If you like your water to be cool and filtered, then you definitely need to get a small home water cooler that can be placed on desks, counter tops or other confined area. Buying a personal water cool, while seeming expensive, actually saves you money in the long run as you no longer need to buy bottle chilled water. If you want to know what is the best water cooler for home that is worth your money, check out these recommendations below.
My best personal desktop water cooler
This Little Luxury model is undoubtedly one of the best countertop water pool in the market today. I personally am using this model at home and it works wonderfully. The best thing I like about this is its clean and crisp water taste that is chilled to perfection. Trust me. You can do a blind test on your family members and they will be able to tell which glass of water is from the Little Luxury’s desktop water cooler. It is THAT good!
The reason I am so sure is that I have tasted really bad water before. I remembered this model that was used in my office. The water tastes yucky and the temperature is always not consistent. Most of all, it is terribly loud and is a constant distraction to our work.
The other thing I like is its compact size. It fits nicely on to my desktop and that makes me lazier. In the past, I need to get out of my chair, walk to the water cooler to refill my cup and walk back to the chair. Now, it is just an arm’s length away. Hmmm, now that I think about it, it might not be an advantage as I am not the healthiest person in the walk and probably needed that constant walking…
In terms of noise, it is not completely quiet. I would say it is definitely quieter than a refrigerator but if your room is silent at night, you will be able to hear the sound from this personal water cooler’s cooling fan.
These are the function specifications that you might want to know
- Capacity: 1.8 gallons of water
- Energy efficient: According to the specs, it is about 35% more energy efficient that traditional water coolers
- Filtration method: Charcoal
If you still don’t think the Little Luxury water cooler is the best in the market for your money after reading my experience, here are other options. I have NOT personally try them but they have really good Amazon reviews so I guess they can’t be all bad. I still don’t think they will be as good as my Little Luxury water cooler but hey, I am already tried tell you that.
Honeywell tabletop water cooler
One thing Honeywell tabletop water cooler has going for it is that it can dispense both hot and cool water, which the Little Luxury doesn’t provide. If that is what you are looking, then you need to take a look at this brand. Since I am not a hot water person, this feature doesn’t really interest me. By the way, for this function, you are going to pay probably $30-$50 more than Little Luxury, depending on what kind of deals you can find online. Currently, Amazon seems to be offering the best discount for this Honeywell tabletop water cooler but you might get a better deal elsewhere.
Admittedly, Honeywell has a more ‘expensive’ look with its polished chrome look and sexy lines. For those who are particular about the design of your kitchen appliances, then Honeywell is probably more to your taste. A good test is whether you liked Apple products. If you liked them, you will probably like this model better in terms of looks.
For parents with kids, you will be happy to know that the Honeywell water cooler has a child lock feature for the hot water. This is pretty thoughtful of them and I recommend this product. If a product is that thoughtful, there is a higher chance the rest of the product wouldn’t suck too much.
However, one thing missing here is the filtration. To my knowledge, I don’t think there is any water filter built inside this tabletop water cooler and that might affect the taste of the water.
Noise wise, it seems to be gives off a louder noise than Little Luxury based on what I have read. The thing even rattles when it is on, probably due to its more powerful heating engine.
Here are its function specifications
- Capacity: 3-5 gallons of water
- Energy efficient: None
- Filtration method: None
Elkay’s best drinking fountain for home
Finally, we have the Elkay barrier free water cooler. According to the reviews, the water temperature and pressure is perfect for anyone who likes to drink directly from the cooler. If you have a home gym, having this will make it more convenient for your drinking needs.
However, you do need some installation work to be done for all barrier free water cooler. You can either DIY or engage a plumber. From my previous adventures in DIY plumbing and the damage that lead to the flooring, I would strongly encourage you to find a proper plumber unless you are really comfortable with doing it yourself.
Protip: Don’t install this at the stated height because it is definitely too low. Try to install it higher if you don’t want your knees to ache from the bending.
Noise wise, it is very loud when the cooler is on and very quiet when it is not. So, depending on your tolerance of noise or how far away the drinking fountain is to your bedroom, you might not enjoy having this thing around in your home.
Prices wise, it is the most expensive among the three models here so take note of that if you are on a budget.
Here are the function specifications
- Capacity: 8 gallons of water chilled per hour
- Energy efficient: None
- Filtration method: None
Conclusion
The 3 models recommended here are what I think are the best water coolers for the home. However, if you forced to pick one, it would be Little Luxury due to its taste, lower prices and low noise level. It fits perfectly onto my desktop and makes for a perfect personal water cooler.