‘Tinkering Experience’ — I Have to Recommend This Little Gadget That Will Change How You Drink Water
Translated from the Chinese original.
Introduction
I’ve never been much of a water drinker. I used to boil water in a kettle, then wait for it to cool enough to drink. When I was busy, I often didn’t have time to pour myself a cup, and over time I got into the bad habit of not drinking enough. So the dispenser showed up at just the right time. I was curious to see how this little gadget could give me hot water whenever I wanted it.
The overall look is simple, with no unnecessary decoration. The all-white body looks great, and there’s a helpful reminder beside the buttons. It feels nice to the touch, and a removable aluminum drip tray is included.
Its tall, slim design saves desk space. I placed it beside my computer, where it fits in nicely with the office decor.
Its compact size made me wonder about its capacity, but 3.0 L is enough to last me through an afternoon. I can usually write all afternoon without having to go out for more water.
Here’s the water outlet, with an LED night light beside it—a thoughtful touch. Press unlock at night and the ambient light turns on, bright enough to illuminate your cup. You don’t have to worry about overflowing it because you can’t see in the dark. The LED stays on while the dispenser is unlocked, then turns off automatically when it locks again after 30 seconds.
There’s also a dedicated child-lock button. Press it to lock the controls, or let the dispenser lock itself after 30 seconds on standby to prevent accidental presses and scalds. I do think a cup-detection sensor would be even more thoughtful: if there were no cup underneath, none of the buttons would dispense hot water. What do you think?
The dispenser has a removable water tank, which makes filling and cleaning it much easier.
There’s a float sensor on the back wall of the tank. It rises when the tank is full, telling the dispenser it can operate. When the water runs low, the float drops; press the dispense button then and the machine beeps to let you know.
The removable tank makes it easier to keep clean, but I have to complain: couldn’t they have included a handle? Removing it does make filling and cleaning convenient, but carrying the tank over to the tap is an easy way to lose your grip. I nearly dropped it several times.
There are four common temperature settings on top: room temperature, 45°C, 75°C, and boiling. Room-temperature water is fine for everyday drinking. Choose 45°C for lemon-and-honey water, since excessive heat can damage the compounds in lemon and honey. 75°C works for goji berry tea or oatmeal, while boiling water is good for tea or coffee.
I pressed the boiling-water button, wondering how it could heat purified water so quickly. A couple of seconds later, there it was, bubbling hot! The flow isn’t especially strong, but it dispenses at a decent speed without splashing everywhere.
Honestly, I was surprised. I’d recently bought a Midea water dispenser for home, and the difference is that most dispensers heat the water in an internal tank before dispensing it. The dispenser produces hot water on demand. The diagram below shows how it heats the water.
One downside: there’s a plastic smell while it dispenses, and the water picks up that smell too.
Since getting this little gadget, I can have a satisfying cup of warm water within three seconds every morning. It gets things moving and tells my gut it’s time to wake up! After washing up, I make another cup of tea, have breakfast, and start the day feeling refreshed. I won’t hype it up the way the seller does, but it really does make a difference to my day at certain moments. And after coming home exhausted at night, I can make a cup of hot milk right away. Those three seconds of heating make the evening feel a little more comforting.
After catching a cold during the change of seasons, I think I finally understood the magic of the dispenser. A cup of warm water at the touch of a button—nothing feels more comforting this time of year.