
Our Verdict
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Crane company is part of the Wachsmuth & Krogmann, Inc (W&K) company working out of Itasca, Illinois. Crane launched in 2005, and they continue to add new designs regularly. Crane designs their products with style and efficiency in mind to make you smile. Crane sells humidifiers, air purifiers, and personal fans and heaters.
Ease of Cleaning
The Adorable has a relatively simple design with only a few parts. Each animal has a slightly different shape, but each has only a few pieces with a base, tank, and decorative “face.” Crane recommends changing the water daily and completely cleaning weekly. The base is easy to clean, but the tank is hard to clean because your hand won't fit, and a bottle brush may not reach all parts of the container. Cleaning the inside of the tank requires water and vinegar soaking for at least 20 minutes. The faceplate also requires removal to wipe condensation on the underside to avoid microbial accumulation.
Effectiveness
The Hippo Adorable performs about average for effectiveness compared to the competition but it didn't work as effectively as the Frog version we've reviewed in the past and is more on par with the Cow. We aren't sure if this is a design difference or an indication of poor quality control. It starts out fairly strong with a higher level of humidity than more than half of the competition, but at the end of testing, it was only average.
Noise
This Adorable is very quiet compared to the competition with only a few options rating quieter. The max sound level was 40 db for the Hippo, less than 40 for the Frog shape, and 52 decibels for the Cow! This disparity indicates there is a noise difference between animals potentially based on the faceplate and mist output design.
Ease of Use
The Adorable has a basic dial adjustment knob for humidity production. This dial is easy enough to use, but the inability to monitor humidity or program it to maintain a certain humidity level could be a problem if you want that level of control. Also, the mist is not direction adjustable and only shoots out of his nose. Each animal is different, but none have mist diverters you can control. To send the mist in another direction, you have to reposition the entire unit.
The Adorable has a tank handle you can't use when full, which is a bummer because the shape of the tank is awkward and hard to hold when wet. You can only use it to lift an empty container from its base. Also, filling the tank is challenging because the tank top is round, so you'll need to hold the tank to prevent it from tipping over.
The Adorable tank holds 1-gallon of water, making it one of the larger options we tested with a capacity that can run all night on high without running out of water.
If your little one needs complete darkness to sleep, this humidifier may not be a good option. The “on” light at the front of the unit is very bright, and you cannot turn it off while the unit is running.