Genuine Cooling Reviews
Helping You Actually Stay Cool.
Once the thermostat goes up, the internet is full of advertisements for miracle 'air conditioning' units on the cheap promising everything under the sun to keep you cool. Unfortunately, just about all of them are borderline useless USB "mini coolers," cheap fans dressed up or at best inefficient evaporative units sold as air conditioners promising to do the impossible. I've fallen for these myself, and now when I see them I call them out, hopefully to dissuade people like yourself from wasting their money.
As much as I wish you could cool a room/house/anything with a unit that costs less than a hundred bucks, you can't. Use our AC Finder to see exactly what you need for your space, and check for the best deals on legitimate air conditioning units; from portable AC's to full outdoor units, and everything inbetween. This site is not a storefront, but we do link out to places you can buy what you actually need for your space. No bias (though I may recommend tested units,) no advertisers, no preferance past what works - occassionally a small commission that helps to keep the site up.
AC Finder
Legitimate air conditioners aren't quite as cheap as fake ones, but on the bright side they don't have to be overly expensive either - and they work! Provide some information about your current space and we'll recommend units at the best prices we can find.
Debunked AC's
Regardless of how they're often advertised, these aren't "real" air conditioners in the sense that they can cool a room. Glorified fans, sometimes with some minor wicking for "evaporative cooling" - at best you'll feel a little more comfortable sitting a couple feet away while the room stays as hot as ever (if not worse from the added electrical heat.)
ChillWell
Despite the name, the ChillWell Portable AC isn't a true portable air conditioner. It's a small rechargeable fan that uses water and a removable cooling cartridge to produce a slightly cooler breeze at close range.
Epicooler
Sold through a growing number of websites with names such as EpiCooler, Epicooler, Epi Cooler, and similar variations, this unit has been heavily promoted through social media, YouTube advertisements, sponsored articles, and websites claiming to be the product's "official" store.
The Cooling Ace
Sold under a number of rebranded names and by many different companies, this one is all over social media and YouTube advertisements.
How real air conditioning actually works
A real air conditioner doesn't make cold. It moves heat. A compressor pushes refrigerant through a loop: the refrigerant soaks up heat from your room's air as it evaporates, carries it away, then releases that heat somewhere else as it condenses. Then it does it again, hundreds of times a minute.
That's why every genuine AC has to vent somewhere: out a window, through a wall, or to an outdoor unit. The heat has to leave the space you're cooling. A device with no exhaust and no outdoor half isn't removing heat at all. At best it's a fan blowing over water, which just makes the room damper.
One question sorts real cooling from the gadgets: where does the heat go? If the seller can't answer that, you're not looking at a real air conditioner.
The five real ways to cool a space
In the right situation, each of these types actually work. Click on one for a detailed description on how they work, or read the full guide to every AC type.
