De'Longhi Pinguino portable air conditioning
The Italian maker behind the long-running Pinguino, one of the best-developed portable ranges, with efficient dual-hose models at the top.
A well-developed portable range, with a dual-hose edge
De'Longhi is an Italian small-appliance manufacturer, based in Treviso and trading since 1902, best known in the UK for coffee machines. Its Pinguino portable air conditioner is one of the oldest and most developed names in the category, a monobloc you wheel between rooms and vent through a window rather than a fitted split.
What lifts the better Pinguino models above the budget crowd is engineering. The dual-hose PAC EX series draws outside air to cool the compressor rather than pulling already-cooled room air back out, which makes it noticeably more efficient than a typical single-hose portable. You pay a premium for a De'Longhi, and no portable matches a wall split for efficiency, but the range is well made and the dual-hose option is a real advantage.
Strengths and watch-outs
Strengths
- ✓The Pinguino is one of the longest-running, best-developed portable lines
- ✓Dual-hose models (the PAC EX series) beat typical single-hose units on efficiency
- ✓Strong design and build from an established Italian appliance maker
Watch-outs
- !Premium pricing: you pay for the badge and the design
- !Still a portable, so a fitted split will always cool more efficiently
- !The range is wide and model names are hard to tell apart
Popular De'Longhi models
Pinguino PAC EX100 Silent
★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4.210,000 BTU · 2.5 kW · A++ (EER 3.6) · R290 · from 49 dB(A)
inc. VAT, reduced from £949.99, sold out at our last check £868.95De'Longhi Pinguino PAC EM82
★★★★★ ★★★★★ 3.79,400 BTU · 2.4 kW · A (EER 2.6) · R290 · 63 dB(A) sound power
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