by Mercia Tapping, President, AllergyBuyersClub.com
The
IQair hepa air filter is a new entrant into the market place
from Switzerland. It is a testament to precision Swiss engineering.
The company behind it is in the hospital clean room business.
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The IQair hepa air purifier is a new entrant into
the market place from Switzerland. It is a testament to precision
Swiss engineering. The company behind this unit is in the hospital
clean room business.
Pluses:
Surpasses HEPA filtration: The
IQair has a hepa filter and then some. Its hyper hepa has a micro
particle retention rate up to 100 times higher than regular hepa.
The amount of hepa and other filter media in the IQair hepa air
purifier is simply larger than almost any other machine we have
tested.
New for July 2003! Quieter and
Powerful fan: The IQair hepa air purifier has at its core a 700
cfm, 2950 rpm rated fan. That is twice as powerful as any other
fan in any other air purifier on our site. Each fan is individually
balanced and uses steel ball bearings. In July 2003, improvements
to the fan increased air flow and made the air purifiers sound
20 - 30% quieter overall. The most popular fan speeds - 2, 3,
4, and 5 - benefit with increased air delivery and lower noise
level. View the press release for more information.
Lower than average noise level: Because of its
exceptionally large fan, centered in the middle of the machine
the IQair is quieter than most[but not all] hepa air purifiers
we have tested. On the first two fan speeds you have a hard time
hearing the air filter. On the third speed it is a pleasant quiet
background hum. Like all hepa air purifiers, it is fairly noisy
on the higher speeds (4-6) so you probably want to use it on high
speed when you are not in the room.
Control options and settings: One of the big pluses
of the IQair hepa air purifier is its control options. While we
did not see the need for the remote control, we were impressed
with the ability to set the machine to go on and off at certain
pre-designated times (Set it on high as you are coming home from
work or just before your employees come to work.)
Certified performance: We were not quite sure
whether this was a marketing gimmick, but given the variation
in performance of some other air purifiers we have tested, it
was reassuring that each IQair hepa air purifier has a certificate
of performance in air delivery, filter leakage and particle filtration
efficiency.
Pre-filter increases longetivity of hepa and gas
filter life: Another big plus in our opinion is that the IQair
has both a pre-filter and a gas filter (in the plus model). Having
a pre-filter means that your gas and your hepa filter will last
longer. The pre-filter lasts 7 to 14 months; the gas filter 10-21
months; the hepa filter 17-35 months. This is based on running
the unit at medium speed 3, 12 to 24 hours a day. Your actual
filter life will vary based on the speed you run it at. If you
run it above speed 3 the filter life will be shorter while running
it below speed 3 will result in a longer filter life.
Filter change needed indicator light: What our
consumer panel loved about this hepa air purifier is the IQair
lets you know when any of the filters need changing. This is an
enormous plus in our eyes. Most people are using hepa filters
that have out lived their useful life. Why wait as one manufacturer
recommends, for the air to "smell bad"- change the filter
when it needs to be changed. Please keep in mind, when the orange
light comes on you will still have 20% of the filter life remaining.
Low cost to run: The IQair for all its power is
not expensive to run. It is one of the most efficient hepa air
purifiers from the energy consumption point of view [figure the
same as one or two light bulbs].
Environmentally safe construction: The IQair hepa
air purifier is constructed of non off-gassing materials.
Easy to change filters: One of the biggest pluses
we saw, was the ease with which you could change filters. This
was truly an impressive piece of engineering. Filters can be changed
without a screwdriver in a matter of about 3 minutes. All the
filters stack up modular fashion like "Chinese dim sum baskets".
They just can be swapped in and out. The IQair hepa air purifier
is upgradeable to the gas model at a later date with a moderate
amount of effort. This is really quite an ingenious piece of design.
Helpful owner's manual: The IQair air purifier
comes with an excellent manual [believe it or not, some manufacturers
just don't bother to provide one].
Minuses:
Comparatively speaking the IQair
hepa air purifier is large, standing near waist height. It is
nicely styled but it does take up room.
If quiet is the paramount feature you are looking
for above all else, IQAirs are not our quietest air purifiers,
although they are far from the noisiest. And now with a new improved
fan for July 2003, they sound 20-30% quieter. (The distinction
of quietest air purifier belongs to Blueair
air purifiers).
Summary: Originally sold
by the manufacturer at twice the price, you are now getting a whole
lot of hepa air purifier for your money. This is a very powerful and
sophisticated air purifier. We were impressed that someone really
thought deeply and tried to address a great number of thorny design
issues. We spoke to the manufacturer at length and we were also impressed
that they did not exaggerate their air purifier specifications and
were quick to point out that on lower fan speeds the air purifier
coverage will be smaller. They also alerted us that a number of manufacturers
overstate the "real" cfm rating of their fans by quoting
the cfm rating of the fan "free standing" before it goes
through housing and a number of filters. Once we have checked this
through with all manufacturers, we will make adjustments to our product
listings and ratings. The HealthPro Plus is the choice of those who
need to rid their work or home environments of gaseous contaminants
or viruses.
