of each of these models are quite simple and straightforward. Each includes the parts needed to install the units in the window as well as the remote control. Insulation takes about 30 minutes for each product. Each kit includes a flexible exhaust hose window cover and in most cases foam sealing tape.

Honeywell was the quickest to install

It skips the foam sealing tape and uses a wing bolt for the window kit instead of screws. So it can be installed without tools.

Whynter adds an additional exhaust hose creating more airflow and the TOSOT includes a protective grille for the exhaust hose. 

Results of tests

Tests were performed during an Arizona summer in a room that measures 10 feet by 14 feet with 12-foot ceilings. 

Each test was performed over a 4-hour span in a test we recorded data on internal and external temperature and humidity. We kept the AC unit running constantly attempting to reach a temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit or 22.2 degrees Celsius. 

The Honeywell unit reduced indoor air temperature from 91.3 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Which is a reduction of 11.3 degrees or 12.4 %. The TOSOT reduced air indoor temperature from 89.2 degrees to 77.7 degrees Fahrenheit which is a reduction of 11.5 degrees or 12.9 %. 

The Black & Decker reduce indoor air temperature from 81.7 degrees to 75.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Which is a reduction of 6.1 degrees or 7.5 %. Black & Decker was able to achieve the coolest temperature at 75.6 degrees while the sod got to 77.7 degrees.

However, both Honeywell and TOSOT had the biggest temperature reduction as their starting points were considerably higher compared to Black & Decker.

Also comparing two 14 000 BTU models from Whynter and DeLonghi. And views are based on their respective features hardware and other manufacturing specifications.

So which portable air conditioner is best for you?

If you're looking for the largest coverage area go with the DeLonghi it can cool an area up to 700 square feet which are 200 square feet more than the next closet unit.

If you're looking for the best portability the Honeywell is an excellent option. It is the lightest of the models in this review weighing. Just 43 pounds it also has the quickest install and does not require any tools.

If you're looking for the best airflow go with the Whynter it is a maximum 14 000 BTUs and is the only air conditioner in this review with a dual exhaust system it will be a good choice for cooling larger areas.

And finally, if you want the best value get the facade it dropped the indoor temperature by 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit in our test combine that with a lower price and the TOSOT is a strong value. 

• comparison
• honeywell
• conditioner
• black&decker
• TOSOT
• Whynter
• DeLonghi