I just tried my first air cooler, and these are the 3 things I think everyone should know before buying one

With the UK on track for it's hottest summer on record, it's no wonder that cooling products are selling out all over the place.

But while the best portable air conditioners are sold out and unlikely to be restocked over the rest of the summer, people are having to turn to alternative solutions like air coolers to keep comfortable when it gets hot.

So I followed the advice of my Ideal Home teammate Jenny and have been trying out an air cooler for the first time. I opted for the Morphy Richards Flexi Freeze 1l Rechargeable Travel & Desk Top Mini Personal Air Cooler, which is more of a personal cooler than a unit that can impact the whole room. Perfect for my first foray into the world of air coolers.

And after trying it for a couple of weeks, during a significantly warmer-than-average July, I wanted to share my experience so that, if you are thinking of investing in one, you have a clear understanding of how it works and the results it will achieve.

1. It doesn't release a mist, despite having a water tank

Before I dug a bit deeper into their differences, I thought air coolers and misting fans worked in the same way. After all, both have water tanks.

However, while a misting fan releases a fine mist to help cool the air, my air cooler doesn't. Instead it has a honeycomb shaped cooling pad filter that absorbs water from the tank. The cooler then draws warm air in through the filter, which causes the water to evaporate and cool the air, which is then pushed out the front of the fan.

For the sake of my frizz-prone hair, and the fact that you need to be in relatively close proximity to the personal air cooler to feel it's benefits, I wasn't too disappointed not to be misted at close range.

2. It doesn't have the cooling power of a portable air conditioner

I've been a bit spoiled when it comes to cooling power, after testing both portable and fitted air conditioning units in my home. So my expectations are high when an appliance claims to offer a cooling function.

I'll admit I was expecting the cooling power of the air cooler to be more intense and instantaneous, akin to a portable air conditioner. But once I understood more about how air coolers work, I realise that my expectation was a little misguided.

Portable air conditioners contain refrigerants that rapidly and drastically cool the air they draw in, which means their can achieve really chilly temperatures and effectively lower the ambient temperature of an entire room.

Air coolers, on the other hand, don't contain any refrigerants, and so aren't capable of achieving the same level of cool.

However, air coolers do have the edge over portable air conditioners when it comes to noise level and where they can be positioned. The Morphy Richards air cooler I've been testing is much quieter than even the ultra quiet portable air conditioners I've used, which may mean they are a more suitable option for those with any noise sensitivities.

Another bonus is that air coolers don't need to be vented out a window like portable air conditioners, which means you have much more flexibility over where you use them in your home. My little portable air cooler was also super each to move around, and especially up and down stairs due to it's compact proportions.

3. Water alone won't create the best cooling effect

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Playing with my air cooler, I tried lots of different options to see how I could achieve the best cooling effect.

Just using cold tap water meant that I could tell little difference between the fan mode and cooling mode. Chilling the water in the fridge before topping up the air cooler had a better result, but the best result for me was adding ice cubes to chilled water.

It doesn't generate an Arctic blast by any stretch, but when combined with a decent fan speed, it does create a comfortable cool breeze that does take the edge off in a hot room. And in a heatwave, that can be worth it's weight in gold.

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