Air Purifier Reviews

New air purifiers for very small rooms

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Blueair 201 Air Purifier

At 200 cfm, the new Blueair 201 air purifier is made for smaller sized bedrooms or offices. But if you can forgive that size limitation, Blueair has come out with a completely new and tight design, which we predict will become their new standard design over the years to come. Interestingly enough, the efficiency rating in our testing for this new 201 increased significantly over past Blueair models to over 90% which we see as first class result. The new Hepa filter is however, on the thin side compared to other Blueair models but Blueair claims it is made out of a superior Hepa like paper. The filter will definitely need changing every 6 to 9 months although can be vacuumed to prolong filter life.

INFO LINKS Air Purifiers Overview - view all air purifiers sold by AllergyBuyersClub.com Air Purifiers Comparison Chart - a comparison with pluses and minuses of all the best air purifiers Pollen and Hayfever Solution Guide - a quick buyers guide of the best recommended products to solve airborne allergen problems Best Air Purifier Articles - Editor's top picks on air purifier info

The intake of the air is on the rear side of the machine and is a new design which initially surprised us. However, we were reassured by the manufacturer that as long as the machine is a few inches from the wall, that it will work very effectively. We thought that the Blueair had missed an opportunity to install a prefilter at their rear intake grill area, but realized that if they had done so, it would have increased production costs and reduced air flow. We also initially queried the positioning of an ionizer post Hepa filter. We reasoned that if an ionizer was placed before a Hepa filter as in prior models, it would increase the stickiness of the particulates to the filter and substantiate the assertion that while ionization is used, Blueair does not produce ozone as a by product of ionization. Interestingly enough, our assumptions were not borne out in practice since the Blueair 201 is a highly efficient design and moreover our ozone-testing device detected no ozone coming out of the machine.

This is what Blueair's design engineer had to say to us on the subject.

"The Blueair 201 air purifier has the ionizer after the filter and fan because it will give a more compact unit, as there is no volume needed for the ion chamber. The ionizer after the fan on the outlet side will give a less strong charge compared to the other units, and the filtration efficiency would have been lower but we have compensated this by choosing a higher class filter media."

Changing filters is a breeze with any Blueair air purifier and this one is no exception. Blueair have certainly figured out how to make their air purifiers user friendly. Priced at $299, we think this is the near perfect machine for small bedrooms. Quiet, good looking and easy to manage filter replacements with good filtration efficiency make the Blueair 201 a winner in the Blueair lineup.

Tiger is a very well known brand in Japan, and when this new entrant into the air cleaner market arrived at our office, the younger generation were heard to say that it was the coolest air cleaner they had ever seen. So the svelte Tiger Hepa air purifier at a maximum 68 cfm wins for style points hands down. The Japanese typically designs appliances for small spaces and the Tiger is no exception, but with the Japanese reputation for manufacturing excellence and reliability, together with state of the art controls and features, we think the Tiger air cleaner will leap into the US marketplace.

Our testing team were impressed with its performance, and they are a conservative, picky bunch who are hard to impress. The Tiger came in at 92% efficiency and an intriguing device that detects odors and ramps itself up when needed. It is also very quiet on low speed but we would only recommend that setting when you are sure that the room is clean since it then only has enough power to clean a powder room.

If I had any criticisms to make, it is that the Tiger air purifier is not breaking any quietness barriers and is as noisy as the next guy on high speed. It also has this intriguing remote control which has buttons for pollen and odors but all it seems to do in effect is kick the machine into high speed. Clearly, I must be missing something in the equation. However at $279.95 with an efficient and easy to maintain and manage machine, as well as being the good looker of the bunch, we think the Tiger air cleaner is to be reckoned with for a small square footage area of up to 110 sq. ft.

TrueAir Air Purifiers by Hamilton Beach

Trueair Air Purifiers by Hamilton Beach are an old favorite. The only complaint we have ever heard about these machines is they are not as quiet as some would like, although for those of you who find white noise soothing, this would not present a problem. The current sale price of $114.95 for the 200 sq. ft model makes this very clearly the "Best Deal" on our site. It is providing a lot of air purifier for the money and a good grade of Hepa filter in a tight design resulting in an efficiency rating of over 92%.The filters can be changed in a matter of seconds without screwdrivers for which they get brownie points.

The prefilter is adequate but nothing to write home about and this machine only gives a cursory nod to carbon for odor and gas removal. But if straight allergen removal, especially seasonal pollen is your chief complaint then the Trueair does a fine job. Both the 04163 for 350 sq. ft (sale price of $134.95) and the 04161 for 200 sq. ft (sale price of $114.95) models are great deals - save up to $65! While supplies last!

Austin Air Healthmate Junior Air Purifier

The Austin Air Jr design has been around for many years without any major changes so it does not sport some of the whistles and bells of some of the newer air purifiers. However, it does have what is most important, it provides customers with good air filtration at very fair prices. What is highly unusual for a air purifier at this price point is that it contains 6.5 lbs of carbon so can handily deal with odor and gas problems in small spaces.

While the manufacturer claims this machine at 200cfm will clean up to 750 square feet, we think that this is an exaggerated claim and a small 10 x 12 foot bedroom is far more realistic, especially for allergy sufferers. The Austin Air efficiency tests we have conducted at various times, puts this machine at 80-90% which is very acceptable but not extraordinary. The Hepa filter is well made and substantive, so you are getting a long lasting filter which should last from 3 to 5 years.

Our chief reservation about this machine is the carbon filter is combined with the hepa filter and while the carbon will only last about 18 months, the hepa filter will last for several more years so in the last couple of years of usage of the filter, the carbon will be doing nothing for you. Our second reservation is the use of screwdrivers to change a pre-filter, which for some reason Austin does not seem to recommend doing more frequently than every two years, when 3 to 9 months is the industry standard. But when you look at the cost of replacement filters, this company does not drain your wallet, and is one of the reasons why this machine stays on our recommended list . Starting at $250 for the Austin Air Healthmate Junior.

AirFree Air Sterilizer

The Airfree Air Sterilizer would be my choice for a musty room in your basement, since it takes care of odors due to organic matter in its incinerator. It looks like a little paintpot, and is the loser in style points, but its claims for effectiveness are backed up by an enormous amount of documented research. Also the Airfree has two big advantages. It is totally silent and needs no maintenance or replacement filters. The manufacturer gives a warranty of 2 years so for $199.00 this is a pretty good bet in a small space and one we can heartily recommend. We think that it will cover about 250 square feet, and while it suffers from the lack of a fan, in areas where there is not so much air movement like the lower level in my new summer home, it will be invaluable in keeping mold and mildew at bay.

First Published: Late April, 2005
Updated: February 2007

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