Carrier Optima WCARY10EC 1-hp Air Conditioner Review
During summer, here in the Philippines, temperatures soar as high as 101 degrees Fahrenheit. People do everything they can just to stay cool, such as go to air-conditioned malls, drinks lots and lots of cold water, eat halo-halo (a famous Filipino summertime dessert composed of ice, milk, fruits and others), ice cream and so on. One of the hardest things to do is sleep in uncomfortably warm weather, especially for most of us who work at night and sleep during the day. I needed to sleep more in order to be more efficient at work, so I decided to buy an AC. There were lots of choices, such as cabinet types and split-type air conditioners. But ultimately, I came down to just one, which is the Carrier Optima 1-hp WCARY10EC air-conditioning unit.
The Optima series has 4 horsepower variants: 0.5, 0.75, 0.9 and 1 hp. They all practically have the same white and elegant front panel. The 0.50-hp, however, is a bit smaller compared to its more powerful counterparts. When it comes to cooling power, of course, the higher the horsepower is, the higher the cooling capacity of the unit will be. And the higher the horsepower is, the more energy you need.
The Optima 1-hp is a window-type unit. So if you want to install it in your room, you’d need to create an opening on your wall to support the unit. Don’t worry though. The unit isn’t that huge and heavy compared to the huge ACs.
When it comes to functionality, the unit has a thermostat where you can control how cool you want the unit to run on. There’s also a switch that allows you to choose between low and high fan speed. And, finally, there’s a timer where you can set the unit on for up to 12 hours. Those are pretty basic for an AC, and they’re all analog dials. Well, for a couple of extra bucks, it would have been more convenient if it’s digital and remote-controlled. It’s hard to get up and check/change the thermostat and the timer.
Now, one thing that you’ll notice is that it has a top-side ventilation system. It’s not the sway type where you can set the air direction. It’s just spread out from the top. The good thing about this is that the cool air spreads out in the room much quicker and more evenly compared to sway types.
Let’s talk about the price. The unit is only around $325, which is quite cheap but still near the normal price range of a small window type air-conditioning unit. I never had a problem with its cooling power even during summer at noon. Its power consumption is reasonable and much lower compared to other the air-conditioning units of the same horsepower that we’ve had.
If you’re looking for a basic air-conditioning unit with no advanced and confusing features, cheap, energy-efficient, and with excellent cooling capacity, the Carrier Optima WCARY10EC 1-hp is a good choice. If you want a feature-rich AC with remote control, there are lots of other choices out there. However, they are certainly and considerably much more expensive.
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