Russell Hobbs portable air conditioning
A familiar British home-appliance name, best known for kettles, with competent budget portables rather than specialist cooling kit.
Budget portables from a familiar British name
Russell Hobbs is a British home-appliance brand founded in 1952, best known to UK buyers for kettles, irons and other small kitchen kit. It is now part of the American group Spectrum Brands. Its climate range includes portable air conditioners: budget monobloc units that cool one room and vent hot air through a window hose.
These are value portables that trade on a familiar, trusted name rather than specialist cooling engineering. Expect the essentials, cooling, fan and dehumidifier modes with a remote and timer, at a keen price, rather than the quiet running or efficiency of the dedicated brands. For an inexpensive unit to take the edge off a hot room, from a name you already know, they are a reasonable buy.
Strengths and watch-outs
Strengths
- ✓A trusted, familiar British home-appliance brand
- ✓Affordable 3-in-1 portables that cool, ventilate and dehumidify
- ✓Wide availability and easy to buy on the high street
Watch-outs
- !An appliance brand, not an air-conditioning specialist
- !Single-hose monoblocs with the usual noise and efficiency limits
- !The Russell Hobbs name is now licensed under Spectrum Brands
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