Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier - Air Humidifier

The humidifier I was shipped did not have the larger tank opening and cap as stated in the Product Description section, and as shown in the video on this page. (I'm going to the trouble of writing this review in case anyone else is concerned with those particular features.) I've owned a few of these Vicks warm mist humidifiers over quite a long time, usually 2 at a time, in different rooms, and I will say, in general, they have always been quite good, reliable, and long-lasting. So you won't really go wrong getting one. However, after many years of use, there were a couple of issues that made me want the model that specifically had the wider tank opening and cap as were shown in the video here, and described in the Product Description. All the models I had in the past had the smaller tank opening and cap (as you can just about see in SOME of the product photos here, as well as some customer photos, but NOT in the video.) Because of the small size opening into the tank, there were always parts of the tank I could not wipe out. Sometimes (after long periods of use) a pinkish film accreted in the tank corners and did not disappear with regular cleaning and bleach solution soaking and swishing process. The tanks really needed to be wiped with some pressure, but there was just no way my hand could reach in to access those areas of the tank firmly, nor could I find a brush or tool that was flexible enough to reach the inside corners. Since my hand could not fit inside the tank opening, I could not wipe any corners, really! (I did the best I could, contorting my hand and using chopsticks or spoons to drag a cloth or paper towel around inside, but it wasn't really satisfactory!) Additionally, because of the small opening and inability to wipe them out, the tanks would also take a really long time to fully dry out. If you are not going to use the humidifier for a few days you are supposed to dry it out, or when getting ready to store it at the end of the heating season. It would literally take 3-4 days for the tanks to dry... there was always a small amount of water left at the bottom of the tank that seemed to take forever to dry, no matter how much I would shake it, or try to wipe it with a cloth or paper towel inside, I could not reach it. So when I viewed the video and description shown here, I was delighted because it looked like the V745 now had a wider opening and cap that would solve these problems. (I assumed someone had figured out and designed this improvement.) Unfortunately, when I received the item, however, it had the same old small tank opening and cap. I called the Vicks Humidifer Co. to find out what model was the model with the larger cap, as shown in the video, but apparently both the large cap as shown in the video, and the small cap (as shown in some of the other photos on the page) are all labeled with the same model no. V745, differentiated only by the letters after the model number which simply denote the color of the product. Vicks Customer Service actually did not know whether one was a newer version or what, or even that there was any difference in the tank openings or caps in this model. (Hard to believe that they did not bother to differentiate in any way.) It seems possible, if the small opening is older and if the larger opening is a newer version, that I was simply shipped the older version, because Amazon still had it in stock. Without a different model or product number to differentiate, it seemed impossible to imagine that Amazon would be able to ship me the humidifier I wanted in exchange. (Someone would have had to open the boxes and check the tank opening before shipping until they found one with the wide opening; and that was not realistic to expect!) So I had to return the humidifier. I did appreciate that the return was really easy; I was able to drop it off at the Amazon return center in my local Whole Foods store.) I've ended up purchasing the Vicks Model VWM845, which does have the wider tank opening and cap, (and also has a "scent pad door" which I don't particularly care about and probably won't use much). I was able to get it at the same price as this model due to promotional discounts (at another vendor; it's a lot more here).