Air Purifier GO!

Honeywell air purifiers are one of the most recommended air filtrating systems by both consumers and experts today.  A quick look at various top 10 lists of today’s best purifiers and Honeywell easily bags a spot in the top 5, often ranking 1^st.  The reason is simple, Honeywell air purifiers live up to the major standard being set for air purifiers and that is the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR).  CADR measures the amount of particulates in the air cleaned or cleared off every minute and this is measured by cubic feet.  Honeywell air purifiers have really good CADRs that adhere to this standard.

How well an air purifier cleans the air is largely dependent on its filters. A typical Honeywell air purifier is lodged with a pre-filter and the main filter (which is a HEPA filter or High Efficiency Particulate Air filter).  The pre-filter extends the life of the main filter by trapping larger particles like pet fur and hair dust.  In the case of Honeywell air purifiers, pre-filters and made of carbon which means that they also trap or adsorb odors that the main filter would not be able to remove.

Honeywell air purifiers’ HEPA filters pass the 99.7% industry requirement of capacity to remove airborne particles.  These filters are able to filter particles having the sizes of at least 0.3 microns and these include: pet allergens (.3 to 100 microns), dust and dust mite allergens (10-40 microns), pollens (10-100 microns), plant spores (10-70 microns), airborne fungi spores (0.5 to 5 microns), airborne mold spores (2-20 microns), and larger particles of tobacco smoke (0.003 to 0.04 microns).

In summary, if you are on the lookout for an effective filtration system for your home, you can’t go wrong with a Honeywell air purifier.  Just be sure to check out all the features of each Honeywell air purifier model.  Each model is made to fit a particular area in your home.  The really silent ones are perfect for your bedroom, for example, and their CADR are perfect for smaller areas.  The rest of the models have higher CADR and are reasonable options to clean bigger areas of your home.

See larger image Holmes HEPA-Type Air Purifier - Small (HAP242-UC) (Electronics) List Price: $84.44 USD New From: $42.04 In Stock

Over the past decade or so, amazing progress has been made in miniaturizing air purifiers. At the same time, following the trend in ever more affordable household electrical appliances, prices on these new and often palm sized cheap air purifiers have only continued to slide. Even so, before you make your final decision on which one to take home, there are a few facts you may like to know.

For instance even in larger models, ionic air purifiers don't process a lot of air, if they don't have a fan in them. Yes the ionic action alone will move air through the system but at a very low rate. What this means, is that you really can't expect a whole lot of performance out of any of the smaller less expensive ionic air purifiers.

On a positive note, ionic air purifiers are effective odor killers and that even includes the smaller models. So for localized, confined areas where odors are a problem, such as around a kitty litter box, a small ionic unit may be the perfect solution. Ionic smokeless ash treys are another example of ionic air freshening in a confined space.

There is also a huge selection of surprisingly inexpensive smaller hepa air purifiers to choose from as well. Now a hepa filter system will always have a fan in it regardless of its size, so they do tend to process more air. Even so, keep in mind that a $15 unit is not going to take care of a whole room. It just can't move enough air.

Basic smaller hepa air purifiers aren't as efficient at odor killing as ionic cleaners but they do a better job of cleaning the air of dust and other suspended air particles, such as smoke and ambient oil mist. Areas where smaller cheap air purifiers might be put to effective use are perhaps at a workshop table or in your kitchen near the stove.

Before you buy any smaller hepa filter air purifier you need to read up on its filter. How often does it have to be changed and how much does each one cost? You may be surprised at how many smaller hepa air purifiers appear to be a great bargain, until you do the math on filter costs and find out you'll be spending the same amount over time that you would on a larger unit.

• Consistent 5 star Amazon ratings

• Dual sensors for both hepa and carbon pre-filters

• 30 day trial period

If you're wondering why every time you go to look online for a Whirlpool air purifier, you continually run into the Whispure line? It's because in essence they are a Whirlpool air purifier. Whispure is a company that markets them through a licensing agreement with Whirlpool. It's a common business practice today.

The Whispure line consists of three models and all of them come with a unique option that you simply won't find anywhere else. That is a 30 day unconditional money back guarantee that you will be completely satisfied with their Quiet Partner system. It's marketed as the quietest high efficiency air purifier technology available today.

I checked on Amazon and found that all three units that they have in their lineup register consistent five star user review ratings, across the board. Now you do see consistent high ratings on air purifiers as you research them but very rarely a consistent five star rating. What this means, is that people who have already bought them like them a lot. All three models are Energy Star certified.

Model AP25030K

Lets start out with their most affordable unit, the AP25030K, which is priced on the companies main site at $250. Right away I see something that jumps out at me that I like. That is that it comes with two filter replacement warning lights. One for the carbon pre-filter and one for the main hepa filter. Now this makes just so much sense and I'll tell you why.

That is that it's the outer carbon pre-filters that gunk up the fastest. That's the one filter that you're going to need a warning system to stay on top of. I have always wondered about air cleaner manufacturers that tout how their hepa filters only need to be changed or cleaned very six months and that they have a warning light to tell you when the six months is up. That's what a calendar is for!

Now it's rated at 320 square feet, yet in the next sentence it says that it filters the air in that 320 square foot room 4.8 times per hour. Myself I like to see an air purifier process a room 6 times per hour in order to register its square footage, so I do believe that Whirlpool air purifier specs are a bit over rated in this area. Even so, they do put up some very respectable CADR numbers.

Those are 205 for dust, smoke and pollen. It also clears the air of 99.97% of all particulate matter down to .03 microns that passes through it, just as the other two models do. So even if this machine processes the air in a large room 4.8 times per hour, which is basically 1.2 times less than 6, it does an above average job of cleaning it. So then what about convenience features?

As a matter of fact it has none, beyond its three speed fan switch. Of course this is why even tough its the base model in the line, it also comes with a 5 year manufacturers warranty on all parts and labor. You see I've noticed one correlation over the past couple of years on affordable air purifiers. That is the more snazzy convenience features LED lighting, timers, etc, the shorter the warranty, if the unit even has one.

Model AP45030K

Now I really do find it odd how Whirlpool air purifiers moves from the AP25030K up to this next model, the AP45030K. In essence you get about twice the air purifier for just $50 more. You see it's priced at $300 on the companies site, yet its numbers come pretty close to doubling. That's 490 square feet, processing the room 4.8 times per hour this time and bigger CADR numbers too. 328-dust, 317-smoke, 350-pollen.

So then is there anything different about this model, other than its $50 price boost and larger numbers? At 26 pounds it is a bit heavier, so this model and the next one shown below it do come with rolling casters. Other then that however, it's pretty much the same as the model above in that area. It does have two filters sensors by the way and the same five year warranty and 30 day trial period.

Model AP51030K

Just as with the previous model, you're going to have to pay $50 more for this ($350) one according to the companies main site pricing structure. However; unlike the last step up, you get a heck of a lot more in the way of high tech gadgetry for your added $50. This model, just like the previous two Whirlpool air purifiers also comes with a free 30 day trial period and a complete 5 year warranty as well.

Now I was a little bit disappointed to see that the square foot rating on this AP51030K is just a measly ten feet more than the above listed previous model. You have to wonder if it really does process ten more square feet of air or if they simply fudged the numbers. Personally I just can't see one model have such a limited capacity over another one in the same lineup.

This model also comes with a fourth fan speed setting that's labeled “turbo”. I think a simple # 4 would have sufficed just fine but if they want to call it “turbo” it's their right to do so. Its CADR number is listed as 330, so I suppose that's an average of all three, dust, smoke and pollen. Also you just can't miss that this unit comes with a nice lighted digital readout screen. Of course it also has two filter replacement sensors.

See larger image Hamilton Beach 04492 True-Air Tower Ionic Air Purifier (Kitchen) List Price: $169.99 USD New From: $93.37 In Stock Release date July 1, 2006.

• What models is Hamilton Beach still making?

• What is is that they have that the others don't?

• What about pricing and features?

One thing's for certain and that is that there are a heck of a lot of Hamilton Beach air purifiers for sale on the Internet. The deal is though that in keeping with a growing trend over the past three years, you can be that a lot of them are discontinued models being sold by clearance dealers.

Are Filters Available for Your Hamilton Beach Air Purifier?

The problem you see, is that I've seen blog posts and consumer reviews warning that replacement filters for some of them are getting harder to find online. Of course one option is to stock up on a good supply of filters when you buy one. Or you can simply make sure to buy a unit that isn't discontinued.

Models they are Still Producing

Now for most manufacturers, determining precisely what models have been discontinued is a fairly simple task. They'll usually have some sort of list on their main site that shows them all. However; in this case there is no such list. Rather they only show what they are still producing.

A Total of Seven Separate Models in their Lineup

They show a total of seven separate models on their site and not one of them is what you would call high end. They do have their TrueAir Ultra UV air purifier priced at $299.99 (let's call it $300) but that's as high as it gets, as far as pricing goes. Rather what they seem to specialize in, is mid to low priced units.

A Lot of Convenience Features for the Money

Now for your $300, this one particular air purifier does come loaded down with a heck of a lot of convenience features. Features that you normally would have to look for in a model costing up to $100 more. At the same time though, I can't find any information about any type of warranty and over the long haul convenience features can lead to problems.

A Three Stage Filter System

The Hamilton Beach air purifier TrueAir UV model comes with a three stage air processing system that consists of a carbon pre-filter, a main hepa filter and a final UV germicidal stage to eliminate airborne contaminants. It effectively removes 99.97% of particles down to .03 microns.

AirSmart Pollution Monitoring for Peace of Mind

It's convenience features consist of an AirSmart pollution monitoring system that continuously measure the air quality and displays its findings as “good, fair or poor”. It also has an automatic filter change sensor as well as an automatic setting that allows the system adjust the fan speed dependent on air quality.

WisperClean for Minimum Noise

Now add to that, this unit also has what it calls their WisperClean setting for absolute minimum noise. Now wouldnt you know that its merely the lowest fan setting, so try not to get too excited about this feature because to me it seems a a bit gimmicky. Now give me WisperClean on its high setting and I'll be impressed.

The Other Six Units in their Lineup

The rest of the models in their lineup are what you might call “you get what you pay for” Hamilton Beach air purifiers. That is that they are nice units, ranging in price from $80 to $150 or so but there is nothing in them that really sets them apart from the crowd like the TrueAir UV just previewed.

The Hamilton Beach Air Décor Model

That is with the exception of one particular model that caught my eye for one reason. That is that you very rarely see an air purifier company that has devoted as much attention to over all design detail, as Hamilton Beach has to this one model called the Air décor air purifier. After all, you do have to look at your air purifier after you bring it home and plug it in.

It Even Comes With Interior LED Glow Lights

To me it sort of looks like a miniature skyscraper in its design. It's also set up for easy maintenance because there's no filter to change. You simply toss out and replace the bag that goes in it when its time for a change. The best part too, is that it even comes with an inside LED glow lights. It's rated for 240 sq feet and costs around $150.

See larger image Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier (Kitchen) List Price: $210.99 USD New From: $164.89 In Stock Used from: $89.99 In Stock Release date September 15, 2005.

• What is a hepa filter?

• What is the very best hepa air purifier available?

• What about filter costs?

Hepa air purifiers have been around since the mid 1940s. They were in fact developed by the U.S. Government for the atomic bomb program during WW2. They needed a very exacting filter to protect the workers for airborne atomic particles. So then what does the word hepa even mean anyway?

No Official Standards for Hepa Air Purifiers

Would you believe that hepa is an anitialism for the words (high efficiency particulate air)? Also would you believe that there are no real official standards that govern how exacting a hepa filter has to be? There are however, accepted norms in the industry that dictate a filter of this type must stop 99.97% of particles .03 microns and above in size.

What About 99.97% Down to .01 Microns?

This is why you may have already noticed that most common hepa air purifiers, for the most part stick to these specifications. So then can you buy an air purifier that uses this type of filtration system that can do better than that? You bet you can but bear in mind that filters in general are balancing act.

The Better the Filter the Higher the Cost

That is the tighter their specifications and the smaller the particles they remove, the more expensive they tend to be. So how expensive can they get? Very expensive as a matter of fact, with some of the better filters costing several hundred dollars.

Filters that Cost More than the Machine??

A $250 30 pound air filter for an Austin Air Healthmate.

In fact if you have to make sure to check the actual cost of the filters and how often they need replacing on any air cleaning system you are considering. This is because it's not at all uncommon today for the cost of filter changes in some machines to exceed the actual cost of the machine, over a couple of years time.

To Change or to Vacuum - That is the Question

Another thing to consider, if your have severe allergies is what the actual changing of filters on any hepa air purifiers entails. You see some models will advertize that that their filters only require a vacuuming, rather than a complete change-out. For someone with severe allergies though this dusty job may be out of the question.

99.995% is Pretty Much Everything in the Air!

So then just what is the efficiency rating of the all time best hepa air purifiers that are available? Those would be medical grade commercial air purifiers. The type you would find filtering the air in an operating room. They go all the way down to an amazing 99.995%.