Crane 4-in-1 White Drop Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier with Sound Machine, Night Light, Aroma Tray, 1 Gallon Top Fill White

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Because I've already got one I purchased a few years ago for my home and it does the job so I wanted one for my cottage too.

The media could not be loaded. Needed a new humidifier as my old one was 3+ years old and finally died. Sound machine is cool and you can adjust the volume but I probably won’t use it. I like the light feature as well, I like to leave it on the color changing mode. My only note is if you’ve checked out the demineralization filter this brand sells it will unfortunately not work with this model. PLEASE only use distilled water for your humidifiers your machines will thank you.

I love this humidifier!

I've used a Crane Drop humidifier (always 1 gal, I guess 1.0 and 1.1?) for many years and my biggest gripe with it has always been the pink slime that's impossible to completely remove from the tank, even with flexible brushes. Finding out that the 2.0 is a top-fill with actual access to the interior of the tank gave me a giddy feeling.Initial impressions:1. Having the mist channel moved to the exterior of the tank with a removeable plate is nice, but not necessary. I suppose it does look better visually not having it running through the middle of the tank, but I never had issues with cleaning the central channel. Any bottle brush worked fine. My second Drop (model 1.1?) had an annoying grate over the reservoir side of the channel where calcium would settle into the crevices. I tried to remove it with cutters and failed. A rotary tool with a cutting wheel would probably work.2. Night light feature is pleasing. You only have the option of Red, Blue, Color Changing, or off. I quite like the violet one and wish it was an option. But mostly I'm glad it's possible to have no light. The older models had not only a continuous light inside the tank, but a power light indicator over the dial. The power light turns off after severals seconds on this one.3. No burbling as the tank releases water into the reservoir! I haven't really examined the mechanism by which this is possible, but I appreciate it. After so many years, I'd gotten used to the random burbling in the older model, but those who prefer the quiet will be happy.4. Three output settings. Ok, I can see some people being a little unhappy to be losing the ability to fine tune the output using a dial. I always found the dial a little slippery when my hands were wet from refilling or just moisturizing. My only disappointment here is that the maximum output of this model doesn't quite meet that of the older. During this particular cold snap, my Crane 1.1 was able to push up to 45% RH when the heaters were nearly on constant. This one is getting to 41-42% with an assist from a portable desktop model.5. White noise feature. I'm going to pass on this. It seems entirely superfluous and the quality of those recordings/speaker is just ick. If that's a feature you like, you do you.6. Detachable power cord. !!! I have stepped on the the power insert more than a few times during regular cleaning of the base. Ouch! The durabilty of the cord remains to be seen. It's not a usb type, so I'm not sure how easy finding a replacement would be.7. Vapor Pad Tray. This is new. I'm prone to headaches from strong scents, so I won't be utilizing this feature, but I know many people will appreciate having scented mist. (I believe it is still not advised to use essential oils directly in the tank.)8. No hand grip for tank placement. With it being a top fill, the grip had to go. It can make placing the tank on the base a little tricky. I think a lot of the complaints regarding leaking probably come from not properly setting the tank into the baseOverall Rating: 4 StarsWe'll see how well this unit holds up. My 1.1 unit is near 10 years now. Disappointed that the max output hasn't been carried into this model. I'd rather have that than the white noise or night light features, but I am excited for the easier to clean tank.

This product was purchased for my ferns. It was suggested as a top brand in an article I had read. Because it worked for a couple of weeks, I decided to dispose of the original packaging (because who likes keeping paper bags lying around the house). Because of this, I’m unable to return it.Even if it had worked there were a couple of issues I had. I don’t like a lot of clutter- having plants in pots is one thing, but they contributed to my aesthetic. If you’re looking for a functional, and easy to use (medium to small sized) humidifier, this isn’t it. Apart from the fact that it’s cumbersome/extremely large- the instructions state that you need to dump the water daily- because all of the water pools up into the chamber under the basin, trying not to spill it and carting it across the room to a sink is tedious. The instructions also state that when you have refilled it, you need to use both hands to carry it- this is an awesome recommendation- because of the size of this product- but unless you’re amazing- you’re still gonna walk on eggshells toting this thing around to try and prevent water from gushing about. Another thing is the complexity of the item. This humidifier separates and contains a water bobbing device that will shut off your humidifier once the undercarriage fills with water. Maybe this is what normal humidifiers have always been like, but it seems more like an archaic pool filtration system- and if you’re using this for illness (instead of to humidify plants)- it would probably be an absolute chore…To be honest- I’m glad it didn’t work. Now I don’t feel bad about sitting it out to be picked up with the trash, because it was a nightmare to use.On the other hand, it did serve its purpose well- once you got it set up each and every time- which was to create a humid environment for my plants. In retrospect, I think I’ll just stick to misting my ferns daily instead.