MABIS Facial Steamer, Steam Inhaler, FSA Eligible, Vaporizer or Vocal Steamer with Aromatherapy Diffuser and Soft Face Mask for Cleansing, Sinus Pressure, Congestion, Colds and Cough, 25mL

After a recent bout with allergies and inconsistent results from my Neti pot, I decided to look for other alternatives and thought a personal steamer might do the trick. As I looked for a consensus, I noticed there's a huge price disparity between many of them and all of them seem to have a large cadre of haters who have had bad experiences. After quite a bit of research, I decided on this unit and so far I've been very happy with the results.The MABIS is a pretty simple device. There are two water chambers. The first one is the water that gets heated and I only put distilled water into that. There's a little measuring cup that tells you how much to fill it but I usually put in a bit more which I will explain later. The water in that chamber is pulled through holes in the bottom into another section which then heats it to the point where it turns into steam, and the steam shoots out into the breathing tube. Pretty simple.The second water compartment is essentially a little plastic drawer you slide into the device and it is not heated. Instead a tube pulls the liquid out and shoots it in a fine stream into the steam from the other compartment as it rises. This 1) cools the steam so it isn't as hot, and 2) allows you to use aromatherapy with the steam. I personally only use the salt packets from my neti pot in this water compartment as the negative reviews made me nervous to try anything too fancy. I've had good results thus far. A quick note - the water 'drawer' actually has two sides. The bigger side is the one where you put the 'aromatherapy' laden water. The smaller side is under the drain and catches all the water that doesn't leave the device as steam.CARE AND MAINTENANCE - I've been worried since the beginning that the device would stop working but I've had no issues since I bought it three months ago. I'm probably jinxing myself but I've been doing a couple of things that might help others and I thought I'd share them as it took me a while to figure this out. First, I've seen people put the suction hose down into the drain section of the 'aromatherapy drawer' to get a longer run time. Don't do that! While that will work and it will allow you to run the device longer, I suspect the longer running time puts a strain on the device's heating element beyond its design. The device ships with a measure device for the 'distilled water compartment' and if you use it the two sections empty at about the same time. I stopped using the measuring cup but I think they include it as a reminder so people do not use the device for too long (they might also include it for legal reasons as without the 'aromatherapy water' to cool the steam, the steam hitting your face increases in temperature real quick). I overfill the the 'distilled section' because I had a couple of uses when it heated all the water out of the distilled section and I started to smell burnt plastic. That's never a good sign so I make sure the water in the 'distilled' chamber never runs out (which is why I put a little extra in). Then key is to only use the device for as long as the water from the 'aromatherapy drawer' isn't empty. Once it runs out (about 6-7 minutes) - turn off the device, unplug it, let it cool a bit, pull out the aromatherapy drawer and empty the drainage water. Then open the 'distilled chamber' and carefully pour the very hot water down the drain. The residual heat of the device will cause the rest of the water to evaporate, which should help its longevity as leaving water in an electrical device is never a good idea. I also make sure to allow it to completely cool if I feel the need to use it the same day.Perhaps I'm being overcautious but I've used this device almost daily for three months and been very happy. I can see where I may need to replace the soft plastic mask someday as I can't image it will take the repeated heating and cooling forever. I can see no issues with hard plastic warping that others have reported but even if it broke today I'd know I got my money's worth. This device cost less my last three months of allergy medicine and I think it has helped my sinuses more than pills or my neti pot. While I hope it isn't something that needs constant replacement, it's been well worth the price so far (and I know I've jinxed myself).

Updated again 3/22/18:Now the soft plastic purple face mask has broken away from the inhale tube (see new uploaded photo). You can see on the inside where the plastic has fail and separated. Will glue it with epoxy to keep it going, but this thing is really awful, definitely one of the worst products I have ever purchased.Updated 2/24/18:After several months of use, this unit is now puddling water at base on table after every use. Also, the power indicator light at base of unit has stopped working. I should mention that several reviewers have commented that there is no way for the plastic to crack unless the unit is rinsed after use while still hot. Not true. I have never done this and have always allowed the unit to cool down before rinsing or cleaning, so this is not a material expansion/contraction problem due to cleaning. I still maintain that the manufacturer has used the wrong type of plastic for the application.Original review:I really wanted to like this as it produces steam well and has some nice features, but the plastic case is completely failing after several weeks of use (refer to pics). The plastic at the back of unit where the top cover snaps in place has crumbled and broken away, so the top cover no longer stays on. Also, a large stress crack developed that extends from the AC POWER cord entry point towards the top of the unit. The manufacturer has obviously used the wrong type of plastic for this design application as it is too brittle and does not stand up to heat well. The top cover retaining features are also too weak. Do not recommend buying unless you enjoy repairing all these defects yourself, which I am now forced to do. I believe getting a replacement would be a waste of time as this is obviously a common design defect based on other Amazon reviewer complaints, which I unfortunately ignored.