
Coway
Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty
Durable, effective for allergens/odors, but loud on high.

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In response to u/spacex_fanny Unless you buy a cheap fan and constantly have it cranked up to its highest setting, CR boxes are not as noisy as you seem to think they are. Having several set to low will be significantly quieter than one large air purifier cranked on high. Last time I was around several CR boxes, it was literally in a church during a mourning service. And I can promise you that it wasn't too loud. And yes there are several different configurations using 1 large or a several smaller fans. In my experience, even cheap CR boxes are much more tolerable than cheap air purifiers. The Germ Guardian air purifiers from Costco are incredibly noisy and create a constant high-pitched noise at *any* setting. Winix is a good option for cheap air purifiers that aren't horribly noisy, but not as cheap as just making several CR boxes. And trust me on this, I'm autistic so I notice these kinds of things literally constantly. I am unable to tune out the noise like other people do. And things like the Nukit torches are **not a replacement for an air purifier at all.**. That's genuinely just bad advice.
It's kind of hard to tell for sure since you get used to the smell of your own house. I will say people have told me they are surprised they don't notice animal smells in my house, except when they are right next to the animals themselves though. So I think I am doing something right. Both brands I mentioned come with charcoal prefilters which absorb odors. The Winex especially comes with like 4 charcoal prefilters per each paper filter, and I find I don't even go through all 4. Another good option for odors is Purifan, which is a ceiling fan airfilter. They work REALLY well for smoke and odors, but not at all for pet hair really. I have a 4000 square foot home with three Winex, two Coways, one Purifan and one Shark air filter. I used to have a couple of GermGuardians too, but they are kinda loud relative to how little air they actually move. Nothing though is going to beat regularly bathing your pets and regularly vacuuming areas.
Germguardian, not sure about for life. But they warrantied one free of charge, paid for return shipping and all. Filters aren’t crazy, and you can see the work they do. I have no measurements for it, but I like em. They all are essentially just motors and fins.
I have 2 winix and 1 Germ guardian they both work well. Slightly favor the winix. I change the filters every 6 months. Couple tips- 1. Buy cheap bags an amazon and swap it out daily 2. Buy charcoal granules and put them in the waste bin - if you do this you can swap the bag eod. They absorb smell https://a.co/d/0a1CxSgw 3. Keep a window on each side of your home slightly open. This does wonders for keeping air flowing and getting rid of smell.
I currently have 2 Winix and 1 germ guardian. They are both good but if I had to choose I would go with the Winix. The pre-filter does a great job collecting debris and dust which I think helps the HEPA last longer. I changed my filters twice a year and I use the genuine filter. https://a.co/d/4e6aipw
With that in mind a germ guardian tower is probably the most affordable good option. Whatever you buy should have UVC light built in to degrade mycotoxins, “plasmawave” or “bipolar ionizer” is also an acceptable alternative just make sure it’s California CARB certified. Stay away from classic ionizer/ozone
I do. I have 3 school aged kids aka plague carriers. We have Germ Guardian UV-C plus HEPA filters in each room. It greatly cuts down on kids reinfecting each other and us parents. They also collect cat hair pretty well. The Germ Guardians were $98 each and 4pack of replacement filters is $30. Saving one doctor visit for the 3 kids covers buying a unit.

Coway
Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty
Durable, effective for allergens/odors, but loud on high.

Levoit
Vital 200S-P
Smart, effective dust/odor; some find replacement filters pricey.

Winix
5500-2
Budget king, durable; poor VOC removal, Plasmawave disliked.

Coway
Airmega Mighty
Durable, great for allergies/dust, responsive auto-fan.

Winix
5510 & 5520
Good value, durable, effective for pets; carbon filter issues.

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IKEA - UPPÅTVIND

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CleanAirKits - Corsi-Rosenthal Box

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Austin Air - Healthmate Plus

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Winix - 5500-2

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Coway - Airmega 400

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Coway - Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty