Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have severe chemical sensitivities. I've tried almost every filter on the market that is supposed to take fragrances, etc. out of the air, but I've found none that lives up to their promises like the ones with the carbon filters by Austin. I have this in my home and it is certainly worth every penny I spent. Any perfumes or other fragrances that enter my home are taken care of pretty efficiently by this. For my 1100 sq. ft. home I keep this one in my bedroom and the Healthmate plus (also by Austin Air) in the living room and together they really keep the air clean. In fact, I usually cannot tell if there is a skunk nearby unless I open a door or a window...and my house is certainly not air tight.
The main difference between this one and the Healthmate Plus is that the Healthmate Plus works the best on chemicals/fragrances in the air where this one is a good all purpose filter that also takes fragrances out of the air. This is why I keep it in my bedroom - I have a dust allergy and while the Healthmate Plus is certainly good at taking dust out of the air but we chose the Allergy Machine for my bedroom.
There are three settings, low, medium and high. High is pretty loud, but not an irritating sound; low isn't too loud, but it is certainly not silent. You don't hear the motor, rather it is the airflow coming out that makes the sound. It is, what I consider, a gentle "white noise" sound.
It has wheels (they don't lock) that move very well and I've never had one fall off. In fact, I find these machines very well made - not shabby - and I've had them for five years. They are made of metal and not plastic and I've never had to air one out.
If you buy this for chemical sensitivities make sure it is the one with the carbon zeolite filter. If it is missing that one (and therefore about $100 cheaper) the other filters can become contaminated with fragrances and don't air out quickly. We accidentally didn't order the right filter the first time and found out the hard way; after days of airing one out outside with the filter running on full it didn't improve. We then ordered the carbon zeolite filter and were pleased that my husband didn't have a hard time taking this apart to replace the filter; it wasn't completely easy as the filter isn't really light, but it was certainly doable.
One thing you should do is to vacuum the holes on the outside once in a while because they will start getting a little clogged up with dust after a couple years (or less if you don't vacuum or dust often).
The filter is good for four years and if you contact the manufacturer before then needing a new one (we use ours ALL the time and so needed to replace ours after three) they will, as of a few months ago at least, prorate a replacement.
Overall, I'm very pleased and would highly recommend this.
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Austin Air HEGA (Allergy Machine) Air Purifier - Black
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