3 ms·
Which is a distinction which basically doesn't matter for air purifiers like this one - it's only really relevant to stuff like whole-room positive or negative
by makomk 3y ago
Which is a distinction which basically doesn't matter for air purifiers like this one - it's only really relevant to stuff like whole-room positive or negative pressure systems which ensure all of the air goes through the filter. With a standalone air purifier, the main limiting factor is how quickly the room air gets exchanged through the filter. It's pretty much irrelevant whether the filter removes 99.95% of particles or merely 99.5% since that's outweighed by all the pollution in air that hasn't been through the filter at all yet. The claims about why true HEPA filters are better are nonsense.
- jerlam 3y agoAs the article says, CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) is what matters, not whether the filters are HEPA or not. CADR takes into account both the filter rating and the airflow through the purifier. The infamous Corsi–Rosenthal Box uses filters which are far below HEPA standards (MERV-13) but since it's moving so much air, it performs better overall with a higher CADR.
- wincy 3y agoHaha we bought 4 box fans and buy 4 filters at once at Home Depot, so we get them for half off with a bulk discount. They’ve helped my wife’s asthma substantially.
- genewitch 3y agoK&N and possibly others make dense washable filters - much better than the green or blue style you see at big box stores. You can spray simple green (or another safe cleanser like that) on the back, and then quickly hit it with hot tap water and let it soak. 20"x20" is ~$30 iirc. for people interested in this style of filter the fans don't last very long, maybe a year or two. They are ~$20+ each. I was buying the highest MERV without carbon for a long time, then i switched to carbon and fiber washable ones, then K&N. Not an endorsement of K&N in particular, i just know the brand and use them.
- santoshalper 3y agoYeah, but in an article this pedantic, you'd expect the author to know something that basic.
- rootusrootus 3y agoExactly. The author of the article uses little details to call into question the Wirecutter write-up, but overlooking something like this does exactly the same thing about their own write-up. It was the first thing I thought when I saw H13. "Well, H13 has an H, E12 does not, what are the odds that HEPA starts at 13?" I'm surprised this didn't occur to the writer.
- epcoa 3y agoHardly "little details". They give a fairly broad explanation about the high level flaws in Wirecutter's analysis. The point they make about the issue of marketing speak "true HEPA" is a bit out of place and sort of irrelevant but it isn't even wrong. > call into question the Wirecutter write-up Nothing is being questioned, it is thoroughly debunked.