This Portable $20 AC Unit Is the Only Reason I Didn’t Melt During the Recent Heat Wave

If you know me, you know I can’t stand the heat. I’m a cold-weather guy through and through, and if every day of the year was around 45 degrees, I’d be one happy camper. However, I know I’m in the minority camp on that take, as my Floridian girlfriend likes to remind me. Since she doesn’t mind the heat — and also needs to put a sweatshirt on when the temperature drops below 75 degrees, we don’t usually blast our window AC units. (Even though we have a super-powerful, easy-to-use model, for the record.) Unfortunately, that means I’m usually a sweaty mess when I’m working from home or cooking in the kitchen. So, I needed a solution that would help keep me cool without making the rest of the house a total icebox. Enter: the iFanze Portable Air Conditioner, a $20 solution to my summer heat wave woes. (And, it happens to be on major sale right now!)

The iFanze Portable Air Conditioner is a tiny tabletop AC unit that sucks in hot air and blows out chilled air using evaporative water cooling technology. It features multi-directional adjustable air vents, and the only thing you need to do on your end is add ice water to the reservoir on top. It’s fairly quiet — though not completely silent — and has three fan speeds. The best part: Since there’s no refrigerant and it only requires a small amount of power, you can operate it with a USB cable! (As a heads up, mine looks a little different from the one pictured on the site, but the functions are the same.)

Obviously, this air conditioner is a great (and affordable) investment for getting through the warmer months of the year. (It’s the only thing that got me through the recent heat wave we had!) It’s also excellent for popping on your desk if you work from home — especially if you have an outdoor space. I love using it in the kitchen, too, since just turning the burners on makes my kitchen a sauna. To top it off, I also used it on a recent family reunion trip to a cabin in Pennsylvania that had no AC — I just bought my portable charging block and my Stanley full of ice water and I was cool as a cucumber all night long. Plus, I’m not the only one who’s been saved from the heat by this little AC unit. “I’ve bought many fans for these very humid temperatures we’ve been having, but they basically all just blow hot air around,” one reviewer writes. “This little box actually gets pretty cold and feels really good!! I am very pleased with my purchase and would recommend [it] to others.”

So, if you’re looking for an affordable, space-saving way to help stay cool during these brutal heat waves that we’ve been having, the tiny iFanze Portable Air Conditioner is a surefire bet. Just make sure you get it while it’s still on sale! 

Buy: iFanze Portable Air Conditioner, $19.99 (normally $39.99)