Honeywell 18155 Air Purifier Review
Honeywell 18155 air purifier
The 18155 by Honeywell is an economical, but mid powered, true-HEPA particle filter. The 14-inch round filter family of Honeywells has been around for years. I own three round Honeywells, 2 oldies - 12520 and 12500, and a 10-year-old 50250. While all three still run, only the 50250 is used nowadays.Round Honeywells have always been very noisy. "SilentComfort" 18155 has modified airflow and styrofoam insulation around the motor for noise reduction. Airflows are different from other round machines, as is prefilter location. I regard 18155 as a "noise reduction experiment" by Honeywell. 18155 holds the number five sales rank at amazon.com. This perennial top seller has lots of history - there are 216 user reviews at amazon, generally positive.
18155 is Mid-Powered
With clean air delivery rates (CADR):150 dust,
150 smoke,
135 pollen. Consumer Reports rated the 18155 as "fair" and "poor" for high speed and low speed dust and smoke removal, ranking it number 22 of 30. Honeywell 18155 is advertised as providing 6 air changes per hour in an 11' x 17' room. That's 187 sq. ft., down some from the 230 awarded by AHAM during the CADR certification. Room size ratings, based on continuous high speed operation, are a sure disappointment for consumers. These machines are not quiet enough to run on high with human activity, especially sleeping, in the room. I recommend the 18155 for 144 sq. ft. rooms, a medium 12 x 12 bedroom, at the most.
Filters
Most round Honeywell models have the prefilter wrapped around the outside of the HEPA filter. 18155 differs by drawing air through a narrow 2-inch wide prefilter around the lower base, then forcing it up through the core. I consider this prefilter arrangement, shown in the photo at right, inferior to the old wrap-style. Air is pushed through the HEPA filter from the center, and diffused out through the upper circumference. Looking through the two levels of grill, you can see the black prefilter through the lower grill and the white HEPA through the upper apertures. Because the prefilter is smaller, user reviews say 18155 is poor at dealing with odors. The internal fan cowl is made of low density styrofoam insulation. Some users have removed insulating rings from inside the 18155, believing they were removing packing material. New 18155s have the "lifetime" HEPA glass fiber air filters advertised as never needing replacement. Otherwise, they are identical to 18150. The new filters are sturdy enough for repeated vacuuming. Some 18155 users report needing to replace these anyway. One cause of this may be the natural poor sealing of the wrap around prefilter. After repeated washings, the prefilters shrink, allowing gaps along the edges. Large airborne dust, insect fragments, and hairs enter and clog the 18155's main filter. A filter timer, with light, reminds users when to vac the Honeywell 18155's filters. 
The main strength of the round Honeywells is the "SurroundSeal", which employs as automotive air filter type rubber seal.
A very strong bolt and tightening handle lock the air purifier so very little airflow gets around the filter. Honeywell 18155 shares this arrangement with the 50250, see photos in that review. The newest models have "Germ Reducing" filters. Lifetime is a filter manufacturer, not a guarantee. Keeping larger dust out of the Honeywell 18155 HEPA will extend filter life and cut costs.
Noise
The principal weakness of the round Honeywells is sound emissions. They are generally too loud to use for sleeping.My 50250 would get more use if it was quieter. I run it in my office every couple hours for a few minutes, watching my particle counter, and turn it off when the room is clean. Quieter air cleaners idle for the next couple hours until fine dust inches up, needing another run-up. Three manually controlled fan speeds provide settings for noise reduction. Unfortunately the manufacturer has chosen not to publish actual decibel noise readings. Many users with previous experience say Honeywell 181155's design does achieve its goal of lowered noise relative to the rest of the round Honeywells, being fairly quiet on the first two speeds. Consumer Reports rated the 18155 as good and very good for high speed and low speed noise respectively. This air cleaner is not an energy saver, a couple users report Watt meter readings of 90 Watts on high and 45 Watts on low. At 17" by 18" by 16", weighing 21 pounds, the Honeywell 18155 really needs its top-mounted handle to move around. But the large oval-triangle shape and need to be 3 feet from objects create an awkward installation in the small room 18155 is designed to filter. Users are surprised by the large footprint. Honeywell 18155 has numerous quality issues, some right out of the box. There are numerous reports of odors developing, possibly from the styrofoam used as sound insulation. A 5 year limited warranty is longer than many in this price range. But users filing warranty claims must pay shipping to Memphis, plus $10. This is a big discouragement to those with a broken $100 air cleaner - $50 to ship, or just walk to the dumpster and buy a replacement. While the Honeywell SilentComfort noise experiment did succeed in producing a somewhat quieter air cleaner, the overall result is only a slightly improved product. You can find the Honeywell 18155 at Amazon.com. Air Purifier Rating Criteria
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: 7 of 10, break-in and developing odor problems reported. 2. Serious gas and odor removal is a requirement if health benefits are expected: Units with real carbon VOC capability rank higher. Score: 6 of 10, small prefilter, very little carbon. 3. Quality construction; case, gaskets, seals, and precision fitting eliminate bypassing and assure high efficiency at filtering sub-micron particles. Score: 8 of 10, well gasketed and sealed. 4. The design maximizes the lifespan of each filter stage by allowing independent filter replacement. Ideally this is combined with electronic filter monitoring. Score: 9 of 10, filter monitor a timer. 5. Unit has long filter life, low maintenance requirements, and reasonable operating costs. Score: 9 of 10, jury still out on lifetime filter. 6. Purifier produces low noise levels and meaningful air flow rates relative to noise. Score: 8 of 10, quieter than sister units from Honeywell. 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: 6 of 10, 5-year warranty is a sales gimmick, shipping costs negate benefits. 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: 8 of 10, less powerful round Honeywells offer lower value. 9. No dirt; unit and manufacturer should be devoid of class-action suits, high returns, recalls, consumer complaints, and legitimate negative consumer reviews. Score: 8 of 10, manufacturer not air quality specific 10. Unit is stylish, portable, comfortable, and convenient for consumer use. Score: 7 of 10, large and unsightly, no remote, manual interface.
Honeywell 18155 Numeric Rating; 76
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