LG LP1214GXR Portable AC Review

Vital Statistics

• Effectively cools standard rooms up to 450 square feet in size.
• 12,000 BTUs of cooling power.
• LED control panel is well thought out and easy to use.
• Fairly light and easy to move about.
• Programmable out to 24 hours.

LG is known for high quality electronics and has achieved the kind of name recognition formerly reserved for the Sonys of the world. What the company is not so well known for are their air conditioners but this LP1214 portable AC may help to rectify that situation. This is a handsome, effective 12,000 BTU unit that will handle the heat load in any of your moderately sized rooms with ease. While it’s not laden with extras it does what it’s designed to do and that’s what it’s really all about isn’t it?

Pros

• Attractive appearance – With so many portable air conditioners lacking in the design department it’s refreshing to find one that looks as good as it works. This LG unit sports nice clean lines and a subdued black finish that’s easy on the eye. It tapers away from you at the top to effectively reduce the sense of bulk and it’s both narrower and shallower when you see it in person than it looks in photos.

• Effective performance – As long as you don’t place this unit in your 700 square foot finished basement or in your 400 square foot living room with the cathedral ceilings and expect miracles it will deliver on the promises made in the marketing. It’s ideal for rooms ranging from 350 to 450 square feet with ceilings of normal height and performed admirably for us in a variety of conditions. The dehumidifier isn’t exactly robust but it will get the job done in cases of less than extreme humidity.

• Hassle free setup – There’s nothing to setting this unit up. You just remove it from the box, roll it over toward a convenient window, install the included ventilation port in that window, run the included vent hose from the back of the unit to that ventilation port, plug the unit in and turn the unit on. Total time: about 3 minutes. Total hassle: zero. Moving the unit from room to room is equally simple although you’ll probably want some help moving the unit from floor to floor. Operating the unit is equally trouble free with its clear, easy to comprehend control panel and uncluttered, easy to use remote. Of course, part of the reason it’s uncluttered is because the unit doesn’t offer a slew of operational features, and that leads us to our one significant complaint…

Cons

• Lack of additional operational modes – While we didn’t expect the moon (simply because the supporting materials don’t promise the moon) it’s a little disconcerting that the LP1214GXR doesn’t offer more by way of operational features. There’s no heater, no auto-evaporative capability and the dehumidifier is weak. Also, while the unit rolls around easy enough, it’s heavy. None of this would have warranted a mention if the unit weren’t so relatively expensive. For the price, we want more.