URPOWER is a company that specializes in consumer electronics. They make wide range of products including phone accessories, computer accessories, power tool accessories, gas detectors etc. In this review, I am going to take a look at URPOWER aromatherapy diffuser with 500 ml capacity, one of their popular products.
URPOWER Aromatherapy Diffuser Review (500 ml)
What company claims
- 5-in-1 device, combining an aromatherapy diffuser, humidifier, air purifier, ionizer and night light
- Advanced Ultrasonic diffusion technology without heating either oil or water
- Large 500 ml capacity, providing up to 10 usable hours
- Timer: 60 minutes, 120 minutes or 180 minutes or operate till water in the container lasts
- Improves air quality
- Combats harmful positive ions using negative ions
- 45 days money back guarantee
- 18 months warranty
Package Contents
- 500 ml URPOWER Aromatherapy Diffuser
- Measuring cup
- Power Adapter
- Information booklet
First Impressions
First thing that surprises you is the compactness of URPOWER aromatherapy diffuser. When you buy a 500 ml diffuser, you would expect it to be bulky, but not this device. This is a commendable design. I could see nice stream of mist coming out through the outlet. Surprisingly, the diffuser is not a totally silent device. It makes enough sound to distract insomniacs. The device can provide coverage up to 430 square feet for aroma and 269 square feet for humidification.
Build
The diffuser has a plastic body. The plastic is of good quality. Again, this unit has two parts. One base unit and another top lid. The base unit houses all electronics and water container. The lid is just an enclosure for the base unit. It doesn’t have any switch or anything else that matters. The lid can’t be locked to the base unit. Yet, it is firmly placed and is unlikely to fall off. There are water level markers on the diffuser base unit. The mist output comes out only in a single direction. You can’t change that by moving the top lid.
In addition, the diffuser also features three switches which you can use to change various settings. These switches control mist timer, mist output level and light output. There are four LED indicators showing the timer mode currently in use. The device makes a beep sound whenever the unit is turned on, or any setting is changed. The power adapter has to be connected at the bottom of the diffuser. The instruction book is detailed and contains all the information necessary to operate the diffuser.
URPOWER aromatherapy diffuser weighs 520 grams. It takes a power input of 100 – 240 V @ 50 / 60 Hz. The dimensions of the product are 6.6″ x 4.8″ x 6.6″.
Technology
Like many other units, URPOWER aromatherapy diffuser also uses ultrasonic diffusion technology. Hence, no heat is employed in converting the oil and water mixture into mist. The diffuser works on AC power and there is no option to connect it to a battery. The device has a rotating color lighting facility. URPOWER aromatherapy diffuser is capable of displaying about seven or eight colors. You may choose to turn off the lighting facility, as well.
One of the outstanding features of this unit is the ability to program the device to work for 60 minutes, 120 minutes, 180 minutes or till the water lasts. Many diffuser units available in the market miss out such a useful feature. Another feature is the ability to control the mist output. Although, there are only two settings (low/high), the setting itself is useful.
URPOWER essential oil diffuser advertises itself as an air purifier, as well, in addition to aromatherapy diffuser. However, I think this claim is misleading. It doesn’t purify the air around you. Instead, it emits mist and negative ions into the air. Thus, it will reduce the chances of you catching any infection.
Operation
URPOWER aromatherapy diffuser is simple to operate. Fill in the water till the marker, add a few drops of essential oil of your choice and power on the device. You don’t need to add any carrier oil with the essential oil you are adding. However, be sure to use water soluble essential oil. Adding essential oil is not mandatory, and the diffuser will work happily even without the oil. Once the device starts operating, the diffuser starts changing the colors. The colors change continuously. If you want to keep a particular color, just press the “LIGHT” button. The diffuser will change its color with each press of a button. When you get the color you want, leave it. The diffuser will continue to display that color.
In addition to this, you have the option of turning lights off completely. This will be useful if you keep the unit in your bedroom when you sleep. Some people are disturbed by changing light during sleep, and for such people this is a useful feature. While you can turn it off, every single time you press the button, it makes a beep sound. So if you want to turn the light off, after sometime, you should press the button a few times before the light turns off.
As I mentioned earlier, you have the choice to set a timer. The diffuser will continue working till the timer expires. Once the timer expires, the diffuser will automatically shut down. A continuous mode is also available. In the continuous mode, it will work until water is exhausted in the container. By the way, you can control the mist output as well. Just press the “HIGH/LOW” button, and you would be able to select a mode. Single beep sound means high output and double beep means low output. I got a consistent 9+ hours of use, in low output mode, while testing this diffuser over a period of one week.
Water condenses on the top lid. So when you remove the top, you should be careful. The water may drip and damage the furniture, if the furniture is not water resistant. Keep an eye on any electronic equipment, which you may have kept nearby. However, the diffuser doesn’t produce any puddle under the base unit.
Maintenance
URPOWER aromatherapy diffuser doesn’t need much maintenance, apart from the regular cleaning. The manufacturer recommends cleaning the diffuser at least once in a week. However, I suggest you clean this device after each use. The instruction manual suggests using tap water to fill the container. However, you should ensure to use clean water to operate the diffuser. In case, the water available at your place is hard, I recommend using distilled water. Use of distilled water helps avoid any sediments of calcium or any other minerals that may accumulate over a period of time.
Cleaning
According to the instruction manual, you should unplug from the base of the unit, remove the top lid, drain any water remaining, put one table spoon of citric acid with 100 ml warm water and leave it for 5 minutes. You should drain the water from the drain side of the tank (opposite air outlet). With a soft cloth or paper towel, wipe well. While cleaning the unit, do check for any oil build up. If there is oil build up, you should put some water and citric acid in the unit and keep it for 20 minutes without powering the device. After 20 minutes, you can clean this as usual. I use paper towel to clean the unit.
Customer Service
Something I need to watch out for, is the customer service that will be provided by the company. My diffuser unit works well, and I am yet to contact them for any purpose. I will update the review, in case I need to contact them for any support. Something that worries me is URPOWER website. The images are not loading. It gives an impression that the company is not serious about such things. They have provided an email address in their contact page, for you to reach out to them. Of course, if you buy the product from Amazon, you can use Amazon to contact the manufacturer. From the comments on Amazon, I could understand that the company does contact who are not happy with their product, which is a good gesture.
Pros
- Compact design
- Doesn’t get heated
- 500 ml capacity of container
- Timer to control the working hours
- Ability to select a desired color
- Control mist output
- Switch off the light completely
Cons
- Not so quiet operation
- The device lacks intermittent mode of operation
- The power cable connector at the bottom of the device
- Condensed water may fall down when you remove the top cover
- It makes a beep sound when the unit is about to turn off and there is no way to turn it off
- Only 18 months warranty. Competing products are offering up to 24 months warranty
Final Words
URPOWER aromatherapy diffuser is a powerful device by the amount of mist it emits and the capacity of water it can hold. However, there are certain aspects which you need to consider before committing to buy this product. First of all, the device is not that quiet. It makes a gurgling sound when it operates. So, this device is suitable for your living room, but may not be for your bedroom. This is especially worrisome, if you intend to keep this in your kids’ bedroom or if you get disturbed by the gurgling sound it produces. To add to the worries, it makes a beep sound when the aromatherapy diffuser is about to shut down.
The diffuser has a HIGH/LOW setting. The water diffuses fast, when the diffuser is on HIGH mode. However, you won’t feel any difference. There’s nothing to blame the company on this aspect, because when you place the diffuser in a large room, the changes will be difficult to perceive. When you take the device out to clean, you have to remove the power cable from the bottom of the device. While it won’t cause any trouble when the container is empty, it will be a serious problem when the diffuser has some water left.
The color changing option can keep the kids impressed. The lights on the diffuser can be completely switched off. It doesn’t blink lights continuously when the diffuser runs out of water. The diffuser outputs good amount of mist. Overall, I liked the diffuser unit. I will not keep this unit in my bedroom, but rather keep it in my living room or any other common area. For such a use, the positive aspects of this device alone are enough to brush away concerns I mentioned.
