Air-O-Swiss 2055A Automatic Air Washer Review

If you live in an area like us (North East) where during the winter not only is it snowing and freezing cold but the air is extremely dry and the heat only makes it more dry in your living area, you know how crucial it is to have a humidifier during the winter months.  If you have dust allergies or allergies to anything else in your air and are constantly running an air-purifier and a humidifier at the same time look no further for your new favorite appliance.  Air-O-Swiss sent us their brand new 2055A Air Washer to test and to help us out so we don't wake up with bloody noses at night gasping for water.  We put the machine through some rigorous tests, kept it running for a week straight and even turned it off for a couple of days (will NEVER do that again) just to give our readers an honest review of the product.  In short if you don't own this machine we are appalled.  Not only does this machine humidify our apartment perfectly, it does so quietly and cleans our air too.  If you have dust allergies (like us) or just hate dust all together (like us) you know how important clean air is.  So after 2 fulls weeks of usage we have a full review and video click to read it all after the break.

First Impressions:

The unit is a great size.  While we can give you exact dimensions (14.2 x 14.2 x 14.2 in / 36 x 36 x 36 cm) just know that it really fits perfectly in any area and room in your house or apartment.  The place where we tested the unit was a studio with an alcove and visually the unit looks fantastic.  It is't too big and is very sleek looking.  While the unit has fantastic features the simplicity of it is what makes it so great.  While we understand needs sometimes for digital read outs and digital adjustments but the great thing about this unit is that it doesn't have those extras.  To be honest, we think that if it did have all that digital stuff it would have taken away from how great the unit looks.  The one dial with on/off and quiet mode is really perfect.

When we opened up the box and took the machine out we just had to check out these humidifier discs.  We have been so used to machines creating humidity the old fashion way with heat and micro-vibrations caused by an internal element we were really looking forward to seeing how these discs can get the same amount of humidity.  The unit comes with 16 discs, 8 on each side of the gear shaft.  They are thin, clear, plastic discs that are easy to remove from the machine and even easier to clean which is a major plus.  We are completely aware of our water hardness so having a machine that is easy to clean is a huge plus for us.  The directs call to clean and decalcify the machine every 2 weeks, but we know we have to clean it every week and the ease of cleaning this machine is really one of the best advantages to owning this unit.  Keeping it clean helps to ensure the best possible usage of the machine and when cleaning a humidifier/air purifier is a task it makes us want to put it in the closet and go by another one.  Very nicely done with this AOS 2055A.

One thing we did notice though on the unit that kind of struck a cord with us was the placement of the water tank cap.  Most tanks have the cap placed on top for an easy fill and it allows you to totally fill the tank.  However, the usual design on the water tanks with a top fill can get frustrating with fitting it in your sink which is why we know why Air-O-Swiss put the tank cap in the middle of the tank but it prevents us from totally filling the tank.  The most we have filled the tank is 3/4th's.  Maybe we are doing it wrong, but I doubt it, the design of the tank cap needs some reworking.

The Test:

Air-O-Swiss went above and beyond to make sure that you know how to properly operate the machine.  When you open the box, right there staring you in the face on the first flap is a short 15 panel how to use the machine guide.  When you open the box, right on the top piece of Styrofoam is a how to use pamphlet and then, of course the user manual and guide.  We really commend Air-O-Swiss, because in our opinion, you can never have too many user manuals.  In order to know exactly how to clean and operate the machine to get the most out of it you need to read the manual and they spared no expense giving you a step by step instruction on how to do exactly that.

Once we took the machine out of the box and began to fill the water tank we put a hydrometer in the apartment.  Not to close to the unit but not to far.  About 5-7 feet away.  Filling the tank takes about 2 minutes so while the tank filled, we took all all the plastic and cardboard from inside the machine (yes, they put cardboard inside to hold some of the pieces in place during shipping) the hydrometer had calibrated the humidity in the apartment at 26% humidity.  After just 24 hours of usage we noticed an incredible jump in the humidity.  It went from 26% to 32% and at the end of our two week testing it was at a stable 40% humidity throughout the apartment.  Once we turned the machine off for those two awful days that we will never speak of, the humidity dipped right back down into the high twenties.

After our test we really wanted to see how these humidification discs looked and we have to say we were surprisingly shocked.  To be honest, we did not think these discs would work as well as they did since we are used to wick filters in our machine that can absorb the dirt and water through the wicking process.  When we took the discs out of the machine there was lime scale all around them signifying that they were capturing an incredible amount of dirt from the air and water and holding onto it so that it did not just spit out back into the room (video below)

Apart from how well the humidification discs worked, the ease of cleaning the discs is unmatched.  Usually you have to replace water filters in these machines once they have gotten dirty.  Now while wick filters aren't tremendously expensive ($12-$20 a filter) you save that money with this machine by just rinsing the plastic discs under water, wiping them clean and placing them back into the machine.  Adding to how simple it is to clean the discs, cleaning the machine is simple as well.  All you need is a decalcifying agent (you can either purchase the EZ Cal descaler that they recommend or any other coffee maker descaler, take the discs out as well as the Silver Ion Stick, mix the descaler with water (as direct) mix and pour it into the base of the machine and let it sit for a couple of minutes.  Once the waiting is over, you pour the water/descaler concoction out, wipe down and get back to using the machine.

How does it work when it comes to reducing allergies you ask?  Well does the fact that we didn't see one speck of dust in a week and a half answer your question?  It should.  In areas that we knew were prone to dust (around electronic equipment and under furniture) we noticed that the amount of dust that showed up was next to none where we were usually cleaning and dusting daily.

Insider Opinion:

After using the machine for 2 full weeks we have to say that it is an incredible product.  The "night time" feature is really the best feature as far as we are concerned.  The unit is not too loud but when it is next to your TV and you have to constantly turn the volume up on your TV to compete with the Air Washer it is definitely something you know you don't want running when you are trying to get a good night sleep.  The time it takes to clean the unit every two weeks and descale it is also one of the big pluses.  One thing we really like about companies who make great products and that we review harshly on is a companies ability to make accessories and replacement parts easily available for its consumers.  Air-O-Swiss has a great and easy website that takes all of 5 minutes to find the replacement parts for the Air Washer like a new Ionic Silver Stick or even the EZCal cleaner & descaler, but what we really find great about Air-O-Swiss is the accessibility of their replacement parts like a new water tank, tank cap, tank gasket and even the disk pack.  Even though you can purchase new humidifier discs you have to purchase them in a pack for $49.99.  So if you break one while washing, there is no way to buy one individual disc direct through Air-O-Swiss but if you search the web long enough you might be able to find another vendor of Air-O-Swiss products that does.  Overall this AOS 2055 Automatic Air Washer is a fantastic product and well worth the price tag of $329.99, especially if you have allergies and want a clean home.