Now Foods offer quality products related to aromatherapy. Their essential oils and essential oil diffusers are popular. One of their popular product is their essential oil diffuser. Now Foods offer around 10 different essential oil diffusers. In this review, I will take a look at one of their popular essential oil diffuser – Now Foods Ultrasonic Diffuser.
Now Foods Ultrasonic Diffuser Review
What the company claims
- Six Color Changing LED
- Four to six hours operating time
- Up to 250 square feet coverage
- Auto Shutoff
- Cool steam without heating the oil
- Quiet operation
Package Contnets
- Now Foods Ultrasonic Essential Oil Diffuser
- Power Adapter
- User Manual
First Impressions
The Amazon seller page mentions the name of the diffuser as Now Foods Essential Oil Diffuser, while the package mentions the name of the product as Now Solutions Essential Oil Diffuser. Now Foods Ultrasonic Oil diffuser is a simple essential oil diffuser. It has a rather unique conical shape. It does what is supposed to do – diffusion of essential oils without any compromise. I could feel that aspect right from the moment I switched on the diffuser. I could see mist coming out of the nozzle almost immediately after switching the diffuser on. The package does not contain a measuring cup, which most other diffusers have. Let us see if the diffuser is able to carry those impressions forward and deliver a stunning experience.
Build
Now Foods Ultrasonic Oil Diffuser has an all plastic construction. The manufacturer says that they make use of BPA free medical grade plastic for the construction of the diffuser. The diffuser has two parts, a top lid and a bottom reservoir. As with any other diffuser, the top unit is there to handle the mist output and to protect the water inside the reservoir. The top lid is easy to take apart and does not snap on to the base unit. The base unit houses all electronic circuitry and has one back-lit switch outside to control the functions of the diffuser.
Another aspect of the Now Foods Diffuser is that the diffuser has only one button. Since the diffuser is a single function diffuser, there is need for only one button. There is a vent for air intake, in the bottom of the diffuser.
The diffuser holds 140 ml water. I could not see any maximum water level mark inside. However, there is a mark indicating the side through which remaining water should be drained. This is an important aspect of essential oil diffusers. If the diffuser is not handled properly, the chances of failure of the diffuser is also high.
Technology
Now Foods Ultrasonic Diffuser uses, as the name suggests, ultrasonic vibrations to produce the mist. Most of the diffusers in the market use this technology as it is cheaper and efficient. Another advantage is that, the technology does not require the essential oil to be heated. This preserves all the qualities of the essential oil, while producing mist. There is a ceramic atomizer inside the base unit which uses ultrasonic sound waves to split water and essential oils to mist.
The only other function the diffuser does, in addition to diffusion, is the lighting. The diffuser can produce six colors. The diffuser dispenses with many other functions which other diffusers in the market provide; like timer, intermittent mode and so on. The lighting function is also controlled by the lone switch on the diffuser, which controls the power as well.
The diffuser works only on AC Power. Unlike many other diffusers, this diffuser supports only 120 V / 60 Hz power outlet as per the user manual. However, the power adapter that came with the diffuser was rated as 110 – 240V. The power cord is two pronged. Like many other diffusers, this diffuser does not support battery backed operation. The diffuser features an auto shutoff facility when the water reservoir is empty. The device shuts off without making any beep sound or flashing lights. This is a useful feature so that, you are not disturbed during night when the diffuser shuts down.
Operation
The diffuser is easy to operate. Remove the top lid and fill the diffuser with clean water. Add essential oil of your choice. Five to six drops would be enough for most cases. Replace the top lid and start the diffuser. There is only one button to worry about. As soon as you connect the diffuser to the power outlet and switch on the power supply, the LED on the power button will turn red.
When you turn on the diffuser by pressing the button once, the power button LED will turn green and the diffuser starts working with lights on. The lights change their color after some time. When you press the button once more, the diffuser stays at the current color. When you press the button once more, the lights turn off. Even in this case, there is some amount of light coming from the base unit of the diffuser. On the fourth press, the diffuser powers down.
While the company claims an operating time of up to six hours, I got only around four hours on an average. The user manual claims only four hours of operating time, while the packaged box promises six hours of operating time. That is 50% more than what is offered according to the user manual.
Always use clean water for diffusion. Some people use distilled water to operate the diffuser. The instruction manual cautions you not to use steamed water. I am not sure if they mean distilled water or hot water. They must be referring to use of hot water inside the water reservoir. However, this is my interpretation. In case you want to use distilled water, please contact Now Foods before doing so. You may use any essential oil with the water to get the desired effect. I use Majestic Pure Lavender Essential Oil.
Cleaning
Now Foods recommend you clean the diffuser after each use. This is clearly written in the user manual supplied along with the product. Cleaning the diffuser keeps it in pristine condition and avoids build up for dirt and sediments inside. Cleaning the diffuser is easy. Empty any remaining water inside the water reservoir. Rinse the base unit with clean water and wipe with a dry cloth or paper towel. Use cotton swab to gently clean the ceramic disc and sensor.
While cleaning the diffuser, one should ensure not to dip the entire unit in water. In case water enters the interior of the base unit, it could damage the electronic circuitry. If by mistake such a thing happens with your diffuser, set the diffuser aside in a ventilated place for about three days and use. This is to ensure that there is no water content inside.
Many people use citrus oil. You can use citrus oil with this diffuser. Make sure that you clean the diffuser immediately after the use. Leaving citrus oil in the diffuser can corrode the materials and damage the diffuser. The diffuser produces a cool mist. The user manual cautions you against oil mist damaging any wooden items or paints. While this would differ based on the oil used, the company suggests you wipe off any mist immediately.
Customer Care
To my surprise, neither the Amazon page for the product nor the user manual contains anything about the warranty. After digging though almost all the Q&A of the product on Amazon, I found someone quoting one year warranty according to some email from Now Foods. However, on the positive side, they have mentioned their contact number on the user manual. You can reach the customer care on 1-888-548-0040. According to the user manual, you would get a call back within 24 hours.
The user manual supplied with the product has detailed instructions on maintaining and operating the diffuser. It also lists a lot of things you should not do with the diffuser. The manual for Now Foods Ultrasonic Diffuser contains some essential oil recipes as well. The diffuser user manual cautions the customers against keeping the diffuser in the reach of kids and pets. These are very small yet, significant things, which the company has taken care to inform the users. The user manual is available online for download.
What works
- The diffuser produces good amount of mist
- The lighting scheme is nice
- The auto switch off works
- The diffuser does not leave any condensed water at the bottom
Not so good
- The user manual claims four hours of operating time, while the package mentions six hours
- The option to turn lights off does not turn off lights on the base unit
- The diffuser lacks many features offered by the competition at the same price
Final Words
It is difficult to choose a product, especially products like essential oil diffuser. One of the reason is that there are many products in the market which offer similar features and you can not buy each and every one of those products. The second reason is that there are no established product that sets a golden bar for other diffusers to match the performance.
In the case of Now Foods Essential Oil Diffuser, I like the fact that the diffuser produces good amount of mist and it does not leave any condensed water at the bottom. The water condensed in the top lid is also minimal due to the conical shape of the lid. I like the user manual, and the caution it have provided. It addresses a lot of issues caused by improper handling.
However, the good things seem to end there. There is an inconsistency in the claims about the operating time as mentioned earlier. Second, the light does not turn off on the base unit even though lights on the top lid turn off. It looks like the company is not selling the product directly. There are many sellers for this product on Amazon. I have seen a lot of customer complaints remain unattended even on Amazon reviews. This is in sharp contrast to some other diffusers I have reviewed.
Even the warranty information is not mentioned either on the website or on the user manual. With all these things in mind, I would not recommend this product, although it does a few things right. There are many satisfied customers for this product as well. However, I feel that it is worth spending your money on a different product would be wise.