Sunpentown SU-4010 Review

Name: Sunpentown SU-4010
Brand: Sunpentown

Long run time with easy to fill tank, but not as effective as others

sunpentown su-4010 humidifier review — Credit: Abriah Wofford

View at Sunpentown

Price: $86 List

Manufacturer: Sunpentown

By Juliet Spurrier, MD and Bob Wofford ⋅ Sep 16, 2018

OVERALL
SCORE

Ease of Cleaning - 40% 6.0
Effectiveness - 30% 7.0
Noise - 20% 6.0
Ease of Use - 10% 5.0

RELATED: Best Baby Humidifiers

The Skinny

The Sunpentown SU-4010 is an ultrasonic humidifier that performed well in our previous humidifier competition. However, the new contenders included in this round gave it a run for its money and it struggled in the face of the competition. The Sunpentown is relatively effective and has an easy to fill tank, but it is louder than other ultrasonic options and it isn't as easy to use. It does have an included ionic exchange filter cartridge designed to reduce mineral output. While we like this unit and our founder uses it herself, we think there are similarly priced options that are more effective, easier to clean, and quieter.

REASONS TO BUY

Easy to fill tank

Effective

REASONS TO AVOID

Wet mist can accumulate on surfaces

Our Analysis and Test Results

Sunpentown International Inc. (SPT) launched in 1993 with a plan to distribute innovative appliances with quality and value. Eventually, SPT began manufacturing products with comfort and ease in mind. SPT offers hundreds of products from air quality, refrigeration, lighting, massage, and dishwashers. SPT attempts to meet demands by making quality, sustainable products.

Performance Comparison

The opening on the Sunpentown SU-4010 water tank makes it easy to... — The opening on the Sunpentown SU-4010 water tank makes it easy to clean, but the area on the right is difficult to access with either hand or brush.

The Sunpentown comes with a small brush designed for easier... — The Sunpentown comes with a small brush designed for easier cleaning. You may also find cleaning easier by adding a bottle and straw brush to your cleaning toolkit.

Ease of Cleaning

The Sunpentown SU-4010 has slightly below-average ease of cleaning. The water tank opening is large enough to accommodate a hand to wipe down the inside on almost all surfaces except far-reaching spots at the end of the tank (above left). This humidifier comes with a small brush (above right) to clean the ultrasonic vibrating plate and some of the other small spaces in the base. The brush fits neatly into the base for storage. You'll need a bottle brush for cleaning the mist tube, but this is true of any humidifier with a long tube.

The Sunpentown has a lot of nooks and crannies that necessitate... — The Sunpentown has a lot of nooks and crannies that necessitate cleaning with the included small brush.

The inlet grille filter can be accessed at the base of the Sunpentown.

The base of the unit (above left) does have some smaller spaces that will require patience and the brush to keep free of bacteria and mold. One extra cleaning step to be aware of with this humidifier is the inlet grille filter on the underside (above right). Sunpentown doesn't make a recommendation on how often to clean the inlet grille filter, but during our in-home testing, we found that this was not necessary every week; houses with pets may notice that more frequent cleaning is required.

sunpentown su-4010 humidifier review - the sunpentown su-4010 is effective enough to cause moisture to... — The Sunpentown SU-4010 is effective enough to cause moisture to accumulate on surfaces if run at full volume for extended periods.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Effectiveness

This humidifier is effective compared to the competition. This unit starts strong with impressive mist production that increases the ambient humidity quickly. As time goes on, it levels out, and some of the competition surpasses it after an hour of operation. That said, this unit is more effective than about half of the competition. We rarely need to use this option at full mist output, and by using the middle setting, we can maintain ideal humidity levels overnight without saturating surfaces.

Noise

This unit is louder than most of the competing ultrasonic option. The decibel reading of the Sunpentown is 43. With much of the competition coming in below 40, it is quiet but not as quiet as others.

sunpentown su-4010 humidifier review - the sunpentown has two rotating dials making it an intuitive user... — The Sunpentown has two rotating dials making it an intuitive user interface.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use

This humidifier isn't the easiest to use with a below-average performance for ease of use. The Sunpentown has a 1-gallon tank, which is average for the competition and enough to run overnight without refilling. Its rectangular shape makes it stable and hands-free during refills (below left). The Sunpentown also sports a useful handle making the tank easier to carry when full.

The Sunpentown SU-4010 water tank's rectangular shape makes for... — The Sunpentown SU-4010 water tank's rectangular shape makes for hands-free filling in the kitchen sink.

The filter cartridge the Supentown will need to be replaced... — The filter cartridge the Supentown will need to be replaced regularly if you use the humidifier on a daily basis.

This unit includes an ion exchange filter cartridge (above right), so you can use regular tap water. This cartridge filters hard minerals out the water before generating a mist, which also reduces the amount of white dust you'll find on surfaces. The manufacturer recommends changing the filter every six months, assuming a mid-output for 6 hours/day on average use.

The Sunpentown has continuous variable mist output control, with auto-shutoff, and adjustable dual mist jets. This unit features two dials, one for humidity level control and the other to choose between cool or warm mist. Because this product has a warm mist option, you'll want to keep it out of the reach of curious kids.