With all the media craze surrounding Air Purifiers, we decided it was time to write an in-depth analysis of its benefits and what you want to look out for when buying an air purifier.
Since the Coronavirus shattered lives on a global scale, systems manufacturers have been crawling out of the woodwork to create their ‘version’ of the perfect air purifier, with wild claims about their actual benefits. As each new company bursts into the market with its advanced features, it becomes harder to separate fact from fiction, premium product from worthless imitation.
We decided it was time to analyze them ourselves to find out which products were sub-par, which were flat-out lying about what was even in their filters, and which, if any, might be worth a try.
As we rounded up all the big brands in the industry, we could see straight off the bat which companies were only there to make a quick buck.
What we found was that many manufacturers make air purifiers without the proper components to sanitize the air. This reduces the effectiveness of the filters, the main component in air purifiers that cleans & recycles air.
Also, we found that most companies that claim to have 95% HEPA filters have much less. This is disheartening and makes it difficult for the consumers to know which manufacturers are lying and which are telling the truth.
It’s hard to believe, but most companies just slap on a label that says, "CADR RATED", often without even mentioning what the CADR rating is.
What is a CADR Rating?
The Clean Air Delivery Rate is a metric that was developed as a way of measuring the performance of air purifiers. The CADR rating reflects the volume of air in cubic feet per minute that is cleaned in the room.
To measure the effectiveness in removing different particles, three types of particles are tested: smoke, pollen, and dust. These represent small, medium, and large sized particles. Each is measured and assigned its own CADR score.
After reviewing all the air purifiers we could find, most claim to have a good CADR Rating but when we tested them, they fall short. We would only recommend air purifiers that meet or exceed our tests. The air purifiers on our Recommended List all passed our CADR tests.
A high-grade fan system sucks in the air around the room and filters the air through filtration stages that in turn release clean and sanitized air back into the atmosphere. Great air purifiers will have high CADR Ratings, a 3 Filter System, high volume of airflow, 360° or multi-directional airflow, and a true HEPA filter in order to clean the air from harmful pollutants like mold. Finding an air purifier with these specs can be tough, but we did all the work for you and put air purifiers that meet these specs into our Recommended List so you don't have to buy and test every single air purifier you find. We had to do this because clean air can save so many lives.
With hundreds of manufacturers out there, we wanted to figure out what to look for and how to overcome all of our concerns. We started the process by making a list of the main concerns we have when buying a good Air Purifier.
So, how can you identify the cleanest air purifier through all the smoke? There are a few key factors to look for that can guarantee the cleanest air.
Your time and money are valuable, and we don’t want you to waste either one. So, we purchased and tested every major air purifier we can find.
We studied each product to determine which consistently had not only the right specs but also the right proportions. We disqualified the ones with unnecessary, synthetic filters and those whose contents differed drastically from system to system.
But we didn’t stop there. Numbers and percentages are only part of the story. We went on to seek out real customers who had used the products we tested. We asked them for feedback and compared them with our notes, and then compiled this information to give you a list of the best air purifiers for March 2021.
A good air purifier should contain multiple filters and no additional features other than what is necessary to kill germs in the air.
Most brands did not pass the above criteria.
Some of the air purifier companies included the right features but had too few of the important specs, which is the key compound in an effective air purifier. They use much less than what was used in the clinical studies that led to eliminating coronavirus in the air. Other companies filled their systems with cheap filters, binders, and other features. Many of them avoided quality control testing.
The brands we did pick, we stand by. We are confident that these products can help you achieve your goals in getting the cleanest air possible so you can breathe better everyday.