The Levoit took 10 minutes longer to clean half of the thick cloud of dust particles out of a small room, and after 40 minutes at top speed it still didn’t take out as much as the competitors on their lowest speed settings. If you want to take the precaution of filtering your air, remember that air purifiers are
only effective at removing particles that are floating through your room — they can’t do anything about a virus body trapped behind a closed door or stuck to surfaces. If you’re making a lot of dust or smoke inside, ventilation or more effective cleaning will make a much bigger difference than filtering the air.
The particle counter took readings continuously, with counts totaled in one-minute increments. Delivering exceptional performance in an attractive form, the Blue Pure 311 Auto suffers only from higher running costs and a lack of a display shutoff. Ease your muscle tension whenever you want with the Renpho RP-GM171 active massage gun. Normally priced at $199.99, you can get the portable fitness accessory for a whopping 68% discount in black at $64.99. Renpho says this particular model weighs only 1.5 pounds and has a brushless motor that runs super quietly. Despite its compact size and weight, the massage gun can work with five massage speeds and also comes with five massage heads to tend to different muscle sections.
The big promise that the product makes is that it’s quiet—and the filter is certainly very quiet. It has a big range of settings so if for some reason the (still quite quiet) highest setting is undesirable, you can set it lower without having to simply turn it off. I have an issue with a space heater’s volume (it adds extra drama to my Zoom set up!) and I don’t have similar volume problems with the air filter. The other big promise is its design—a lot of air purifiers are ugly—and even though the size of this purifier is quite large, it’s round, space-y appearance is a lot of fun (dare I say it’s a statement piece?). The design is super intuitive and there’s an app you can use too (though I don’t feel a need for it).
Here are other air purifiers to consider, which we include here based on expert guidance from our previous reporting and Select reader interest. They may be worth considering if you need to clear the air in a larger room than mine or if you want a dual-function purifier. Air purifiers are fairly straightforward appliances with minimal installation and upkeep. Still, you want to make sure your unit continues to work correctly — and lasts as long as possible.
That’s why we test all the models we recommend in the same room (sized 705 cubic ft) performing the same job (removing incense smoke). It uses 3-stage filtration with a washable pre-filter and HEPA filter for airborne particles, along with an Activated Carbon layer to tackle VOCs. During our tests, this unit only used 6.4 watts of power, even running at its highest speed. This
minuscule amount of power relates to approximately $15 expenditure over a year, making it one of the most energy-efficient purifiers we’ve come across. For many users, a key consideration when buying a purifier is its portability. Levoit has nailed this concern with the Core Mini, which is small enough to sit on a desk or bedside table and light enough to carry with ease.
We don’t measure for particles larger than 1 micrometer, such as pollen, because any air purifier that scores well in our tests should also be able to handle larger airborne particles. Our Winix filter has lost about 10% efficiency over two years of regular use in a small household. Typically these filters lose some of their ability to attract ultra-fine dust first, then slowly plug up with larger dust and start to restrict airflow.
Moreover, it comes with 3-stage protection, including a pre-filter, HEPA, and Activated Carbon filter, guaranteeing that 97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns will be removed from your space. This performance, fueled by excellent HEPA filters and powerful VortexAir fans, makes the 600S a brilliant option for removing smoke from your space. Whether from your local environment in wildfire smoke, or closer to home from cigarettes, weed, or vaping, this unit will remove harmful toxins found in smoke, whilst the Activated Carbon filter will adsorb the nuisance smells that also come hand in hand. As the top unit in Levoit’s Core series, the 600S embodies power and performance. With its 3-stage filtration system of pre-filter, H13 HEPA, and Activated Carbon, this unit makes light work of pollutants, seen with its colossal CADR score of 410 CFM.
The one-button design enhances the simplicity of the design and is perfect for those who prefer not to fiddle around with settings but want to let the unit get on with it. The Coway Airmega 300, our previous pick for large spaces, is similar in specs to the Blueair Blue Pure 211+, our current large-space pick, which typically costs much less. Although the AC4825 performed well, it costs more to maintain than our current budget pick, the Levoit Core 300, because of its higher energy consumption—52 watts on medium, versus the Core 300’s 34.6 watts.
During our long-term use, we’ve repeatedly confirmed that it performs like new even with filters used continuously for a year or longer. This air purifier from Honeywell, another established brand in the home comfort space, uses a pre-filter and True HEPA filter to capture contaminants down to .3 micron. The model line comes in five different sizes that target rooms ranging from small (75 square feet) to extra large (500 square feet). This mid-sized model, previously the brand’s largest, claims to clean the air as often as five times an hour and remove up to 99.97% of airborne particles, including viruses. In 2018, we tested two large-space contenders from Honeywell, the S and the HPA300. The S failed our noise tests, registering more than 50 decibels even on its lowest setting (50 decibels is our limit for what we consider “quiet”).
In a 350-square-foot room, it can deliver 5.3 air changes per hour (ACH) based on its CADR measurements, nearly identical to the results that we got from the Coway AP-1512HH and slightly more than what the Winix models can achieve. Levoit claims their purifier can trap 99.97% of fine particles that are 0.3 microns in size, including pollutants such as dust, pollen, and smoke. Three fan speeds allow users to choose quieter settings for nighttime or watching TV, and the dimmable night light makes this purifier a smart choice for kids’ bedrooms. At that fan speed, however, it’s far too loud for anyone to make conversation or watch TV nearby.