Austin Air Purifier: Works Great, Less Filling...
"Military Economy" and Efficiency for Tight Budgets
The Austin Air Purifier line of air filters posits itself as a no-frills, solidly designed, better-than-basic air cleaner. This nice little workhorse will perform a respectable job at cleaning the air in your home
The names and slight differences in the models are a bit awkward, so look at the end of this article for a clarifier on all types and stripes in this line.
For now, here's what makes the Austin Air purifier #4 on our top 10 air purifiers list:
What I Like About Austin Air Purifiers...
Dependable All-Around 4-Stage Filtration:
A permanent pre-filter (that needs to be vacuumed monthly) and medium particle filter extends the medical-grade true HEPA filter life to 3-5 years. Not many air purifier filters last that long. Finally a good and healthy amount of carbon in the filter (second only to the Allerair line) takes care of gasses and odors.
All Metal and 360 Degree Design:
The Austin Air Purifier takes in air from all 4 sides, gobbling up air in all four directions and inversely shoots the clean air out in the one direction you choose. Rock-solid, metal build, no plastic parts means a quality build that will stand up for years as well as no off-gassing of chemicals like some plastic built air purifiers. The Autsin Air Purifier comes in 5 colors.
Long Time Dependability:
Austin Air has been making air purifiers for a very long time and many, many people have been very happy with the purchase of this unit because of the longevity. Although it comes with a 5 year warranty, many people have been running their units for years and years beyond with no problems.
Economy:
For under $500 you can get a pretty good air cleaner (and for $299 the Jr. Model will clean a room) that will filter a wide variety of air contaminants including mold, gasses, dust, pollen, etc. A 3-5 year filter life and low operating cost extends the savings considerably.
What I Don't Like About Austin Air Purifiers...
"Mere" True HEPA Filtration
While the filtration is good compared to most air purifiers, the Austin Air Purifier is not nearly as good as our top picks, the IQAir and the BlueAir. Good enough to only be #4.
Noisy
The Austin Air Purifier can be noisy, especially on it's highest setting. Not practically for those who want a quiet air purifier.
Heavy
The standard size model comes with casters, but it's not exactly 'portable.' At 47 pounds because of the all-metal design, you don't want to carry the the Austin Air Purifier up and down the stairs.
Choices, choices...
As stated before, the manufacturer naming of it's different models can be a bit confusing, so here's the basic differences...
Healthmate: Cleans more than one room
Healthmate Jr: Room sized.
Healthmate Plus (Superblend): Features more carbon for more absorption of odors and gasses as well as potassium iodide to filter volatile organic compounds...best for those suffering multiple chemical sensitivities ...available in both sizes...
Allergy Machine (HEGA): Features a High Efficiency Gas Absorption (HEGA) military carbon cloth to absorb additional gasses and cigarette smoke. Also comes in a Jr. Size. Deigned, obviously, for allergy sufferers.
Pet Machine: More carbon and better filtration for issues specific to pets: pet allergies and pet odors. Also available in both sizes
Baby's Breath: A Healthmate Jr. with Pink or Blue color design. And the one place where the white noise may be of benefit: Drowning out outside noises so your baby sleeps. White noise has been proven to make people more sleepy.
Summary:
- Sturdy, 360 degree, no frills design proclaims dependability so that you're investment is worthwhile
- "Military economy": cheaper than our top picks, and extremely long filter life means more money back in your pocket, lasts forever.
- Louder and heavier than most, and lacks the finer filtration ability of our top picks.
- Pretty darn good all around filtration includes particles, most gasses, pollen, bacteria, virus, etc.
If you're looking for what I call "military economy," which means, it's cheaper, it works, and it's sturdy as all get-out, than this is your choice. "Good enough, Staff Sergeant!"
If you choose to upgrade to our other top picks, you're going to get better filtration and quieter operation.
But for some, the Austin Air line is just "good enough," and I would heartily recommend the Austin Air Purifier as a solid choice.
Ready to buy? I don't have an air purifier store myself...but I can recommend a vendor that has secured my trust.
Achoo!Allergy has friendly, helpful, and knowledgable customer service, all with free shipping and a 60 day, no hassle return policy.
Or if the Austin Air Purifer is not for you, perhaps the BlueAir?
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