Coway AP-1512HH "Mighty Air" Air Purifier Review

The $229.00 Mighty Air is the third most powerful among the eleven Coways currently AHAM Clean Air Delivery Rate certified.

The Coway models, ranked by dust CADR, are:

AP-0512NH, 110
AP-0510IH, 140
AP-1013DH, 150
APM-1010DH, 165
AP-1005AH, 168
AP-1012GH, 176
AP-1511FHE, 234
APM-1510FH, 237
AP-1512HH, 246
AP-2012EH, 354
AP-3008FH, 400-plus.

I have said I think this large lineup is ambitious, even for a large corporation like Seoul-based Woongjin-Coway, in today's shrinking air cleaner space.

Mighty Air AP-1512HH is a strong seller, but almost 200 Amazon.com user reviews average four-point-five stars.

There are few one and two star reviewers.

TopTenREVIEWS.com tested the Coway Mighty Air, awarding 9.13 points out of 10, with a TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award and a second place overall.

Only the $600 Alen BreathSmart outranked it in TopTen's tests, but I think we could look a little closer at Coway Mighty Air (and the cleverly-marketed Alens).

Automation

AP-1512HH is a fully automated air cleaner, with three fan speeds modulated by a particulate sensor when in AUTO mode. coway mighty air air purifier

But I warn users of automated air cleaners (not just the Coway Mighty) NOT to rely exclusively on AUTO mode, to run the machine on HIGH for considerable periods if better air quality is expected.

Current air purifier sensor technology has some serious limitations, as a more sophisticated particle counter placed a just few feet away will demonstrate.

AP-1512HH has three sensor sensitivity settings, I strongly recommend users of AUTO mode choose only the high sensitivity setting.

Coway's "Intuitive" air quality indicator changes color to graphically communicate the current particulate level in the vicinity of the air cleaner.

Coway has also added an innovative and unique "Eco Mode," but in my opinion it's just a green marketing gag.

When particle levels are low for at least 30 minutes, the fan shuts down to save energy. coway mighty air control panel

For folks with real clean homes, ECO Mode might be OK, but hey, AP-1512HH is already EPA ENERGY STAR rated, using just 7 Watts on LOW.

So the effect on carbon footprints and energy bills is imperceptibly small.

But the real issue is that when particle levels fall near the purifier, they likely remain higher just a few feet away.

Shutting down under these conditions will raise overall particle counts when averaged over a 24-hour period.

The point here is, while "green" is a worthy aspiration, green marketing often is an insult to our collective intelligence, don't be fooled.

Coway Ap-1512HH's interface also includes a sleep timer with 1, 4, and 8 hour setting.

When the selected interval expires, the air purifier turns itself off.

There is NO remote control.

CADR and Room Size Rating

Here is Mighty Air's chance to shine - it is a strong particle collector.

On HIGH speed AP-1512HH pushes 267 cubic feet of filtered air per minute. giving an average AHAM-verified Clean Air Delivery Rating of a respectable 240.

Test	Rating
Dust	246
Pollen	240
Smoke	233

I seldom recommend an air cleaner with less than 150 CADR (or equivalent power), so Mighty Air does have enough power to actually clean the air in the typical 240 square foot room.

Coway AP-1512HH is AHAM rated and advertised as suitable for rooms to 361 square feet, way too large.

Buyers should NOT rely on AHAM/manufacturer room size ratings, air cleaners installed according to these marketing claims generally fail to deliver low enough pollutant counts to provide health benefits.

Don't forget that these CADR-based room ratings assume 24/7 HIGH speed operation, most unlikely.

I like the Coway Mighty for rooms to 1 CADR per sq. ft. maximum, where there is low chemical load (smoking, fireplace..).

In my humble opinion, 240 square feet is a pretty good max room size for the Mighty Air.

Mighty Air Filter Train

Mighty Air Ap-1512 has three filters and a negative ionizer. coway mighty air prefilter

A washable and/or vacuumable permanent fiberglass screen prefilter, no longer a given in today's price-sensitive air cleaner market, does a good job of catching larger dust ahead of the other filters.

Other makes, notably Coway's fellow Korean and close competitor Winix, have begun omitting this prefilter to cut a few bucks off price.

So the first filter is a big plus for Coway.

Next in the filter train comes Coway's Carbon Filter.

Based on appearances alone, this filter fails to impress.

These odor filters, while maybe 3/8 inch thick, contain so little carbon that they are semi-translucent when held up to light.

On this point I can agree with TopTenReviews.com, they said; "Although this air purifier is good at removing dust and pollen, we are not impressed by its odor-control capabilities"

Next in the Mighty Air filter lineup is a True HEPA filter.

A key purchase criterion today is the ease of finding, ordering, and replacing the filters.

With so many manufacturers abandoning their older products, filter availability is, in my opinion, more important than filter cost.

Coway schedules replacements at one year for the HEPA and six months for the carbon.

Ironically, this short replacement interval provides lots of incentive for dealers to maintain inventories.

Back in 2005, Sharp introduced their Plasmacluster line with five-year HEPAs.

Now, I love my old Plasmacluster, still running the "five year" filter after nearly 14 YEARS (NO TYPO!), but all Sharp filters are scarce and expensive because they sell so infrequently. coway mighty air filter box

A filter change timer lights an indicator lamp when hours of use hit a certain point (NOT when filters actually need replacement).

The Coway manufacturer's 1 Year Replacement Pack, part number 3304899, includes 1 HEPA filter and two carbon filters.

The filter pack sells for a reasonable $49.99, but is available at just a few web vendors beyond Coway and Amazon.com.

Upon receipt, buyers should disassemble, inspect, and remove plastic from filters.

Next comes the Ionizer, which is a simple negative ion emitter, but goes by the name "Vital Ion Technology."

A separate button turns the ionizer on/off.

Mighty Air Emissions

The Coway's sound emissions range from 24.4 dB on LOW to 53.8 dB on HIGH.

This is plenty quiet on LOW, but user reviews say HIGH is distracting.

240 CADR is always going to be a bit gushy, many less powerful air cleaners are nicely quiet when not cleaning much air.

Some buyers are concerned about ozone from the ionizer.

All ionizers generate a small amount of ozone, maybe 2 parts per billion.

AP-1512HH is certified below the Air Resources Board's 50 ppb standard, which is set so high as to be meaningless (many ozone prone air cleaners, including some driven out of business because of ozone emissions, can meet this generous specification).

Though I haven't tested an AP-1512HH specifically, ozone has not been an issue with our test Coways, nor have I seen any user complaints.

And since the ionizer is switched, sensitive users can just switch it off when spending time close to the Mighty Air.

Coway's are occasionally subject to plastic solvent and packing material break-in odors, which subside within 48 hours.

So buyers with MCS might want to look elsewhere (chemically sensitive buyers should generally be shopping better carbon/odor/chem filtration anyway).

Some other Coways have gimmicky "mood lights" as pollutant level displays, but Mighty Air uses a small button-style lamp discreetly placed on the top control panel.

The ion display can NOT be turned off completely, many cover the LED or turn it off for sleep.

Coway AP-1512HH measures a mid-sized 16.8 by 9.6 by 18.3 inches and weighs 15.4 pounds.

It's EPA ENERGY STAR rated, drawing 7 to 77 Watts.

Warranty and Support

Established in 1987, Woongjin-Coway is a major industrial conglomerate based in Korea.

In the home country, where air and water filtration has higher market penetration than in the US, Coway air cleaners hold an impressive 40% market share.

But Coway brand air purifiers have met some resistance in the congested US market.

Coway brought purifiers to America under other-brand marketing deals, starting around 2007.

Some RabbitAirs, Idylis air purifiers (exclusive for Lowes Home Improvement), and lately the Oreck AirInstinct series are Coway-built.

Taking Asian brands global has been challenging for other large eastern corporations, Coway is not alone.

But recent merger/buyout/spinoff activity suggests the parent company, with substantial construction interests, has been stressed by the slowdown in South Korean real-estate.

The Mighty's back panel says "Made in China," where earlier models said "Korea."

Manufacturer's warranty is 3 years.

Customer service is not foreign-outsourced, and has a fairly good reputation based on user reviews of many Coway products.

(In Korea there are a few sour notes.)

USA Headquarters is in Los Angeles, on prestigious Wilshire Blvd.

Coway's designs emphasize style, and exhibit good but not great build quality.

Conclusions

Pros

acceptable quality for a value brand
good particle grabber
reasonable price for power
operating costs relatively low
US-based customer service
best for particle-triggered allergies

Cons

weak performance on odors and chems
sales volume and non-modular product line may weaken long term support
not for MCS

Coway Mighty Air AP-1512HH is a good value, at just over one dollar per CADR, for buyers who want to focus specifically on particulate allergens.

Of the initial major vendors that carried the brand, (Amazon.com, AllergyBuyersClub.com, AirPurifiersAmerica.com, and Walmart.com) only Amazon.com remains. coway mighty air box