Home Reviews ,,,,, Summer is approaching and the sun begins to remind us that soon the warmth sought as a remedy for the long winter, it could soon become hot and push us to look for a little cool. For this of course there are air conditioners which however require space and installation. What could be better in this scenario than a personal air conditioner, to always carry around in a room, garage or shed for tools and hobbies? Evapolar, the “personal cooler”, responds precisely to this need by carrying out three functions: it cools, humidifies and cleans the air. Does it keep what it promises? How does it work? We tried it to answer these questions and see if it works the … miracle it promises.
Evapolar what it is, how it works
Evapolar, a project born on Indiegogo where it has exceeded a million dollars in funding, is a cube of a few centimeters on each side, made of plastic and particularly light also because it is substantially hollow. There is a white main body (but the company is also launching a black version) and a small rectangular tank that hooks sideways, is transparent and is perfectly in line with the overall design of the appliance. In the tank is the water, which in a moment we will see how it is used, while the main body is substantially hollow because it contains the blades of an electric fan and a paper filter that occupies all the internal space.
On the top of the unit is an LCD screen with a black bezel around it. That's the command interface. On the back a micro Usb socket allows you to connect the power supply, which is a normal transformer with Usb output, and the whole device works with a total consumption of at most 10 watts.
Things get a lot of fun when you turn it all on.
Evapolar field test
We put the water inside the tank, which contains about half a liter, choosing to use that produced by the dryer at home because it is filtered but not drinkable. The tap water in Milan is calcareous and risks dirtying the paper filter quickly, which is guaranteed for six months to one year depending on the type of use, while the mineral water seems to be an excessive waste.
As soon as the plug is plugged in, the appliance switches on. A long press on the display, which also acts as a switch by floating down, allows you to turn off Evapolar. Instead, a lighter touch changes “way”. As soon as it is switched on, Evapolar shows two numerical values - basically in degrees centigrade, but you can also switch to Fahrenheit, which represent the temperature of the air entering and leaving the device. Furthermore, by turning the ring nut, you can increase the intensity of the fan or lower it to the minimum, to have a simple movement of the air.
But the striking thing is the colored light that turns on inside the tank and that makes Evapolar a piece of furniture. Scrolling through the display menus you can configure the color of the light, its intensity and the color of a second light notification that allows you to warn when the water is running out.
We have activated these functions by creating a small device with an action range of a few meters that is capable of making a room less hot, but with preconditions, and fighting the effect of “dryness” of the environment, also reducing dirt in the air. Evapolar is presented as effective and functional, with two defects: the first we see it in a moment, but the second is linked to the noise of the fan which, when it is brought to maximum speed, makes itself heard.
How Evapolar works
The main flaw of Evapolar lies in the understanding that users who think of buying a real air conditioner or a heat pump or in any case a tool capable of artificially causing a cooling of the temperature can meet. Evapolar, as its name also says (which contains the term “evaporate”, is a system for cooling the air under certain conditions and based on a simple principle of physics.
If you see how the system works, you understand immediately: the water is taken from the tank and percolated capillary into the paper filter inside the appliance. In practice, the filter is always kept moist. Then the fan passes the air, no more and no less like a hair dryer to dry a wet surface. When it dries in this way it means that the water evaporates, and by doing so on a principle of physics it lowers the temperature of the air, as well as moistening it.
How much the air cools depends on how much moisture it collects, i.e. how humid it was before. In very hot and very humid environments, for example, there is no substantial lowering of the temperature and indeed there is an increase in humidity (which, let us remember, increases the perceived temperature). In drier environments, on the other hand, it reaches a drop of 10 degrees or a little more. So, if, as now, the temperature is 25 degrees and the climate very dry, Evapolar allows you to have outgoing air with a temperature of 12 degrees.
This air is also humid, and the consequence is the humidification of the environment. In the summer it is not necessarily good, but in an apartment during the winter, for example, it is comfortable because the air is very dry due to the heating of the radiators. So much so that humidifiers or water trays placed on or next to the radiator elements are used.
Again, there is a third effect: since Evapolar, which is essentially a fan, “catches” and forces the air circulation of a room inside it contains a wet filter which will then moisten the air, it works as a filter for cleaning the air, eliminating dust and other types of large pollutants. In short, if you live in a big city, it also acts as an air purifier.
What it does not do is as an air conditioner: after all, such a small and portable box cannot be expected to have this type of effect, moreover without the need for external elements and without producing water. Quite the contrary: Evapolar water consumes it, does not produce it, because it works with a principle of physics opposite to that of an air conditioner or a heat pump.
Conclusions
Evapolar is not cheap: 159 euros the unit and 22 euros (currently at a discount from 45 euros initial) the replacement filters. It was created on IndieGoGo by a group of Eastern European designers and is a very original and intriguing idea. The physical principle on which it works is the same as we could have if we put a wet cloth over a fan, but its execution is top notch and flawless. The luminaire works as promised, the materials are of good quality, the light that can be changed and adjusted makes it a piece of furniture for gadget lovers and its operation is on a human scale.
In fact, during our test we saw that the effect of fresh air is there and feels good. Not enough for a large room, but for a small room or for the desk if you work or for the lunch table it works just fine. The small size allows it to be placed on a bookcase or any piece of furniture, also because it “does not dirty” and does not vibrate particularly when it works. It must be supplied with water and powered by electricity but it consumes very little (10 watts at maximum ventilation power).
The lightness and compactness of the appliance also make it suitable to be taken away for example for a holiday home or for an outdoor dinner. The important thing is to have very clear what the expectation is for this type of appliance. It is not, as mentioned, a real air conditioner (nor does Evapolar try to sell it that way) and it is not limited to its function as a “cooler”. In fact, perhaps it is better to use it more in winter to increase the humidity of the air and clean it of dust and other polluting particles.
We liked it. He did what we expected him to do and showed no problems whatsoever. The level of realization of the appliance is good and after two weeks of use it did not show any structural problems. Fan noise and high price are the only two in an otherwise very positive judgment.
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