5300-2

Going to provide some more experience with these filters comment, my C535/5500-2/5300-2 (I have all three, multiples of each) are run 24/7 on turbo for over 4-5 years just fine. I want to be explicit - my purifiers are not speed nor power cycled - which should help in wear and tear. I have three C535's specifically between 3 homes and they've held up well. I've only had a failure in the original 5500s (they make a whine on start up for about an hour) and the C545s have a manufacturing QC failure with some loose mounted fans which is why they're almost always available on Winix's USA open box/refurbished site. I've only got them as refurb - and they appear as new on every order. That being said, the C545 sound quality sucks (high pitched and noisy to the ear) compared to its physically larger 5500-2 series filters.

I was one of the contributors to that mega thread. There's really not much to say other than - nobody else is getting tested. The lawsuit effectively means nothing since we have no idea any manufaturer's true performance really. The 5500-2 was a good performer based on user's experiences, and still is. Should it be avoided? Maybe? But for what model? Is that model also potentially not reaching its spec? The 5500-2 was available cheap for many, its been on deal sites for $69 refurb a few times, along with its carbon-pelletless siblings the C535 and 5300-2. If you can get them cheap, they are still one of the better performing filters on the market. Plus, once you change the filter for an aftermarket one - who the heck knows its filtration efficacy. Mine are still in service, and I don't intend on changing given how well these have run for nearly a decade plus, continuously, some at max the entire time. The only failures I've had are in two original 5500's - fans are noisy but they still filter and move air. And these only failed after a decade of use. "Failed". These are simple devices. They're fans with a filter. They're also not well regulated, so who knows what different devices can filter.

Absolutely need a prefilter. these are typically removable mesh screens (think like a storm door) that you can rinse under a hose or sink. This keeps the replaceable filters (especially HEPA) clean from large debris. I should take a video some day, but at a relative's house (its like a barn - shedding dog and more) - cleaning the prefilters is like getting a whole animal's worth of fur sometimes. Its amazing and disgusting - but seeing HOW BIG the fur is - its one less thing to vacuum up. CR box is absolutely the wrong solution for this. It doesn't have the quick ability to clean the prefilter and move on. If the CR box has enough suction - the bottom of the filter will clog with fur almost instantly. I would personally use a Winix 5000 series filter; but anything with an easily access prefilter \*and\* washable cover will be fine. I have to wash both the aesthetic cover and the prefilter on my Winix's. Keep that in mind - because some air purifiers might have some electronics or at least metal that may be prone to corrosion or shorting. (Example: Original Winix 5500). Anyway, prefilter, and size up. Don't bother with smaller filters. Just get a medium sized filter (AHAM 300-360ish sq ft) and run it on medium settings.

I run four Winix 5000 / 545 series filters with aftermarket honeycomb carbon filters in a \~1200 sq ft apartment with a rangehood that plumbs outside. Two of these filters are within 15 feet of the range. Even when I'm cooking with the air being blasted out, the Winix cannot keep up. If i'm burning oil or let the pan run too hot when searing steak - my smoke alarms still have the potential to go off. Do they help with particulate? Absolutely. But they were never ever intended for an active source of particulate. Smell? VOCs? Even less so. The VOC removal on these units are essentially there for marketing. They're basically ineffective, period. Especially after a week of use, or less. (Genuine carbon filter or not). As for lessening smells - this falls more in line with those who have pets waste and thinking it'll improve the smell. If the source is there - no - the filters won't really fix it. The smells - since they're not being ventilated - will quite literally settle into fabrics - the sofa, couch, bedding, clothes (close your closets!), shoes, bath mats, dish rags - and continue to off gas and lift off the fabrics as they move, as people walk past and its wafted. If its not being blown out of the home, its sitting inside your home. The source needs to be removed - full stop - and this is for any source of smell. Given that burnt pepper smell is still evident after about a day of cooking WITH filtration on for me - i'd say it would absolutely improve the situation, but there's no way people are walking into the home/apartment with no cooking ventilation and not immediately smelling the food. It's already settled into the home. tl;dr A good range hood is the absolute clear solution. Work a way to ventilate out - consider window mounted fan sucking air out close to the cooking source Consider fresh air in - another window providing positive pressure bringing in non-cooking-air Filter stale air (air purifiers) as a final step.

I say about 1/3rd of my Winix's have a bit of a smell that dissipates quite quickly.

If you're in north america, use the buying guide and grab whatever is cheapest. I recommend going oversizing twice the AHAM/size rating - as purifiers are rated at max speed and most people are unlikely to run it at that speed. I'm partial to Winix (as they tend to be the cheapest both new and open box from Winix/resellers), but anything on the guide will be fine. If you're going for the bedroom, go as big as you can afford - larger fans typically can be run slower and quieter while providing more airflow than a smaller fan. There's more to sound than volume and size, but its a good starting point since sound quality and levels are poorly documented and are difficult to compare across models. Purification is always the last step - vacuuming, good HVAC (good central air filter), and washing sheets/textiles properly is essential. Do not neglect the other steps first; as they're likely to make more profound impacts than the purifier. I have a dust mite allergy, and no amount of purification would ever compensate for regular sheets washing in hot water (and appropriate detergents, ty r/laundry) and clothes washing.

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

I have a winix 5300-2 and just disconnected the part that does. Its pretty simple https://youtu.be/RSR3dHIBLqg?si=qH38PpUChGZt56pJ

To accurately understand what size you need for 7+ air changes per hour (ACH) you should [calculate the CADR of your room](https://housefresh.com/cadr-calculator/). Ideally a rate of 7 or more air changes per hour is really good but 5 is acceptable and really any clean airflow you get is better than none at all. The comments might have good suggestions in theory but in practice your room may be sized wrong for the suggestions that have been provided to you. Keep in mind that lots of air purifiers advertise that they cover a very large square footage when that is usually measuring their highest setting at one change per hour (so, a bit loud for the entire time you are using it for that effectiveness level). A great thing to do to ensure you have proper coverage is to size up and get a model that has multiple fan speeds. For example, my Winix 5300 series has 4 fan speed settings and I use settings 3 & 4. If you are looking for a quieter option for a CR box there are ways to build them with PC fans which will give you a very quiet CR box that still delivers clean air (r/crboxes) Additionally, [clean air kits](https://www.cleanairkits.com/) does make prebuilt CR boxes but they are a bit expensive.

If you want HEPA, look on Facebook marketplace for something that has been lightly used. You’ll just need to replace the filter inside. Levoit and Winix are my preferred brands but it really depends on the size of the room you are trying to filter. As others have suggested, corsi rosenthal boxes are a really good option for filtering large spaces.

winix uses basically the same filters for a fraction of the price

i have three of them and love them. they've been great. although, on one of them, the fan is a bit noisy when it goes into sleep mode sometimes after six years of continuous operation. goes away if I move it. I probably can lubricate the bearing if I take it apart. I used turbo mode on that one a lot so that probably increased the wear. The other two have been flawless.

no, just the 5300 and 5500