Thermacell E-Series Rechargeable Mosquito Repeller with 20’ Mosquito Protection Zone; Bug Spray Alternative; Scent Free

I live in a very heavily wooded area with a ton of mosquitoes. I like to host outdoor gatherings in my backyard, but I hate having to wear bug spray or risk getting mosquito bites. I tried all sorts of other things, like citronella candles and bug zappers, but none of them were very effective. Consequently, I decided to give thermacell a try. I’m happy to report that it is incredibly effective! Since purchasing it, my family and I have been able to comfortably sit outside on summer nights without wearing bug spray and have not gotten bitten once! The thermacell machine is very easy to set up, use, and recharge. The refill cartridges are not very expensive and very easy to insert and remove. The machine itself is lightweight, durable, and has a minimalistic and modern design. It is very small, and easy to tuck into a corner or hide behind a potted plant. The thermacell does not generate any odor. It release a very faintly visible wisp of spray. It is safe to use around kids and pets. It covers a very large area. The cartridges last a long time. This is hands down the most effective and convenient way to prevent mosquito bites!

It works. I was getting eaten alive by mosquitos until I got this. I’m a deck sitter and we live in a neighborhood with lots of trees and lots of mosquitos. I hated to buy stuff on my skin! I was skeptical at first especially because of price, but decided to give it a try. I place it on the table near me and I have NO mosquitoes at all bothering me. The refills are pricey for me because I’m outside so much, but to me it is so worth it. It works!

Update (5/12/22):I tried using the product on a breezy evening and as I suspected, the wind impacted the effectiveness. While I think there were fewer mosquitoes (just a guess), I was getting bitten and decided to go back inside. I do think it’s effective if it is not too windy. Will buy some more repellent and continue using it.(Original Post). Let's start with the most important question...does it work? It does work (or at least has worked for me and my specific set up)...more about that shortly. And I will continue to use it (and purchase more repellant refills). Why only 4 stars? Instructions need to be improved and not quite sure about the value proposition (cost) for the repellents. But the product has worked for me so far (several hours of use) and I really hate mosquitos. And I did not have to put on bug repellent to keep them from pestering me.After reading several reviews and wanting to gain access to my patio without being attacked by mosquitos, I decided to buy this and give it a try. I decided on the battery operated version for my patio. The setup instructions were not clearly written (I will provide the information I wish they had provided shortly as well).I am not a entomologist or an aerosol vapor flow expert...that said, here are my observations and recommendations.1.) I don't believe the graphic that shows a 20" protective bubble is reasonable representation of what to expect from the product. The unit emits a vaporized repellent into the air (visualize the smoke from a candle) which is highly influenced by wind or, a ceiling fan. As the repellent is diluted to into the air, the effect dissipates, meaning less protection from mosquitos. The graphic shows a group of people sitting outdoors with a bubble shield, exactly 20 feet around them. If there is no wind, maybe that depiction is a somewhat reasonable representation. But when you set an expectation that there is a protective bubble, people will take it literally. Hence the 1 star reviews that says it does not work.In my situation, I am on covered porch where there is a wall behind me and to the left of me but the front and right side are completely open to the wind. So there is a "pocket" where the repellent is protected from from being completely dissipated or blown downwind. This would seem to me to be the ideal set up for this device. Haven't tried turning on the ceiling fan on the porch. If the results are significantly different, I will update this review.2. Confusing instructions included in the box at best. Here is a suggestion...how about a QR code that takes you to a video called first use. Let me summarize the information I believe needs to clearly provided:a) Plug the unit in before use (instructions said this). You will see 3 chasing dots (blinking on and off in a chasing pattern) until the unit is charged (instructions have some confusing series of gray and white dots that does not look anything like what the unit looks like while it's charging). When fully charged, the three dots above the charging port will be on. Also, no word on whether you can plug the unit into a wall socket and use it while it is recharging. And the instructions do not say it takes 5 hours to charge when the battery is completely depleted (that is what the support person told me). Also guessing the unit does not trickle charge when charging is complete...so you probably should not leave it plugged in for extended periods of time.b) The repellent is in a small plastic container with a lid. The instructions in the box don't really show you how to hold the lid to remove it (there is a confusing drawing with two diagonal arrows which wasn't useful at all). Hold the sides of the bottle with your thumb and forefinger. Hold the front and back center of the lid in the center with the thumb and forefinger of your other hand. Separate. Just like the picture on the Amazon website (which I just saw).c) How about a recommendation on turning it off after your use and whether to remove the repellent container and put the lid back on. Absolutely nothing said in the instructions. Also, maybe recommend charging the unit so it will be ready for your next use? What if you are not going to use it for a week or a month...should you not leave the unit plugged in to a charger for extended periods? Again, it would be useful to know if you can use the unit while it's plugged in and recharging.3. General thoughts about toxicity: Google mosquito deaths and the results say mosquitos kill over 1 million people a year. One of the prominently displayed 1 star reviews talks about the toxicity and that you can get headaches or dizziness. Everyone is different and I enjoy being outside without having to put insecticide on my skin. I have not gotten headaches or dizzy. Your results may vary.Now I want to compliment Thermacell on their customer support. They answered the call pretty quickly, were very helpful and pleasant to work with. Also, very generous warranty.I have written this whole review sitting on my porch and did not have a single mosquito come near me. Houston, Texas, in May on light breeze afternoon.Again, I would recommend it to friends and would buy it again.Now for some unsolicited advice to Thermacell. Seems to me you have way too many versions of this product which confuses the buyer. Also, it appears the repellents have changed over time with some of your later repellents that are "safer" than your earlier versions. Might be useful to make this information more explicit if correct. Hopefully you are reconciling what products to sell and which products to sunset. Also, on the box that is covered with pictures and graphics, the actual product version was in smaller print and greyed out (easily overlooked). So it took me a minute to find it when support asked me what device I was calling about.Very simple electronics upgrade...I would recommend resettable timers on the device indicating battery life and how much time remains before the repellent needs to be replaced. Either LED timer display (not 3 LED lights) on the device or bluetooth app on your phone. Seems obvious you are using the "razor and blade" method of pricing for product, where razors are cheap but the blades (refills) are where you generate your profits. The unit works well enough that a little upgrade to provide the user more information about battery life or how long until I need to replace the repellent cartridge would justify paying extra for the "razor". Just one opinion and you have been in the business for 20 years...so you know what your are doing.

The Thermacell E-Series Mosquito Repeller works great. We used the Thermacell E-Series Mosquito Repeller on the 4th of July while watching fireworks, and it worked amazingly well. Nobody in our group got bit the entire evening, which is a huge win. We were especially impressed because we have a 2-year old and wanted something safe and sent free. It was such a relief not to use sticky or strong-smelling bug spray. The 20-foot protection zone really held up, even with several of us sitting close together. This product is perfect for outdoor use and is much more convenient than candles. We are very happy with it and plan to use it throughout the summer season.

This mosquito repeller is not very effective.My patio space is less than 20’ x 20’. It is enclosed by a fence and the wall of my house, so that the repellent chemical is not dispersed by wind. I put this device out for about 20 minutes to give the chemical time to build up. At dusk in Houston in July , with this device running the mosquitoes were not as thick as they might ordinarily be, but were still too bothersome to allow us to sit outside comfortably.This product might work okay if the mosquitoes aren’t too think, but our old-fashioned citronella candles seem to work as well or better, without his having to worry about exposure to a chemical insecticide. I can’t really recommend this product to repel mosquitoes in a high heat, high humidity region like Houston.

I wasn't entirely sure about the Thermacell E-Series Rechargeable Mosquito Repeller, but I'm happy I took a chance on it. The Thermacell E-Series kept mosquitoes away the whole time we were outside. No spray, no smell. I turned the repeller on, forgot about it, and chilled with my family. We had a great time cooking out, listening to music, and playing some board games late into the night. My favorite feature is that it lasts six hours and has a protection zone of 20ft. I also like that it's easy to charge and use. I am so glad I got it!

Works well. I get about 10-12 hours per battery cycle. The new system of rechargeable batteries and drop in liquid repellent canisters that both last several evenings is a huge upgrade from the old liquid fuel cells and one time use repellent pads. This new system seems, IMO, more effective in repelling skeeters.The refill packs are crazy expensive. I need to find a good off brand that doesn’t cost as much.