Review of the best air purifiers

After several hours of research, we have selected the 4 best air purifiers among several models currently available in the market. We have tested plenty of prufiers, some of them made it to this list, and we had to drop off some others.

How did we choose?

Useful for controlling indoor air quality (which according to Air & me, is eight times more polluted than outside air) and necessary if you suffer from allergies, asthma or other respiratory problems, air purifiers are difficult to choose, if only because of the many models on the market and the use that we want to make of an air purifier.

Note that an air purifier does not have the same role as a fan (which ventilates the air) or an air conditioner (which cools the air).

To establish this selection, we first looked at the different types of existing filters:

• Basic and HEPA Filters
• Ionizers Generators
• Ozone Generators
• Electrostatic Filters
• Activated Carbon Filters
• UV Lights

Without further ado, here are four of the best air purifiers in our humble opinion.

Alps Technologies

This purifier is marketed by Alps Technologies from the French company Air Care Labs. It stands out from the competition for its relatively affordable price, built-in ionizer and performance.

Thanks to its three levels of filtration and a purified air flow of 215 m³ / h (CADR), it is ideal for a bedroom, a living room or an office. It is effective in rooms up to 40 m² and can be used in nurseries and children's rooms.

It includes a pre-filter and an HEPA H13 filter to effectively target allergenic potentials (mites, pollens, germs, molds, animal hair) and fine particles (PM10, PM2.5). Thanks to the charcoal filter, it also eliminates gaseous pollutants (volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, benzene), fumes and bad odors (cigarettes, paint…).

This device has a night mode activated by a single click. However, despite its ease of use, silence does not seem to be its strong point. It emits 61 dB at high speed and 30 dB at slow speed or in silent mode.

In addition, it should be noted that the timer is programmable only up to 4 hours, unlike the 8 hours offered by other competitors.

Most users, however, are very satisfied with its operation and efficiency. Its design is go-anywhere and the results are convincing.

Other aspects we appreciate are the availability and information provided by the company to users, but also the ability to easily find replacement filters.

According to the brand, what differentiates this purifier from its compitetors  is the ionizer filter that integrates and enriches the air’s negative ions.

In conclusion, this model is a good choice for small budgets to clean up a room, an office or any other room up to 40 m². With a HEPA H13 filter, it is able to trap very fine particles, and its charcoal filter helps neutralize gas, smoke and odors.

Philips AC2887 / 10

The Philips brand integrates our selection in the mid-range with the AC2887 / 10 air purifier, which belongs to the energy class A. This model can purify a surface that extends over almost 80 m².

It has three filters (a cleanable pre-filter, a HEPA filter, and a carbon filter against harmful gases and odors) to filter fine particles. It removes up to 99.97% of bacteria and viruses in the air.

This Philips device displays the rate of fine particles in real time thanks to a colored ring that indicates the air quality :

• blue = good
• pink = correct
• violet = bad
• red = very bad

It embeds three automatic purification modes that allow you to configure the features according to your needs: Pollution, Allergens and Virus / Bacteria. In addition, thanks to AeraSense technology, it efficiently identifies particles using a sensor.

Another advantage of the Philips purifier is its silent night mode, which reduces the speed and the sound level of the device for a better comfort. You can also dim the lights or turn them off. This mode, at the same time, reduces energy consumption.

It can filter a large area (up to 79 m² to be accurate) and is capable of purifying 333 m³ of air per hour.

In the end, this Philips purifier is particularly suitable for people who have allergies or who simply want to purify a large area. Located in a reasonable price range, it is an excellent choice as an air purifier. It is also cheaper than the Philips model that follows.

Philips AC3256/10

Among the purifiers offered by Philips, it is specifically designed for people prone to have fever, asthma attacks and other respiratory complications.

Its design is smooth, with a black upper touch console. It also has a led light that illuminates in red, blue or purple depending on the quality of the ambient air. It is one of the heaviest of our selection with its 8 kg but fortunately it has a built-in handle that makes it easily transportable from one room to another.

The AC3256/10 ships with its VitaShield system, one of the most advanced filtration and air purification technologies of the moment. According to experts, this technology effectively eradicates 99.70% of airborne particles and allergens and 99.99% of bacteria and even H1N1 type viruses.

There are three levels of filtration here: the pre-filter, a carbon filter and an ultra-thick HEPA filter. It is the latter that ensures the Philips purification function highly more effective than the average devices on the market, especially against allergens.

Its CADR (Clean air delivery rate) has a capacity of 367 m³ / h, allowing it to operate on an area up to 95 m². Sadly, this performance comes at a cost of about 68 dB (which is relativly loud) and 60 W of consumption if you put the maximum speed. In contrast, at low speeds, it consumes only 11 W for 32 dB. It will then be much quieter.

This model is one of the easiest air purifiers because it has several automatic modes and six buttons: power on, lock, adjustment of the intensity of the LED, speed, Timer (1h, 4h and 8h), reset the dirty filter sensor.

In the end, the high price of this device is justified by its performance. If you have a large area to deal with and the wallet that goes with it, it's a safe investment!

Dyson Pure Cool Tower TP04

If there is one brand that has built its reputation on a successful blend of design and quality, it's Dyson. Even in the air purifying business, it's no exception. With its 2-in-1 product, the Dyson Pure Cool Tower TP04 is both a purifier and a fan, and offers an extraordinary, futuristic design.

Dyson opted for an oval tower installed on a cylindrical base that encloses a 360 ° suction HEPA filter. Regardless of its orientation, filtration will be effective (99.95% depending on the manufacturer). In terms of cons, do not be fooled by its metallized appearance because its coating is made of plastic (good quality) and makes it light.

With such a streamlined product, all controls, from power on to fan speed setting, timer and modes, are controlled via a mobile application (Android and iOS compatible) or the supplied remote control.

The HEPA 360 ° filter inside the cylinder is accompanied by a thin layer of activated carbon that allows it to capture odors.

Nevertheless, it is necessary to change the filter once a year for an average use of 12 hours per day. This is to tell you that it is a device designed to last for a very long time.

Sound level, it is not the quietest on the market, since it can go up to 63 dB. However, this concerns full-speed use and at low speed, rest assured that you will not hear it.

Finally, its energy efficiency is estimated at less than 0.5 W at standby, at 5 W when the fan runs at the lowest level and at 40 W when the unit is running at full speed. It perfectly covers an area up to 27 m².