Sunpentown SPT SU-4010 Review
Pros: Simple controls
Cons: High up front and long term costs, not an outstanding performer in any capacity
Manufacturer: Sunpentown
Our Verdict
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 This Product
Sunpentown SPT SU-4010 | |||||
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| Awards |  |  | | ||
| Price | $108 List $80.14 at Amazon | $40 List $41 at Amazon | $75 List | $66 List | $46 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Simple controls | Inexpensive, easy to clean, easy to use | Easy to clean, self-regulating evaporative humidifying | Powerful, inexpensive | Inexpensive, simple |
| Cons | High up front and long term costs, not an outstanding performer in any capacity | 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 | Multiple other models offer similar or superior performance for much less, both upfront and in the long run | 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 | Sunpentown SPT... | 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 | Sunpentown SPT... | Honeywell HUL520B | Honeywell HCM-350 | TaoTronics TT-AH001 | TaoTronics TT-AH026 |
| Weight | 7.5 pounds | 3 pounds | 9.6 pounds | 3.5 pounds | 2.3 pounds |
| Dimensions | 13.2" x 5.3" x 12.4" | 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 | 1.1 gallons | 0.5 gallons | 1 gallon | 1.06 gallons | 0.47 gallons |
| Humidification Technology | Ultrasonic | Ultrasonic | Evaporative | Ultrasonic | Ultrasonic |
| Estimated Lifetime Cost | $447 | $56 | $203 | $101 | $72 |
| Estimated Annual Electricity Usage | 65.7 kWh | 43.8 kWh | 87.6 kWh | 87.6 kWh | 43.8 kWh |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Sunpentown SPT SU-4010 forces you into buying expensive replacement filters but does not deliver above average performance. We don't feel that this model has any specific advantages that outweigh the long term costs.
Performance Comparison
The Sunpentown SPT SU-4010 earned one of the lowest overall scores in our testing, which you can see in the table above. Below we detail the Sunpentown SPT SU-4010's performance in all of the individual tests that, when compiled, create our overall score.
Humidifying Performance
The Sunpentown SPT SU-4010 earned an average 5 out of 10 in our humidifying performance testing. It took an hour for this model to hit 45% humidity in our testing room, and it maxed out at 51.2%. This makes it suitable for most average sized bedrooms (~150 square feet). For comparison, the far more economical Honeywell HUL520B took 2 hours to hit 45%, and the not quite as inexpensive but still significantly more economical TaoTronics matched the Sunpentown SPT SU-4010's speed, achieving 45% humidity in an hour.
Ease of Cleaning
The Sunpentown SPT SU-4010 was again around average in our ease of cleaning testing, picking up a score of 6 out of 10. The biggest negative aspect is its water tank. Though it has a fairly large 3.25" opening, there are lots of little nooks and crannies that are hard to reach, and where mold could possibly take hold. The manual also gives only vague cleaning instructions, so you're on your own in terms of determining the best way to keep mold at bay. That being said, it took us about the same length of time to scrub this machine down and get it feeling adequately clean as it did for most of the other models we tested. Of its main competitors we found the Honeywell HUL520B to be significantly easier to clean, and the TaoTronics about the same level of cleaning difficulty.
User Friendliness
Continuing its streak of average scores, the Sunpentown SPT SU-4010 again earned a score of 6 out of 10 in this metric. It has two knobs, one to turn it on and off and select warm or cool mist, and one to select the mist setting. It doesn't offer any sort of off timer. These controls are quite simple and easy to operate. It lost points because the tank is quite large and can be difficult to fill from a sink. The opening also large at 3.25", so you don't need perfect aim when refilling.
Operating Cost
This is the biggest drawback of the Sunpentown SPT SU-4010, as it earned a low score of 3 out of 10 in this metric. It costs $108 up front, which feels a bit steep considering its performance. The kicker is the $30 replacement filters that it requires every 6 months. When combined with its average electricity usage that results in an estimated lifetime cost of $447. The only model with a higher such figure was the Dyson AM10, which lists for $500. In contrast, the top performing Levoit LV600HH's estimated lifetime cost is only $159.
Value
The Sunpentown SPT SU-4010's list price of $108 is already appreciably higher than other models in the same league of performance, like the TaoTronics ($50) and the Honeywell HUL520B ($30). When you factor in its replacement filter costs, it becomes one of the least economical models we tested.
Conclusion
The Sunpentown SPT SU-4010 offers reasonable performance, but high costs in both the long and short term make it a poor value.
— Max Mutter and Steven Tata