BioGS 2.0 Shines In Smaller Rooms – Not for Large Rooms or Open Spaces
Overview: Excellent quality Top–notch customer service Made in Korea, not China Impressive performance – but realize that the CADR (clean air delivery rate) is lower than some other purifiers Not, repeat NOT intended for large rooms. Made for smaller rooms. I'm very impressed with the quality of this BioGS 2.0 air purifier. Online research told me that the giant South Korean air purifier company, Coway, manufactures the BioGS 2.0 and Rabbit Air engineers design the filters. That's a major plus in my book. I tend to avoid Chinese–made air purifiers if given a choice because of quality issues. Anyone who recalls the 2007 pet food recalls and animal deaths worldwide due to Chinese melamine contamination knows what I'm talking about. The BioGS 2.0 is ideal for small to moderate sized rooms. It is not intended for large rooms or "open spaces" in big houses. If you expect this air purifier to do an adequate job in a large room, you'll be disappointed. Instead, I would consider an Oransi air purifier, Alen's Breathesmart or a Blueair Classic 400, 500, or 600 series air purifier. The minute you open the box, you realize the BioGS 2.0 is a high quality product. The packaging is superb to protect what's inside. The Quickstart Guide and User Manual are easily digested because they're filled with drawings and easy-to-understand English. It should be noted here that Rabbit Air is considered to have one of the top customer service centers in the air purifier business. That says a lot. You are paying for that Los Angeles–area based service, staffed by Americans who speak English. Check Amazon's Customer Reviews for some other air purifier brands and you'll read angry remarks from frustrated customers who cannot get any help. The BioGS 2.0 is a very quiet air purifier because of its BLDC (brushless direct current) motor. Even on Level #4 or #5 it's quieter than many other brands. This is a fully automated air purifier. There's a touchscreen LED panel on top as well as a remote. Read the instruction booklet and you quickly get up to speed on how to operate the BioGS 2.0. Folks, there are plenty of electronic controls and displays (Air quality indicator, fan speed, auto mode, timer, and Negative ion on/off button) but they are very easy to learn and master. There is a four–stage filter system: a permanent pre–filter that is easily cleaned using a vacuum on low power (and washable, too), a carbon filter (apparently about a pound of carbon here), a true HEPA filter containing germicidal chemicals to help slow the growth of viruses and bacteria on the filter, and a negative ionizer which can be switched off. If you run your air purifier 24/7 as I do, Rabbit Air indicates the BioGS HEPA and charcoal filter should be replaced every 18 months. If you smoke, own pets, or have a different source of odors, you will probably need to change the charcoal filter sooner than that. Rabbit air filters are available from Amazon or directly from the company's web site. That's extremely important. If you've ever purchased a much less expensive air purifier and discovered that replacement filters are no longer produced - you know the frustration. Finally, I considered purchasing other air purifiers before choosing Rabbit Air. Sweden-based Blueair makes some excellent products but I really wanted an air purifier with a pre-filter that I can periodically clean with a vacuum. The pre-filter PROTECTS the very important HEPA and charcoal filters. Thewirecutter.com tested the Blueair Classic 503 model and it clogged with considerable dust buildup (because there's no pre–filter.) Mind you, thewirecutter.com did not choose a Rabbit Air model as its top pick – but, I believe, the BioGS 2.0 is a very good choice for smaller and moderate-sized rooms. Rabbit Air's Minus A2 air purifiers are a better option for larger rooms. Coway's Airmega line of air purifiers are excellent and remind me of Rabbit Air (especially since Coway makes the Rabbit Air units). Rabbit Air's MinusA2 air purifiers are a better choice for larger rooms. The Alen Breathesmart appears to be a top–notch contender, but research tells me it's made in China and can be quite loud. The Alen Breathesmart would be suitable for a larger room since it can clean a larger space, faster, than the BioGS 2.0. The American-made Austin Air HealthMate would appear to be a definite top contender since you turn this unit on and leave it running. (There is a knob to increase the speed of the fan and that's about it.) I would almost refer to this as the "little air purifer that could." It comes with 15 pounds of activated carbon and has been used by the Red Cross and FEMA after 9/11 and during the Porter Ranch gas leak that spewed methane into the air in southern California. But read reviews and you'll spot remarks from owners who face costly repair bills after their units stop working properly. Many companies have reduced customer care in light of rising costs. If you expect too much out of the BioGS 2.0, you’ll be disappointed. Realize that this machine is intended for smaller rooms such as bedrooms. If you have open spaces, a larger room or heavy cigarette smoke, check out IQ Air's Health Pro (this is probably the Lexus of air purifiers but is much more expensive than the BioGS 2.0), Rabbit Air’s Minus A2 models, an Airmega, an Austin Air Healthmate model, an Oransi, or a Blueair classic air purifier. Good luck. Read more