Customer Reviews

Hamilton Beach 04492 True-Air Tower Ionic Air Purifier

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought one of these at Wal-Mart to replace an expensive Honeywell that I had in my house for many years. It finally died and I went to buy another one just like it, but it was no longer available. I decided to try to this one and have been very impressed.

The unit is quiet, not like the other review. The auto setting automatically adjusts when the air is dirty. In the morning after my wife sprays her hairspray, the unit in our bedroom kicks up to high for a few minutes to clear the air!

I am so impressed by this unit, that I have purchased six more, for a total of seven. We have a large house and I want two in my living area, two in my family room, one in my bedroom and one in each kid bedroom.

The unit is much quieter than the Honeywell and I like the fact that I do not have to replace the filter.

Only time will tell if it is a good product for several years, but right now this is a GREAT PRODUCT!!

UPDATE - Dec. 13th, 2009.
I received my Model #04492. It has the PERMANENT FILTER which is REMOVABLE to Clean. It IS NOT TOO LOUD as some people have stated. I keep mine on Auto Sensor and I LOVE IT!

After over a week of constant use (I NEVER SHUT IT OFF) my eyes are no longer PUFFY in the morning. I do not see a haze in the air any longer when the sun shines through the window either. I am not a smoker so that was not it. I had dirty air stirred up by the ceiling fan which is almost always on.

This gets a 5 star from me!

So much confusion here because Amazon combines it's reviews for both Models #04492 AND #04491.

I noticed they use the SAME REVIEWS(same Brand Names but DIFFERENT Model Numbers) on many many items sold on Amazon. Especially CAMERAS - buyers beware.

They SHOULD NOT DO THAT because it is very very MIS-LEADING!

I persevered NEARLY 2 HOURS through web site after web site to confirm the FACT that the #04491 requires a $49 replacement filter every 6 months or so.

After two hours of searching and reading and Price Comparing - I found a NEW IN BOX #04492 on Ebay for a total of $105 including shipping.

I really have no idea how well it is going to work.

All I know is I had to read site after site - ad after ad to figure out that THEY ARE NOT ALIKE in the FILTER DEPT!

I almost bought the #04491 because of the Amazon Reviews from several satisfied customers that said it they LOVE the Permanent Filter... THAT WAS WRONG!

Thank God I remembered about the CAMERAS and how they combine their Reviews on similar items. So I thought - just for the heck of it... and I started GOOGLING the #04492. I WAS RIGHT!

They had the SAME EXACT REVIEWS for the #04492 as they did the #04491.

DO NOT GET THE #04491 unless you do not mind buying the $49 air filter every 6 months. If they say 6 months - FIGURE 4 months and it will be clogged.

If you shop around - you can get an #04492 CHEAPER than what some sites are selling the #04491 for.

I hope this review will enlighten some of you and prevent you from buying something that an AMAZON.com review MISLED you about.

Before you purchase something BIG and Expensive or Specific that you need or want - Search - Search - GOOGLE - GOOGLE! Then you will know EXACTLY what Model number you need.

I was really hesitant at buying this product as it is much cheaper compared to other ionic/hepa filter purifiers..but this is really a great product and was very surprised at just how well it works. It has multiple settings, an auto sensor that will allow it to adjust itself, the filter never needs to be changed..only cleaned 3-6 months.

It has improved our air quality so much at home. We have 2 dogs and 2 kids running around this home, pet dandor and dust galore! You could normally see it in the air at times it was so much (through the sun rays coming in the windows) and now we don't see it nearly as much if hardly at all. This is a great buy for the price, I highly recommend it. We haven't had one problem with it since we bought it!

I didn't buy mine here but the price here is very good. Mine was a gift and I'm only reviewing this product because someone gave it less than 5 stars and that needed to be corrected. Someone said it was too loud; on the highest setting it might be too loud if it is near your head, but on medium or low it is very quiet. The only complaint I might have (but I don't have a complaint at all) is the LED (indicator light) is kind of bright and kind of lights up the room. That's a plus if you like a night light, but if not, a tiny piece of masking tape over the LED will solve that problem. This unit not only works GREAT, it is low maintenance and has no filters to replace!!! Once you buy this you don't spend another penny on filters - just a few pennies a month on your electricity bill to be able to breathe crystal clear air no matter where you live or how many animals you have shedding who knows what in your house.

I did a LOT of research on air cleaners before I decided to purchase this model. My order was canceled twice without explanation before I actually had an order ship. That isn't even the reason I give this a four (4). It's not very quiet at all. It's about the sound of a window air conditioner, which wouldn't be bad, but I do not like when they advertise it as "whisper" quiet. It's louder than a whisper!

It is easily picked up and is very portable. I do notice a significant difference in the dust in my bedroom where I have the unit. It has not helped my allergies at all; I didn't purchase this actually for my allergies as they aren't all that bad, but I did expect it to help with the cat hair and dust - that it has done.

So if you do not have allergies and want a unit that's priced about $100.00 and only want it to help with pet hair, dander and dust, this is the unit for you. If you have allergies, do not purchase this unit. I believe you need to research a model that is much more expensive. This unit is NOT a true HEPA!

It is easy to assemble and clean and I do like the fact that I do not have to purchase new filters; an average cost of $125.00 a year for most units. So for $100.00 - a one time expenditure - this isn't a bad unit.

This air cleaner works very well (takes the smoke right out of the room) but the permanent filter seems to have a flaw. It's made of a thick, fabric-like material and is in an accordian shape within it's frame. I vacuum it often so it is not clogged. But whenever the unit is on any higher setting other than "Whisper", it mades this very annoying whistling noise. I've removed the front magnetic cover while unit is on, poked around the fabric layers of the filter, and been able to alter the whistling noise, but haven't been able to eliminate it. I wrote to Hamilton Beach about this design flaw and they graciously offered to replace the unit. They always stand behind their warranties. But the filter is the problem. If it was redesigned somehow to produce a different intake airflow, then a replacement filter would solve the problem. But there's no problem with the unit itself; it's how the air is pulled through the filter that causes the noise. So if "quiet" isn't really a requirement, this air cleaner works great!

I received my air purifier on 2/12/11, and plugged it in immediately. I must say, within 30 mins I could tell the air quality was much better, could definitely breath better for sure. I got 2 of these, 1 in the bedroom, and 1 in the living room, and both are working as expected. I read these reviews before I purchased this HB 04492, and most of the complaints are due to the sound, to be honest, the sound I can deal with if it means better air. But, we had a small purifier in the past, so the sound we are used to, but there is a 'whisper' mode, and that mode is very quiet. I am a smoker, and the sensor picks up the smoke pretty quickly, and the fan speed increases to pick up the smoke. My boyfriend has pretty bad allergies, and we have 2 cats, 1 dog, hasn't really had any problems since I got the air purifier. I do have a friend that is VERY allergic to cats, and before the purifier, within 30-45 mins once she came to my house, she would have a sneezing fit! She came over this weekend, and was able to stay a couple of hours, and NO sneezing fits, runny nose, itchy eyes, NOTHING! So, putting the HB 04492 to the test of my most allergic friend I know, I would pass with an A++++++++!!!!!
Another bonus with this purifier, NO replacement filter needed......no replacing the filter every 3-6 months, just vacuum the filter it comes with every 3-6 months, and no other worries!!!!! That was another reason why I purchased this purifier, not having to worry about buying $90.00+ replacement filters 3 times a year, at least!

Excellent air cleaner. With three big dogs bringing dust, dirt and who knows what else into the house this is a must item. I now have two of these, mainly because they do a good job and run quiet.

I bought the Hamilton Beach 04492 True Air Tower Ionic Air Purifier about 2 months ago for my bedroom. I suffer from year-round allergy/sinuses, so my allergist recommended I buy an air purifier. I researched several air purifiers and decided on this one because it had pretty good reviews, and the price was very reasonable. My allergies have improved and overall the air seems cleaner. I like that it has an "auto" feature that automatically adjusts the fan speed depending on the air quality in the room. My only critique is that the permanent filter is hard to clean with a vacuum because of it's accordion shape. Overall, I'm glad I bought this air purifier.

I've had mine for a week now and it works good but this baby is loud. If you own a Xbox 360 and you think that's loud then this is even worse. It's not as bad if I have my stereo on or my central air. If you want a nice quiet day at home turn this off. I also started to get a small fan rattle after just a few days. Set up out of the box is easy just remember to take the bag off the filter. I won't buy this style again.