Evapolar evaCHILL Personal Air Conditioner Review

A personal air conditioner can be a great option to cool down the immediate area while:

• Working
• Camping
• Traveling
• Studying at the library
• Sleeping

If the room temperature is too hot and/or dry, using a portable evaporative air cooler like the Evapolar evaCHILL EV-500 might be just what is needed.

Today’s review is going to take an in-depth look at the Evapolar evaCHILL’s newest model to see how it stands up to other portable air conditioners. Let’s get started!

Pros

• Lightweight and portable
• Four different fan speeds
• Environmentally friendly
• Quiet enough to put in a child’s room to help with sleep

Cons 

• More expensive than other models
• Only cools the air directly around the device
• The drier the air, the more water needed

Evapolar evaCHILL Design

The Evapolar evaCHILL personal evaporative air cooler is designed to look sleek and attractive on a desk or bedside table. 

It has a square body with rounded corners, and black air vents on the front. Air intake vents are on the back and are the same color as the rest of the body. 

There are frosted water reservoir tanks on either side of the portable air conditioner, making it easy to see how much water is left at all times.

The top middle compartment houses the filter and water funnel. The cover easily pops off when needed. 

The handle is also located on the top, push the piece back and pull up for easy carrying. The water reservoir fill is on the back right under the handle.

According to Evapolar, it is leakproof, but this is really only true when the handle is not in use. When carrying the evaCHILL, use caution if water is in the reservoir to avoid spillage. 

For best results, do not use the handle when there is water in the device.

The power cord plugs in at the base on the back side of the unit. There is also a small space on the top of the back side that can be used as an alternate carrying handle.

The personal air conditioner and humidifier comes in opaque white or urban gray as color options.

How does it work?

The Evapolar evaCHILL personal air conditioner comes fully assembled and ready to use.

This device has just one button control on the top front. Simply press the button until the desired fan speed out of four options is reached.

To use it as a regular fan, just turn it on. For the humidifier, water is needed.

Remove the middle compartment, pull out the funnel and place it in the water reservoir located under the handle. Then, fill using a water bottle or place it under the faucet until full.

The water reservoir holds 800 ml / 27 ounces / 3.38 cups. Depending on the dryness of the air in the room, a full water reservoir will last anywhere from three to eight hours.

Once the water is added, the cartridge materials will absorb most of the water. Once fully absorbed:

1. Hot air is pulled in through the rear air vents
2. The air moves through the pads, picking up water
3. The air is cooled and saturated
4. Cold air comes out the front air vents

Size & Dimensions

The Evapolar evaCHILL is pretty average size-wise compared to other personal air conditioners.

The evaCHILL has the following size and dimensions:

• Length: 6.5″
• Height: 6.5”
• Width: 6.5”
• Weight: 2 pounds

The air chilled in front of the unit is approximately 45 square feet, which is roughly the size of a desk, couch or small bed.

Parts & Accessories

The Evapolar evaCHILL ev-500 has minimal parts and accessories. Everything is included in the box to be able to use right away. No assembly is required (except for adding water to use it as a humidifier and air conditioner). 

Parts and accessories included are:

• evaCHILL ev-500 personal air conditioner
• Filter cartridge (already installed)
• Water funnel (included inside the unit)
• Power supply
• User manual

Testing the evaCHILL

We put the evaCHILL to the test at our office and testing lab.

For reference, our office is in Phoenix, Arizona. We typically keep our office 79 degrees (believe me, it’s not as hot as you might imagine when the outside is around 110 degrees).

I placed the evaCHILL on a bamboo end table beside my desk (just in case anything went wrong with the water, fortunately, it did not).

The results?

Overall, it definitely makes a notable impact on cooling the area immediately around my desk. It’s extremely quiet on settings 1 and 2, which I found sufficient most of the time to cool me down.

While it does humidify the air, it doesn’t feel as strong as a dedicated humidifier (see our Levoit humidifier tests and Elechomes humidifier tests here). So it’s definitely not a complete replacement to a humidifier.

However, I was totally fine that by. It still adds enough water to the water to help cool down the air more than just a fan alone would.

I will say, the evaCHILL definitely works best when it’s pointed directly at you. While it does help to chill the general area it’s placed in, its best performance is when blowing humidified air directly on your face or body.

Overall, I would say the evaCHILL does exactly what it says it’s designed to do. When on the highest settings I was definitely cool (cooler than I wanted in fact, which is why I mostly stayed on level 1 and 2).

Usability

The evaCHILL swamp cooler is easy to use. 

1. Add water (if desired)
2. Plug it in
3. Press button until desired fan speed is reached

When choosing a fan speed, the button lights up in different ways so it’s easy to know which speed it’s on:

• Speed 1 – left side of button lights up
• Speed 2 – middle of button lights up
• Speed 3 – right side of button lights up
• Speed 4 – the entire button lights up

It requires no additional setup other than plugging it in and adding water. 

One thing to note is that the air conditioning feature takes up to 10 minutes to reach full effect. This is about how long it takes for the cartridge material to absorb the water so it can cool the output of air.

Environmental Impact

One of the benefits of choosing the evaCHILL is that it uses technology to reduce the carbon footprint.

• Freon free – evaporative cooling means no hazardous liquids like freon are used, making it completely safe to use around pets, children, and the elderly.
• Inorganic nano-fibers – the mineral compound used to create the Eva Breeze cartridges are inorganic so will not harbor and feed bacteria or mold.
• Biodegradable pads – the pads that make up the replaceable filters are completely biodegradable
• Power consumption – the evaCHILL consumes only 7.5 watts of power when in use. Cooling power varies depending on fan mode, using between 100 W – 350 W / 340-1190 BTU/hour.
• Purifies the air – not only does this device add moisture to the immediate area, it also cleans the air. The filters trap dust and particles, improving the air quality that it puts out.

According to Evapolar, the EV-500 model has an energy efficiency rating of 21 – 37 depending on fan speed. 

Maintenance

The only maintenance required of the Evapolar portable air conditioner is replacing the filter cartridge when needed.

The amount of time between filter replacements will vary based on a few factors:

• Quality of air
• Quality of water
• Dryness level of the air in the room/environment

Expect to get anywhere from two to six months out of each evaporative cartridge. You can find replacement parts here.

RELATED – The Best Air Purifiers

How loud is this portable air conditioner?

The manufacturer states that the evaCHILL EV-500 is whisper quiet on the four fan speeds. 

We tested this theory by using an electronic decibel measuring device to compare each speed mode. Here is what we found:

• Speed 1: 45 dB
• Speed 2: 47 dB
• Speed 3: 53 dB
• Speed 4: 59 dB

For comparison purposes, we also tested the normal ambient noise of the room, which is 45 dB. As a result, the speed 1 and 2 are truly basically a whisper. Speed 3 is a notable increase in noise, but only speed 4 is what might be described as “loud”.

Even so, it’s no louder than any fan you might use at night to cool down a room.

Find out more about how we test our products here.

Is the evaCHILL a good value?

Compared to other personal air conditioners, the Evapolar evaCHILL is on the higher end when considering cost. However, it’s more than just a personal fan, this unit is also a:

• Portable air conditioner
• Humidifier
• Air purifier
• Evaporative air chiller / swamp cooler

These multiple features make the Evapolar EV-500 model a multi-use personal fan, which means the price will be higher.

In general, the evaCHILL feels like a pretty good value overall. While it doesn’t cool a large area (45 sq. ft. according to Evapolar), it’s great if it’s close by and the fan is blowing directly at you.

Where the evaCHILL really excels is the relative size. It really is small enough for a desk or end table. As a result, you can get the unit extremely close to you for increased cooling and humidity.

Evapolar evaCHILL EV-500 Personal Air Conditioner Specifications

Should you buy the evaCHILL personal air conditioner fan?

Once all the benefits and features of the Evapolar EV-500 are considered, is it the right choice for you?

It’s an ultra-light, portable personal air conditioner that can be used anywhere you have a USB power supply.

The ability to clean and moisturize the air, along with the cooling feature and lack of environmental impact, makes it a nice purchase for the right consumer.

I would recommend the Evapolar evaCHILL if you are looking for the following in a personal air cooling fan:

• You want to cool a small space – the evaCHILL is a small unit and can cool a small space. It’s ideally suited to blow directly on a single individual. However, it’s spec’d to support areas up to 45 square feet.
• Safety around children and pets – The environmentally friendly materials make this model a good option to use around pets and children. It’s safe to use next to a child’s bed to help them sleep better with more regulated temperatures.
• Ease of portability – The evaCHILL weighs just two pounds when not filled with water, and its small size makes it easy to take anywhere. Use when camping, traveling, at work or at home to cool the air within 45 sq. ft. directly in front of the unit.
• Purifies and moisturizes the air – This model not only cools the air, it also purifies it and acts as a humidifier. It’s great for the desert dry air or during winter to help reduce static and keep skin from drying out.

To learn more or to purchase the Evapolar evaCHILL EV-500, click here.