Winix - 5300-2

I own the 5300-2 and 5500-2, about 7 units total. No noise on any of them running continuously. I can't say the same of the smaller C545 - they're noisy and sound scrapey and unbalanced after a while. I have 3 of those and two are significantly nosier than the rest. They also have a higher pitched sound profile, which is easier to drown out but more annoying if you aren't drowning it out over something else.

There's a guy who did a youtube video on it - essentially the same filters except some of the prefilter and filter depth area is different. Meaning - the carbon pellet prefilter WILL NOT fit the 5300-2/C535. Basically you can try putting the carbon pellet cartridge/rigid filter in - but the mesh prefilter that clips on won't be able to "clear" it and lock into place flatly. If you don't mind a bit of bending or don't care to have a prefilter - it'll "fit". - But the filter can "fall out of place" since nothing is clipping it in. If its installed and the unit is never moved or knocked, the filters will stay in place - suction alone at speeds 3 and above can keep it fairly in place even when knocked around. The C535 and 5300-2 are basically the same. The 5500-2 is where the differences start - since the 5500-2 basically allows you to run any filters you want because it has the filter depth area to hold anything. Performance wise, they "feel" similar; acoustically - you wouldn't be able to tell filter to filter which is which unless one was defective or had something lodged inside the fan. For full disclosure - almost every single unit except for maybe 1 of my C535's are refurbished from Winix (often resold through woot/meh) which is why I have so many. (Usually I get them for $69/ea or less). So the act of "refurbishment" might have saved me from any defective noisy units. That or my batch - all of my 5500/5300's are over 6 years old. A quick check puts 3 of my C535's at 2018 vintage - and these are my newest units of the "5500" series. Summary: \- Remote control differences \- Different Filter Depth acceptance (5500-2 is larger) \- C535/5300-2 is the same \- Same acoustic performance \- Same airflow performance \- Carbon Filter differences

WINIX 5300-2 Air Purifier is also significantly better then the levoit since they have a higher cadr rating this or the 5500 model will be my next one I buy

Yep as far as air purifiers the more the merrier. Especially if you don't want to run them loud. My house currently has 2xc909 2x545 and 1x5300 our air quality is pretty good so the filter lasts but it's great for pollen and other things.

The winix 5500-2, 5300 and the Zero S all work up against a wall as they only pull in air from the front and sides

Winix is pretty popular name in air purifiers - I bought a 5300-2 for $150 and run it night and day. I get a filter pack that lasts me the year of charcoal filter and standard filter. Love it.

I can't speak for the one you posted but these have excellent reviews and we bought one after going through 2 Levoit's that died after 2 years. https://a.co/d/bGPcJpH

That's not a bad deal, especially since it should come with 2 filters. The listing on costco.com shows 2 filters. The Levoit Core 300 may be a slightly better deal. I've had one since Black Friday and so far, it's good. Noise on low is good in my bedroom. My Winix 5300 is almost 14 years old now, so I'm very satisfied with it. The much newer Winix 5500 may be a better choice than the Winix 610 or Levoit Core 300. So if you have the space for it, I would go with the 5500. All of these have reasonable priced replacement filters, so that's good. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these three, don't feel compelled to analyze this for another month! Good luck!

I like Winix. Have had 2 different models both really good. One is a 5500-2 and one is a 5300 I've been using since 2014. Air filters needs changing 1 time per year (when you order the filter it comes with 4 carbon filters to change every 3 months)

Oh yes air purifiers are a must with Greys. We have the Winix 5300-2 and use it on the 2nd highest setting 24/7 (Plasmawave turned OFF) in the main living area. In her bedroom we have a smaller Germguardian "AC4825CA 4-in-1 Air Purifier with True HEPA UV-C" and use it on the lowest setting overnight (UV-C turned OFF). I vacuum the filters weekly and replace the carbon filter monthly and HEPA every 3-6 months depending on how it's looking. I also have a plant stand with some bird-safe houseplants near her large cage as they help with air quality too. I've been for formal allergy testing 3 times over ~25 years and they've always told me I have a feather allergy (among many others). I haven't had any noticeable ill effects, possibly in part to the air purifiers and keeping floors and surfaces clean.

Following this post since I'm in the same situation here (house is about 200ft from highway). From what I read, in addition to what you mentioned, ultra fine particles are also bad. These are below 0.3 micron, and not many monitors can reliably detect it. I was looking into airpura, it's expensive but I'm also hesitant because if there's no reliable way to monitor, how do I know it's making a difference.  Currently I'm running a winix 5300-2 per room, I don't really sense anything negative, but then a lot of these bad particles aren't visible and their impacts won't show up right away Btw, did you see this video as part of your research? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hpJbEbZuBw

My house is 200ft away from highway, and from what I read, it's at high risk for UFP and VOCs. We've been living in the for 2 yrs and as of now, nobody really had any symptoms, but then the effects of UFPs and VOCs would be silent and long term anyway. I'm running a winix 5300-2 in each room, and in the big room i also just made a CR box, but pretty much doing it blindly because I didn't do any testing of the indoor air quality. For the GC-MS analysis you mention, most lab kits would be reliable right? From a quick search, looks like a basic screening would be around $1K in California depending on the package.