An air purifier that can tell you if you stink!
Pros:
Energy efficient, low operating costs, air quality sensor, quiet
Cons:
Initial cost somewhat high, hard to find
The Bottom Line:
This air purifier cleans your air efficiently, quietly, automatically, and with low operating costs.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I bought this air purifier because I'm somewhat sensitive to pollen and dust, and all of my many electronics were getting coated in dust every couple of days. I had a smaller air before, but the cost of filters was almost as much as the machine, plus it was loud and didn't clean very well.
So why this Sharp air purifier? There's four main reasons I chose this:
1) Long-life filters - this air purifier has a washable pre-filter, a washable odor filter, and a HEPA filter that's supposed to last 5 years in normal usage. A new set of filters is about $140, which comes out to about $30/year. Some air purifiers I was looking needed a new filter every year at a cost of about $100 each!
2) Energy efficient - I have a kill-a-watt meter to measure the electricity usage, and I can confirm that the manufacturer's claims are accurate! On low, with the negative ion generator on, this amazingly only uses 5 watts! On the highest speed with the positive ion generator, it uses about 50 watts! In comparison, one of the cheaper purifiers I was looking at required 65 watts on the lowest speed.
3) Quiet - I can't tell it's on at the lowest speed, on medium I can barely hear it (my computer in the next room is louder), and on high it's somewhat loud, but not unbearable. The main contributor to the sound level is just the amount of air moving; there's no humming from the fan or anything. It does make a ticking noise if either of the ion generators is on, but it's barely audible unless you're right next to it.
4) Automation - this has an odor sensor that can determine the quality of the air in the room. Once you've run the purifier for a few days to clean the air, it can react to things like eating dinner in another room, or the dust that gets stirred up when you make your bed. I think this is great because it helps to save energy -- it only turns up the fan speed or the ionizer if the conditions require it! This also has a remote; perfect for when you're too lazy to get up!
This also has what Sharp calls "Plasmacluster" where it generates positive ions that are supposed to kill things living in the air -- I don't know if it's really true or not; I'll need more time to see if it's something that makes a difference.
So what's not to like? Well, I'm being nitpicky here, but better to learn this stuff now right?
1) The filter cassette seems a little flimsy. It's just held in by pressure from the front panel, so I'm not sure how well sealed it is (the effectiveness of the filter is diminished if air can go around the filter). Reports on the internet seem to indicate that it's fine, though I haven't had it long enough to see.
2) It's a big (though fairly thin), white, boxy thing. It does look pretty sleek for an air purifier, but nobody's going to mistake it for art.
3) This is hard to find -- I can only find it online, and only at a few random stores.
The main question for air purifiers is "how well does it work?" I don't have severe allergies, but the air in my room definitely "smells" cleaner, and I seem to be able to dust less frequently.
So basically, this air purifier is somewhat more expensive than some cheaper air purifiers, but it has low operating costs and is automated to respond to varying air quality in your home.
