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Hey all, here's my quick list of requirements that I want * 650 sq ft with 9-10ft ceilings * US * Looking to buy **two** units, preferably under $300-$350 each * No ionizer or UV-C * Not Coway (unless 3rd party filters?) * General filtration. Germs, allergies, etc So I've looking through all the threads and here's my trouble. I don't want ANY ionizer, even if it can be turned off, since the ratings for the unit are done with the ionizer on, and it's a hassle to turn it off every time you turn the unit on (or void the warranty by permanently disabling it). So this rules out Winix or Blueair I also don't want Coway because of their patented filters that have an anti-microbial coating that contains pesticides. Probably won't kill me, but I'd rather skip it. I could use a 3rd party filter in a Coway unit, but then I don't know how well it actually works? I'm looking at the [Honeywell HPA5300](https://www.honeywellstore.com/store/products/honeywell-insight-hepa-air-purifier-hpa5300b.htm) \- but the replacements filters are spendy and the unit is kind of bulky and ugly. So I'm looking for alternatives, but if I can't find any I'll likely go with this unit. Any recs I'm missing? Update - I ended up purchasing two Winix D480 which do NOT have an ionizer and are made exclusively for HomeDepot. The Windmill was another option, but the filters were more expensive and I liked the track record Winix has. Thanks everyone!
Agreed! My main concern with Winix is I'm not sure how well they work *without* the ionizer on, since that's not tested and published.
I have two of the [Winix D480](https://www.homedepot.com/pep/Winix-D480True-HEPA-3-Stage-Air-Purifier-AHAM-Verified-for-480-sq-ft-1022-0221-02/315963577?mtc=SEM-CM-CML-GGL-D29A-029_030_AIR_QUALITY-NA-Multi-NA-DSA-5163653-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-MinorAppl&cm_mmc=SEM-CM-CML-GGL-D29A-029_030_AIR_QUALITY-NA-Multi-NA-DSA-5163653-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-MinorAppl-20950472636-157401717546-1719180871335&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20950472636&gbraid=0AAAAADq61Uf8-WpkyBKFk4Svj20RkSB01&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5J3mmZXLkgMVPydECB2_khuZEAAYAiAAEgJ0M_D_BwE) and love them! It can only be purchased at HomeDepot. ALL of the other Winix models have an ionizer which can produce ozone, which you'll probably want to avoid. The D480 which is a HomeDepot exclusive is the only one without an ionizer. Coway is also a popular brand but their filters contain pesticides. So I chose to avoid them as well. Honestly, really happy with my Winix and it's in your budget!
FWIW I chose to skip Coway because they use patented filters that contain a pesticide. Probably not the end of the world, but there’s so many other options. ALL Winx models besides the D480 have an ionizer which I don’t want. So I purchase two D480 and like them!
It's been great so far! A bit smaller than I anticipated. Also the charcoal filter is not honeycomb, rather a thin sheet like the others (comes with 3 replacements). I much prefer the Winix D480. Much bigger filters, better charcoal filter, no ozone, just plug and play. If you need a purifier overnight like I did, the Mooka is just fine, but if you can wait 5-7 days for shipping, the Winix D480 is the better deal hands down.
Winix D360/D480 explicitly don’t have an ionizer and work well, I have similar standards as yours and it works well for me. You can get 2 D360s for 300 dollars which would be a bit below 5 ACH or get a D360 and a D480 for 360 bucks which would be above 5 ACH.
In very grateful for my air purifier. I grabbed the Winix D480True HEPA 3- Stage last year and it has helped us so much during these bad air quality days, and in general. It was like $200 but definitely a solid purchase. Would recommend. I live in an old drafty 1910s build and before having a good purifier the high aqi would make my throat hurt even indoors. ETA: we have a dog and rub ours all the time. It helps a lot with per hair and dust. Also if someone sprays perfume or sunscreen or lights a candle the light changes and it filters it out but reminds me that there are so many toxins we breathe daily even without the aqi like this
I have had a Winix D480 for…7 or 8 years now? And the air quality sensor is weird. It’s less sensitive to PM2.5 than I would like - during wildfire smoke season it’ll go red if we are dealing with PM2.5 in the 300’s but will go orange/green much sooner than I would like. It is notably sensitive to some things that I guess technically are air impurities but seem much lower priority to me…like it’ll really go crazy for a few minutes if you fart lol. Nice I guess. It also will go red and go full blast if you walk by it after just having emerged from a shower - I guess it’s the humidity or VOCs or something? I don’t use fragranced products so I am not sure. It also really gets its knickers twisted up over peeling an orange in the vicinity. Red sensor light for 15-30 min lol. My guess is that it’s quite sensitive to VOCs and less sensitive to particulates. I have more issues with particulates than VOCs and find that it doesn’t always track super beautifully with what my needs are but honestly if I’m dealing with high particulate load I don’t bother with auto mode, just turn it up as high as I can stand the noise and let er rip.
I suffer from pretty bad allergic rhinitis and sinusitis, even post surgery with 2x/day saline and steroid flushes, due to exposures overseas on multiple deployments. Service connected at 0% each, thank you VA... For \~$150, the Winix D480 from Homie Depot is a life saver! https://www.homedepot.com/p/Winix-D480True-HEPA-3-Stage-Air-Purifier-AHAM-Verified-for-480-sq-ft-1022-0221-02/315963577 At \~350CFM through the carbon and HEPA on "turbo" it will filter all the air in a 580FT² 4x/HR. I have one on each floor as well as one in the bedroom that I carry with me when I'm going to be in the office/livingroom/workout room/etc for an extended period. No wifi connection or even bluetooth app nonsense. Does have an auto function where it monitors air quality and ramps up fan speed as needed. Also has a light/noise sensor to go into sleep mode at low speed, so long as air quality is good, at night and is whisper quiet. Carbon filters are changed quarterly and the HEPA annually. Comes in a \~$55 pack (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Winix-Genuine-D4-Replacement-Filter-for-D480-1712-0100-02/315963579) Am going to invest in a Reme Halo, [https://rgf.com/product-category/air/residential#view\_all\_products\_res](https://rgf.com/product-category/air/residential#view_all_products_res), next spring after I do some duct and HVAC work as well.
They work just fine. Best of the best. The bipolar ionizer in the winix doesn’t skew their numbers.
There's also the Winix D360/480 series as a Home Depot exclusive, which doesn't have ionizers and has a pretty high CADR rate. I don't think there are after-market filters but Winix said they continue to manufacture filters for 10 years after so maybe you won't have problems. I'm eyeing it. Honestly my first air purifier was BlueAir and I loved it. Dead silent on the first setting (I think having a vertical fan helps), and I could run it on the high setting all day. I have birds and had no idea about the ionizer though. I've gone through one Honeywell which made my room smell like a plastic pool toy, and I'm not so happy with the return-replacement either, I ran it on turbo today and got a pretty big headache and felt like I was having trouble breathing, which sounds insane but it stopped when I turned it off. I'm almost tempted to just go get another BlueAir and remove the ionizer manually, but I also know that their CADRs are based off of ionizer on, and the larger sizes have significantly more expensive filters.
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