REASONS TO BUY
Powerful
Inexpensive
REASONS TO AVOID
Hard to clean
Cannot be used on carpet
TaoTronics TT-AH001 Review
This budget model provides lots of power, making it ideal for larger rooms
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
RELATED: The Best Humidifiers
Our Verdict
The TaoTronics TT-AH001 offers some high-end options, like top-notch power and a very accurate humidistat, at an impressively low price. However, those things come at a figurative cost rather than a literal one. The TT-AH001 is relatively difficult to clean, so you're going to buy that extra power in effort and elbow grease rather than money. The water tank is also very tall, so there's a decent chance you won't be able to fit it under your sink faucet. On the other hand, the only way to get as much power as the TT-AH001 offers is to spend double on the Levoit LV600HH. On the plus side, this machine is easier to clean and the water tank is more convenient to refill.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The TaoTronics TT-AH001 is just as powerful as the Levoit LV600HH and about half the price. However, it is also about twice as difficult to clean. So if you're looking for a high powered humidifier you'll have to decide whether you want to save time or money.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Performance Comparison
Even with its poor performance in our cleaning test the incredible power of the TaoTronics TT-AH001 earned it an above average score. For more on how this machine performed in all of our tests, read on below.
Humidifying Performance
The TT-AH001 was actually the most powerful model we tested, slightly outperforming the Levoit LV600HH. It got our 150 square foot testing room up to 45% humidity in just 17 minutes. This was the fastest of any of the models we tested, and nearly twice as fast as the Editors' Choice-winning Levoit LV600HH. It also edged the LV600HH in maximum humidity reached in 3 hours, hitting 70% compared to the LV600HH's 68% This gives the TT-AH001 enough power for large bedrooms and very arid climates.
The TT-AH001 is impressively powerful.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The TT-AH001 backs this power up with an impressively accurate humidistat. In our testing it was always with 1 percentage point of our dedicated humidity meter. This was slightly more accurate than the humidistat of the Levoit LV600HH, and slightly less accurate than the near infallible humidistat of the Dyson. In reality, the average person will not be able to discern the difference between 48% humidity and 50% humidity, so functionally all of these humidistats are accurate, and we don't really need to split hairs.
Ease of Cleaning
This is where the TT-AH001 really lost favor with us, earning a below average score of 4 out of 10. The 2" opening on the water tank makes getting inside and scrubbing it fairly difficult. The sonic unit has a permanent filter around it, which provides lots of little hard to reach areas where mold can accumulate. To make matters worse, TaoTronics does not provide any directions in terms of using vinegar or citric soaks to try and get rid of the model in those hard to reach areas, we just had to experiment and hope for the best. This is a huge hassle compared to the Levoit LV600HH, which has a larger tank opening, fewer hard to reach areas, and clear direction for completing a thorough cleaning.
The accurate huidistat lets you set a desired humidity and not worry if you forget to turn the humidifier off.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
User Friendliness
The TT-AH001 has a clean and simple to use interface. This makes it very easy to set an off timer, adjust the mist setting, select your desired humidity level, and turn the optional night light on and off. It also has a convenient handle for when you need to move the unit around. The water tank opening is 2", which is large enough, but we wish it was a bit larger. The Levoit LV600HH has a slight advantage here with its 3.25" water tank opening, and included remote control (something the TT-AH001 lacks). The tank is also on the taller side at 9.5" making it less than ideal for smaller sinks. We preferred the 6.5" height of the Levoit LV600HH, as it is easy to fit into almost any sink.
You have to place the TT-AH001 on a hard surface, which may be limiting if you have a carpeted bedroom.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Operating Cost
The TT-AH001's operating costs are quite low. We calculated an estimated lifetime cost of $101 for this unit. That low cost starts with a low list price. It's an ultrasonic model, so you also don't have to buy any wicks or filters. It does use a bit more electricity than other models, 0.02 kWh per hour. Overall this estimated lifetime cost is $58 less than that of the Levoit LV600HH.
Value
The TaoTronics TT-AH001 is a good value in one very specific situation: if you have hard floors, don't mind a lot of cleaning, and what high end humidifying power. In this case you can get an incredibly powerful humidifier for a very affordable price. If you're not willing to spend extra time cleaning, or have carpet in the room you want to humidify, you're going to have to get the $120 Levoit LV600HH.
Conclusion
The TaoTronics TT-AH001 offers impressive power, but is hard to clean and can't be used on carpet. If you can get past its shortcoming, it's a great deal. However, no being able to be used on carpet and requiring extra cleaning effort may be dealbreakers for many people.
—
Max Mutter and Steven Tata
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