See larger image Vornado Whole Room Air Purifier (Kitchen)

• A consistent 4-5 star Amazon rating

• Vortex air distribution technology

• Amazingly low price
  

Just like so many other companies during this last recession the Vornado Air Purifier company scaled its production line way back. So far back, that as far as I can tell, they currently only have one model that they manufacture and that's their model AQS 500.

Not to worry though because this company has been around for decades and is heavily diversified into several other types of environmental and airflow control systems. Also this one model that they have scaled down to is very highly rated with more than its share of positive attributes.

Vornado Air Purifier Vortex Technology Explained

Vornado AQS 500

The main selling point of all Vornado airflow products is that they incorporate vortex technology. This is true but I do believe that in this case, the technology is a bit over rated. Does it help? Yes it does but not to the extent that the people at Vornado would like to have you believe. So then just what is vortex technology.

In a nut shell, it's the means by which an air current is induced to spin as it flows. Picture a tornado in your head and that is a picture of a classic vortex. Vortex technology in the Model AQS 500 forces the air to spin as it leaves the machine, for a far wider distribution pattern.

Even so, in my mind it takes a lot more than spinning air to make a great air purifier and this machine does in fact have them. To start out with, at $100 which is the listed for it on the companies main site, the model AQS 500 is a great deal, considering all that it has and does. It also garners consistent 4 and 5 star ratings on Amazon.com

This Vornado air purifier is rated for 255 square feet, which is almost unheard of in a unit in its price range. Under normal circumstances you can expect to easily pay twice that much for a machine that can process 255 square feet. So then what kind of actual CADR numbers does it deliver? Would you believe 149 for dust, 102 for smoke and 185 for pollen?

It delivers these types of numbers by way of two “not one” electrostatically charged hepa filters. Electrostatically charged means that the filter fibers themselves have a slight static charge that enables them to better capture and hold onto ambient particles. It is proven technology that's in wide use by a number of manufacturers.

For features the Vornado air purifier model AQS 500 also delivers a lot for its price range. They include personal setting that are displayed with LED lighting, three fan speeds and an automatic filter change indicator. Now its one drawback is that it's not as quiet as other competing units. This is due to its vortex fan being mounted on the top surface. It also comes with a 5 year warranty.