Humidifier update, 2014
I wrote this update almost two years ago for the humidifiers I bought three years ago, and I still stand by those decisions and opinions.
The big Honeywell is fantastic for an entire house’s worth of humidification, but it’s big, loud, harder to clean, and gets more expensive over time with filters.
The little Venta is fantastic for a bedroom, with much quieter operation, cheaper consumables, and easier cleaning (take it apart and put most of its pieces in the dishwasher with a bowl of white vinegar), but it evaporates much less water and is more expensive up front.
And both are far better than ultrasonic and steam humidifiers. Cool-air evaporative humidifiers with fans blowing through wick filters are the way to go. For more on that, see the original.