Why?
Check the links I posted. They basically leave the air at unhealthy levels most of the time.
LOL. Would you like to buy some magic beans?
Smart Air is super-duper transparent about all data that they collect in their research.
They were literally founded on the idea that you could strap a HEPA filter to a box fan and get very good indoor air quality, often better than the “leading air purifier brands”, which cost hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars.
They then posted a “how to DIY your own air purifier” guide for free. Later they found the cheapest (but still quality) HEPA filters to sell at a very reasonable price if you didn’t want to go find your own elsewhere. Later still they made their own (very reasonably priced) air purifiers (3rd party lab tested, in addition to their own) and started going everywhere in China and India to show that clean indoor air is not a luxury for the rich, but rather something that can be achieved, again, by strapping a HEPA filter to a box fan.
As far as people I would trust to provide accurate data on which filters provide what kind of air quality in my home, I would trust the data nerds at Smart Air over anyone from Xiaomi or Panasonic. One is radically transparent; two want you to buy their product.
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The beans will grow into a magic tree!
I’m also looking for one.
Xiaomi is slimy and quietly dropped HEPA filters to cut costs. Starting from 3rd version supposedly. The current one on Taiwanse xiaomi website is the 4th version. For what it’s worth, reviews within and outside China are still good. But we’ll never know whether they are sponsored and fake.
Do they have a bad reputation or something? I remember they used to advocate DIY solution. Fan + carbon filter + HEPA filter basically. But now sell their own pre-built air purifier.
As long as you have a real HEPA filter and not something else that claims to be “better” (cuz it’s almost certainly not), you’re probably fine no matter what kind of machine you buy. It’s a fan throwing air through the filter. The filter is what matters. The only place I’ve ever seen a criticism of Smart Air is on this thread, which was more a mockery of my trust in them than a real criticism. As far as I know, they really are just data nerds sharing what they know. They do make their own cheap (if you live in China, cost of shipping is crazy if you don’t) air purifier, but they also continue to share their data with the world for free, in addition to the info on the DIY fan (which some shit head professor from some Ivy League university claimed as his own when back to school happened during the pandemic).
For those who wish to understand what you are choosing, I got a lot out of this videos. It is in Mandarin though. Dr. Achi lives and works in the US.
Basically there are 4 types of air purifiers.
The most common is the ones with filters, preferably with HEPA filters.
The second one is the ones that attracts particles using negative ions (also sometimes called plasma type purifiers).
The third kind uses static electricity.
Finally, we have those that use photocatalysis, usually with a black light.
Negative ion type usually has less power consumption than HEPA ones, as it is more difficult to move the air through a HEPA filter. Also, for the ionizing models, the air can’t be too dry since the ions attracts water molecules in the air which binds the particles. This should be an issue in Taiwan though, this island is humid as f. The ions themselves can also kill bacteria and mold.
Most ionizing purifiers don’t do as well at capturing PM 2.5, unless they also have some type of filters. However, if you want to deal with allergens, ionizing purifiers might do a better job than HEPA ones because air needs to pass through the purifier for the HEPA models to work, but ionizing models pumps out ionized air which can neutralize allergens without having to travel through the purifier.
There are several ionization models in Taiwan that claims all its filters can be washed and not replaced.
The static electricity kinds have filters can carries a static electric charge and captures the particles as they pass through. As for photocatalysis models, unless it also comes with a filter, usually it does nothing for particles in the air, but is effective for VOC, and HCHO.
You can look at the CADR numbers for PM2.5, VOC, and HCHO to determine how well a model performs before purchasing it.
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Who? The guy behind Smart Air seems to be a UChicago business school assistant prof.
Anyways, yeah I didn’t get the criticism. To be fair, I don’t like them selling their own brand of air purifiers. Especially after showing fan + filter is good enough.
I was thinking to get air quality detector they recommend. Like Temtop ones. But it’s kinda expensive to import to Taiwan plus amazon reviews are a bit more mixed. Also Temtop’s website has a lot of warning about accuracy and usage in humid environment.
There’s some people selling affordable non-OEM filters on shopee, I’ll try taping them in front of a fan.
I just bought a small honeywell one. Amazingly it helps a ton with my allergies. And its just nice to breathe some air that isn’t pure dust once in a while as a treat to myself. Wish I got one sooner.
Recently also got a dehumidifier, although haven’t found as much use for it as the air purifier. But I’m sure it will come in handy on those apocalyptic Taipei winter days where it rains for weeks on end.
I’m looking for one as well. Not sure why my room is so dusty (like greyish dust whenever I sweep every 2 days). So for me it’s more like keeping as much of the dust in check.
Was looking at this Dyson. it can be a fan during summer and a small warmer on cold winters while functioning as a filter everyday. Don’t need too many devices !
Has anyone use this ? Any good ?