Top 10 Air Purifiers

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Despite their serious limitations, I consulted CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) reports from AHAM (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers), and the controversial Consumer Reports (CR) Oct 2005 air cleaners rankings.

Comprehensive testing may prove impossible, considering the limited quality of results from these institutions.

Key websites, among thousands consulted, were; Air-Purifiers-America.com, Amazon.com customer reviews, AllergyBuyersClub.com, allergyconsumerreview.com, epinions.com, consumersearch.com and Reviewboard Magazine.

I personally use three air purifiers on my list: IQAir HelathPro Plus, Sharp FP-N60CX Plasmacluster, and Honeywell 50250. I endorse all three after almost 5 years of continuous use.

Air-Purifier-Power Numeric Rating Criteria

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. Air cleaner 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. The list is generally in order of descending price.

9. No dirt; purifiers and manufacturer should be devoid ofclass-action suits, high returns, recalls, and consumer complaints. Few legitimate negative consumer reviews on air purifiers.

10. Air cleaning machine is stylish, portable, comfortable, and convenient for consumer use.

The above criteria will be used for Air Purifiers throughout the site, as well as for judging those listed here.

Conclusions

Air cleaners are virtually without government regulation, a minefield of deceit which currently traps millions of unwary consumers.

After considerable study, I feel confident in advocating proven, safe, HEPA technologies combined with carbon adsorption. Only those electronic units which have solved the ozone emissions problem will be considered.

Photocatalytic (PCO) air cleaners are growing in popularity and the technology is advancing. However, there are still unanswered questions, so none are listed here.

The air purifier industry is overbuilt, with new manufacturers, especially in China, still trying to gain entry.

There are thousands of good air cleaners which do not have enough market share to ever qualify for consideration. It takes many thousands of units sold to support replacement filter and parts inventories.

In the recession of 2009, the filters/support issue has gotten worse as many manufacturers slash costs to survive. This reinforces my conviction that obscure brands represent risk.

Group 1 - Premium Air Purifiers

The first group are "allergy shop" marketed premium makes. These are not cheap. I recommend these to folks who have severe allergies or environmental illnesses.

These companies are long-time quality and sales leaders, but are conservative about modernizing their products with electronics and new cleaning technologies. Machines in group 2 are gaining popularity at the expense of group one.

Using an analogy to the auto industry, these are the American and European premium brands; the Volvos, BMWs, Cadillacs, and Mercedes of air cleaning.

Blueair has raised the bar with the automatic dual sensor E-Series. The lack of automatic sensor driven operation is hurting premium space competitors with hand-switched machines.