Honeywell Air Purifier: 50250

50250 Honeywell air purifier, $147.00 to $200.00

Universal Carbon Prefilter #38002: $16.95, replaced every 3 months

HEPA filter pack: 3 filters and 3 spacers. Honeywell 50250 requires 3, part# 38002, HRF-14 LifeTime HEPA Filter $45.95 to $59.97 per 3 pack

#24000 one piece, non-lifetime HEPA Replacement Filter $89.99

Honeywell 50250s, the company's highest powered HEPA air purifiers, have an average Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) of 250.

This yields a very respectable CADR/$ ratio: a lot of power for the money. AHAM certified for air cleaning in rooms to 370 square feet, this Honeywell air purifier was ranked fourth by Consumer Reports.

Five epinions.com reviews average 4.5 stars. I have one of these good ol' 14 inch Honeywell purifiers, with lots of "miles" on it.

I like this workhorse, it picks up lots and lots of airborne particles I don'tget to breathe. It will clear a room of dust quickly.

Since the 50300 was discontinued, the 50000 series now has 4 air purifiers; 50100, 50150, 50200, and the 50250. The last three digits of the model number is the Honeywell air purifiers CADR rating.

I have seen 18 wheelers with smaller air filters than this.Honeywell 50250 always was a cost effective air purifier, filtering at HEPA standard (99.97% of particles down to .3 microns), with filter life of 1 to 3 years.

A new LifeTime HEPA Filter uses the same proven filter design with a new weave that allows for a protective barrier and vacuum-ability. Now they tell me: I have carefully vacuumed HEPAs for many years.

The Honeywell purifier's permanent True-HEPA filter purifies mold spores, pollen, smoke, house dust, dust mites, and cat dander, just like the old one I have.

These "permanent" filters eventually need to be replaced. Permanent HEPA filters will need to be replaced eventually, since multiple vacuuming does degrade performance. The manufacturer is addressing the biggest consumer complaint: filter replacement costs. Cool!

After some large scale product cutbacks, the company is standardizing their 14" round filter requirements by using a standard filter size, stacked one, two, or three high. Honeywell 50250s use three.

Here is what I like about Honeywell air purifier's sturdy, simple design: made of thick, strong plastic, it's sealed shut by a bolt about 1/2 inch by 5 inch. Far too many inexpensive HEPA air purification devices are built of multiple pieces, with cracks and seams that leak. Some air purifying machines in this price range are designed to hold the filter in place by suction from the fan. This allows filters to slip and impure air to bypass, lowering purification efficiency in the finer particle sizes, and filling the interior of the unit with fine particles.

Bypassing? Not on Honeywell 50250 air purifiers!

Check out the photos as I unscrew the retaining bolt using the big black handle and vacuum the prefilter-showing much accumulated dust. There is not a bit of telltale fine dust streaking anywhere around the black rubber seal: no bypassing air!

Now let's inspect the inside for accumulated fine particle dust. This purifier has never been cleaned inside and cannot be told from new!

The red arrows show where thin films of fine dust would build up in a bypassing HEPA air purifier. The Honeywell air purifier has none.

Honeywell 50250 Noise

What isn't so nice is the noise Honeywell 50250 makes: it's pretty loud. 50250's Noise spec is 35/45/57 dB(A), but this seems understated.

I use this unit in the living room, it sits five feet behind me running on middlespeed as I write this. Fine.

It runs full blast every night: I don't have a speck of dust anywhere, even stuck to my TV screen. Great.

But I rarely use it in the bedroom, for it's a little loud for me to sleep with, even on low. Not so great for lite sleepers. My IQAir runs in the bedroom, doing 35dB(A) on low, by its side is the incredibly quiet Sharp Plasmacluster FP-N60CX, which has a light to remind me it is running.

Honeywell 50250 Filter Monitoring

The Intelli-Check electronic filter monitor has red lights to alert you when the HEPA filter is dirty or the pre-filter should be replaced. As you saw, I just vacuum the filters and put them back, so my prefilter lite stays lit. I am not relying on this carbon prefilter for odor or gas toxin control, so I don't replace it every three months.

Expected filter life remaining is expressed in a sequence of light flasheswhen you press the appropriate filter monitor button. When a light stays on, the time has come to change the prefilter or vacuum the HEPA.

With these inexpensive carbon impregnated prefilters, I use scotch tape to seal the edges so no larger particles get into the HEPA filter. Many consumers (and a few manufacturers) could save money by understanding the critical role of prefiltration in extending main HEPA filter life.

Honeywell Air Purifier

Using upward circulation, the Honeywell air purifier's round design offers 360 degree filtration, which I consider preferable to narrow, drafty exhaust manifolds. Honeywell 50250 is middle sized, but needs to sit slightly away from the wall.

Power consumption for each speed is 50 watts on low, 120 watts on medium, and 170 watts on high. This is not energy star performance: "costs as much to run as two light bulbs".

The 50250 measures 17.75 inches wide, 19 inches deep, and 17.75 inches high. A center handle and circular shape make it easy to move the 21 lb. 50250 Honeywell.

Honeywell offers a 5 year limited warranty covering defects in material or workmanship, filters excluded. For the first few days after purchase this purifier may produce a "burning rubber" odor in the air.

Watch out for older inventory carrying the non-lifetime 24000 HEPA filter being sold at "bargain" prices.

Make sure your air cleaner purchase is brand new and factory sealed.

Honeywell air purifiers are made in the USA.

The Honeywells lack the sub-HEPA (particles smaller than .3 micron) filtering capacity of models ranked higher above. 50250 has no real VOC gas toxin capability, but can provide effective, reliable, particulate removal for those on a tight budget.

Honeywell has been around for a long time, and the recent reductionin vertical draft 14" models probably means Honeywell 50250 is safe for a few years.

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: 8 of 10.

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

Score: 3 of 10

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

Score: 10 of 10

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

Score: 9 of 10

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

Score: 9 of 10, "lifetime" air filter

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

Score: 7 of 10, Honeywell air purifier is loud on high, but does good air purifying relative to noise.

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

Score: 9 of 10, 5-year warranty long for price range.

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

Score: 9 of 10, value.

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

Score: 9 of 10,

10. Air cleaners are stylish, portable, comfortable, and convenientfor consumer use.

Score: 7 of 10,

Air-Purifier-Power Numeric Rating; 80, value.