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Both of these are evaporative coolers — swamp cooler is the older name for the same technology — so both only cool well in dry air, and the real difference between them is scale. The Honeywell CL201AEW is a compact, windowless indoor unit sized for a single bedroom or office. The Hessaire MC37M is a big, high-output cooler built for a garage, patio or large open room. Neither will help much in humid air; in a dry indoor climate, choose by the square footage you actually need to cool. Other names in the category worth knowing are NewAir, sized closer to the Honeywell, and Portacool, which competes with the Hessaire on large-area output.
| Product | Best for | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Honeywell CL201AEW Indoor Portable Evaporative Cooler (745 CFM) | Best for Rooms & Portability | Check Price (paid link) |
| Hessaire MC37M Evaporative Cooler (3,100 CFM) | Best for Large Spaces | Check Price (paid link) |
Honeywell vs Hessaire evaporative coolers: which one cools a bigger space? CFM, square footage and airflow compared
The Hessaire, comfortably. At around 3,100 CFM it's built for garages, patios and large open rooms, where owners consistently report it makes a real difference in dry heat. The Honeywell's 745 CFM is sized for a single room's square footage, not an open floor plan.
If your problem is a hot garage, workshop or covered patio, this isn't a close call — the Hessaire's higher airflow and continuous-fill option are exactly what a large space needs. Putting a room-sized Honeywell in a garage is the most common "it doesn't cool" mistake owners report; match the CFM to the square footage and cubic volume you're actually trying to move air through.
Indoor room unit vs outdoor tower cooler: which is easier to live with day to day?
The Honeywell is the easier indoor fit. It's lighter, quieter and simple to wheel between rooms, and its windowless design needs no setup beyond adding water and pointing the included remote at it. The Hessaire is a heavier, tower-style outdoor or garage unit — the trade for its much greater output — so it tends to stay put once installed.
For a bedroom, the Honeywell's lower noise and easy repositioning matter more than raw CFM. Owners consistently report leaving it in whichever indoor room is hottest that day. The Hessaire's tower build rewards a permanent spot in a garage, patio or other semi-outdoor area rather than being shuffled around the house.
Do either of them need a window or drain? Humidity, dry climate and low humidity ventilation
No — neither needs a window kit or exhaust hose, because evaporative coolers produce no hot exhaust; you just add water. Both do need some fresh-air ventilation, though, and both only work well in a dry climate with genuinely low humidity — crack a window or door so the humidity they add can escape and the cooling keeps working.
This is a shared advantage over portable air conditioners, and a shared operating rule. Owners consistently report that running either cooler in a sealed room raises humidity and stalls the cooling, which is why evaporative cooling suits the arid Southwest far better than a muggy coastal climate. See how cooling affects your home's indoor climate for why airflow and humidity decide whether evaporative cooling works at all.
How much does either one cost to run? Energy efficient running cost compared
Both are far more energy efficient to run than an air conditioner, because an evaporative cooler is really just a fan pulling air through wet media — there's no compressor. The Hessaire's larger motor and higher CFM draw more power than the Honeywell's compact indoor unit, but the running cost on both stays cheap compared to any AC of similar cooling area.
This is one of the strongest arguments for evaporative cooling in a dry climate: you get meaningful cooling for a fraction of an air conditioner's electricity draw, which keeps the running cost low even for the Hessaire's bigger motor. The Honeywell's small fan motor draws well under 1 kWh across a full day of use; even the Hessaire's larger 3,100-CFM motor typically stays under 3–4 kWh in a full day, against 15–20 kWh or more for a comparable air conditioner cooling the same square footage. The trade-off is capacity and humidity tolerance rather than running cost — neither the Honeywell nor the Hessaire will strain a power bill the way even a small portable AC can, which is part of why owners in dry regions keep one of these running for entire summers.
Ice pack boost and shaded placement
An ice pack dropped into the water tank gives a short-term boost on the hottest days, dropping outlet air a few extra degrees for an hour or two before the ice melts. It's a small, cheap trick rather than a real fix — positioning the cooler in shade and pulling air from a shaded side of the house does more for sustained performance than any ice pack will.
Water tank, cooling pad and ice pack: how often do you need to refill or maintain them?
The Honeywell's smaller water tank needs refilling more often in continuous use, which suits its role as a room unit you check on through the day; some owners drop an ice pack into the tank for a quick extra chill on the hottest afternoons. The Hessaire's continuous-fill hookup option is built specifically to avoid manual refilling altogether, since a large-area cooler running for hours would otherwise need it constantly.
The cooling pad on either unit should be rinsed or replaced periodically to prevent mineral buildup and mildew, and that maintenance rhythm matters more for the Hessaire given how many more hours it typically runs per day in a garage or on a patio. Owners who plumb the Hessaire into a continuous water line report noticeably less day-to-day fuss than those who keep it on manual fill and top up with an occasional ice pack.
Swamp cooler basics: portable design and oscillation
Both units are portable on caster wheels, though the Hessaire's weight makes it a one-time move rather than a daily one. Neither swamp cooler includes oscillation the way a fan does — you point the cooler's outlet toward where you want the airflow and let the cooling pad and fan do the rest.
Because a swamp cooler moves a large volume of air in one direction rather than sweeping it side to side, placement matters more than it does with a simple fan. Aim the Honeywell at your desk or bed; position the Hessaire so its output reaches across the garage or patio rather than into a corner. If you want side-to-side coverage rather than a single stream, pair either cooler with a separate oscillating fan to spread the cooled airflow further into the room instead of relying on the cooler's own outlet alone.
Neither brand builds oscillation into the housing itself, unlike some tower fans, so don't expect the cooler to sweep the room on its own — that's a deliberate design trade-off in favor of pushing more CFM in one direction rather than less air spread wider.
Best for a bedroom, office or living room in dry heat
- 745 CFM windowless indoor cooler
- Remote control included
- Built-in carry handle and caster wheels
- Compact footprint sized for a single room
Why buy it: Owners consistently report the Honeywell is easy to live with indoors — no window kit, no exhaust hose, just add water and roll it to whichever room is hottest. It is not built to cool a garage or a whole floor, but for one room at a time it is straightforward and quiet.
Best for a garage, patio or large open room in dry heat
- High 3,100 CFM output for big areas
- Rigid honeycomb media and a rugged build
- Continuous water-fill hookup option
- Established brand with a long track record in large-capacity coolers
Why buy it: The consensus favors the Hessaire for serious coverage: owners in dry climates consistently report it cools a large space and lasts for years. A common complaint is that it is heavy and best left in one place rather than carried around like the Honeywell.
The verdict
For a bedroom, office or living room, the Honeywell CL201AEW is the easier, quieter fit — no window kit, easy to move, and simple to add to a room that already has some ventilation. For a garage, patio or large open space in a dry climate, the Hessaire MC37M is the clear pick — its CFM output and tower build are what big areas need. Both only work in low humidity, so check your summer humidity first. Browse the full evaporative coolers hub for more options, and see how we rank — we do not buy or physically handle these coolers; every judgment here comes from aggregated owner reviews and manufacturer specifications.