REASONS TO BUY
Dual hose design
Good cooling power
Long power cord
Automatic condensation management
REASONS TO AVOID
High energy consumption
Heavy and hard to lift
Complicated window installation
Whynter ARC-14SH Review
This is a powerful and well-rounded portable AC, but it's an unfortunate power hog
Credit: Brian Walker
Our Verdict
The Whynter ARC-14SH is a powerful and relatively quiet portable AC that has no trouble working in hot environments or cooling down large rooms. Its main drawbacks are its comparatively high energy consumption, lower-than-average portability, and complicated setup. It weighs nearly 75 pounds with very shallow finger grooves for lifting, making it a chore to move around multi-level buildings and homes. However, if that isn't a concern and you need to cool a large space quietly, this could be the portable AC for you. See our top-ranked portable air conditioners to find out where this AC stood amongst the rest in our testing.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product Whynter ARC-14SH | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Portable Air Conditioner |  Best Quiet Portable Air Conditioner |  Best Portable Air Conditioner On a Budget | ||
| Price | $600 List $573.00 at Amazon | $633 List $551.85 at Amazon | $719 List $649.00 at Amazon | $349 List $349.00 at Amazon | $350 List $295.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
|||||
| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This 14,000 BTU air conditioner is quiet and will cool large rooms with ease, but it's not particularly energy-efficient | This powerful portable air conditioner has more cooling capability and innovative features than any other to help you beat the summer heat | This is a super quiet, feature-dense, portable AC with a great mobile app and convenient onboard accessory storage | This versatile unit goes easy on the wallet in terms of power-consumption and purchase price | This portable AC is easy to install and even easier on the budget |
| Rating Categories | Whynter ARC-14SH | Whynter ARC-1230WN | LG LP1022FVSM | Black+Decker BPACT08WT | SereneLife SLPAC10 |
| Cooling (35%) | |||||
| Energy Consumption (15%) | |||||
| Noise (20%) | |||||
| Portability / Install (25%) | |||||
| Convenience (5%) | |||||
| Specs | Whynter ARC-14SH | Whynter ARC-1230WN | LG LP1022FVSM | Black+Decker BPACT08WT | SereneLife SLPAC10 |
| Manufacturer Recommended Cooling Area | Up to 500 sq ft | Up to 600 sq ft | Up to 450 sq ft | Up to 150 sq ft | Up to 450 sq ft |
| Single or Dual Hose | Dual | Dual | Single | Single | Single |
| Wi-Fi / App Enabled | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Modes (fan speeds) | - Cold (1-3)
|
- Cold (1-3 + Auto)
|
- Cold (1-3)
|
- Cold (1-3 + Auto)
|
- Cold (1-3)
|
| Energy Star Certified | No | No | No | No | No |
| BTU | 14000 BTU (ASHRAE) 9500 BTU (DOE) |
14000 BTU (ASHRAE) 12000 BTU (DOE) |
14000 BTU (ASHRAE) 10000 BTU (DOE) |
8000 BTU (ASHRAE) 4000 BTU (DOE) |
10000 BTU (ASHRAE) 6000 BTU (DOE) |
| 24-Hour On/Off Timer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Control Type | Button | Button | Button | Touch | Button |
| Remote Control | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Washable Dust Filter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manufacturer Window Width Minimum | 20" | 26.7" | 23" | 20.5" | 26.7" |
| Manufacturer Window Width Maximum | 46" | 49" | 60" | 59" | 50.1" * |
| Measured Window Kit Width | 6.5" | 9.8" | 6.5" | 6.5" | 4" |
| Refrigerant Type | R32 | R32 | R32 | R32 | R410a |
| Child Lock | No | Yes, for the remote only | No | No | No |
| Manufacturer Dehumidify/Moisture removal | 71 pt/ day | 87 pt/day | 6.7 pt/hr | Not Specified | 3.1 pt/hr |
| Measured Weight | 74 lbs 4 oz | 75 lbs 1 oz | 69 lbs | 46 lbs | 52 lbs 4 oz |
| CEER | 7.9 | 12.3 | 7.9 | 5.4 | 6.6 |
| Estimated Summer Cost | $223.12 | $216.15 | $191.74 | $156.88 | $167.34 |
| Average dBa Reading on High | 59.5 | 58.4 | 56 | 58.6 | 61 |
| Difference of averaged temps | 8.1 | 11.9 | 7.6 | 7 | 6.3 |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
The 14,000 BTU Whynter ARC-14SH offers a lot of cooling power and is on the quieter end of the spectrum. It is a solid choice if you look past its above-average power consumption.
Performance Comparison
The dual-hosed Whynter ARC-14SH provides plenty of cooling capability.
Credit: Brian Walker
Cooling
The ARC-14SH delivered one of the group's better performances in our cooling tests. In order to test cooling capability, we set up the portable ACs in a 14x10ft space with 12ft ceilings (1680 cu ft.). We ran the hose through the included window kits into our warehouse, which was partitioned off and heated up to maintain consistent temps to simulate “outdoor” summer heat. Likewise, the “indoor” space was warmed to a consistent starting temperature between 82 and 84 degrees before we began the test. Next, we ran the unit on its highest, coldest setting for 60 minutes and recorded the averaged results from four temperature-sensing dataloggers placed around the room. The ARC-14SH dropped the temperature from 83.3 to 75.2 degrees Fahrenheit or down 8.1 degrees after 60 minutes — one of the largest drops of the group, and a noticeable difference standing in the room before and after the test.
The Whynter ARC-14S is one of the few portable ACs with dual hoses, improving its cooling performance.
Credit: Brian Walker
Portability/Install
For the portability and installation metric, we graded and scored how much effort it took to roll each unit around, carry them, and install and remove the exhaust hose and its window insert. The Whynter ARC-14SH is slightly below average overall in these tests, which accounts for 25% of the total score.
This AC is easy to roll around, though we found some weirdness with its steering. It only has a small amount of rolling resistance but will pull to one side every so often. Overall, it's one of the best units for rolling around flat spaces no matter whether the terrain is wood, carpet, or concrete. Still, it is also one of the heaviest units out of the entire group, weighing in at a little more than 74 pounds, making it horrendous to carry. The handles are on the small and shallow side, creating lots of pressure on your hands and making this one of our least favorite air conditioners to carry up or down a flight of stairs.
This AC rolls smoothly, but sometimes it veers off course.
Credit: Brian Walker
Initial installation with the window kit takes around 10-20 minutes, depending on your window. We found the ARC-14SH more annoying to set up in the window than most others. The included instruction sheet mentions that you may have to modify the window kit's duct interface panel if your window is too narrow or wide. Ours was too narrow, so we had to cut the panel down to size and then painstakingly work around the large dual hoses to get everything fitted and properly secured.
Noise
The Whynter ARC-14SH did well here, scoring well above average and producing only 59.5 decibels from our sound meter. This metric makes up 20% of each units score, as loud noise can be a huge deterrent when purchasing an AC.
The Whynter ARC-14S is quieter than many other portable ACs we tested.
Credit: Brian Walker
The unit is quiet overall, with the fan registering a little louder than the compressor in the subjective listening test. Altogether, this scores as one of the quieter units in the review.
Energy Consumption
The energy metric totals 15% of the score for all portable ACs we tested since more efficient units are easier on the power grid and environment and are more economical to operate during the summer. The 14,000 BTU Whynter ARC-14SH came in well below average in energy efficiency, as many of the more powerful units do.
The Whynter is a bit of a power hog, according to the watt meter.
Credit: Brian Walker
The Whynter ARC-14SH consumed 4.9 kWh of energy. Using the unit for 12 hours a day over 90 days, it's projected to use 1382.4 kWh of power and will run up around $223.12 in electricity costs.
Convenience
The final 5% grades each unit on how convenient they are to use. The Whynter ARC-14SH scored fairly average throughout this metric, with no real stand-out features apart from its quality air adjustability.
As mentioned, the vents that direct the air have a good bit of vertical adjustability and a slider to direct air horizontally, which is a better design than most units we tested. Other than that, the ARC-14SH has pretty standard controls, modes, and a remote but no Wi-Fi connectable app for advanced programmability.
The Whynter ARC-1230WN was the only portable AC with a dust cover complete with a designated pocket to stow the manual and remote.
Credit: Austin Palmer
Should You Buy the Whynter ARC-14SH?
Though it has a complicated initial install and costs quite a bit to run, if you live in a scorching climate, you're going to want a unit that can really crank out cold air. This machine is among the best at that.
No slick Wi-Fi connectable mobile app here, but the remote does its job.
Credit: Brian Walker
What Other Portable Air Conditioners Should You Consider?
If you don't live in a climate with frequent triple-digit temps, you may not need this much cooling power. Check out the SereneLife SLPAC10, which is more affordable, energy-efficient, and portable. If you want the best when it comes to cooling power, then we recommend the Whynter ARC-1230WN.
—David Wise, Austin Palmer, and Adam Stout
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