Top 10 Air PurifiersSearching for best-value air cleaners, I waded through hundreds of quick-web-riches flukes and found precious few decent sources. Bogus “air cleaner review” and numeric ranking sites abound, using a variety of deceptive marketing practices. Everybody who likes being spammed like that, raise your hand. Nobody? Please do me a favor: when you inadvertently arrive at any of these zero content dump-sites, be sure to use your browser back button, rather than clicking any links. Despite their serious limitations, I consulted CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) reports from AHAM (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers), and the controversial Consumer Reports Oct 2005 air cleaners rankings. Comprehensive testing may prove impossible, considering the limited 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. 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. 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 descendingprice. 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. 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. 1. IQAir HealthPro Plus, $795, the easy winner. A lifetime multiple chemical sensitive, I am a poor boy fer sure, but bought one after months of research for this website. IQ Air Purifier review: everything about the IQAir HealthPro Plus 2. Blueair 601: $600, "Top Gun" Blueair 601 review: flying high 3. Austin Air HealthMate: Real Value $449.00 Austin Air Purifiers HealthMate review: "Heart of Gold" 4. AllerAir 5000 Exec: $499.98 AllerAir 5000 Exec: "Value Investing" 5. Sharp Plasmacluster FP-N60CX has been superseded by the very similar FP-P60CX. The older version is disappearing from inventories. The new model is reviewed here: Sharp Plasmacluster FP-P60CX Review Sharp Plasmacluster FP-N60CX: $390 Sharp Plasmacluster FPN60CX: Best Ionizer 6. Whirlpool AP45030R $229 "Hot Rod" Whirlpool AP45030R: Fast Company 7. Neoair Enviro 68108 $199. Automated ozone free ionization at a low price. 8. Honeywell 50250 $160: Best Value, Heavy Duty. Honeywell 50250: Six Days on the Road 9. Hamilton Beach 04163 $135, Not perfect, not expensive either. Hamilton Beach Air Purifier 10. Panasonic F-P15HU2: $80, Electronic Interface at a very low price. Panasonic F-P15HU2: Good Looking and Smart F-P15HU2 has been discontinued, the very similar F-P20HU2 may still be found.
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