Shark - 3-in-1 MAX Air Purifier (HC502)
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 15, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
141
29
"They do a good job of removing smoke from the room."
"The thing I noticed most and love about is that I no longer have the smell of my upstairs neighbor cooking wafting in."
"The sensors are amazing. ... Yes whenever I cook or smoke they instantly kick on and work really well."
96
29
"The cats are finally not terrified of it ... I can set it to quiet mode where it is barely audible ... Even quiet mode picks everything up just fine."
"Noise on the 3i is next to zero."
"another plus for Alen is that they are insanely quiet. I have a 45i and 75i and they are excellent."
17
9
"It’s been kicking on a lot lately because it detects bacteria and viruses in the air. 🦠"
"mine always goes berserk when I start cooking"
"It also changes when I cook, a cat uses the litter box, my husband walks inside from smoking, etc."
18
5
"Work great and the one in the basement really keeps the kitty litter smell to 0."
"My college age son has allergies and always wakes up feeling crappy, he said he actually felt good this morning."
"They are definitely game changers and help with smell, but also dust."
3
0
"It does pick up hair and what not. Usually open it up and pull hair off of the outside of the filter every month."
"keeps the dust and cat hair under control"
"keeps the dust and cat hair under control"
Disliked most:
0
17
"According to Shark, my air quality is a perfect 100% ALL DAY LONG. Even when: - My elderly Akita wanders by shedding fur like it's his job (and also pooting pretty non-stop) - I deliberately sprayed Lysol directly in front of it (for science!) ... The Shark? "100% perfect air, nothing to see here!" 🙄 ... But because it thinks the air is always fantastic, when I put it on auto/Eco mode, the higher fan rate is never triggered. ... It turned bright red, and said that the air would be clean again unless 60 minutes. It was back to 100 within a minute or two."
"I ordered 4 of these things and ALL of them sat off all day and night saying the air was perfect. ... All 4 of them did the same thing and would rarely come on."
"It's no wonder the filters last for 5 years, the thing never runs. ... They are not "purifying the air" if they are not moving the air through the filters."
30
42
"The air purifier is now unusable since I can’t replace the filter."
"the filters are expensive as shit"
"the filters are expensive as shit"
5
7
"my only complaint is the filters are pricey and they’re often sold out during allergy and wildflower season. ... you can’t find them on their website or amazon or anywhere. ... and the generic ones are garbage."
"Years ago, I bought (an awesome) BlueAir HEPA air purifier from Costco and they no longer sell the replacement filters."
"All of my shark max filters lasted less than 1 year and I have replace filter error."
10
15
"Also I just put it in the bathroom w my bf while he poops. No change in the air reading or smell of the bathroom."
"According to Shark, my air quality is a perfect 100% ALL DAY LONG. Even when: - My elderly Akita wanders by shedding fur like it's his job (and also pooting pretty non-stop) - I deliberately sprayed Lysol directly in front of it (for science!) ... The Shark? "100% perfect air, nothing to see here!" 🙄 ... But because it thinks the air is always fantastic, when I put it on auto/Eco mode, the higher fan rate is never triggered. ... It turned bright red, and said that the air would be clean again unless 60 minutes. It was back to 100 within a minute or two."
"I ordered 4 of these things and ALL of them sat off all day and night saying the air was perfect. ... All 4 of them did the same thing and would rarely come on."
10
7
""NeverChange" with "up to 5 years use" is purely a marketing gimmick. ... [The owner's manual for the HP150 series] states this is "based on 50% CADR declined, 135 sq. ft. cleaning area and 12 hours daily operation on MAX fan speed." ... [The infographic on the model HP152 product page] is different, claiming the cleaning area is "300 sq. ft." ... Either way, that's much smaller than the 650 sq. ft. rating. ... And obviously any mechanical filter's lifespan depends on pollutant concentrations."
""NeverChange" with "up to 5 years use" is purely a marketing gimmick. ... [The owner's manual for the HP150 series] states this is "based on 50% CADR declined, 135 sq. ft. cleaning area and 12 hours daily operation on MAX fan speed." ... [The infographic on the model HP152 product page] is different, claiming the cleaning area is "300 sq. ft." ... Either way, that's much smaller than the 650 sq. ft. rating. ... And obviously any mechanical filter's lifespan depends on pollutant concentrations."
"It's no wonder the filters last for 5 years, the thing never runs. ... They are not "purifying the air" if they are not moving the air through the filters."
Looks the same as ours we got a year ago. We have a dog, three cats, and two children. Really the only time it goes low is if we are cooking bacon. I usually just leave it at level two speed. It does pick up hair and what not. Usually open it up and pull hair off of the outside of the filter every month.
r/Costco • New Shark MAX air purifier think my house is cleaner than heaven itself (or it’s just broken) ->I have had mine for a few months and mine works great. It’s super sensitive. It is on auto and I can see it working when I’m cooking and when my HVAC turns on. I have a 105 year old house and it has noticeably helped my allergies. Not sure if maybe it’s the placement? No real idea honestly.
r/Costco • New Shark MAX air purifier think my house is cleaner than heaven itself (or it’s just broken) ->I bought one. Not so sure it works. The light ring that indicates a change in air quality does change when I cook. I’m in an apartment. The unit is in my living room. But it takes a good 40 min to an hour to get back to 100 %. I would think that’s just the natural time of the air clearing. No help from the unit. 🤷🏻♀️ Also I just put it in the bathroom w my bf while he poops. No change in the air reading or smell of the bathroom. After this test I am returning.
r/AirPurifiers • Shark Never change Air purifier ->I have one and I love it! I have two sick people in my house with a cold. It’s been kicking on a lot lately because it detects bacteria and viruses in the air. 🦠
r/Costco • Shark air purifier.. good? bad? ->I just bought a Shark air purifier and it’s near the kitchen. No more food smells lingering in the kitchen. It does NOT like sauerkraut, burnt eggs or fried tortillas 😆
r/AirPurifiers • Can anyone convince me that airpurifierers are not a uneccessary waste of money ->Clears the air way faster and better than my Dyson. It’s a workhorse.
r/Costco • Shark air purifier.. good? bad? ->As soon as we took this thing out of the box and set it up I knew it didn’t actually work. I’ve had other air purifiers and this thing just never ran. Returned it that same night.
r/Costco • New Shark MAX air purifier think my house is cleaner than heaven itself (or it’s just broken) ->I have had one of these for a couple years. I know it's pulling in air because of all the cat hair I have to clean off of it. It also changes when I cook, a cat uses the litter box, my husband walks inside from smoking, etc. Sound like your might be a dud. The "air quality" detector is 4 small holes on the back. Bring a burning candle or put out a match near those spots to see if the reported air quality changes.
r/Costco • New Shark MAX air purifier think my house is cleaner than heaven itself (or it’s just broken) ->I got two and it's getting super clogged with the senors. I put a new filter in and it's still 0%. Just make sure you clean it frequently.
r/Costco • New Shark MAX air purifier think my house is cleaner than heaven itself (or it’s just broken) ->You also have it to close to the wall. The sensors that read the air are in the back. The directions say it needs to be like 6 inches away from the wall to work correctly. https://preview.redd.it/cu3dvtfrocne1.png?width=1440&format=png&auto=webp&s=a9aaba9a94e2bcba209f5c6033b693a6d48727a4
r/Costco • New Shark MAX air purifier think my house is cleaner than heaven itself (or it’s just broken) ->I've had 2 Levoit air purifiers and recently bought the new Shark Ninja one that doesn't require filters. They are all awesome at helping me breathe and keeps the dust and cat hair under control.
r/homeowners • What's your best strategy for controlling dust in a large house with pets? ->there are 2 filter, it has pre-filters on the outside that can be washed and inside is a typical air filter cartridge. The idea is the outer pre-filters catch most the debris and can be washed off, saving the inner hepa. But no, it’s not actually never-change, you will eventually have to replace the hepa, I think they say 5 yrs but all depends on
r/Costco • Shark air purifier.. good? bad? ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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