10 Best Portable Air Coolers 2024 in the US

When it gets hot outside, there are a number of ways of keeping cool inside. Even if you have air conditioning, it might be a shame to turn on air conditioning if you’re alone in the room. A small, portable air cooler might be enough to do the trick. They use evaporative cooling to produce cold, moist air.  It has a fan that takes in warm air from the surroundings and blows it over water that you place in the cooler’s reservoir. The flow of warm air will evaporate the water. Evaporation is an “endothermic process”, meaning that it absorbs energy. Thus, the water molecules absorb the heat from the warm air, and the water converts into water vapor. This makes the air moist and cool at the same time. Thus, if you are sweltering on a hot, dry summer day, an evaporative air cooler will produce cool, moist air. And instead of using kilowatts of power, it can cool you off at as little as 18 Watts of power!

But, while they all work on the same principle, there are still some variables to consider among portable air coolers. Some have a night light feature, using different color LED lights. Some are battery-powered, which allows you to take it with you pretty much anywhere. You should also look at the product’s dimensions, to see how easy it is to carry along with you.

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a portable air cooler. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of portable air cooler,

• See useful tips about that particular type of portable air cooler,

• Read reviews of different portable air coolers, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of portable air cooler, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

Ontel Arctic Air Personal Space Cooler

• Power consumption: Depending on the model, a personal portable air cooler can run on as little as 18 Watts of power--compare this to an air conditioner that requires as much as 1500 Watts of power! That’s not including the cost of the air conditioner and the hassle of having to install it.

• Noise level: Some complain that portable air coolers can run noisily. The Madoats portable air conditioner has a noise level of 58 decibels. That’s about the same as a conversation in a room--but it might not be so easy to use it while sleeping. But the noise level will depend on the fan speed.

• Works even in very hot temperatures: A fan might be able to blow a greater volume of air. But, when it’s really hot, a fan will only blow around hot air. Even in temperatures of over 90 ℉ outdoors, a portable air cooler will help drop the temperature around 5 degrees.

• Dry out the filter periodically: Some devices are supplied with a filter, such as the Arctic Air Cooler. If you run your device with water in it all the time, that filter may become moldy. It’s advised to run it with no water on occasion, so as to dry out the filter. You should also empty the device of its water, to ensure it dries out.

• Condensation collector: There are some devices that have a condensation collector. This is a small drawer that you open underneath the cooler’s fan. As the moist air being blown out condenses into water droplets, the droplets collect in this drawer.

• Power supply: Portable air coolers usually will work on wall current. There are also battery-powered versions, such as the Blu Breeze portable cooler, which runs on 4 “AA” batteries. But, you’ll also find some that you can attach to a USB port--and that will be enough to run it! However, you’ll notice it drain your laptop battery pretty fast.

• Speeds: You’ll find many evaporative coolers can have three fan speeds: Low, Medium, and High. You can select the fan power according to the intensity of breeze that you want--but the higher speed will also be noisier. Remember: even at the highest speed, you won’t be able to cool off an area of more than 40 square feet. Don’t expect this to cool off or humidify an entire room.

• LED lights to serve as a night light: Many evaporative portable coolers are equipped with LED lights. They have a button to allow you to select the intensity of the light (low, medium, high), as well as the color. You can vary the color according to the mood that you want to lend to the room. FitFirst makes a portable air cooler that can cycle through 7 different colors.

• Running time: The Ontel Arctic Air Personal Air Cooler can accept two cups of water at a time--this allows running it for 8 hours at a time when the fan is running at low.

• Must be placed on a flat surface: Once it’s full, you shouldn’t move the appliance, because the water in the reservoir will probably spill. You should keep it on a flat surface at all times--so using it while traveling in a car or van doesn’t seem to be an option.

• Ontel is an online retailer dealing with toys, home fitness equipment, and household items. The company was founded by Chuck Khubani in 1994. Some of their brands are Chill Chest, Dust Daddy, Measure King, and much more. Arctic Air is their brand of personal, portable air coolers.

• Fitfirst makes a series of portable air conditioners, shiatsu massagers, heating pads, healthcare products, and more.

• Madoats manufactures a number of products and appliances for the home and kitchen. They make misting fans and portable air conditioners, as well as portable space heaters, soap dispensers, mist humidifiers, ultrasonic pest repellers, blenders, coffee grinders, and more.

• JinHot is a maker of household appliances, kitchen aids, and personal care products. Their personal evaporative cooler can cool a room, add humidity, and purify water as well.