Organic Aromas "Raindrop" Nebulizing Diffuser Review & Rating

The design and appearance of a diffuser is so important. You don't want (or need) another ugly, bulky device taking up space in your home. It needs to fit in, or stick out in a good way. But form isn't everything, as function also plays a large part in these diffusers. How does the design augment its operation? Do the rubber feet grip the table to prevent spills? Is it easily cleanable? All things we take into account. 

Almost every diffuser has a unique operation strategy. Some can run on adjustable intervals. Some only have one mode - ON. Identifying when and where you are using it is the first step, and after that we can choose the right diffuser for that scenario. 

The capacity of diffusers is always something we consider. How much water (for ultrasonic models) and therefore essential oils, can each model carry, is an important factor. You don't want to be refilling the device every 30 minutes. 

We don't know about you, but buying a product that only satisfies 75% of your needs (or any less than 100%) doesn't make sense. If you're trying to diffuse within a 500 square foot room with a device that only has a coverage of 250 square feet... well that just doesn't make sense, does it? We always test these diffusers to get an idea of how effective they really are. 

If you're using your diffuser at night, in an office or really, anywhere you may want quiet, the noise the device produces is one more factor to think about. Some people like the bubbling of ultrasonic diffusers, some people can't stand it while they sleep. Some models just run louder than others. Keep it in mind as you shop around, and we evaluate every diffuser for its sound output. 

Lastly, but certainly not least...ly, is the warranty. We always make an effort to buy products from companies with great customer service and a great warranty. Things happen, mechanics can breakdown, and you want to make sure you're covered. 

Now that you have seen how we evaluate our reviews, it's time to dive into our assessment of the Organic Aromas Raindrop!

Quickly before we get too far along: as we mentioned above, this is a nebulizing diffuser. Nebulizers operate differently from ultrasonic diffusers as they don't require water to operate. Instead, a tiny jet of air is blown across a tiny glass tube that pulls up oils, and splits them into teensy droplets that are then distributed among the environment the diffuser is in. This produces a superior aroma, since the oils are not diluted by any water. If you want to learn more about how nebulizers work, check out this article. 

As you can likely already tell, the Raindrop is extremely eye-catching. It's tall, lithe design with natural finished wood and smooth glass lines is reminiscent of antique lab equipment with a modern flair. 

The bottom of the wooden base is entirely covered with a textured rubber material, which prevents any slipping around on whatever surface you place it. Because this is such a delicate and fragile diffuser, this is a great feature. With that in mind, this isn't a great model to be used in areas with pets or small children. Although the base is solid, the unit is tall which can be prone to tipping, leading to breakage.

The device has 3 main components: the wooden base, the main glass reservoir, and the glass cap. The hand-blown glass reservoir fits snugly into the wood base via a small tube at the base of the reservoir. The reservoir contains all of the nebulizing components. Then, you simply place the cap on top to begin diffusing (once you load your oils).

There are two plastic pipettes included with the Raindrop, used to load the reservoir with oil. Because most essential oil bottles have a drop-cap attached, it can be difficult to use the pipettes, so we often just ended up dropping straight from the bottles into the reservoir. 

The back of the unit has the on/off dial, which as you turn clockwise, clicks into "On" position, at which point you can adjust the dial to dial up or down the intensity of nebulizing (and subsequent aroma). The small round metal button below the dial is a touch button that powers on and off the LED lights.

The LEDs are personally a little bright and kitschy for our personal taste, but that's just us. We typically did find ourselves using it with the light off, though. 

The internal mechanism of this nebulizing diffuser is much different than ultrasonic ones, making the operating times quite different as well. While most ultrasonic diffusers have upwards of 5hr continuous modes, operating times with the Raindrop are much more interspersed. 

The Raindrop functions with a 2 minute "on" and 1 minute "rest" cycle, for 2 hours of operation. While this may not sound like a lot of time operating, remember that this nebulizer produces a much more powerful aroma than other diffusers, and so we definitely used the dial to dial back the intensity over the first 2 hour cycle we ran.

Capacity is a very important factor to consider with ultrasonic diffusers, but it doesn't apply to nebulizers in the same way. 

Ultrasonic diffusers need a large reservoir because a large amount of water is used to dilute and diffuse a small amount of essential oil. The larger the capacity, the less time spent refilling the unit. 

Nebulizers essentially have 100x the capacity of ultrasonic diffusers, since you can fill the reservoir with that much more oil. You just want to be very careful not to load oil past the glass tubes in the center. But that much oil is more than even an entire essential oil container would carry in most cases. 

However, you don't want to fill your nebulizer with too much oil, since UV light and temperature fluctuations can degrade the quality of the product over time. So, we recommend to not put ALL your oil in at once, and start with only 20-25 drops per use. 

The actual diffusion coverage of the Raindrop is where this unit really shines. We've already covered that nebulizers produce much better coverage and superior aroma, but just how good is it? Well, the Raindrop can cover a room with a beautiful aroma of essential oil that is up to 800 square feet. That's a 2-3x larger space than every other ultrasonic diffuser on the market. The Raindrop really is in a class of its own in terms of coverage.

One thing to keep in mind is that while you're getting superior oil diffusion with this nebulizer, it will not humidify your space the way a water-driven ultrasonic diffuser does since it does not use water to carry the oils. But, depending on where you live, this is actually a great benefit.

Because of the lack of water, you don't get any sort of bubbling noise from the Raindrop like you would with other diffusers. However, because the internal mechanism is different, producing a tiny jet stream of air to produce tiny oil droplets, the motor inside does work pretty hard. You don't notice it at anything less than full power, but it does have an audible hum when it's maxed out. 

Organic Aromas offers a 7-day return policy for unsatisfied customers, as well as a limited 1-year warranty for any problems that arise due to manufacturing. It's a pretty standard warranty for a diffuser. 

There's a few reasons that the Raindrop is #2 on our list of the best diffusers of the year. 

First and foremost, in terms of performance with coverage, capacity and aroma, the Raindrop reigns supreme. The nebulizing mechanism produces best-in-class aromas from any chosen oil, without the need to dilute the oils in water. Even larger spaces can be completely filled with a beautiful aroma. 

It's an absolute gorgeous machine, with smooth lines and a natural wood finish and hand-blown glass components. However, that does make it prone to breaking due to its fragile elements. The rubber base is a great counter to that, but it's still a risk if you have rambunctious pets or kids around. 

It's a nearly silent alternative to the babbling brook noise of an ultrasonic diffuser, though that means you lack any humidifying properties as well. Which, depending on your situation (if you live in a humid area, is a good thing!).

Overall, we absolutely love our Raindrop and recommend it to anyone looking for strong, lasting aroma in larger spaces, and to have something beautiful to be proud of, not just another plastic cheapo appliance. 

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Keeping this unit clean is essential to keep it running optimally. Organic Aromas actually suggests cleaning the unit every 3 days, though we do it weekly with good results. It's super easy to do. Just use one of the included cleaning pipettes to dispense 10-20ml of rubbing alcohol (70%-90%) and run it for 5-10 minutes. This should clear out any residue that may have collected from impurities in the essential oils you've dispensed. Then, just let the unit dry and you're good to go!

Uncertain if the Raindrop is the best choice for your needs? Fair enough! You may be interested in another model like an ultrasonic diffuser. Check out our article of the best essential oil diffusers of 2019 to read about some other great diffusers