Close Comfort: Can This Portable AC Help You Beat the Heat This Summer? [Review]

Close Comfort is a product that has received great interest in the past. With the summers upon us and this portable air conditioner’s claims that it can provide cooling at a lower price, we decided it was time for a review.

We got the Close Comfort PC9+, which is a significant upgrade over the last versions. Here’s a summary of what’s new.

• Lower power consumption: The power drawn has gone from 320 watts to 295 watts.
• More luxurious tent: The tent’s quality has gone up and so has the room in it.
• Remote control: One of the biggest issues with the previous models has been solved with the addition of a remote to change temperature and other settings.

Let’s dive right in.

Looks and Build Quality

The Close Comfort portable AC gives the impression of a modern appliance and it does not look out of place in a bedroom, even if you’re picky about the decor. When not in use, you can easily tuck it away in a corner or next to a wall without much fuss. It has wheels at the bottom and grip handles on the side to make it easy to move.

It weighs 17kg and the build is entirely plastic. However, its construction is very solid and it gives an impression of quality. There are two flaps, one for the cool air while the other is for the warm air exhaust. The flap, wire, and other parts are all sturdy and we were quite pleased with the look and feel of the product.

Power Usage

It uses about 295 watts of power and the company claims that the total electricity bill for Close Comfort will be between Rs. 750 and Rs. 1500 per month, which is much less compared to a normal or inverter AC.

We got the chance to test it out on a UPS thanks to power cuts which have become common yet again and are pleased to report that it runs on our 1-kva UPS easily.

The Igloo Bed Tent

Included in the price of the Close Comfort is a bed tent.

It’s quite large and would easily sit atop a king sized double bed. Setting it up is easy and you just need to attach the included flap with the output of the Close Comfort. It has two zippers on each side for people to get in and out and it’s ventilated thanks to mesh on the sides.

 

Without the flap, it can easily double as a place to trap your kids  play area for your kids while you struggle to make it to Iftaar. A nice advantage of using the bed tent is that it’ll keep the mosquitoes out.

While setup was easy, getting the bed tent back to its highly compressed state took a fair bit of time and effort. Once you’re aware of the ritual you have to go through to store it away after the night, it’s much easier.

How Well Does the Close Comfort Cool?

We’re sure the question on your mind is: does Close Comfort work as advertised? The answer is yes, but there are some things to consider alongside.

For starters, we think that the accompanying igloo bed tent is essential. Since the air flow is on the weak side, with air throw being around 2 feet at most, Close Comfort needs a smaller space which it can cool effectively.

Secondly, the warm air exhaust is not as unnoticeable as the company claims. We found that without the tent, the cooling was only noticeable if we were sitting right in front of the unit. Another thing to note is that the rest of the room became hotter than usual.

When Close Comfort is used with the tent though, the temperature difference outside and inside the tent is very noticeable. Our tests show around five to seven degrees Celsius temperature difference after half an hour. If you use a small fan in front of the unit to increase the air throw, the time to cool the tent is reduced to less than 10 minutes.

To sum it up, the cooling is enough for a peaceful night’s sleep as long as you are using the tent.

Should You Buy the Close Comfort Portable AC?

Close Comfort is a personal air conditioner with the emphasis being on personal. Overall, we recommend it but it’s not a blanket yes. Whether you should purchase it depends entirely on your use case. Fortunately, the pros and cons are quite straightforward.

Let’s talk about the pros first. It’s light and portable, it can run on a UPS and the cooling is good enough to have a good night’s sleep for around 2 people or 3 kids. A major plus point of the Close Comfort is that it needs no setup. That means there are no pipes, no water, and no installation. Simply plug it in, set the temperature with the provided remote and it will start cooling.

The cons are that you have to use the bed tent for it to be truly effective and the rest of the room tends to get hot. And while the basic model starts at Rs. 29,000, the prices quickly climb to Rs. 43,000 for the remote control, DC inverter PC9+plus model.

Considering the pros and cons, will you be purchasing it? Let us know in the comments below!