What were we looking for?
When the search began I was looking for an air purifier to go into a small bedroom we had just remodeled. It formally had just been a catch all room and I was afraid there was a lot of hidden dust still in the room, plus we now had paint and chemical smells to get rid of. I didn't want to spend a lot of money and I certainly didn't want the unit to be one that required filters which cost a fortune to replace. My husband is a smoker and we have pets, so I was also concerned about dander and tobacco smoke.
The challenges we faced.
Having never bought or thought of buying an air purifier before we had no clue what challenges we were about to face when making a decision on which unit to buy. One of the confusing items you will see when shopping for your first air purifier is CADR. This stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate and it is a very important factor in making your decision. The AHAM seal (usually found on the back of an air cleaner's box) will list three CADR numbers - one for tobacco smoke, one for pollen and one for dust. The CADR indicates volume of filtered air delivered by an air cleaner. The higher the tobacco smoke, pollen and dust numbers, the faster the unit filters the air. This units CADR is 72 for Tobacco Smoke, 62 for dust, 65 for pollen. I found them to be in line with most units this size and price range. The more expensive models, $300.00 and up, will give much higher CADR numbers.
HEPA vs IFD
All I could say when I saw this was "What's that?" and raise my eyebrows in wonder. So I dug into my trusty Internet resources and starting researching. The best way for me to describe it in Air Purifier's for Dummies language is, HEPA is a filter system and IFD uses a filter and electrostatic charge to collect the particles. The salesman told us he preferred the HEPA type filtration to IFD. I will give you a copy of an excerpt I read on Consumersearch.com and let you be the judge -
Although some reviews say that the ozone produced by electrostatic air cleaners is safe for those in normal good health, both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and American Lung Association (ALA) advise against using these devices, since there are many ozone-free HEPA models on the market. Well, that was good enough for me to decide against anything using electrostatic charge.
Why did we buy this one?
The replacement filters were relatively inexpensive compared to other units. $18.00 in the store the day we bought the unit. The unit uses two filters, a pre-filter and filter model 30917. We did not price the pre-filters. The unit was small, easy to use on a desktop or bookshelf. The unit was relatively quiet when set on the low or medium setting. It was attractive and not bulky looking. Simple to operate. Two buttons, the speed of the the fan (low, medium or high) and the button for the Ionizer, on or off. Filter replacement was very simple and didn't require tools or a manual every time you needed to open the unit to replace them. One button on either side to press, slide the filter out and slide the new one in. Voila! The brand name was well known, I have 3 Hunter ceiling fans in my home and never a minutes trouble with any of them. It seemed perfect.
How did it perform?
Great. Within a couple of hours the color of the filter was already proving the units value in doing the job we wanted and the air in the room was definitely smelling cleaner. Of course this unit is only for a small room. I wouldn't expect the same results in a larger room. The room size we put this unit in measures 9 feet x 11 feet. On the box the company states its for rooms up to 10 feet x 11 feet. The unit recommends changing the filter about every 90 days, however, this varies with use. I keep mine on all the time, also we have a smoker in the house, so I have found my filters need changing every month.
What are the cons?
I was 100% happy with my purchase until it came time to go get a replacement filter. I went back to the store we bought the unit from and they had discontinued this unit and no longer had the filters. They gave me the phone number to Hunter to re-order direct from them. On calling the number, I had to go through many menu prompts to finally get to a live person. Then I was told they do not carry the filters. Apparently when you choose the option of to connect to the department to re-order filters it connects you with a distributor, not actually Hunter Fan Company. I was totally frustrated at this point and once again came to my computer, now to research filters. I did find them at Drugstore.com for $13.00, with shipping it came to about $19.00 and some change.
Am I happy with my purchase?
Yes and no. As for the unit, I love it. The filter's not being readily available and difficult to purchase made me decide not to purchase a second unit for my kitchen.
