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Heightened awareness of allergen and toxins in the atmosphere we respire has boost the popularity of air purifiers for homes and businesses . Several dozen brands have flooded the market , all claiming to remove pollutants from indoor air . To learn which of today ’s top models really live up to the hype , I tested some of thebest zephyr purifier , and theShark melodic line purifiertook top honour .
Shark is well have it off for make tech - savvy home gismo , and I ’ve had the good hazard of possess a couple of the fellowship ’s vacuums . I was expecting good things from the Shark air purifier , and I was n’t foiled . I do n’t have access to a professional lab to scientifically test all the feature of speech of an air purifier , so I set up an experimentation booth in a press and test the abilities of several air purifier to remove airborne particulates and smoke . I also measure the level of noise the purifiers made during operation .
Photo: Glenda Taylor for Bob Vila Photo: Glenda Taylor
Keep take to discover why the Shark breeze purifier realize the top spot in the lineup . Also , receive out what I liked easily about this motorcar and what I wish the manufacturer would have done differently .
The Shark HC502 3-in-1 Max Air Purifier with True HEPA: At a Glance
Rating:9/10
PROS
CONS
Get the Shark air purifier at :
What is the Shark air purifier?
The three benefits of theShark atmosphere purifierare purified air , purge heated atmosphere , and purified forced air ( buff ) . I liked this comfort - centric innovation because I require neither cool air bollix on me during the winter nor red-hot air botch on me during the summertime — yet I want to make pure the air in my dwelling house year - around . I try the Shark atmosphere purifier during a virulent February cold snap , so its ability to heat the purified air was a genuine perk .
Like other top air purifier , the Shark add up with a high - efficiency particulate air ( HEPA ) filter that removes up to 99.98 pct of airborne pollutants as small as 0.1 microns . For compare , human hair is about 100 microns thick .
The Shark air purifier removes several type of pollutant , including favorite dander , dust , allergen , gage , and fumes , in an surface area of up to 1,000 square feet . It also come with a digital read-out that indicate the crust level of the air in the room . Since I was using a separateair quality monitorduring the tests , I could compare the truth of the Shark ’s built - in monitor .
Photo: Glenda Taylor for Bob Vila
Is the Shark air purifier challenging to set up?
It was n’t hard to specify up the Shark airwave purifier , but one crucial whole step all drug user must take before turning the unit on is to take out the plastic wrap from the national filter . This requires removing the front grille cover , attract out the plastic - wrapped filter , and bust away the charge plate . Failure to remove the charge card could damage the machine . as luck would have it , Shark put warnings in several surface area , so this footstep is operose to miss .
Other than that , setup is as childlike as plugging the Shark air purifier into an outlet and push the Start push on the control panel . The nifty thing here is that the circular control panel is also a distant ascendancy — it snatch up off for utilization . The only downside is that the remote expend line of business - of - sight technology , so I had to abide in front of the machine and steer like a shot at it for the remote control to figure out . That ’s a comparatively small-scale issue , but it does mean the remote wo n’t work if the user is in a different elbow room .
How loud is the Shark air purifier while it’s running?
The Shark tune purifier was n’t the unruffled of all the model we tested , but it ’s not obnoxiously loud . On High , the building block register 59 dB , comparable to the sound of free inside a car hold out about 60 mil per hour . However , on Low , the purifier register just 28 decibels , which is as quiet as a whisper . Even when it was running on High , I was n’t too irritate by the sound because it ’s standardized to a hum — after a few minutes , I by nature just tune it out .
If the phone becomes an progeny , I suggest hunt it on High when necessary to remove pollutants chop-chop . After an hour or so , turn it to Low to hold the melody freshness in the room . One note here — I stand about 3 invertebrate foot by from the purifier when I took the dB readings . drug user who are farther than 3 fundament aside will find the noise level is reduced .
How well does the Shark air purifier remove pollutants?
This is where the Shark shines ! After remove all the content in my examination closet and wiping down the roof , walls , and storey to ensure they were relatively dust innocent , I tested each of the air purifier .
I started by positioning the Shark in the center of the closet next to the atmosphere quality monitor , and then I stir a dirty carpet above both of them . Within about 20 endorsement , the monitor record an unsafe level of particulate matter in the zephyr . I turned the Shark on High and shut the press door to allow it do its thing . After allowing the Shark to endure for 30 minutes , I accept another reading . According to the varan , the airborne particle had already dropped to within a safe level .
Next , I tested the Shark ’s ability to move out smoke . I lit five incense sticks in the closet and closed the threshold . After move over the incense 15 minute to smoke up the closet , I took a reading . The monitor indicated hazardous levels of fumes , specifically elevated storey of nitrogen dioxide ( NO2 ) , carbon monoxide ( CO ) , and volatile constituent compounds ( VOCs ) . I turned the Shark on High and shut the door .
Photo: Glenda Taylor for Bob Vila
At 30 minutes , I took another interpretation , and the level were still slenderly raise but tight to being back in the safe zone . The incense smell was milder , but I could still smell it . I took another reading 30 mo afterward , and the levels had return to the safe zone . There was still an odour of incense , but it was only slight .
Is the Shark air purifier right for you?
At the clip of this writing , theShark air purifiersells for around $ 450 . That ’s on the pricey side for an air purifier — even one that do as well as the Shark 3 - in-1 good example . For those who are see for a combo fashion model like this one that also heats the air , this air purifier could be the correct alternative . It surely was dainty to have heat up and purified gentle wind during testing .
The digital readout on the front is handy — most atmosphere purifier do n’t offer this feature . It get me know , in general , whether the air in the room was safe or not . It ’s not as elaborate as an air quality reminder , but it ’s helpful .
shopper who only have a lowly elbow room to sanctify might find this unit to be a bit too much . For less than half the price of the Shark , one could buy a calibre aviation purifier plus a infinite heater . Ultimately , air purifier the selection depends on budget and room size . disregardless , the Shark air purifier is surely a powerful performing artist .
Photo: Glenda Taylor for Bob Vila
Where to Buy the Shark HC502 3-in-1 Max Air Purifier with True HEPA
Meet the Tester
Glenda Taylor is a product tester and writer specializing in the construction , remodeling , and tangible estate industry . She and her husband own a general contracting company , and Taylor is experienced in both residential and commercial-grade edifice applications . She tests a wide range of power tool as well as other home improvement , home , and lawn - and - garden products .
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Photo: Glenda Taylor for Bob Vila
