Blueair 601 Air Purifier

For those who want a powerful air purifier with exceptional particle purification and some VOC gas capability, 601 Blueair purifier is it.

The smaller Blueair 501, rated 6th by Consumer Reports, has long been a top contender. The new Blueair 601, illogically ranked #12 in CR's somewhat superficial tests, offers 10% more powerful air purification.

When new pilots first enter jet training, they often hear the jet aircraft described as

"a flying gas tank powered by a blowtorch."

This is to remind them ofthe need for proper handling of volatile jet fuel and emergency dumping procedures. The Blueair purifier invokes images of turbine powered high tech toys like the F-14 Tomcats in the 1986 hit film "Top Gun."

Blueair 601 air purifier, cited in Wired and Hilary Magazines among others, earns rave reviews everywhere. The CADR (clean air delivery rate-the air purifier benchmark) score is among the highest, near the top of the scale. The 601 recently scored above 450 for pollen, 400 for dust, and 438 for smoke.

For those unfamiliar with CADRs, this is top air purification performance.

The Blueair601 purification rating is higher than all tested, except for a couple industrial and premium models. 450 is the highest possible CADR score. No residential HEPA filter can match the 601 model Blueairs clean air volume, because competitors must force air through tighter filters.

Blueair purification technology is unique. The Blueair company was founded in Sweden in 1996 with the ambition to produce a free breathing air purification machine, using a combination of electrostatic and near-HEPA filtration to achieve performance beyond almost every residential HEPA filter.

Blueair air purifier technology is claimed to achieve 99.7% purification at .1 micron! That is well beyond the HEPA machine standard (.3 micron), down into the fine-lung-penetrating-particle range.

Many electrostatic precipitator air cleaners claim to remove particles this small, but their efficiency drops rapidly as collector plates are covered in dust. As time passes, the plates develop a thin oxidized film which is impossible to clean and permanently lowers the air purifier's ability to filter fine particles.

The new 601 by Blueair purifier does not have this weakness: no cleaning ionic filters, no efficiency decay over time.

Bravo Blueair purifier, the hybrid electronic-HEPA machine!

Less filter restriction means reduced noise at a given airflow rate. Here is the perfect illustration of my rule about noise: decibel noise quotes [dB(A] are meaningless without associated airflow rates in cubic feet per minute (cfm).

To some, the Blueair air purifier seems a bit loud on high, at 68dB(A). But the complete air-purifier-power noise citation,68dB(A)@490 cfm on high, tells the full story.

490 cfm air purification machine! Blueair601 Blowtorch!

This air cleaner pushes much more air volume than any other top HEPA machine, while operating at the same noise level. Think jet engine: my industry leading IQAir pushes 240cfm through a tight filter stack. At 490 cfm, 601blueair will not need to run on high for long. It offers complete purification of a 14 by 14, 196 square foot bedroom every 3.2 minutes!

This residential "HEPA" filter seems well suited to quick clearing of a room, and then turning down the power, which is how most air purifiers are actually used.

At 32dB@88cfm on low speed, the Blueair601 is quiet and productive in bedtime mode. A few users dislike the distinct whistle-like pitch of Blueairs 601, despite the low sound levels.

601: Electrostatic Without Ozone

Many air cleaning machines are not healthy because they emit ozone or outgas chemicals. This healthy air purifier makes nearly zero ozone. As intake air clears the fan it passes near electrostatic brushes. These brushes charge all sizes of particles in the air. Air is pumped through polypropylene filters impregnated with activated carbon. The charged particles are electrically attracted to filter media which is less restrictive than the technical HEPA machine standard.

The Blueair 601 is ionic with less current, and therefore less ozone, than typical electrostatic competitors. A steel enclosed particle charging chamber wall strips ozone molecules of their extra oxygen atom, reducing ozone emissions to near zero. Any escaping ozone is adsorbed by the carbon in the filter media.

Blueair Filter Technology

601 by Blueair uses polypropylene in its filters instead of the glass fibers used in most residential HEPA filters. Poypropylene is a water-repellentfabric which stays dry. Chemical-based bacteriostats or mold inhibitors are unnecessary, because polypropylenenaturally retards mold and mildew growth.

"HEPASilent" filters contain three sizes of mesh in successive layers. This extends filter life by avoiding clogging. Blueair 601 uses 3 filters at a time, one on topand two on the sides, providing broad, upward draft-free air flow.

Recommended filter life is a short 6-months and replacement air filters are $79 for normal or $147 for recommended smokestop filters. Here is the inevitable Achilles heel of a brilliant design: $160 to $300 annual filter costs, higher than the typical HEPA machine. Without exception, every residential air cleaner design involves trade-offs.

The Blueair 601's "optional" SmokeStop filter uses extra activated carbon for VOC gases and odors. I do not consider the extra $70 at purchase, and $140 in added annual filter costs, optional.

Purchase of the "optional" carbon filters with the 601 is highly recommended. Why pay $600-plus for a machine to make us healthy and then sacrifice 50% of its health-protecting capacity for a 10% price gain?

Note that I am not implying that use of "smokestop" filters makes it safe to smoke indoors. There is no safe level of secondhand smoke, health effects begin at imperceptible levels. No air purifier can eliminate carbon monoxide or reduce smoke chemicals to zero.

For those who just arrived at air-purifier-power, I repeat my site theme: Everybody needs protection from VOC gas pollutants and super fine particles.

The Blueair air cleaner has no electronic filter monitor, but it is easy to open the air purifier to see if the filter is dirty. There is none of the chronic cleaning: ionic filters and collector grids, requiring cleaning, are common on competing electrostatic models. The three filters are very easy to replace.

With a room size recommendation of up to 679 sq. ft., the Blue air 601 is well suited to a large family room, as well as a bedroom. Owners like the Blueair purifier's attractive design which won awards in Sweden. A very bright blue light on the Blueair's side, which lets you know the quiet fan is running, is a cause of some night-time complaints.

The company listed its complete line of air purifiers with the FDA as “Medical Devices”, voluntarily subjecting itself to higher standards.

Using 15-95 watts, depending upon speed, the Energy Star qualified 601’s energy economy is far better than the average HEPA machine. Like noise, energy use is best evaluated on the basis of work performed.

A quality German-made motor comes with an industry topping 10-year limited warranty. Weighing 35 lbs and measuring 20"w x 13"d x 26"h, the Blueair air cleaner is mid-sized. The company has gone to some legnths to produce an eco-friendly air cleaner, which is recyclable at theend of a long life.

Vendors report few returns or complaints.

A contrast to competitors whose business model is marketing dominated, this engineering driven company's founder explains:

"I had a product that won awards for being the best air purifier in the world....I thought it would sell by word of mouth."

My regular readers know air-purifier-power's secondary theme; marketing driven companies (General Motors, IBM, Oreck, Sharper Image...) will produce products inferior to those made by engineering driven companies (Mercedes, Digital Equipment, IQAir, Blueair...).

Consumers will receive best value by asking whether million dollar Super Bowl ads or million dollar engineer's stock options are behind a product's success.

Oops, preachin' again.

But air-purifier-guy, you're supposed to be the trusted source, can't you find anything wrong with the 601Blueair?

Uh, actually I can find something wrong with just about everything.

Whats wrong with the Blueair Purifier?

Blueair 601 is a top rated air cleaner, among a select group. It is very good, but not perfect. The first major defect is the absence of a prefilter. To attain max throughput, the inner workings are left exposed to unfiltered air. Dust builds up on the fan blades, and inside the metal cage. This is very inconvenient to clean.

Second, the three filter boxes are not tightly sealed, especially the middle/top filter. Examination of a 601 with enough hours to need filter replacement reveals a small amount of bypassing. Fine dust slips by the top filter box, which is not held as tightly as the two side mounted boxes.

I'd like to see a prefilter and better sealing and gasketing on the Blueair purifiers. This would degrade throughput a bit, but would reinforce the company's upscale quality image.

Minor defects are the bright blue-air light, whistling sound that irritates a few, and expensive filters which require semi-annual replacement.

I wonder if the limited carbon filters might need replacement in less than 6 months. But with many owners reporting years of perfect service, I do not wonder if the Blueair 601 will need replacement.

Numeric Rating

Each of ten factors gets up to 10 points, 100 is perfect and very unlikely.

1. First do no harm; minimal out gassing, no ozone.

Score: 10 of 10.

2. Serious gas and odor removal is a requirement if health benefits are expected: Units with real carbon VOC capability rank higher.

Score: 7 of 10, (a "9" with optional smokestop filters)

3. Quality construction; case, gaskets, seals, and precision fitting eliminate bypassing and assure high efficiency at filtering sub-micron particles.

Score: 8 of 10, loose fitting top filter, no prefilter.

4. The design maximizes the lifespan of each filter stage by allowing independent filter replacement. Ideally this is combined with electronic filter monitoring.

Score: 8 of 10.

5. Unit has long filter life, low maintenance requirements, and reasonable operating costs.

Score: 8 of 10, filter life a little short.

6. Purifier produces low noise levels and meaningful air flow rates relative to noise.

Score: 10 of 10, the Blueair purifier does real work to match the noise.

7. Manufacturer has a track record, with many units in the field and a reputation for supporting what they sell. Warranty period and average service life are long.

Score: 10 of 10, 10-year warranty leads industry.

8. Purifier is a value in terms of price/performance ratio. Every price range should be included, “models above $1,200 are best”, while true, is not useful to most consumers.

Score: 10 of 10, Blueair purifier is not more expensive than short lived, cheaply built, ineffective, ozone spewing $350 air cleaners seen on TV.

9. No dirt; unit and manufacturer should be devoid of class-action suits, high returns, recalls, consumer complaints, and legitimate negative consumer reviews.

Score: 10 of 10.

10. Unit is stylish, portable, comfortable, and convenient for consumer use.

Score: 10 of 10.

Air-Purifier-Power Numeric Rating;91

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