Whisper Quiet and great features, long running on a gallon of water

After the doctor recommended a humidifier due to my forced air heat aggravating my daughter's cough, I went right to Target and bought the cheapest model they had ($20, can't even recall the brand). I brought home el cheapo, filled it up, plugged it in and immediately had to cover my ears due to the jackhammer-loud noise that emitted from it. We put up with this obscene noise for a few hours, then decided that el cheapo had to go. I returned it to Target and picked up the one my daughter had picked out, the Crane 1 Gallon Ultrasonic Humidifier Penguin ($34.99).

Not only is the Penguin whisper quiet (the only actual sound I hear at all is the occasional "glug glug" of water dumping into the lower basin), but it has adjustable control for the amount of water mist it sprays, all the way from barely there to almost a fountain of mist. According to the directions, the one gallon reservoir (which is the Penguin's belly) should last about 11 hours on average. So far, each refill has lasted over 24 hours, and I run it at a medium-high mist.

Refilling the Penguin is a fairly simple task, although a top-fill feature would be preferred. When the belly is empty, you simply lift off the head of the Penguin (the mist flows from his mouth), and lift the handle of the tank. You flip the tank upside-down, unscrew a cap, and fill it at your sink. You re-screw the cap, turn it back over and place the belly back on the Penguin, and voila, you have mist. One nice feature about this unit is that it has an on/off switch, so you don't have to constantly unplug it to turn it off. It also has an auto-off feature, so if the water in the belly runs out it will shut off automatically. I have not had to use that feature yet, but can't wait to see it in action!

I highly recommend spending the extra $$ to purchase this fine piece of equipment!