Blueair air purifiers are our most popular and quietest air purifiers. Available in 2 models – the 501 and the 402. The Blueair is a perfect air purifier for bedroom or small office use. Air purifier ratings, reviews, comparisons and reports by consumer experts are available.
Blueair Air Purifiers are ideal for someone who…
- Wants a quiet machine for bedroom or office use to run day and night without disturbing you when you sleep or work
- Wants and air purifier with award-winning style and design
- Wants the highest clean air delivery (CADR) rating among rated air cleaners
- Wants an air purifier tested for performance by laboratories including ETL- laboratory in Cortland, New York, by AHAM, CADR and at the Royal Technical University in Stockholm
- Needs to remove allergy-provoking pollen grains, dust mites, mold spores and pet dander particles
- Wants an easy to use, easy to maintain, low cost to run and long warranty air purifier
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Blueair Air Purifiers: Which air purifiers are right for you…
| Blueair 601 w/ p |
Blueair air purifier 601 with Particle & Gas Filters:
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| Blueair 501 w/ particle and gas Filter |
Blueair air purifier 501 with Particle & Gas Filters:
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| Blueair 501 w/ Smokestop Filter |
Blueair 501 air purifier with Smokestop Filters:
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| Blueair 402 w/ particulate and gas filter |
Blueair 402 air purifier with Particle & Gas Filters:
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Special Features of Blueair Air Purifiers
How Blueair air purifiers work:
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Technical Features of Blueair Air Purifiers
| Model | Blueair Air Purifier – Model 601 |
Blueair Air Purifier – Model 501 |
Blueair Air Purifier – Model 402 |
| Air Purifiers Cleaning Capacity | 679 sq. ft. area Ideal for large rooms (based on 6 air changes per hour) |
550 sq. ft. or 22′ x 25′ area Ideal for large rooms (based on 6 air changes per hour) |
365 sq. ft. or approx. 20′ x 19′ area Ideal for mid size rooms |
| Air Flow Rate for fan speeds (cfm = cubic feet per minute) | 1= 88 cfm 2= n/a 3= 490 cfm |
1= 90 cfm 2= 120 cfm 3= 200 cfm 4= 382 cfm |
1= 75 cfm 2= 95 cfm 3= 150 cfm 4= 240 cfm |
| Air Purifiers Noise Level (in decibels) |
1= 32 dba 2= n/a 3= 68 dba |
1= 35 dba 2= 37 dba 3= 49 dba 4= 71 dba |
1= 32 dba 2= 39 dba 3= 46 dba 4= 58 dba |
| Measured CADR ratings from AHAM | Smoke = 438, Dust = 400, Pollen = 450 | Smoke = 323, Dust = 319, Pollen = 313 | Smoke = 335, Dust = 253, Pollen = 240 |
| Size of air purifier | W 20″ x D 13″ x H 26″ | W 20″ x D 13″ x H 26″ | W 20″ x D 11″ x H 23″ |
| Weight | 35 lbs. | 35 lbs. | 34 lbs. |
| Housing | Putty color; Galvanized Swedish steel | Putty color; Galvanized Swedish steel | Putty color; Galvanized Swedish steel |
| Filters included | HEPA Silent particle filter included with unit | Choose standard model with set of 3 standard gas & particle filters or choose Blueair with smokestop filters. | HEPA Silent particle filter included with unit |
| Air Purifiers Filter Materials | Nontoxic polypropylene filter media to trap particles and activated carbon filter media to remove gases. 100% free of harmful triclosan, and glass fibers. |
Nontoxic polypropylene filter media to trap particles and activated carbon filter media to remove gases. 100% free of harmful triclosan, and glass fibers. |
Nontoxic polypropylene filter media to trap particles. 100% free of harmful triclosan, and glass fibers. |
| Avg. filter life | 6 months | 6 months | 6 months |
| Ozonation | No ozone emission. | No ozone emission. | No ozone emission. |
| Power Consumption | 35-120 Watts | 15-95 Watts | 20-80 Watts |
| Mobility of Air Purifiers | Unit is easy to move and is on 4 wheels – no carry handles (must carry by holding it from the bottom) | Unit is easy to move and is on 4 wheels – no carry handles (must carry by holding it from the bottom) | Unit is easy to move, but no wheels; built-in hand grips on both sides of unit |
| Air purifiers warranty | Extended: 10 yr. manufacturer’s extended warranty maintained by replacing filter twice a year | Extended: 10 yr. manufacturer’s extended warranty maintained by replacing filter twice a year | Extended: 10 yr. manufacturer’s extended warranty maintained by replacing filter twice a year |
Reports by consumer experts on Blueair Air Purifiers
½- VERY GOOD PLUS
Seldom do we rave about a product, especially about air purifiers, which we regard as an area sometimes subject to misrepresentation and exaggeration. So when we tell you that this air purifier is a winner and among the best of its type we have seen anywhere, you can bet that is a very strong endorsement from us.
Pluses:
- Sleek Styling: Most air purifiers are plain ugly and by preference you would want to hide them somewhere. This air purifier is a winner of several European design awards and is featured in a permanent exhibit at the National Museum in Stockholm. It has a contemporary sleek look, a distinctive blue power light, and can blend in with most decors with it’s off white steel housing.
- Silent on low levels: Our biggest complaint about air purifiers is that they can sound like a train going through your bedroom at night while they operate. These air purifiers have 3-4 speeds. Even at level 3 it is pretty quiet. What does this mean to you? This is the only air purifier we have found which gives more than an adequate number of air changes per hour on low fan speeds. This means you can sleep at night with it on. At level 3 this Blueair air purifier has a high airflow rate. According to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) in January 2002, no other air purifier cleans as much air as quietly as the Blueair. Please note: The Blueair 601 is slightly louder than the other models at moderate and high speed levels.
- Powerful: When the Blueair air 601 purifier is at level 3 high fan speed, it has an air flow rate of 490 cfm. What does this mean? It means that you can put this air purifier on high speed and it will clean the air of particulates faster than any other air purifier (tested by AHAM).
- Economical to Run: This air purifier costs about the same to run 15-120 watt bulb depending upon which model and setting you use. This means that you can run this air purifier continuously and not be worried about your electricity bill. To put it bluntly, most air purifiers cost you a small fortune in electrical costs to run. Some we have tested cost almost $300 per year to run.
- Easy to Maintain: When it came to changing the filters we were astonished. It takes all of 30 seconds at most, with no tools and no fussing trying to figure out what goes where. What’s more, you can visually check in seconds if your filters are clogged or dirty. If you don’t change your filters you cannot expect them to do the job for you. Yet most people never change them, or if they do change them they do so way too late. Interim maintenance is simple – just remove the filters and vacuum the inside of the unit.
- Odor Reduction: The Blueair standard particle filters can reduce, but not eliminate odors. The Blueair 501 model with Smokestop filters is recommended for smoking households or offices and can also further reduce odors more so than the standard filters. The model 601 and 402 does not come standard with any odor removal filtration, however you can purchase an optional smokestop filter as a replacement filter for your Blueair 601 or 402.
- AHAM Tested: This Blueair air purifier exceeded manufacturer’s specifications for air purifiers clean air delivery rate (CADR) when it was tested by AHAM (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers). AHAM is an organization that certifies the testing results of home appliances such as room air cleaners, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and room air conditioners.
- No Harmful Emissions: Particles a HEPA filter alone might miss are captured with an electrostatic charge. HEPASilent™ technology moves particles through an enclosed ion chamber, which attaches a charge to the particle itself. Charged particles cling more easily to the filter media, resulting in higher filter efficiency overall. Because most electrostatic air cleaners charge the filter media itself, the charge dissipates over time and renders the filter less efficient. By constantly charging incoming particles, instead of the filter, HEPASilent™ technology keeps on working effectively and reliably. This Blueair negative ionizer will not leave black deposits on your wall and does not release any ozone into the air.
- Environmentally Aware: Blueair products offer exceptional performance without polluting the environment. Blueair replaces standard triclosan-coated paper or glass filter fibers, which can harm the environment when released into the waste stream, with safer, nontoxic polypropylene. This revolutionary filter media is one of the least harmful plastics, producing only carbon dioxide and water as it decomposes. Because polypropylene is waterproof, our filters naturally resist contamination from bacteria, viruses and mold, without chemical additives or washes. Blueair even uses a special powder coat finish that produces no chemical outgassing.
- Extended Warranty: As long as your replace your filter with Blueair replacement filters every 6 months, your air purifier is covered against manufacturer’s defects for a full 10 years.
Minuses:
- Quite honestly, these were difficult to find.
- Size. These are not small air purifiers. The Blueair 601, 501 and 402 air purifiers are slightly larger than the competition’s. While they are nicely designed, they take up visual space and real estate.
- Replacement Filter Cost. After 4500 hours of continuous use (remember some people only use filters seasonally), the filters should be replaced. Due to the low energy usage of this Blueair air purifier, its superior performance and super quiet operation, the added filter costs will probably be worth it as a tradeoff. You must replace the filters twice a year to qualify for the 10 year extended warranty. This is the longest warranty in the industry today which shows that Blueair stands behind their products.
- Not true Hepa. The Blueair technology while receiving top ratings by AHAM, independent testing is not based on true HEPA which removes particles with a 99.97% efficiency. According to the manufacturer, the combined effectiveness of their HEPASilent™ media and the internal ionizer brings the effectiveness of the filtration up to true hepa standards of 99.97%. Given that the term HEPA is given to the efficiency of the main filter alone, it cannot be termed true HEPA. According to BlueAir they use Hepa like media, but media which allows air to pass through it a bit more freely, which is why they get the very high number of air changes per hour. These additional air changes and good design which produces more air flowing through the filter is what enables this air purifier to achieve ratings equivalent to HEPA.
- Odor Removal. The technology used in the gas and odor removal filter which is a carbon impregnated pad which has a very limited amount of carbon in it we would not see this as the best for serious odor removal. For that we would recommend an air purifier made especially for odor removal.
- No Replacement Light Indicator. Like other filters in its price range, the Blueair has no filter replacement light and the manufacturer recommends 24 hour per day usage with an average filter life of 6 months. In order to maintain the warranty, you need to purchase these filters or at least never hold the manufacturer to task for a burnt motor, if you do not change the filter as often as recommended. We feel uneasy about that policy, as the life of any hepa filter will vary enormously according to the conditions you place it under. Clearly a HEPA filter in a chemical laden environment lasts less time than in the average homeowner’s bedroom.
- Mobility. We wish the smaller model 402 had casters and that the larger model 501 and 601 had built-in hand grips.
Summary:
There are 3 models of the Blueair air purifier for you to choose from: The 601 (comes with a standard particle filter. Smokestop filter is optional and can be purchased separately) for up to 679 sq. ft., the 501 (choice of filter type – particle & gas or smokestop) for up to 565 sq. ft., and the 402 (comes with a standard particle filter. Smokestop filter is optional and can be purchased separately) for up to 365 sq. ft. The Blueair’s biggest advantage in our opinion is that on low speeds, it is virtually silent. For that reason alone it may well be the air cleaner of choice for most bedrooms. Most people do not like the noise of a HEPA filter going at night which can sound similar to a window air conditioner.
For people looking for a virtually silent air purifier, this is it. We do not recommend this air purifier as the one to choose for serious odor control or virus, VOC and bacteria removal, although it has some capacity to do so. See the other air purifier models designed for this. Under normal use, we found that the filters seem to remain effective longer than 6 months. To keep your 10 year warranty valid, Blueair recommends that you replace them twice a year nonetheless. This will prevent you from using your filters long after their useful life has passed.