I have two core 300 and I am happy with them! I want to get another for the room that the cat box is in. When I put the core 300 on high it really works well. I will say that on low or medium I don’t see much improvement(as far as smells go). I only run it on high for a few hours when we’re not around because it’s too loud for me. I am not sure how that compares to the one you have.
FYI HEPA filters are basically marketing BS in the consumer world. Very few filters with "HEPA" in their description are actually capable of meeting HEPA standards.
$400 for a 200sqft capable air purifier is crazy. I have a Levoit core-300 for my 100sq ft room and it clears out my vape smoke in a matter of seconds.
I believe its possible to get activated charcoal filters for this to help reduce odor, if not you can find activated charcoal sheets or packets to put inside the air path.
There's a community supported HA integration for Levoit, but its reliant on the cloud service. You can flash the Core 300 with ESPHome though and have it work completely locally.
I also have a Xiaomi Air Purifier 3C, it also relies on a community maintained integration with Xiaomi Miot but it can work locally too, I know cause I have it blocked from internet access and it works fine. There is also a way to flash ESPHome on these, but I haven't tried. I'm using that one in my living room which is somewhere around 800 - 900 sqft but its a double height living room so there's a tremendous amount of volume there.
Side note, make sure you've looked at fixing other parts of your house before getting an air purifier. Make sure your AC ducts are clean, and the filter for your AC is working properly. Though don't put a high MERV filter in there unless your air handler is designed for it. You can actually filter more without putting extra stress on your air handler with thicker filters, but in my experience its rare to see units that can hold the thicker filters without modification.
Also make sure your windows are sealed properly.
I have a Levoit 300 which can be flashed with ESPHome for full local control. You can find a GitHub link to the process in my profile/comments, just search "levoit". Should be there somewhere.
A Levoit Core 300 is not sufficient at really cleaning the air if you're going beyond PLA, or printing high frequency or long durations. Look at a HEPA for sure, which the Core 300 claims to be. We have their older "200" HEPA model and it barely keeps regular dust and allergens out of the air. I would make sure it's got activated carbon/charcoal. Check out a Medify or Alen air purifier.
IDK about either of the ones you mentioned. I'd say Coway AP-1512HH - that's what I most frequently recommend to all my clients for the less expensive price range. It regularly goes on sale for $150-169 which may push your budget slightly but it's the most validated air purifier across every independent testing source. The only Caveat is that it does have an ionizer which creates ozone but you can switch it off. Please do that.
if that's too much too much, the Levoit Core 300-P at $75-90 is your best bet. I use the older model of this one and I have a dog that sheds prob as much as a cat. It does well, just needs you to vacuum the housing sometimes but it still has good air flow regardless.
NYC apartments and dust are basically the same sentence lol. I lived there too for 6+ years and I get it. Trust me. The window sills were never not gross.
I'm a Stage 3B cancer survivor turned independent product researcher, spent hundreds of hours in this space, and the answer for your situation is pretty simple.
Levoit Core 300-P. Around $84-100. It's essentially the upgraded model of what I personally used in the city.
For dust specifically you want true HEPA filtration and this has it. Dust particles are actually some of the easiest things for HEPA to capture becuase they're large so you don't need anything super fancy or expensive.
Tip from someone who's had the purifier for 5+ years in NYC: run it on low continuously rather than on high occasionally. You want constant air turnover rather than big spurts.
Top Air Purifiers on Reddit
1
Coway
Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty
87% positive of 126 users
Durable, effective for allergens/odors, but loud on high.
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