Dreo HM717S vs Objecto H7 Hybrid
In short: The Dreo HM717S costs $10 less; the Dreo HM717S genuinely holds a larger room (781 sq ft against 170 sq ft); the Dreo HM717S cannot produce white dust on hard water and the other can; the Objecto H7 Hybrid costs about $73 less a year in wicks and watts; only the Dreo HM717S has a humidistat, so only it can stop when the room is where you asked.
| Spec | Dreo HM717S | Objecto H7 Hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$120 | ~$130 |
| Type | Hybrid | Hybrid |
| Mist | Warm and cool | Warm and cool |
| Rated output | 3.17 gal/day | 0.69 gal/day |
| Output standard | Maker's published output rate | Computed from the tank and the maker's longest runtime claim — the lowest setting |
| Honest room size | 781 sq ft | 170 sq ft |
| Claimed coverage | 600 sq ft | 650 sq ft |
| Claim vs physics | 0.77× | 3.82× |
| Tank size | 2.11 gal | 0.63 gal |
| Runtime at the claimed room | 21 hr | 5.7 hr |
| Real runtime at full output | 16 hr | — |
| Yearly running cost | ~$110 | ~$37 |
| Replaceable media | Demineralisation cartridge | None — nothing to buy |
| White dust risk | No | Yes |
| Humidistat | Yes | No |
| Noise on low | 28 dB | — |
| Top fill | Yes | No |
| Dishwasher-safe tank | No | No |
| App control | Yes | No |
| Power | 300 W | 130 W |
Highlighted cells are the better number in that row, and only where a direction is unambiguous — more output and more supported room, less noise, cost and price. Honest room size and runtime are computed from each maker’s own published figures; here is the calculation.
Pros and cons
Dreo HM717S
- The refill interval at realistic settings is the genuine benefit, and it is large
- Warm mist, real output figure and demineralisation in one unit - not a combination on offer at this price elsewhere
- At the middle settings the published output and tank size work out to two or three nights between fills in a 400 sq ft room
- Eight litres is heavy and the unit is large enough to be furniture
- Sixteen hours at the full output, not the 80 advertised
- Warm mode draws 300W, so the cheap-to-run case only holds if you never use the feature you paid for
- New enough that long-term reliability reports are thin
Objecto H7 Hybrid
- Genuinely attractive in a category where that is rare, which is why it sells through home-furnishing retailers
- Warm mist option in a very slim footprint
- No wick or cartridge to buy - the one running cost it does avoid
- A 2.4-litre tank against a 650 sq ft claim is the widest mismatch here - about four hours if it actually held that room
- No humidistat at $130
- White dust on hard water with no demineralisation option
- Bottom fill, and the tank is small enough to need daily attention