UPDATE, March 2015: Please check out my 2014 review of the science behind air purifiers; I’ve blogged a lot about testing my air purifiers at home, a quartet of machines (three IQAirs and one Blueair) working in symphonic harmony to create indoor air 80% cleaner than the outside air pollution — 24 hours a day, every day. I find this 80% to be very reassuring, especially for my newborn son, who will be spending almost 100% of the first years of his life inside our home. Air purifiers in China are a no-brainer, must-have item! I would be even more cheerful if one more criteria could be improved — the cost. Each time I pay for replacement filters, I get really ticked off that I’m paying so much money — and so much more than I would than if I lived in the USA or Europe, ordering exactly the same filter. It’s simply infuriating that a replacement filter in China could cost more than an entirely new machine in America! In the respected Consumer Reports list of top air purifiers, the highest rated machine is only 2,118 RMB (~350 USD,  the Whirlpool APS 1030K).

Even the Chinese press has started to cover the extortionate prices of some air purifiers, especially the replacement filters. I actually feel partly responsible for this, as many thousands of readers have bought machines based on my recommendations. Here in our expat bubble world, sheltered underneath our shiny pollution domes, we all keep self-promoting the same heavily advertised imported brands, creating a self-reinforcing illusion of brand superiority. ionic uv fresh breeze pro air purifier ionizer ozone cleanerMeanwhile, the other 99% of people in China couldn’t possibly afford almost any machine I’ve recommended. germ guardian air purifier ac5000So while I appreciate my current machines, and while they truly are highly rated from many independent sources, they are far from the only viable options out there — and definitely not the best value for anyone with limited income.kent ozone air purifier ty 500

I can’t say I’ve found the perfect solution quite yet — perhaps the team at Smart Air Filters could help fill that gap — but I may have finally found a decent value. It’s the Philips range of air purifiers, especially the AC4072, which I recently gave to my in-laws as a Christmas gift (only in China would that be a hot gift!). I chose this because it ranked very well on the test results last year from the Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission, where its sister model, the Philips AC4074, filtered 96% of PM2.5 and 53% of formaldehyde — using the same HEPA filter as the cheaper AC4072. Plus, my new comrade-in-arms in geeky air pollution testing, Thomas Talhelm, recently published his own data comparing his DIY filters against this Philips as well as the Blueair 203 — and the Philips was as good or better than the Blueair, eliminating 93-96% of PM0.5-2.5 on high speed overnight in a small bedroom. Thomas and I are on similar missions to share data with the world, and he’s even more focused on finding value — a very important and noble goal.

The AC4072 is currently 2,900 RMB direct from Amazon China, compared to my Blueair 503’s price of 5300 RMB, my IQAir Pro 150 price of 9,000 RMB and my Pro 250 price of 11-15,000 RMB (depending on voltage and import status). For my own tests, I did my usual routine: I compared real-world situations, not just blasting them on high speed all night, which I feel is an impractical and loud scenario that no one does in real life. In real life, we want the most effective machine at a reasonably quiet level. I want to know: I always compare my indoor pollution to the outside air at that time, because again my most crucial question is “how much better is my air inside, compared to outdoor air?” As I mentioned before, my current system is 80% better. Can the cheaper and smaller Philips keep up the same good results as these famous flagship models? I was very pleased with the results. In my 13 square meter bedroom, overnight with the doors closed, the Philips AC4072 on a lower setting filtered out 87% of PM1 and 98% of PM5, when compared to the outside air.

I usually have the Blueair there, and while the AC4072 wasn’t as wonderfully quiet, it was very reasonable white noise and still performed at least as well as Blueair and others in previous tests. During my last testing of Blueair, IQAir and Airgle in my bedroom, their combined effectiveness overnight was 90%, so the Philips data is right in line with that. In my 30 square meter  living room, it filtered 84% of PM1 and 96% of PM5, again compared to the air right outside my window. These numbers are very comparable to previous data, which again is impressive given the clearly smaller size and price. In last summer’s test, the living room average was 85%, so yet again the Philips is exactly in line with that data. Despite the clearly smaller HEPA filters and unit size, the Philips AC4072 performed equally as well as all other units I’ve previously tested. Plus, it was generally quiet at most settings, and their automatic mode was quite useful for the front room. And it doesn’t hurt to be a bit sleek and stylish, occupying less than half the floor space of my other units.

Regarding value, it’s half to a third the price of my current machines (same goes for the filter replacements). That’s good news for me, and for the tens of millions of others across China who are looking for quality performance with value for money. Even this AC4072 is probably overkill in smaller bedrooms, and maybe their cheaper AC4025 or AC4012 would be fine. Besides Philips, I’m sure that quite a few models from the other major brands also would be just fine, many with prices far below the famous foreign brands. Daikin, Sharp, Panasonic, Whirlpool, Westinghouse, Honeywell, Yadu … as the DIY folks are starting to prove, all you really need is a good HEPA filter and a good fan. Age 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 and older Gender Male Female this product sucks. our air in our apartment is so dirty the vacuum picks up so much its disgusting, so we thought getting this humidifier would help clean the air out. well we had the original that was just an all white filter that molded.

bought a new one and after not even having it too long, its molded. very upsetting considering all the microbial and supposed this and that terms saying it wont mold. Yes (0) No (0)  Report Yes (0) No (0) The picture is for the old version. When I ordered I got the new version, which starts to smell bad within a week. Using the old ones I could run my humidifier almost a month without this problem. Really ticked with Honewell for the product chage, and with Walmart for the wrong picture showing. , LAST time I ever order online with Wal-Mart. Yes () No (0)  Report Yes () No (0) Thank you for the feedback. We will make sure Walmart updates the image. The item I ordered looks like the photo with the blue anti-microbial outside covering. What I received was just a plain-Jane ordinary white filter without the blue covering. I was very disappointed after waiting more than a week for in-store pickup to receive the wrong item -which I promptly sent back. I don't know where the fault lies-with WalMart's shipping department or WalMart's website.

I'll just have to try to buy what I want from someone else. Yes (4) No (0)  Report Yes (4) No (0) the model number did not fit the model humidifier I purchased. Yes (8) No (0)  Report Yes (8) No (0) The original filter that comes with the humidifier looks like the picture. The replacement filter does not look like the picture, it is just a white honeycomb. Yes (6) No (0)  Report Yes (6) No (0) Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We will make sure that the image gets updated. It was not as shown in the picture. It was just a regular one, didn't have the blue wrap on it... Yes (6) No (0)  Report Yes (6) No (0) I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up my replacement filters, they were the same as the original filter included with the humidifier. The last replacement filter I purchased had this blue extra filtering paper on the outside, and it worked like crapola! Seriously, only half the amount of water was used in the same amount of time when using the "blue" filter.

I did a small amount of checking online and thought that was the only filter I could purchase, so I did. I was very unhappy with it! These most recently purchased filters do NOT have the extra blue filter on the outside and they work MUCH better! I'm running a gallon of water a day through the humidifier, and obviously doing a much better job of getting moisture in the room. PLEASE stick with these filters from here on out...if I had only known I would have order more than two! Hint: remember to flip the filter over every time you fill the humidifier to extend the life of the filter, prevents it from drying out on one end... The good filter box says: "Honeywell, replacement wicking humidifier filter, Filter A" HAC-504 Series, it's for the HCM-710 model humidifier. Yes (4) No (6)  Report Yes (4) No (6) Very sloppy. Yes (3) No (0)  Report Yes (3) No (0) Verified purchaser Many users of any humidifier may be quickly shocked at a build-up of hard, crusty deposits on the filter.

This is generally in direct proportion to the "hardness" of your water - especially calcium, etc. These minerals, suspended solids and chemicals such as chlorine will be revealed in this filter and quickly diminish its effectiveness. The term "filter" takes on a wide scope of definition as the PRIMARY function of this type of filter is to allow water to "wick" and provide as much surface area for the water to be exposed to air that is circulated within the humidifier - and thereby moisture is created and discharged by the unit into your room or house. By wicking through the filter media, it does filter "junk" in your tap water and thus significantly reducing - and almost eliminating discharge into the air. By maintaining a fresh filter you increase the amount of moisture that can be produced by the filter. A filter that has "hard - crusty stuff" over 10"% (by visual inspection) simply has limited ability to allow airflow to pick up moisture. You may be able to purchase a less expensive filter, but they just don't perform like this one does.

After EHAUSTIVE research you can't buy a better filter for the money. If you have impurities in your household air, pets, smoking, seasonal pollen, etc. This filter now takes on another important important role as it does significantly filter the air on the general area where it is located. Look at the side of the humidifier at the vents where the air is sucked in - you may see some fuzz or chalky buildup. If you do this is evidence of probably 5-10 % of ACTUAL airborne contaminants that are also caught by this filter - therefore you are actually receiving an extra bonus of filtered air in addition to humidification. Although this product was designed PRIMARALY as a humidifier - it also does filter the air that runs through it - if the filter is not clogged up. Making sure the filter for any humidifier is maintained will maximize the both the primary and secondary benefits of your investment. >> The same goes for your dehumidifier. (Don't forget about your household filter for your furnace / AC unit)