Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased this item because I had been looking for a reasonably priced true HEPA room air filter with no ionizer. I have heard conflciting information on the safety of ionizers which produce ozone in the home so I did not want that feature, though it is popular right now. I have pet birds which are high dander and wanted to filter the air in the room the birds are in, both for my health and the birds' health.
I have been really happy with this product. The box says it is for a 16' x 16' room. I am using it in a 12' x 16' room and it seems to do the job. It is compact and is designed to sit on its end or on its side, whichever you prefer. It is beige and unobtrusive. The item is ready to go right out of the box - you just have to install the carbon filters (HEPA filters are pre-installed at the factory). Installing the filters is a snap. The air filter is simple to use. There is power button to turn it on and off and it has four operating speeds, 1 through 4. You can also set a timer function that allows you to set the filter to run for 1-16 hours and then automatically shut off. Impressively, the unit comes with a FIVE YEAR manuafacturer's warranty, something you don't see very often.
I researched HEPA air filters extensively before this purchase. Some HEPA filters cost $50-70 each to replace! This unit's filters are readily available in Wal Mart and Target. Amazon sells a two pack of HEPA filters for this unit that currently costs $32 and a four pack of carbon filters that costs $12. The manufacturer says that the HEPA filters will need changed every 6-12 months and the carbon filters every 3-6 months. Keep in mind that this unit uses two HEPA and two carbon filters. The unit also has indicator lights for each filter to tell you when they need changed. I'll probably spend $88 a year on the filters but that is much lower than for many other HEPA filters I looked at!
I run the unit on speed "3" for about 12 hours per day though you could run the unit continuously. It does a great job of circulating the air. Within the first day I noticed a marked improvement. I can't see very much dust in the air anymore, even in bright light (when you can see the floating dust particles in a room). Also, lots of the bits of feathers and fluff from the birds that used to float throughout the rest of the house are gone. The room did not have an obvious odor before but I really think the carbon filters have made the room smell "fresher."
The only drawback I can think of is that is it somewhat noisy at speeds 3 and 4 which are the most effective speeds. I don't consider this a problem because I am fond of white noise in the background. Some people might find it too noisy at the higher speeds.
Update November 2006: After five months of continuous use this filter stopped working in September 2006. I followed the instructions for returning the item for warranty service which required me to pay for return shipping and also pay to ship the item back. Within about a week Holmes had sent me a brand new filter that is actually a newer, larger, model worth more than the one that had failed. They gave me no hassle and replaced the filter with a better model. This new model is working fine so far. I am pretty pleased with Holmes prompt replacement.
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