Honeywell HL Series 14CESWK Portable AC Review

Vital Statistics

• 14,000 BTUs of air conditioning power at your disposal.
• Remove an incredible 111 pints of water from the air every day in dehumidifier mode.
• Auto-evaporative design allows you to relax and enjoy the cool instead of emptying pans all day and night.
• Common sense control panel arrangement with soft touch activation.

It’s the middle of summer and maybe you tried to get by without acquiring a portable air conditioner. Now however, as you peel yourself off the leather couch and wring the sweat out of your t-shirt, you’re having second thoughts. You’re willing to entertain the idea of a portable AC again but you remember back to the spring when the subject first came up and how your friend told you your living room – at 550 square feet – was just too large for one.

Well, we’re here to tell you that – while your friend’s heart was undoubtedly in the right place – they were not fully informed because Honeywell makes 14,000 BTU portable ACs now that will make short work of the heat and humidity in your beautiful, spacious living room. The HL Series 14CESWK reviewed here is a prime example. Below we’re going to look at some of the many pros and few cons of this outstanding heavy duty portable air conditioner.

Pros

• The Dehumidifier – Are you kidding me? 111 pints of moisture per day? It’s true. This humble piece of environmental control can actually pull up to 111 pints of water out of the air in your room every day. Of course, unless you live in the Brazilian rain forest it’s unlikely you’ll ever need to remove that much moisture from the air but it’s good to know that you’re basically covered no matter how humid it gets.

• 14,000 BTUs of cooling power – Just as the dehumidifier will drain an astonishing amount of moisture from the air the 14,000 BTU cooling capacity of this unit will drain heat from the air and turn even spacious kitchens, living rooms and basement family rooms into dry, cool, havens of comfort. It’s remarkable how quickly you’ll experience significant cooling once you turn the unit on and it’s just as remarkable how effortlessly the unit will maintain that cool.

• Multiple modes – The 14CESWK possesses several operational modes that make it one of the most versatile heavy duty portable air conditioners around. You can set it to “fan only” and take advantage of 3 different speeds, set it to “sleep mode” and the 14CESWK will maintain a predetermined ideal sleeping temperature, activate the automatic shut off and turn the unit off automatically after 24 hours of operation. And of course you can set it to “cool” and enjoy all the benefits of the most powerful portable air conditioner in its class.

• Excellent mobility – The whole point of owning a portable air conditioner is that it’s portable. In which case having one that is a chore to move about defeats the purpose. Happily the 14CESWK is a relative snap to move from room to room. We say “relative” because the unit is not really small, nor is it particularly light. But if you’re a normal sized, healthy adult you should have no problem moving it wherever you need it. Just think twice before asking the kids to go fetch it. And, you will want assistance if you plan to move the unit from one floor to another.

Cons

• The look – Whereas the MN Series from Honeywell represents (in our opinion) the pinnacle of portable air conditioner design the ML Series represented here drops the design ball (again in our humble opinion). The MN featured graceful lines and beautifully balanced volumes that tapered at both the top and bottom to feel sleeker than it actually is. This unit however looks like the world’s biggest flip phone and, unless you have an ultra-minimalist decor with lots of hard, glossy surfaces, it could to be a challenge to make it fit in. On the other hand there are plenty of people who couldn’t care less what it looks like as long as it works. They’ll be thrilled by this appliance.

• Noise – While the unit isn’t obnoxiously loud you wouldn’t call it quiet either. And while it’s understood that a 14,000 BTU air conditioner is going to make some noise we expected a little better from this unit simply because the company’s similarly powerful MN portable air conditioner does such a good job containing noise. So, be forewarned that this air conditioner is going to be both seen and heard.