Suggestions on portable A/C units?

[lishreese]

So I just moved and found out I can't use my window unit because my stupid windows open sideways :banghead: And to top that off the central air in the apartment isn't all that great. So now I'm in the market for a portable A/C to put in one of the small bedrooms upstairs so that my Bella can keep cool. I am looking at something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/WA-1000E-000-..._5?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1308450731&sr=1-5
or this
http://www.amazon.com/Frigidaire-FR...K39G/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1308450861&sr=8-3
Has anyone had any experience with either of these A/C units or even just A/C units from those brands in general? I don't want to spend $300 on a piece of junk lol.

 

[lishreese]

Well I ended up getting one from Lowe's. It's a DeLonghi. Working good so far, though it still didn't quite fit my window, I had to improvise with cardboard and bubble wrap lol. There is one tiny hot air leak at the back of the unit where the hose attaches, but I would assume that is to be expected. I wrapped it in a dish towel to try to minimize it. (Don't worry, I am keeping a good eye on it to make sure that it doesn't get too hot, and I will only leave that on when I am home to monitor it) It's pretty noisy but otherwise seems like a pretty decent unit, especially because there are a lot of settings to choose from.

 

[ChinnyMom]

i'm extremely happy with my Danby 'Diplomat' portable unit. i can't recall the BTU's off the top of my noggin but it is somewhere in the 5000 to 7000 range. cools my 10x10 foot bedroom nicely! i usually don't have to set it any lower than 66 F and have the fan speed on the lowest of the three settings, and the room stays at/just under 68, cool enough for Rhino but comfortable enough for me. it is a bit noisy, but i love the fact that the hose kit is very low profile and doesn't look all ugly in the window (something the condo board here would have a hissy fit about). the water container for the de-humidifier is a nice size too, and with the rain lately (i swear i'm going to build an ark! lol) i've only had to empty it three times this past week.

best part is, i've hardly seen a difference in my power bill. yay! lol.