Any experiences with portable AC units?

I used a 5000 btu to get by for a few days when I needed to replace the fan motor. I used cardboard and made a template of the escape exit window and cut a sheet of plywood to the window size and then cut a rectangular hole the exact size of the small ac unit with it centered, I then took foam pipe insulation and put around the outer edge of the plywood, put it in the window opening and used wood wedges to hold it in. The ac slid into the opening in the plywood and I was good to go. The window unit costs less than the portable ac unit, and my experience trying to use the portable was even when the hose was routed through a window the backside of the unit still emitted a lot of heat.