Re: Swizz Style Henry Air Purifier by Stadler Form

A Reader writes:

Dear Ed,

Thank-you for a fine review and explanation of air purifiers.

To the point, what do you think of the of the Henry purifier by Stadler Form available from www.swizz-style.com.

It does seem to incorporate some of the modern purifier technologies but honestly I fell in love with its aesthetics.

I had done my research prior but unfortunately very little information could be obtained from the internet about this product.

If you do visit the website I believe there may have been an error in effective room size.

It states effective up to <100sq ft.

Although the metric conversion is not correct.

It should be @267 sq feet if you do the math.

The CADR is 200m3/h.

I would be greatly appreciative if you give me your general opinion.

The actual manufacturer is Airdow model ADA603 from China.

Thanx, A reader.

Ed's Reply

Hey Reader;

The $299.95 Swizz Style Henry Air Purifier indeed offers one-of-a-kind style.

Swiss designer Matti Walker is known for emotionally appealing color and form.

But very little substance lies beneath the art-deco skin.

First, Henry is a pretty weak fellow, despite his erect posture.

From the Swizz-style website:
Max Power: 15 Watt
Air Flow:

low: 92 ft3/h,
medium: 115 ft3/h,
high: 148 ft3/h (28, 35, 45 m3/h)

No wonder Henry don't say much - the airflow is quoted in cubic feet per hour!

I suspect this is an error on the part of the Chinese engineers or marketing people.

Airdow's model ADA603 website (China) quotes a "CADR" of 200 cubic meters per hour for Henry. First, there is no such CADR, this is an un-certified product. Second CADRs are absolute values, not airflow rates.

Six filtering stages include "Carbon and HEPA filters, a Plasma-ion generator, TiO2 and UV light, and negative ions."

A Fragrance Dispenser, frowned upon here, adds to the picture of style over substance.

I get all over manufacturers for using UV under 10 watts - just about useless.

With a total of 15 (or 30?) Watts used, how strong do you think Henry's UV bulb is? Looking at the photos, I'm guessing 5 Watts max.

The filter is advertised as "HEPA" without supporting efficiency citations - is this even a true-HEPA machine? I am skeptical.

The cylinder is about 8 inches in diameter, which makes the "HEPA" filter approximately 4 by 6 inches in size.

Henry Air Purifier Replacement "HEPA" Filters, at $19.50 every 3-6 months, don't appear to be HEPAs in photos.

At least Henry is very quiet at 18-26 dB(A).

Introduced in the spring of 2007, ol' Henry hasn't achieved much market penetration. Google's keyword tool shows an average of 320 searches for "Henry air purifier" each month.

Most interesting is that "Henry" retails for $299, while the identical Airdow ADA603 is $200. I have to applaud the marketing skills of sales artists who can pull off magic tricks like this.

I feel like Simon Cowell bad-mouthing an artist, but if I'm being honest, Henry is more of a conversation piece than an air cleaner, sorry.

Best wishes,

Ed