The Ivation IVA-DM05 is an inexpensive rechargeable/renewable mini dehumidifier. The plastic outer shell of this device houses a chemical desiccant that removes moisture from ambient air by adsorption. After several weeks of use the desiccant becomes saturated (with moisture) at which time the dehumidifier needs to be plugged in to “recharge”. The recharge process liberates moisture from the saturated desiccant and restores it to its previously unsaturated state. The unsaturated desiccant is then once again able to remove moisture from ambient air by adsorption.
Its look and design, the way it works, the particular chemical desiccant it contains, and almost everything else about this dehumidifier almost exactly mirrors those qualities and features of the much more popular Eva-Dry E-333 and E-500. The obvious question then is whether the Ivation is a better dehumidifier – a better purchase – than either Eva-Dry dehumidifier and whether we recommend this Ivation rechargeable mini dehumidifier over either Eva-Dry rechargeable mini dehumidifier. The short answer to both questions is no. The reasons why follow below.
The IVA-DM05 is about $5 less expensive than the E-333 and about $10 to $15 cheaper than the E-500. The Ivation boasts the same area of coverage as the E-500 – 500 square feet – 167 square feet more than the 333 square feet that the E-333 can cover. Nowhere in the manufacturer specifications for the Ivation could we find its moisture removal rate or capacity (how much moisture it can adsorb before needing to be recharged). We can only assume that it has similar specifications to the E-333 and E-500 which both have a capacity of less than 10 ounces. The manufacturer specifications do state that the IVA-DM05 can operate up to 2 months before needing to recharged – thus it removes whatever its capacity for moisture it has (most likely less than 10 ounces) very slowly over the course of about 2 months or 10 weeks. Both the E-333 and E-500 also take several weeks before they reach capacity. The E-333 takes about 2 to 4 weeks while the E-500 takes about 4 to 8 weeks before needing a recharge.
So, the IVA-DM05 is less expensive than the E-500, has the same area of coverage, most likely has about the same capacity as the E-500, but does take slightly longer to reach that capacity – 10 weeks vs the 4 to 8 weeks for the E-500 – giving it a lower moisture removal rate. It’s also slightly less expensive than the E-333, has a larger area of coverage, most likely has a slightly larger capacity than the E-333, but definitely takes longer to reach that capacity which makes it much slower at removing moisture.
In our E-500 review, we recommended the E-333 over the E-500 because the E-333 removes moisture faster and is also less expensive. We made it very clear in the same review that we don’t recommend either unit for any size space even remotely close to as large as the manufacturer specified area of coverage for either unit – 500 sq ft and 333 sq ft, respectively. Instead, we made the recommendation that neither unit be used in any space larger than about 50 or so square feet. We discuss why we make this recommendation in great detail in our E-333 review. In any case, we make the same recommendation here for the Ivation IVA-DM05. We do not recommend that it be used in any space larger than 50 or so square feet. This makes the fact that it has a larger area of coverage than the E-333, for all intents and purposes, a moot point.
Again, we recommended the E-333 over the E-500 because it removes moisture more quickly and is also less expensive. The E-333 removes moisture more quickly than the Ivation but it isn’t less expensive. Is its faster moisture removal rate worth the extra approximately $2 to $5 you’ll need to buy the E-333 over the Ivation? The answer to that question is yes, we do feel that it’s worth the extra few dollars for its slightly faster removal rate (recall that we’re making this recommendation based on the assumption that the Ivation has similar capacity to the E-500 and E-333 and the fact that it takes up to 2 months to reach that capacity which = a slower moisture removal rate).
We also recommend the E-333 over the Ivation for one other important reason. That reason is warranty. The E-333 comes with a 5 year warranty. The Ivation also ostensibly comes with a warranty but the terms and duration of that warranty is hard to come by. If you read any of our Ivation thermo-electric dehumidifier reviews (this IVADM10 review, for example), you’ll see that we repeatedly state that the terms and conditions for the warranties that accompany Ivation products are hard to come by and never explicitly stated anywhere in the manual that comes with the product when you buy it or anywhere online on Ivation’s website. We find it safe to assume that the Ivation IVA-DM05 either doesn’t come with a warranty or if it does, that it has nowhere close to the 5 year duration of the E-333′s warranty.
But why are we concerned with a $15 to $20 (approx.) product’s warranty to begin with? Most consumers probably won’t even bother to fill out a warranty card for such an inexpensive product. Even less consumers will actually follow through on such a product’s warranty if it breaks – most will probably just throw it away instead of dealing with the hassle of getting a warranty honored.
The truth is that we don’t recommend the E-333 over the Ivation based on the practical aspects of either unit’s warranty. In other words, we don’t recommend the E-333 over the Ivation because we feel it would be in your best interest to get the device that comes with a good warranty so that you can actually use its warranty. We recommend the Eva-Dry over the Ivation based on the inferences that can be made from either unit’s included warranty. For Eva-Dry to include a 5 year warranty with a product as inexpensive as the E-333 or E-500 means that they stand behind that product and that they guarantee it to work for a very long time. In addition to the stated 5 year warranty for either product, Eva-Dry also makes the claim that both units should last as long as 10 years. The Ivation doesn’t come with any explicitly stated warranty and Ivation also doesn’t make the claim anywhere on their website or in the product description for the IVA-DM05 that it should last for as long as 10 years. The bottom line is that we feel that, for the reasons stated above, the E-333 is the superior product in terms of durability and longevity. These reasons are all the reasons we need to recommend that you spend the extra few dollars it will cost you to purchase the E-333 instead of the Ivation IVA-DM05. For our full E-333 review which includes our recommendations regarding which type of applications this type of dehumidifier is best suited for and how it compares to other options at the same price point (disposable desiccant moisture absorbers, for example) click here.
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