Having an air purifier in any room you live or work in, can make the world of difference to your overall health. You might not realize it, but quite often, the air we breathe indoors, is actually dirtier than the air we breathe outside. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. In pretty much every home out there you’ll find a number of airborne particles floating around including dust, mold spores, human hair, pet hair, pet dander, bacteria, and viruses. Those that have the lowest levels are usually those that use good air purifying systems like the Honeywell HPA300.
The Honeywell HPA300 is a fantastic air purification system that’s hot on the market right now for several reasons. Not only is It super functional, it’s also highly effective, and it’s affordable. But is it the best purifier to meet your needs? Keep reading to find out.
A Bit About the Company
Honeywell International Inc. is an American-born business, with its headquarters based in Charlotte, North Caroline. For more than 100 years the company has been providing innovative and technological solutions to both the commercial sector and the home user. Honeywell is a Fortune 500 company, currently ranked at #92.
Honeywell HPA300 Review
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Super-fast filtering
- Easy to use
- 4 fan settings to choose from
Cons
- A little noisy
- High power consumption
Size and Shape
The Honeywell HPA300 is a sleek, black, True HEPA air purifier that will accentuate pretty much any room décor. It’s not too loud-looking and it’s not too boxy. Instead, what you get is a kind of curved-edge device that not only looks good, but also intakes air exceptionally well thanks to the full-body air intake grill.
In terms of size, this device measures in at 9.25” x 20” x 22.5” and weighs just over 20 pounds. So, if you are looking for an air purifier you can move around without too many problems, this is a good option for you.
User Friendliness
The function buttons are located on the top of the machine and are all easy to navigate. From here you can power on the device, select the fan speed, activate the timer, see whether the filters need replacing and control the brightness of the control panel lights. Everything is pretty straightforward to operate through the use of the touch-sensitive control panel.
Filtration System
The Honeywell HPA300 uses both an activated carbon pre-filter and 3 True HEPA filters in which to effectively clean the air and here we’ll go through each of those in more detail:
Carbon Pre-filter
As the air gets drawn into the unit it first has to pass through the pre-filter. Here, any large particles such as hair, pet dander, and dust are captured. And because the pre-filter is equipped with activated carbon, it also helps to reduce any tobacco or cigarette smoke, VOCs, and bad odors. As a rough guide, this filter will need replacing around every 3 months. However, the handy filter indicator light on the control panel will remind you when you need to do this.
True HEPA Filter
The next stage of the filtering system involves the True HEPA filter – the real star of the show. HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air and any air purifier fitted with one of these filters is worth looking at. These replacement filters are capable of capturing up to 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns or smaller. This includes contaminants such as pollen, pet dander, viruses, and bacteria. There are 3 HEPA filters built into this device, covering pretty much the whole of the front panel, for maximum effectiveness.
Performance and Capability
When it comes to performance, the Honeywell HPA300 is a true force to be reckoned with. For such a small machine, it’s certainly got some power. It has the ability to filter a room size that’s up to 465 square feet in size, and it does this very efficiently.
ACH stands for Air Changes per Hour and this rating is there to let you know how many times per hour an air purifier can filter the air within a room. The HPA300’s ACH is 5 times per hour, which is pretty good and means you get a fresh batch of air in the room every 12 minutes.
The CADR rating is another thing to look at when comparing air purifiers as is also a good indication as to your device’s capabilities. CADR stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate and is a rating that shows you exactly how much of a specific particle is removable from the air. It also indicates how fast it can filter the room. This rating is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM) and is usually taken for dust, pollen, and smoke and the higher the number, the better.
Any air purifier with a CADR of less than 100, should be avoided. However, the CADR on this device is 320 for dust, 300 for pollen, and 300 for smoke, which is very good. Very few others on the market are this efficient and it just goes to prove how powerful this device is.
Fan Speeds
There are 4 different fan speeds to choose from on this air purifier:
- Germ: This is the lowest (and subsequently the quietest) setting and is the best mode to select when using the device in your bedroom while you sleep. As the name suggests it’s very good at ridding any airborne bacteria, viruses, or germs that could potentially make you ill.
- General Clean: This setting is used for everyday use. It’s slightly noisier than the Germ mode, as offers a better level of filtration. However, it still makes sleeping possible if you want a slightly more powerful effect while you slumber.
- Allergen: Using the air purifier in this mode, will increase its allergen reduction capabilities, which is perfect for using during the allergy season. And while it’s a very effective setting to use if you are someone who suffers with allergies, it may be a little too noisy to use this setting at night.
- Turbo: The highest fan setting this device has to offer is the Turbo mode. This mode offers the most fast and efficient level of filtration and is great for eliminating bad odors quickly. However, because the fans are moving at such fast speeds, it is quite noisy, so it’s probably not a setting you’ll use all the time.
Energy Consumption
Despite, it’s Energy Star rating, this is one of the only areas this device doesn’t too well. Depending on which fan setting it’s on, the Honeywell HPA300 has a power consumption that’s between 40 and 130 watts. This is pretty high in comparison to some of its competitors. Using an average power consumption, and calculated on usage of 8 hours per day, this device will cost around $50 – $70 per year to run. And while that’s not in any way a deal breaker for most people, it is still something to bear in mind.
Price
In terms of price, the Honeywell HPA300 is considered to be a mid-range model. It’s not too expensive that it’s going to break the bank, but it is still an expense that you’ll need to budget for. You can pick one up quite easily online on sites such as Amazon or eBay, or in stores such as Walmart or Home Depot.
You may see other air purifiers on the market that are a lot less than this model, but when it comes to performance, or overall quality, they don’t come anywhere close. So, don’t be fooled into thinking you’re getting a good deal when you see a supposedly top-spec model at a low piece as more often than not, it won’t live up to your expectations.
Extras
As you can see from the above, this air purifier is pretty amazing. In addition to the unit’s user-friendly design and powerful performance capabilities, it also has a few more bells and whistles to offer including the following:
- Adjustable dimmer lighting: When using an air purifier in the bedroom, the last thing you want is a super bright light beaming all around. With the Honeywell HPA300, you can dim the light to your liking. You can also turn it off altogether if you so wish.
- Filter change indicator: This is one of the most useful features of this device. Knowing when to change your filters is very important. There’s no point spending all your heard-earned cash on a good air purifier only to not change the filters, and for it to then have very little effect in what’s it’s designed to do. With this machine, thanks to the two filter change indicators (one for the pre-filter and one for the HEPA filters), you don’t even need to open it up to see when the filter needs changing. One quick glance will tell you all you need to know.
- Auto off timer: Another fantastic feature on offer here is the auto off timer. With this function, you can choose to set the device to run for either 2, 4, or 8 hours straight. When the time is up, the purifier will automatically power down.
- No ozone: While it’s more a lack of, opposed to an extra, the fact that no ozone is produced by this device is definitely worth a mention. Because of this, it’s a very good choice of air purifier for those who have any existing breathing problems.
One Final Word
If you’re looking for an air cleaner that’s well made, powerful, and won’t break the bank, this Honeywell air purifier is a great investment. It’s capable of filtering the air in pretty large rooms and it does this in a matter of minutes. Sure, it may be a little loud on the fastest setting, but when in Germ or General Clean mode, it’s quiet enough to dismiss as white noise and carry on as normal. You can even adjust the lighting so that it won’t disturb you when you sleep.
Being fitted with a HEPA filtration system, it effectively cleans and filters room air to a very high standard. It’s also very easy to use, so is attractive to those who are new to these devices. Another great benefit is that being black, it will match pretty much any décor. In addition to that it comes equipped with some fantastic additional features, including an auto off timer and dimmer lighting. All-in-all, the Honeywell HPA300 is definitely an air purifier worth investing in to improve the air quality within you home of office.