Inventor Magic 12000BTU Portable Air Conditioner Review – An effective air conditioning unit even with the hassle of UK uPVC windows

This year I finally caved and bought a portable air conditioner. Ideally, I’d like a multi-split air conditioner, but that requires someone it install it, and ideally when I finally get my loft converted.

For many people, a portable air con is the only realistic solution for proper air conditioning.

Inventor may not be the biggest name in the business, but they are not some random Chinese brand. They are a Greek company that specialises in air-con and refrigeration, and they have been around for 50 years. They are also very well-reviewed on Amazon.

Inventor have two models on Amazon and they are two of the highest rated air con units on the site. This model with 12000BTU cooling, plus heating, or the Inventor Chilly 9000BTU air con which just does cooling.

Page 2 has bedroom performance, noise, running costs and price comparisons with alternative units

Specification

Are portable air Conditioners good? What are the downsides?

Portable air conditioning units are a sub-optimal solution for home cooling. This is true for every model on the market, so I feel it is important to highlight early in the review rather than make it seem like I am criticising the Inventor Magic specifically. Each year I think about buying one, then read many comments saying they are not worth the money. You will have to factor in the various issues these face vs either being hot or having multi-split air con fitted.

All portable air conditioners are:

• Quite an expensive investment if you only use them a few days per year
• Expensive to run when you do use them
• Very loud – Any light sleeper will NOT be able to sleep through the noise
• Physically large and heavy making them difficult to store when not in use
• The single house design blows out warm air exhaust air causing negative air pressure, drawing back in warm air from windows/doors etc
• Most UK homes with uPVC windows will need to use an awkward to fit window seal is both ugly and can be difficult to fit depending on your window. They are also not exactly airtight, so the overall performance will be reduced vs venting through a dedicated hole.

A long list of caveats would normally be enough to put me off a product, but as I sit here at 7 am in the morning, my office is already 27-degrees and going to sleep when the temperature is 25+degrees in the bedroom is torturous. Unless I fork out for the installation of a split air conditioning unit, this is the best solution you can have for cooling a room.

Installation

This weighs 35kg, so you will want to factor that in when you get your delivery. I carried it upstairs myself, but I wouldn’t recommend it for most people.

The unit comes with an exhaust pipe plus a window conversion kit. However, the window kit is for sliding sash windows which most UK buyers in moderately priced homes do not have.

The exhaust pip comes with various fittings but, if like me, you only need the part that attaches it to the air con. You will then need to buy a window seal kit, or DIY yourself some sort of window seal.

Being an expert DIYer, in my office, I ran the exhaust pipe through the small upper window of my office (sitting the air con on a table) and used bin bags duck taped around it to seal it all off.

When I moved it to the bedroom, I used a window seal kit, but it was crap, so I ended up using more duck tape to fix it all down. It was a bit of a disaster, and it is probably the biggest reason NOT to buy a portable air con.

Office Performance

Performance was surprisingly good. There seems to be two aspects to it, the overall temperature of the room and the perceived temperature.

The air con blows out cold air, so while the overall room may not be that cold, you immediately feel the cooling effect. Unlike a fan that just blows warm air at you.

This worked quite well in my office because I didn’t mind too much working with the air con on, so it made the room bearable to work in quite quickly.

The room then obviously cools down in general too. My office is 4.5m x 3.5m and is 2.5m high, so just shy of 40m3. Online calculators suggest around 8000BTU, so I should have gone for a smaller unit, really.

In a little over two hours, the air-con cooled my room down from 27-degrees to 21-degrees and used 2.5kW of electricity.

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.