Crane Drop Review

The Crane Drop performs well as a humidifier for small rooms (100 square feet or less). But in that capacity, it is outclassed at almost every turn by other similarly-priced options.

Performance Comparison

Effectiveness

The Crane Drop had a mediocre performance in our humidifying testing, compared to other bigger modes, which isn't necessarily bad for a humidifier of this size — just not great. This appliance is suitable for small bedrooms or even a larger bedroom if you don't mind turning the humidifier on a couple of hours before bedtime. We tested this model in a 150 sq. ft. room, which is the average bedroom size, and it managed to change the relative humidity in the room by 47.8%. Overall, it's more effective than a few other compact options.

Ease of Cleaning

The Crane Drop is small enough that there isn't too much area to scrub, but it can sometimes be tricky to get all the nooks and crannies. In the end, it did okay in this metric. The water tank's opening is just under 2 inches wide, making access a bit difficult. You'll need a long-handled brush to reach every part of the tank. Apart from that, cleaning is fairly easy despite a couple of sharp corners. The instruction manual calls for a half-hour soak in a white vinegar solution, and many of the harder-to-clean components are dishwasher safe. We spent 15 minutes getting this machine completely clean (not including soaking time), which was on par with most other models.

Convenience

The Crane Drop yet again performed okay in this metric. The Crane features a simple, single-knob control panel that allows you to turn the unit on and select a mist level. However, the indicator is somewhat undefined, making the overall operation experience less than ideal. Additionally, it's designed for bottom filling, meaning you'll need to transport it to the sink whenever you want to fill it up. While it's small and easy to transport, we typically prefer a top fill design to minimize the chance of making a mess. There is also no humidistat, which aids in regulating the amount of humidity it delivers.

Run Time

To identify overall run time, we fill each humidifier with the minimal amount of water it needs to operate. We then run it on all available settings until it shuts off and proceed to add 50mL of water to the base of each appliance. This enables to calculate the total average running time for each humidifier. The Crane Drop will last an estimated 16 hours before the auto shut off at 125mL.

Operation Cost

The Crane Drop earned a higher score in our operating cost testing. It uses a decent amount of electricity for a humidifier, but runs at an efficient estimated monthly cost of $1.89. Given its overall affordable price, and somewhat low operation cost, it's quite economical overall. Keep in mind that costs will vary.

Should You Buy the Crane Drop?

Given its compact size, the Crane Drop humidifier performs relatively well, although its price (while affordable) places it in competition with more effective appliances. If a small footprint is a high priority for you, and you're willing to overlook its limitations, it may be worth considering.

What Other Humidifiers Should You Consider?