Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm a beginner to essential oils/aromatherapy. Despite being a bit of an investment, I chose this for my first diffuser and - after about 3 weeks of use - I am exceedingly happy with that decision. I think it's an elegant and beautiful device to look at (bonus 'cool' points that it looks like something from a mad scientist's labaratory, even moreso when in operation), and it works very well. I have stationed it in my master bedroom, and it covers that area (and somewhat the adjacent bathroom) capably within a few minutes at 24%-33% "power" (which is how I typically run it). Mine operates with a pleasantly low level of noise; being an air pump, it is audible in a quiet room (e.g. bedtime), but it's not at all obnoxious - even running "wide open" it's not in any way intolerable. I've been running it nightly as I go to bed and noise has not been any issue at all. It is built well, but be aware the bulb and cap are real glass and presumably quite fragile. A drop on a hard floor and you'd be shopping for replacement parts; definitely could not trust it to rest in a place where small hands or pets could knock it over. Glass is the best choice for a diffuser, however, as it does not react to the oils. Unlike the vapor-type diffusers, this one takes pure essential oil only (no water or carrier oil at all) and diffuses it nebulizer-style using only air pressure. If you ran it continuously, it probably could run through oil fairly quickly, as any nebulizer-type diffuser can. Since it dispenses pure oil into the air, however, I think you get greater effect from less oil and less run time. I can put 5 drops of oil in the bulb and still have a bit of oil left after a 30 minute 'on' session (again, at 25%-30% "power"). So IMHO I don't think it consumes oil excessively at all, but as with all things, it's efficiency is partially in how aggressively you choose to use it. To get a better understanding of the device before purchasing, I spent time on the manufacturer's website and watched his cleaning/repair videos on YouTube - something I highly recommend everyone do, as it will give you a much clearer picture of how and why some people have problems with these devices. As with all things, pieces and parts can fail, but it's easy to see how one could have "problems" with this unit because they didn't bother to read the instructions for use and proper maintenance/troubleshooting. Apparently early versions of this unit came with an air pump that contained a self-timer to keep it from overheating (as any pump will do if run indefinitely). It sounds as if the timer had some issues, so the manufacturer has replaced the early unit with a new one containing a timer-less air pump, leaving it up to the user to moderate run times (as clearly said in the instructions). Mine is one of the newer timerless units, so what I did - and works great - is paired my diffuser with a 30-minute countdown timer - Belkin Conserve Socket F7C009q Energy-Saving Outlet - that plugs into my wall outlet and severs power to the unit after 30 minutes have elapsed. I am very pleased with this method, as it allows plenty of time for the diffuser to do its job, but prevents it from running long enough to damage itself (or use up my oil!). Highly recommend users of this diffuser consider this method or similar. All in all, I'm very happy with it!