While it isn’t officially summer, it feels like it is in some parts of the U.S. There are various ways to keep cool, from lounging in an above-ground pool to sporting a wearable air conditioner. However, check out a portable air conditioner for more cooling power. Black + Decker’s best-selling portable a/c is 23 percent off on Amazon, bringing the price from $569 to $439.
Black + Decker says the Portable Air Conditioner is powerful enough to cool rooms up to 700 square feet with its 14,000 BTU of cooling power. But we found in our testing of it that it’s best suited to managing the temp in small rooms, as senior home editor Roy Berendsohn wrote “perhaps even supplementing a central-air system in a tall condominium or townhouse that has an uncomfortably warm upstairs room.” At 16.5 x 11.7 x 27.9 inches and 62.4 pounds, it’s a standard size and shouldn’t feel bulky in a small bedroom. The unit’s handles and casters make it easier to move from room to room, as long as there’s an outlet and a window for a hose nearby where you want it.
The unit offers three-in-one functionality, including a dehumidifier and a fan. The dehumidifier is helpful for removing moisture, while the fan can circulate the cool air in your space. There are three fan levels (low, medium, high) and an auto-fan setting, which can automatically adjust the speed. The Portable Air Conditioner also includes left and right auto-swing air louvers to distribute the cool air in your space, a highlight of this a/c. “You manually set the output louver vertical direction to adjust the appliance’s throw (HVAC lingo for how far the air conditioner pushes the air), but behind those louvers is an oscillating louver that shifts automatically left to right,” Berendsohn writes. “The result is smooth, clean, cold air softly delivered over a broad area.”
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Other features include a 24-hour timer to prevent it from running if you forget about it, plus a sleep mode that will automatically control the air temperature at night. And it runs at a claimed 52 decibels at its highest setting—roughly equivalent to the volume of a normal conversation. It should be quiet enough for you to run the a/c at full blast while you sleep, but your tolerance for noise may vary. The unit also comes with a remote and an installation kit, making it easy to use with windows that open either vertically or horizontally.
Buy the Black and Decker 14,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Brandon Russell is a freelance writer covering gear and technology. He started his journey as a news writer at a small newspaper and later began reviewing smartphones, movies, and video games. In his free time, he enjoys the slower, more intentional experience of using a 35mm film camera and making short videos about movies he grew up watching.
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