Lifewise Ultra Review

LifeWise Ultra 63-1530 Air Purifier $149.99 to $199.99
Prefilter 63-1533-F (2) $6.25 each
Replacement UV Bulbs2-Pack $29.99

LifeWise™ is a trademark of Radio Shack Corporation, which is the exclusive marketer of the brand.

I did find a few Lifewise air purifiers offered on eBay.

This air purifier is a rebranded KAZ, Inc (think Honeywell) model with a slimmer tower design.

Honeywells with the Intelligent Filter Design (IFD) filtersare very similar to the Ultras.

Remarks and photography in my Honeywell 60001 Enviracaire Air Purifier review apply to this machine indirectly.

Customer reviews published on the Radio Shack website rate the Ultra 3 stars of 5.

Since this model is a Radio Shack exclusive, no reviews are available at Amazon.com and Epinions.com. I did find a couple fragments buried in other reviews, see below.

Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) Clean Air Delivery Rates (CADR) are; 69 dust, 80 smoke, and 88 pollen. This is weak airflow. AHAM room size rating is 124 sq. ft., about twice the size I recommend. The main selling point for the 63-1530 and its IFD brothers is the lack of replacement filter costs. This is not a low maintenance air purifier.

IFD is an electrostatic collection grid, not a HEPA filter.

It can be cleaned and reused indefinitely.

The Radio Shack website uses the technical term "efficient", but does not publish any technical efficiency claims.

I generously estimate that a new from the box Lifewise purifies air with an efficiency in the 70% range at .3 microns, on highest speed.

This is far less than typical true-HEPA air cleaners.

A footnote on the manufacturer's page states that claims of quiet, efficiency, and performance are relative to previous versions of this same machine.

Electrostatic Air Purifiers

Incoming airborne impurities pass through a washable plastic grid prefilter, which collects hair, insect fragments, and lint, from the airflow.

This type "prefilter" fails to capture particles in the 3 to 10 micron size range, setting up the IFD for bypassing. Charging wires ionize the incoming airstream with up to 8000 volts electric cal potential. Particles are electrostatically attracted to the honeycomb-like IFD grid.

As detailed in my Honeywell 60001 review, the IFD was an engineering project which fell slightly short of its goal.

Like many other electrostatic air purifiers selling for higher prices (Oreck, Ionic Breeze, Friedrich C90...), this machine must be fastidiously maintained.

When not kept internally immaculate, it looses efficiency and fails to clean air effectively.

Yes, the purified air is "cleaner and fresher" than the intake air, but the uncleaned grid will become ineffective after only about a week of operation, less if the environment is dirty.

Long before the LCD display filter clean reminder, which is a timer running for about 4 weeks, lites up, the IFD will be bypasssing lots of impurities. This is another reason for a reduced room size rating for air cleaners of this type. The Lifewises’ IFD is easy to vacuum “clean”, but cannot be washed. This makes it impossible to keep impurities, like the dark oily residue of tobacco, from building up.

Notice that there is no direct chemical (VOC) purifying capability on the Life-wise air purifier.

However, ozone emissions, in amounts not detailed by the vendor, may oxidize some vapors and odors.

Ultra: "Ultraviolet Air Cleaner"

Two germicidal ultraviolet (UV) lights reduce airborne microorganisms in the exhaust air.

Lifewises’ UV power and dosage are not published. I expect the numbers, like the CADRs, to be too weak to actually disinfect a room.

Consumers are justifiably concerned about biological hazards, but there is more to a UV air purifier than a couple little lamps.

Many other inexpensive purifiers have added weak UV to entice customers to otherwise mediocre purifiers, Radio Shack is not alone.

To be fair, the company has not engaged in deceptive marketing,and the publication of somewhat unfavorable user reviews on their site gains them a point in my view.

Three fan speeds are not accompanied by published noise citations, but I suspect the Honeywell 60001, which is quiet enough to sleep near, is similar. The electrostatic grid restricts airflow much less than a HEPA filter, resulting in quieter purified air.

Lifewise Safety; Ozone, UV, Mercury

The users guide mentions "a faint blue glow along the front ofthe unit above the grille."

This is escaping UV light: how much eye exposure is there?

Further reading finds the assertion that ozone emissions are below .050 parts per million, the medical device standard.

Those with respiratory problems, like asthma, or heart disease, are advised by the manual to consult a physician before using the ozone emitting Lifewise air cleaners.

The UV bulb contains toxic mercury vapor, which can and does escape when the fragile bulbs are broken.

High voltages used to ionize airborne impurities may create substantial unhealthy electromagnetic fields (EMF).

KAZ Corporation offers a 5-year warranty, exclusive of filters. Customer comments suggest Radio Shack has only fair customer service.

Quite a few blast poor delivery and follow-through for website purchases.

Lifewises, like the Honeywells, must be shipped to Memphis, TN, for warranty based repair.

Customer pays shipping both ways.

Excerpts from Consumer Reviews

...worked great for about 6 months now neither one works...the fan is very quiet..

...Purchased 2 of these units last year....motors started making noise within about 6 months.... Would not recommend it at all.

...had to return it twice in two weeks because it broke down. I hear that you need to use a surge protector...... Dec 2005 And has Been Replaced 3 Times. Just Whent Up In Smoke Again Today....

Bought 2 ...One unit was making a "funny" clicking noise...LifeWise customer service and Radio Shack were great. Exchanged for new with no question..."

... replace this item twice within a year's time. Just last night it stopped working for good...

...wasn't two weeks before we started hearing a very annoying ticking sound in the LifeWise Ultra Air Purifier so we took it back to Radio Shack and exchanged it...two and a half weeks before we started hearing a humming sound in the new...took it back to Radio Shack and got our money back.

...love this machine it really works...

...bought two, and within a week, had to bring them both back due to a ticking noise in the fan cage...

...made a strange ticking sound. When I returned it at the store, I noticed the store model made the same sound...

Conclusions

The Lifewise purifiers are not cheap at suggested retail, and recent markdowns reflect softer demand for all air purifiers in an overbuilt market. I think the IFD aircleaner was a great concept which failed to come to fruition. Despite the economy of the "no replacement filters" leader, I thinkthe cost of ownership is high due to short product life expectancy. Both outright failures and clogged IFD filters plague the IFD based air purifiers.

Buyers going to a bricks-and-mortar Radio Shack store should realize that there are two types: company and franchisee. The franchised outlets have very different return and refund policies.

Air-Purifier-Power Rating Criteria

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

Score: 6 of 10, safety issues ozone, UV and mercury.

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

Score: 5 of 10, any chemical removal due to ozone.

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

Score: 6 of 10, major bypasser.

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

Score: 10 of 10

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

Score: 7 of 10, less cost-effective than supposed.

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

Score: 8 of 10, a bit loud on high, quiet on low.

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: 7 of 10, 5-year warranty is long for price, RadioShack has only fair service reputation for items beyond purifier.

8. Air 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: 7 of 10, vastly overpriced at $299, "sale" at $149 still high.

9. No dirt; air cleaner 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. Air cleaner is stylish, portable, comfortable, and convenient for consumer use.

Score: 7 of 10, no remote or automation.

Air-Purifier-Power Numeric Rating; 71

End Lifewise Ultra Air Cleaner Review, Go to Home page