Pros - A very fast and effective unit - Emptying options include both the bucket removal and the necessary hardware to attach to a garden hose, for automatic siphoning to route the water outside
Cons - The membrane style control panel is cheaply constructed - Sears nag you constantly with reminders (phone and mail) to renew your warranty.
Rating 3 out of 5
I have been using this dehumidifier for about three years now. In fact, we have several, for different parts of the house, in order to avoid constant shuttling. This model certainly has a wide range of options, to provide maximum control over all the variables: control of percentage of humidity for the room from 35% to 70%; fan speed (high or low); energy timer (3 or 6 hour mode); auto restart (in case of a power outage), and more.
The unit is Energy Star compliant. It holds up to 70 pints. It's somewhat noisy, as these units tend to be. If that bothers you, then I suggest that you go for a walk or move to another part of the house while it runs.
I found that the membrane style control panel (which Sears calls "cover assembly, display") was too flimsy and did not reliably shut the unit on and off. Usually it took me several tries -- or more! -- in order to make the thing stop. Eventually the power key broke, and so I had to return it to the Sears service center where I had purchased it.
The repair was very quick, but the street price is quite costly. Fortunately, I had purchased the Sears extended warranty plan for this unit, so that covered me.
However, buying the warranty plan creates another problem: the incessant marketing calls from Sears, come warranty renewal time. Honestly, I have seldom felt as harassed by a marketing center as this one. If you have caller ID, you will quickly learn their number, and to avoid it when they call you at dinner time!
