The best air purifier you can buy today is the Coway AP-1512 HH Mighty. It has a built-in particle sensor that can give you an idea of the air quality in your home with its color coding system. It will show a blue light when the air is clean, purple to indicate pollution and red for high pollution. The Coway AP-1512HH also benefits from a built-in particle sensor and Eco Mode, which works well to turn off the air purifier when air pollution is low, saving energy and money.
The automatic mode works well to toggle between fan settings based on indoor air quality. This air purifier is suitable for small room spaces up to 361 square feet, making it suitable for smaller spaces and bedrooms. The Levoit 400S performed best in removing airborne particles in our home tests, capturing at least 99.5% and up to 100% of particles during testing. We burned a series of matches to check how well the purifier captures the particles.
At a level 6 setting, we found that the purifier removed 98% of particles smaller than 0.3 microns, 72% of particles smaller than 2.5 microns, and 73% of particles smaller than 10 microns. At a level 10 setting, we found that the purifier captured 95% of particles smaller than 0.3 microns, 96% of particles smaller than 2.5 microns, and nearly 100% of particles smaller than 10 microns. The Blue Pure 221 was consistently better than all the other air purifiers we tested despite its lack of Smart technology, it outperformed purifiers at almost double the price. We burned a series of matches to check how well the purifier absorbed the particles.
In a Level 2 setting, we found that the purifier absorbed 99.7% of particles smaller than 0.3 microns, 99.5% of particles smaller than 2.5 microns, and 100% of particles smaller than 10 microns. In a Level 3 setting, we found that the purifier absorbed 99.9% of particles smaller than 0.3 microns, 99.6% of particles smaller than 2.5 microns, and 100% of particles smaller than 10 microns. The Levoit H132's compact size and low price make it the ideal air purifier for someone who wants to try their first air purifier at home. Small enough for any desk or shelf, this could be the product for you if you have a small apartment or just want to use an air purifier only in one room. Unfortunately, the Levoit H132 did not live up to expectations when it came to testing how well it absorbed particles, steadily falling below the 99.97% expected of a device with a HEPA H13 filter. The KOIOS EPI810 is the smallest air purifier we've ever reviewed and it will sit comfortably on any desk or office shelf and its 2.5 lb weight makes it light enough to take on the road.
Our at-home incense smoke test evaluated how well the purifier worked after burning five incense cones simultaneously and found mixed results. While the KOIOS EPI810 absorbed an impressive 99% of particles measuring 10 microns, it only absorbed 52% of particles smaller than 2.5 microns. It's not yet clear if air purifiers are doing anything to prevent the spread of COVID-19 indoors but HEPA filters have been found to remove some viruses from the air as most dust particles are approximately five microns in size and pollen has a staggering 10-1.00 microns which a HEPA filter can trap and remove. Perry tells Live Science that while the most effective air purifiers can remove many different types of particles, you'll never get 100% pure air.
