The Verdict...

Attracted to the sleek design and unobtrusive looks, I purchased this unit thinking that it would be perfect for my apartment. I initially liked the price, about $35 at a Local store, and liked that I could tuck it into a corner and out of the way. I have cats, am a smoker...AND have allergies so figured an purifier was the way to do.

I brought it home and opened it immediately. Operation was quite simple and soon I had it going. It's ready right out of the box. Filters in place, Remote Control, (neat feature), in hand. Everything was dandy for about a year when I heard a loud grinding noise. A brief investigation revealed that it was the Oscillation feature beginning to stick. A little WD-40 (quite handy) and a manual wiggle or two of the unit and everything was working smoothly again. My Purifier and I have been happy together ever since.

As with almost any purifier, there is a con here... replacement filters. It's a bummer to have to shell out more money when you've already paid for the unit, but considering that you cant even smell the smoke in my apartment anymore, it's very much worth it. The HEPA filter provides 99% filtration of all airborne particulate down to 0.3 Microns which is nice since even bacteria is usually between 1-5 Microns. This unit takes a model BAPF30 Hepa filter that when bought from Bionaire directly costs $19.99 for a single or $34.99 for a two pack,(about $17.50 each). (Or if your a hustler like me, I managed to get 4 filters for $60, $15 a piece and free shipping!)

This unit also takes a washable foam pre-filter that is $6.99 for two. This filter is meant to extend the life of the HEPA filter by catching large aireborne particulate and preventing it from clogging up the airflow through the HEPA. This comes in handy by catching cat hair and more than a few dust bunnies.

An Ionizer is included in the construction of this unit. I was concerned about this at first because of the whole "ozone" scare that has been going on. Upon contacting the company for research purposes, I was assured that this ionizer is made to prevent any ozone leakage. I don't know how that is, but it sure does sound reassuring. Just a little information I found out: An Ionizer works by negatively charging all airborne particulate that may be too small to be filtered out by the HEPA filter. This charging of particles causes them to clump together and form bigger particles. The clumps will get larger and larger until they are able to be caught and filtered through the HEPA filter. Just be sure to keep this unit away from fabric like curtains or couches cause the "clumps" I spoke of earlier can easily find themselves attracted to them.

Another neat feature of this unit is the Filter Check Indicator which will tell you when the filter needs replacing. I've found that depending on my activity, The HEPA filters will last anywhere from a year to a year and a half. The Prefilters last about the same, but need to washed sometimes.

Three speed settings are available on this unit with the Wattages being 50/90/150. That can help you figure out your power consumption. Noise increases slightly with a higher setting, but that's with just about any appliance.

As a last little tidbit of information, let me just include that the unit measures 26.75"H x 7"W x 10"D and weighs 13 pounds. Sounds heavy, but it's not that bad. Warranty is five years and I learned that if anything goes wrong with the unit, they usually make you pay for shipping as shipping isn't covered under the warranty. They charge about $10.00, but might waive shipping if you raise enough of a stink.