Air Purifiers Reviews

I purchased two of these for my car and family van. My van can get pretty raunchy inside with four kids tracking mud, eating snacks, leaving their gym bags etc. in the van for days at a time. After plugging in the ionizer, within 30 min. of driving, the stench is gone. I've had these for about 2 months now and they are working great. I searched around the internet and this brand was the only one I could find that has an easy pull out grid that just needs wiped clean. There are no filters to clean or screws to remove, etc. They also are very quiet. It also has a nice feature to swivel it out of your way but it if your cup holders are right under the cigarette plug you will probably have to unplug itif you are going to put a cup in the holder. I can swivel it out of the way and use the cup holder in my van but in the car I have to take it out. I guess it depends how close your plug is to the cup holders. The reason for the four stars instead of five is you have to make sure to remove it from the outlet when you turn off the vehicle or it could drain the battery. However, I did forget and leave it in one night and my battery was fine the next day and the van started right up so I can't really judge how long you would have to leave it plugged in until the battery was completely drained. It would have been nice to have it power off completely when the vehicle is turned off. Overall, it's a nice product for the money and my nose and I don't regret buying it! ; )

I bought this from all the hype from consumer reports (This is the 501 model, not the 401). At first it seemed to get rid of 95% of pollutants (dust, etc) in the room at which it was placed... after a long while, it dropped to 80% or so. After I replaced the filter, it went back up to 90 to 95%... I found out that the outgoing (or is it incoming) vents actually get dirty with dust and have to be cleaned ocassionally to maximize the effect and efficiency of the device. Who knows if the internal components also get dusty degrading the device as well (I suspect that it does to some extent, even if the particles are small). Too bad there was nothing about that in the instruction manual. The cost of replacing filters gets too expensive in the long run in my opinion. True, it has helped with breathing, caughing, etc..., but next time I think I'll just get me something akin to the models that allow you to clean the filters without actually buying them - even if they aren't as good. I can buy 2 of them with the money saved in the long run instead of just one of these units. It might not be as effective - but in the big picture of things, if you don't have allergies, then it really doesn't make sense to get this. And if you do - you probably need something more expensive anyway. About the only real plus I can say is that this thing really looks good and is much better than ozone generators that I've used to clean air in the past and at least it does work to some extent (unlike products that are in my opinion waste of money - like most ozone generators that are used to clean air).

After reading reviews a number of places online, I decided to buy the Blueair products. In ended up sampling the 402, 501 and 601, and ultimately returned the 501 and 601 and replaced them with 402s.

The 402 is truly quiet. This was an important consideration for me; the reason I returned the 501 and 601 was because they were noisy. The 402 has four fan speed settings. The fastest is unpleasantly noisy; I would not want to be in the room while the unit is in this mode. The next fastest, though, is *much* quieter. We usually leave the units in this mode. Sometimes we use the next-to-slowest mode, for example when I'm watching a movie and sitting in a chair right next to the 402. The middle two speeds are sufficiently quiet that I never feel like I need to use the slowest speed. (The 501s and 601s are unbearably noisy at any but the slowest setting - which is slower than the middle speeds of the 402. For 2/3 the price you can move more air, more quietly. Go figure.)

The only downside to the unit is size. It is about the same size as a tower PC. It's tall enough not to easily fit under furniture, and it's airflow pattern (in one of the skinny vertical sides, out the opposite side) means that the best placement is with one of the long sides against a wall. If wall space is at a premium, it can be hard to find a place to put it.

I haven't had the units long enough to replace the filters yet, but I have taken out the filters that came with them, and put them back in. It was very easy to do. After two months, only one filter is showing any visible dirt - but the house is *much* less dusty.

After having had a typical inexpensive air cleaner you can buy at most department stores for years, I was concerned about having a filter that was noisy. Our old filter was too loud to leave on even on the lowest fan setting. In fact we would sometimes turn it on for the sole purpose of providing background noise when our kids were sleeping.

I picked the Blueair 402 because of the great reviews that it got for being quiet and for the great ratings on how well it cleans the air. It arrived yesterday and I have been impressed beyond what I expected. I may have had low expectations because of my old filter, but when I first turned it on I had to check to make sure that it was even running because I could not hear it at all! On the lowest two settings the sounds is not even noticeable. On the third setting you can hear it running, but the sound has a much better quality than other filters/fans. Even on the highest setting the noise it not that objectionable (quieter than my old filter on the lowest setting.) I wouldn't leave it at this setting for sleeping, but I wouldn't have any problem leaving it at this setting during the day, especially in a room I was not in.

We left it on setting three all night without a bother (I may consider using setting two after our initial "cleaning" period is over. My wife and I both felt a noticable difference when we woke up this morning. Part of the reason for getting this is that we have a dog and two cats and we were both waking up in the morning all stuffed up and/or sneezy. This morning was noticeably better.

The filter is very easy to replace also. The one downside is that the unit is rather large. As long as you know this going in, it shouldn't be a problem. Unless you have a very large area you are cleaning, you may want to opt against the 501 or 601 as I believe they are even bigger. I may consider getting a 201 for my kids' rooms since they are smaller bedrooms.

Overall I'm very pleased and also like the fact that the filters are environmentally friendly compared with some of the filters used in other units.

Purchased one two weeks ago before the USD50 price increase including a 10% coupon discount. It came with a mini $80 bathroom air cleaner with the purchase.

The design is 5 stars. Finally an air cleaner that doesn't look like it belongs to your Grandma's house. The fit and finish is awesome. Parts are easy to pull out due to simple locking mechanisms from the two grilles, to the blades and the Ozone grille.

The product feature:

It cleans the air via an Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) with 19-blades that holds an area of 1,300 sq inches. This is versus the Ionic Breeze GP that uses a Philips UV bulb that needs replacement and costs a lot to operate. Because of the use of the ESP technology, they eliminated the UV bulb and the product earned an "Energy Star" badge. Sharper Image claims it costs less than USD10 to operate annually.

This product has the highest Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) due its four brushless 120mm fans. Brushless means quiet performance versus the older Ionic Breeze which is whisper quiet due to no fans, but takes much, much longer to clean the air.

And with the seal of approval from the British Allergy Foundation, rest assured the product performs.

My opinion:

1. The product was packaged well. The box comes with a handle so it's easy to cary from the store to the room.

2. No installation required. You just pull out the whole unit, unwrap the electric cord, remove two tapes that hold the front and rear grilles together and viola!

3. Super quiet operation thanks to the 4 brushless fans. You WILL hear the fans SPIN as they pull air from the rear and bring clean air out to the front. But theoretically you won't hear the fans' mechanisms.

However, my experience after one week of use is that one of the four fans was starting to give in by making some noise. At night it sounds like a cricket. So I immediately wrote to Sharper Image and after two days they responded back by giving me a UPS shipping return label which after they receive the defective product they will send me a NEW replacement since I'm within their 60-day guaranty. I politely refused and told them I'm just walking in to the store where I got the product so I can get a quick replacement right there and then.

So I did just that. No hassle. They checked the product I returned and listened to the fan making noise. The guy agreed it was noisy so he got me a new one.

Upon reaching home, I unpacked the unit once again and let it operate. This time the third fan was making the same noise (but very weak at this stage). So I wouldn't be surprised if it would create the same noise a few weeks from now.

But I did check out their floor model and put my ear against all the four fans - it didn't create the kind of noise similar to the two units I had and theirs was in use longer.

If the fans give in again, I will return it straight to Sharper Image for their evaluation. When the warranty expires, I'll search for replacement brushless fans since computer stores carry similar items, too. I did remove one of the fans and it was simple plug and play.

4. The manual states the unit will clean the air fine in the Quiet mode. But for high traffic areas, there are 4 speeds to contend with PLUS an extra high speed BOOST function to clean the air for 20-minutes.

5. There is an unlabled light sensor on the top panel that helps dim the lights on the unit so it wouldn't be annoying bright at night.

6. There is a convenient cord wrap built in the bottom of the unit. So excess cords can be hidden away from view.

7. CLEANING:

There is an included cleaning brush which the manual states this is the only brush that should be used to clean the metal plates. It's as easy as pulling out the plates and bringing it in your bath tub or shower. Spray the plates with a window cleaner like "Windex". Insert brush front and back and gently rub to try and remove stuck dirt on the plates. The tricky part is trying to use the supplied gentle brush because after a few rubbing, the bristles all go out of place which makes rubbing the accumulated dirt impossible to clean 100%. You'll know what I'm talking about when you do the cleaning.

This is the problem with dry Electrostatic Precipitator technology. The dirt will stick to the plates like glue in time so infrequent cleaning will create more stuck dirt. I wonder how the plates will look like in a years' time. Unless one religiously cleans the metal plates weekly, it wouldn't have as much cleaning power in a few years.

Finish cleaning up by using a handheld shower head so you can work your way around the inside of the metal plates (otherwise use a water spritzer). Dry them by either leaving it for hours OR use a small fan and in less than an hour it's ready to use once more - no hassle drying. The unit comes with a protective drying feature that helps the plates dry up IF you insert them damp. I wouldn't recommend it. So by using the fan technique above to help it dry, the drying light will never come on.

8. There is no Negative ION feature. I guess the only logic is that they are reserving this for a better product in a few months. I wonder how much this will cost since this present Hybrid GP has jumped to USD449.99. I had to bite on the old price and hopefully invest in a better one when it's time.

9. The manual states to use the BOOST function when ridding the air from smell after cooking. I did this in the kitchen, but the oil smells still persisted after hours and despite multiple BOOST uses throughout the day. I did have to give in at night and use an aerosol air sanitizer like "OUST" to quickly reach the A/C air ducts. Obviously this is the weakness of the Hybrid GP. It can only clean the air that reaches the unit. You will still need to use an aerosol air sanitizer to clean the other places.

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THE VERDICT:

I don't wake up with as much Nasal Drip if the Hybrid GP is on. It doesn't completely eliminate my allergies, but it helps clear my breathing a little bit better. However, if the central home A/C is on, then I definitely wake up with a clogged nose. The unit can't catch all the flying germs and dirt in time before I breathe them in. Other reviewers will confirm this.

So my concern at this point are the brushless fans which do tend to create noise. Time will tell how sturdy they really are. I hope they are able to offer replacement fans for customers rather than bring the whole unit in for service, which is unnecessary, inconvenient and expensive to do. Anyone with a screwdriver can replace the fan.

So in total 3 stars for the problematic fans, much hype to try and clean the air and cooking smells as fast as the A/C can deliver more dirt and an expensive price tag to boot.

But still a product worth keeping if only they lowered the price.

It is a nice product, really quiet, good looking and fun to use.

I bought the Hybrid GP in May 7th, the day with "very high" pollen level. I hope it will improve my sleep in this allergy month. I put it in my small bedroom, closed door and window, set it to "High" and went to bed. To my surprise, I still got serious allergy at 3am and I had to get up to take my Claritin D. Well, the Hybrid GP does improve a little bit in reducing the pollen level in my bedroom, but not that much.

Only a week ago, did I run to last minute my local Sharper Image to purchase a Hybrid GP at $50 off its original $449.95 price tag. To my surprise, installation was very easy. It came well packed. I just slipped the collection grid into the unit, then the Ozone-guard insert, and turned it on. The grid has a nice handle and is easy to slide in and out of the unit, but is still heavy- around 7 or 8 pounds.

The instructions say to clean the grid at least once a week, or whenever needed. I was amazed that after one week, the grids lost their luster and were filled with a thick, white, powder-like residue: the dust, pollen, dander, and other debris floating in my small bedroom. I have four regular Ionic Breeze GPs around the house, the kind with three grids in them. One was in the same bedroom as the Hybrid GP, because I like the Negative Ion feature. It too collected dirt, but far less than ever before in a single one-week period. I was impressed, and determined the Hybrid GP was doing its job.

When it came time to clean it, I was not thrilled, but in the end I realized how simple it was. The sink in my kitchen is of average size; a small side where the garbage disposal is and a larger size to the left of it. They are separated by a wall, which I am glad exists. It served as a support so I could clean all 7 pounds of the dirty 19-blades with this brush Sharper Image includes in the box of the GP. The brush is an essential tool when it comes to cleaning time, because of its long bristles which touch almost all the blades when slipped between them. About five minutes later, I was finished cleaning it. The sprayer feature on my faucet helped a lot. I rinsed the rest with distilled water to avoid spots and let the blades dry in front of a window brightened by indirect sunlight. It took eight hours to dry. After, I just slipped it back into the unit and turned it on.

I am used to the thirty seconds it takes to clean the previous three-blade Ionic Breeze units in my home, but when I realize I am cleaning the GP's 19 blades in only five minutes, I am very satisfied. Next time though, I might put it through the "rinse cycle" in my dishwasher to get the dirt loose, then use the brush!