Crane Drop Review
Pros: Inexpensive
Cons: Not suitable for larger rooms
Manufacturer: Crane
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
![]() This Product
Crane Drop | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||
Price | $55 List $49.99 at Amazon | $40 List $41 at Amazon | $75 List | $66 List $51.99 at Amazon | $46 List $37.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Inexpensive | Inexpensive, easy to clean, easy to use | Easy to clean, self-regulating evaporative humidifying | Powerful, inexpensive | Inexpensive, simple |
Cons | Not suitable for larger rooms | Not the most powerful, no advanced features | Requires replacement filters, filter can get moldy if left unattended for too long | Hard to clean, cannot be used on carpet | Not powerful enough for large rooms, no advanced features |
Bottom Line | Adequate for small rooms, but there are better low cost/small room models available | A great budget option if you don’t need advanced features and want to humidify a smaller room | Quite effective and powerful for its price, but don’t forget you’ll have to pay for replacement filters for the life of the machine | If you don't mind vigorous cleaning this is a good low-priced high-power option | A simple and budget-conscious option for smaller spaces |
Rating Categories | Crane Drop | Honeywell HUL520B | Honeywell HCM-350 | TaoTronics TT-AH001 | TaoTronics TT-AH026 |
Humidifying Performance (35%) | |||||
Ease Of Cleaning (35%) | |||||
User Friendliness (15%) | |||||
Operating Cost (15%) | |||||
Specs | Crane Drop | Honeywell HUL520B | Honeywell HCM-350 | TaoTronics TT-AH001 | TaoTronics TT-AH026 |
Weight | 4.5 pounds | 3 pounds | 9.6 pounds | 3.5 pounds | 2.3 pounds |
Dimensions | 8.6" x 13.4" x 8.6" | 8.5" x 8.5" x 9.5" | 18.6" x 10.4" x 13" | 12.2" x 8" x 5.25" | 8.4" x 5.1" x 10" |
Tank Capacity | 1 gallon | 0.5 gallons | 1 gallon | 1.06 gallons | 0.47 gallons |
Humidification Technology | Ultrasonic | Ultrasonic | Evaporative | Ultrasonic | Ultrasonic |
Estimated Lifetime Cost | $108 | $56 | $203 | $101 | $72 |
Estimated Annual Electricity Usage | 87.6 kWh | 43.8 kWh | 87.6 kWh | 87.6 kWh | 43.8 kWh |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Crane Drop performs well as a humidifier for small rooms (100 square feet or less), but in that capacity it is outclassed at almost every turn by the Honeywell HUL520B.
Performance Comparison
As you can see in the table above, the Crane Crop's overall score was about midrange. In the sections below we discuss its performance in all of our individual tests.
Humidifying Performance
The Crane Drop earned a 5 out of 10 in our humidifying testing, quite a respectable score for a humidifier of this size. It took 1 hour and 45 minutes for this model to bring our testing room to 45% humidity, and topped out at a humidity of 51.2%. This makes it just slightly more powerful than its main competitor, the Honeywell HUL520B, which took 2 hours to hit 45% and maxed out at 47.8%. However, we feel that this difference is negligible and would be hard to differentiate without a fancy humidity meter. Both of these models are equally suitable for small bedrooms, or even a larger bedroom if you don't mind turning the humidifier on a couple of hours before bedtime.
Ease of Cleaning
The Crane Drop is small enough that there isn't too much area to scrub, but it can sometimes be a bit tricky to get all the nooks and crannies. In the end it earned an average score of 6 out of 10 in this metric. The water tank's opening is 2", which can make access a bit difficult. You'll definitely need a long handled brush to reach every part of the tank. Apart from that, cleaning is fairly easy. The instruction manual calls for a half hour soak in a white vinegar solution, and many of the harder to clean components are dishwasher safe. We spent 15 minutes getting this machine completely clean (not including soaking time), which was on par with most other models.
In contrast, the Honeywell HUL520B' water tank has a wide 3.5" opening, which allows most sized hands to reach in and clean anything without fussing with a brush. This made it significantly easier to clean.
User Friendliness
The Crane Drop was again an average performer in this metric, earning a 6 out of 10. It has a simple, single knob control panel that lets you turn the unit on and select a mist level. This is almost identical to the controls of the Honeywell HUL520B. The tank opening is only 2" and the tank is somewhat tall, so it may not fit in shorter sinks. The Honeywell HUL520B's tank is just a bit shorter and the opening is much wider, making it much easier to refill.
Operating Cost
The Crane Drop is quite economical and earned an 8 out of 10 in our operating cost testing. It actually uses a decent amount of electricity for a humidifier (0.02kWh per hour) but its inexpensive list price of $55 led to a low estimated lifetime cost of just $108. This figure was bested by the Drop's main competitor, however. The Honeywell HUL520B carries an estimated lifetime cost of just $56, nearly half that of the Drop
Value
The Crane Drop is a fairly high performing humidifier considering its tiny stature. However, its list price of $55 can't compare to the $30 list price of the Honeywell HUL520B, which is a slightly better all-around performer.
Conclusion
The Crane Drop is a fairly good, low cost humidifier, but if you're looking for a budget option the Honeywell HUL520B is clearly superior.
— Max Mutter and Steven Tata