UrPower Ultrasonic
Diffuser Review (2019)

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but what about a diffuser? When shopping around for a device that's going to sit on an surface in your home or office and be presented to every guest, it needs to look good.

On top of that, you can have the best looking product, but if it isn't designed well, with features that provide an important function or benefit to you, what's the point? These are two crucial areas we always evaluate diffusers. 

While every person's needs vary, typically the thing we see the most is the desire to have two different modes: continuous and interval cycles. These are available in most units, but the times and options do differ from brand to brand. 

Directly tied in with the operating times is a diffuser's capacity - or how much water & essential oil it can carry. This is a classic trade-off situation though. The smaller the capacity, the more inconspicuous the device, and the less space it occupies. The larger the capacity, the larger the unit. You also don't want to be constantly refilling it. All things to consider.

And while operating times and capacity, are important, if the diffusion can't actually produce coverage for your desired area of effect, then what's the point? Ultrasonic diffusers produce tiny droplets of water vapour with essential oil trapped inside, and so the coverage and aroma can vary from unit to unit.  

If this is going to be something you are using often, you need to make sure the noise is not going to annoy you! Ultrasonic diffusers can produce slight noise, as the disc vibrates at an extremely high speed to produce vapour. If you're a sensitive sleeper, or need a dead-quiet workspace, you need a silent model. 

Of course, when buying any time of product, you want to make sure that 1) it's a quality product and 2) the manufacturer stands behind its quality enough to offer a warranty. Most diffusers are often quite affordable, but can be cheaply made. You want to make sure if something goes wrong, you're covered. 

Now that you have seen how we assess our diffusers, it's time to get into our evaluation of the UrPower Ultrasonic Diffuser!

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Like we've touched on briefly, the UrPower diffusers are not exactly the most eye-catching diffusers out there. The model we reviewed, this 100ml device, is pretty simple looking.

But, simple is not a bad thing. There is beauty in simplicity! And for a somewhat plain, plastic device, they actually did a great job of making the smooth contoured lines of the device look quite sleek. The plastic doesn't feel cheap, and for us, the actual feel and weight of a product can tell you a lot. 

The design is extremely simple too - another great benefit. This is a simple 2-part diffuser, you literally just open up the top translucent cover, fill the reservoir, replace the cover, and you're good to go. 

The built in LEDs rotate slowly through the 7 colours of the rainbow, and you can press the light button again at any point during its rotation to have the diffuser just produce a single chosen colour. Or, you can just turn the light completely off. Whatever you decide, the foggy, translucent plastic of the cover produces a soft, inviting glow - not too harsh like many LEDs on diffusers can.

It's all about the small details with a device like this. The feet of this unit have small rubber covers that prevent the device from scratching or marking up whatever surface they are on, and help prevent tipping or spilling. As well, the cord plugs in to the bottom of the unit so there's no  

Operating times is one area that the UrPower just follows suit with most other diffusers on the market, with two main modes of diffusing: continuous and interval. On the continuous setting, you can get just over 3 hours or so of mist, while you'll get upwards of 6 hours while on the interval setting.

While we have a lot to say about the design and appearance of this device, where the UrPower falls a little short is its reservoir capacity. At just 100ml, the UrPower is on the small side of things. But, that's to be expected form such a discrete and compact model such as this. 100ml is pretty much the amount of liquid required to mist for 3 hours continuously, but if you don't have it filled up enough, there is an auto-off mechanism that shuts the device off when the reservoir runs dry to protect the unit from overheating or other damage. 

For such a small unit, we were actually quite surprised with the aroma the UrPower produced. As you can see from the photos we snagged, it produces a flat, wide stream of water vapour that really fills the room up with your chosen essential oils. 

We had no problem filling a room that was just slightly smaller than 300sqft, so again, great coverage from a small and affordable unit. 

Noise level is definitely something to consider with diffusers, as when you are using them in an office or bedroom, you don't want the noise to be distracting. There's only a tiny amount of noise produced by UrPower and is pretty much silent. You may hear a little bubbling of the disc vibrating and producing the mist, but nothing like some of the louder models we've looked at. 

As far as warranty goes, UrPower actually has one of the better coverages out there, with an 18 month limited warranty - an entire 6 months more than what most companies provide. After 4 months of use, ours is still going strong so we don't foresee any issues within that 18 month window.

If you can't tell already, we're a big fan of this diffuser. It's not as pretty as the Vitruvi Ceramic Diffuser, it doesn't quite produce the same powerful aroma as the Organic Aromas Nebulizer, but for a small and affordable unit, we really like this model.

While it looks at first glance like a no-frills option, the manufacturers actually put a lot of thought into their design. The soft plastic cover creates a pleasant soft glow, not an abrasive bright LED gleam the way some other diffusers do. The rubber feet prevent slipping, and its compact, sleek design is inconspicuous and fits right in. 

Overall if you're on a budget this is a great purchase, but our favourite is still the handmade ceramic Vitruvi diffuser. 

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Taking proper care of your diffuser is a sure way to make it last. We recommend using purified water whenever possible (even just from a Brita filter) to make sure you have minimal salt/ion build up and discoloration on the internal components of the device.

As well, cleaning the device regularly will help keep your diffuser smelling and working properly. The best way to clean and disinfect the device is to fill the diffuser with water and a splash of white vinegar, and run it for 5-10 minutes. Drain it out, wipe it out, and refill with plain water for a bit to get the last bit of vinegar out of there and you're good to go!

Not sure if the UrPower is right for you? Fair enough! Everyone looks for something different and the features we love may not be the same features you are looking for. If you're interested in some of the other models we've reviewed, here's a list of all the other best diffusers available today for you to check out!