ARC-122DS Elite Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner

Small apartment, no window units allowed, and needed something solid for a bedroom. For your budget ($300–400), you're in a pretty good range for a quality single-hose unit. But if you can stretch to \~$450–500, dual-hose units are *definitely* worth it. They cool faster, more efficiently, and don’t create negative air pressure like single-hose ones do. Here are some solid picks: * Whynter ARC-122DS – Dual hose, energy efficient, super reliable for \~300 sq ft. It's a bit over your budget but often goes on sale (I got mine for \~$450). * BLACK+DECKER BPACT08WT – Good single-hose option under $400. Not the most efficient, but does the job well if you keep the room sealed. * Honeywell HL10CESWK Sleek design, decent cooling for bedrooms, and it’s quieter than most. Things worth paying extra for: * Dual hose * Dehumidifier mode (helps a ton with that sticky summer air) * Remote control or smart features (Wi-Fi models are awesome if you like automation) * Decent noise levels – check reviews for this; some are LOUD Brands to avoid? No major red flags, but I’d be cautious with really off-brand units on Amazon that have a ton of weirdly generic reviews.

Man I regret getting a new Whynter ARC-122DS back in 2024 so much knowing this would fetch under $300

I have a small bedroom (92 sqft) that gets too hot from my PC (basically a 70-350w space heater), the house was built in 1953 and already has central air conditioning that works well enough for all the other rooms. I am also renting. Would it make more sense to get a window unit or portable? I've already used a portable unit before that I like (Whynter ARC-122DS), but I could also try a window unit that might be more efficient. Are there extra considerations for installing one in a rental space? Would it be worth it for efficiency (and cost) gains? I'm mostly looking between the same Whynter unit, and the Midea U 8k, though I haven't looked at window units as much yet. I believe even a 5k unit would be overkill, but from what I can tell those are excessively cheap, and not just the good kind of cheap.

The Whynter ARC-122DS units.

I have whynter portable two duct large size, it's noisy but cools well. I would never buy a single duct portable, they pull their coil cooling air from the room, so every other room gets hot air pulled in. No bueno.

If you have the money, buy a dual hose Whynter portable AC. Otherwise - the design and construction of single hose units is such that you won’t be able to get it to not pull vacuum, even by adding a second hose to provide it with outside air. There will be leakage inside the unit itself that will prevent you from getting a perfect loop from outside to outside. But that’s still going to be much more effective than running it with the stock single hose, so it’s worth doing, and will be your best short term solution if money is tight.

I have a whynter dual hose and it has worked for multiple years. Sort of expensive, but efficient and not very loud.