I have pretty extreme chemical sensitivity. My building is re-carpeting all of the public areas, and my own unit (425 sq ft) was just recarpeted. A number of years ago when the carpet was renewed, I had terrible, terrible vertigo. This time, running the Austin unit, I haven't had any dizziness at all (15 nights). The air filtered by this unit is incredibly fresh and is remarkably cooling. it literally feels like my indoor air is as fresh as the out of doors. I run it on high all day and night, and haven't had any trouble with noise, it runs quietly. It also looks great- small footprint, minimalist design, elegant. I would buy this again in a heart beat. Apparently nothing else comes close for VOCs. This from Gizmodo: Though the Coway is great at removing particles, it does very little to reduce odors (though that’s the same across the board for air purifiers costing less than $400). The Blueair, with its charcoal packet, fares a bit better. However, if you live in a problematic environment with microscopic chemical pollutants—say, near a freeway, non-organic farm, chemical/power plant, or refinery—or are particularly sensitive to odors and/or other volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde, we recommend the $530 Austin Air HealthMate Standard HM-400. It gets loud when you run it at settings needed to get a decent filtration rate (medium or higher), but no other purifier came close in our VOC test. In our tests for odor removal, the HealthMate’s 15 lbs. of activated carbon bested all other air purifiers by a wide margin. (For reference, the Coway doesn’t even have a quarter pound of activated carbon.) Its exceptional performance in this area is a big part of why FEMA and the Red Cross chose Austin Air units for deployment at Ground Zero and the surrounding areas in the aftermath of 9/11. The HealthMate’s annual operating cost of about $283 also makes it by far the cheapest high-end purifier to run. This is due to a filter that’s designed for you to replace it every five years instead of annually. It’s worth noting that when running the fan at comfortable sound levels, the Austin Air was less efficient than all other models at removing particles from the environment. But a little extra background noise isn’t too much to ask if serious health concerns involving pollutants are an issue. Read more
I can't give a thorough endorsement, since there were certain circumstances which would skew a 'controlled study' of the HM Plus JR, and which could have made a huge difference in claiming results. The situation before buying the JR: Our preK child was suffering from congestion throughout the day, particularly heavy during the mornings. It was chronic -- friends who were familiar with our situation said that our child seemed to have post-nasal drip. Maybe. I suspected allergies (and/or a reaction to mold) since I have mild symptoms of allergies to certain things, plus eczema. Our child has skin sensitivities as well. First, wood floors were installed before the JR had arrived. We had carpeting in the house which was well over six years old, and who knows what became embedded or decided to live in that carpet. Second, our son and I take ginko biloba as a daily supplement. Ginko biloba is a natural antihistamine. Third, the JR arrived at our doorstep a day or two after the wood floors were completed. Fourth, we purchased new allergen-free linens, e.g. mattress cover, pillow casings. In the meantime, we also went to an allergist and confirmed that our child is highly allergic to dust mites, which were living in the carpet and/or our child's bed and linens. I am forgoing the occasional use of the Rx from the allergist and continuing with the ginko biloba supplement and utilizing the JR. Maybe we didn't need the JR afterall? Maybe, but I believe it has made a considerable difference in the air quality in our home judging by our child's lack of phlegm/congestion in the mornings and throughout the day. Also, whenever I hear any congestion I ask our child to go sit in the room with the JR and the congestion dissipates in a matter of minutes. Our child's congestion, now, is triggered by the library books we bring home, specifically the older books, as well as anything that could be a dust mite haven. Being enclosed with the JR works wonders. The JR is fairly quiet at the lowest setting which is great at night. We put the highest setting on before bedtime stories are read. I will often put the library books we bring home in the closed bedroom to minimize any reaction. It works for us. I will be using our vacuum on the JR soon to clean the vents and filter. The JR is costly for a family on a budget, but the quietness, ease of use and filter cleaning, a 5-year warranty, its aesthetics, plus the job it does in purifying our indoor air is well worth the purchase. Read more
It keeps the smoke down but doesn’t eliminate the odors. I keep the central air vent closed and the door closed. That keeps the smell away from the girlfriend and the filter keeps the air pretty clean to breath. I’m using in a 10’x12’ bedroom. I had high hopes for the charcoal filter. To me it didn’t live up to the advertisements. Read more
