I bought an EdgeStar 13,000 btu portable a/c unit for about $550 just three years ago, and it has already broken. I've called their customer service number about 6 times, and have only spoken to someone twice. Their message to me was that I'm SOL: your unit is broken, we don't know what's wrong with it, and there is no one in your area we know of who can fix it.

By the way, I live in Boston, which is notable for two reasons: it's not a particularly taxing area on air conditioners, as they typically only need to run 3 months out of the year, and IT'S A CITY! How is there no one to service EdgeStar a/c units in the entire city??? Don't believe me? Think I'm just one angry customer? Look around the web; see what's said about them on various message and consumer watchdog sites. I googled "edgestar repair" and found that the 4th link listed belonged to [...]. Bad sign. And before you buy, do yourself a favor and check their website (www.edgestar.com). Look for yourself... Read more

I needed this unit to cool basement in Brooklyn, NY, which gets unbearably hot and humid in the summer.

I purchased the EdgeStar Extreme Cool 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner based on outstanding reviews from other consumer websites. I saw it was on sale at Amazon and took a chance with it.

In terms of cooling power, this unit did not disappoint. I needed this unit to cool a 400 square foot basement, and it did at just the medium setting and about 20 minutes. It was a little noisy, but you get used to the humming.

It also has a powerful dehumidifier function, which is what I really needed for a basement.

On the minus side, be aware that the unit has a window hose (not pictured) with a limited length of about 4 feet. I found out that you cannot have a longer hose as the manufacturer says it... Read more

I have owned an Edgestar from the local big box hardwar store. I think they make a different model for each store. I am in the middle of the 4th summer using it. I have let my neighbors kids take it to University for their frat house during the school year. So I use to cool the master bedroom and msater bath which is just over 500 SQ with 8 foot ceiling. It drains into the shower. It came with flexiable ducting that stretches to about 10 feet. I am guessing my version does not vent any water through the duct. What I had to do because the duct gets so hot from the exhaust is get a larger heaver insulating ducting that I placed around the other duct. That solved a lot of residual heat behind it.

All in all I am extremely happy with my older model. By the way, everyone is right about customer support. there is none. I wanted to ask a question on cleaning the drain tube. If it is not running, it starts to smell like a Flodida motel room. A local guy showed me how to take it... Read more