Solenco's Mist-Free Humidifier might have the most SEO-friendly name we've heard since the introduction of the iPhone. That said, it'll also keep your nose and other mucous membranes moist when everything else around them is drying out... without looking like a mini volcano erupting next to your bed. That's worth three grand, right?
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Solenco is all about moving air around, whether it’s inside a vacuum cleaner or via evaporation of some sort. The Solenco Mist-Free Humidifier, a product seemingly named for better search engine optimisation, is one of the latter. At R3,000, it had best be better at its job than the budget type you find at Clicks.
Being Solenco, the Mist-Free Humidifier (we still can’t get over the title) will definitely outperform something that’s one-sixth of the price. It’ll also give other products in the same price range a run for your money.
Damp router
Solenco’s most expensive humidifier is pleasantly understated in its white livery… if you’re not constantly bombarded by tech all day. To the folks at Stuff, it resembles an oversized router you might get with your 5G wireless internet subscription from a certain other damp company. It’s only once you pay attention to the base or the very top of the unit that the illusion is dispelled. Or you could just walk close enough to realise that the Mist-Free Humidifier (there’s that name again) is large enough to hold eight litres of water.
It’s packing a few more buttons than your standard internet router, plus it’s far more tolerant of being filled with liquid. A digital controller lives on top of the humidifier. It bears a strong resemblance, in form and function, to the control setup found in Meaco fans. It features simple iconography and an LED readout of your current humidity level. Around the back, there’s a figure-eight power connector for powering the whole setup.
Novice operative
If you’re familiar with Meaco’s stuff — or Solenco, since they’re closely related — then operating this one is a simple affair. Automatic, Health, and Sleep modes are punted, but you can customise it all just as easily. The eight-litre tank has a claimed runtime of ten hours. We were usually up and about in the morning before it ran out. Even in winter, ten hours is a bit long to stay in bed. Humidity levels can be specified, from a relatively parched 40% to a positively moist 80%. The Mist-Free Humidifier will stick to your settings until you tell it otherwise.
The headline feature is the ‘mist-free’ part. Solenco’s router tower uses an evaporative effect to move moisture around the room. The lack of an off-white plume of vapour from the top makes it tough to know that the humidifier is working. The noise it makes — there is some, but it shouldn’t disturb sleep — is a better indicator. Your dry sinuses will thank you, no matter how much noise it makes.
There are also a few other features inside. Solenco has included a UV filter for killing bacteria before it’s aerosolised into your home. There are also air purifier functions built in. The humidifier includes an H11 HEPA filter. Solenco is impressed by it, but if you peer at its specs, you’ll see that it only catches 95% of the nasties instead of 99%. That should be more than enough for most folks. It’ll keep the pollen out of your nose, even if you don’t need the humidifying aspect in October. In one room, at least.
Solenco Mist-Free Humidifier verdict
Solenco’s air moisturiser may not be for everyone, but it’ll absolutely keep your sinuses (and other bits) moist in overly dry conditions. That’s not quite as important this time of the year — the company’s air purifiers are a better option as spring moves towards summer — but they’re handy to have in storage for those overly dry nights. Or months, if you happen to live inland. The ‘mist-free’ portion of the package is accurate, meaning there’s no real plume of dampness you have to avoid while it’s in use. The biggest jump is the price tag. R3,000 is a lot, but if you spend less, you’ll absolutely regret not spending more on one of these.
