Customer Reviews

IQAir HealthPro Plus HEPA Air Purifier - Air Cleaner with with Gas and Odor Filter - HyperHepa Technology

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

After 1 month of use, this IQAir unit earns my highest recommendation. I researched air purifiers for about a week before buying two IQAir units, one with the odor filter (Pro-Plus), and one without (Pro) to help with allergies and asthma symptoms that my family suffers from. Both of them work absolutely perfectly, with significant symptom relief within the first week of use. The packaging was very secure, with each unit contained in double boxes similar to what you find with high-end stereo equipment, including thick styrofoam inserts for cushioning. The unpacked units were sparkling new and clean, with an inspection page that detailed the performance actual performance for my unit at each of the five individual speeds. The manual was nicely organized and easy to comprehend.

These are sturdy units that are somewhat heavy, but come with a convenient handle recessed on the top, as well caster wheels (which are optional to install) to roll the unit if you need to move it periodically. The manual recommends clearance of at least 12 inches on all sides for optimal performance, so keep this in mind for placement in your room. It is noisy at the highest setting, but works very effectively at quieter settings 2 or 3 in my 13' x 16' room. I also use an IQAir unit in a 20 x 20 room, and it cleans the air very well at setting 3. My son noticed so much improvement in his allergies and breathing after just two days of use, that when I moved the unit to another room for a night, he begged me to return it to his bedroom. We went on vacation for a few days, and he said that he could not wait to get back home because he missed the IQAir purifier.

If you are comparing the units with and without the odor filter, even the one without the odor filter leaves the air smelling fresh and clean. In fact, for the first week, the one with the odor filter had a bit of a peculiar smell to it, which might have been coming from the odor filter itself. Unless you have a really significant odor problem, you can save the extra $100 that you pay for the "Pro-Plus" over the "Pro" model. The units look identical from the outside, and you can order a retrofit assembly from the IQAir if you later want to convert your "Pro" to "Pro Plus." Each unit has a remote that is slightly larger than a credit card, which is very convenient if I want to change the setting after I get into bed.

In summary, these IQAirs are well worth the price, which isn't as much as it seems after you factor in the yearly filter replacement cost, which is lower than most other brands. I wish that I had discovered IQAir years ago, before wasting my money on other air purifiers. I am so impressed that I am about to order a third IQAir to use in my office. I have previously owned the following air purifiers, none of which came anywhere close to my IQAir units: Oreck XL Air8D, Oreck XL 4000, Holmes (various sizes), Honeywell (the largest big round one), Sharper Image (Ionic Breeze). I hated cleaning the Oreck units, which were overpriced, and their replacement filters were also very expensive on a yearly basis. The Orecks also left a lot of dust all around them. The motor burned out on my large Oreck unit just after the two year warranty expired. The Honeywell filter was also very expensive, and the unit was extremely noisy. The Holmes units were ok for very small rooms, but had to be on the noisiest high setting to notice any air cleaning, had flimsy construction, and required frequent filter changes. The Sharper Image units were basically useless, as they did not improve the air quality or our allergy symptoms; they went back to the store after three weeks.

I like the machine for all the reasons stated by others: it works, it's powerful enough, the filters seem to be high quality and intelligently designed, etc. I did alot of research online and I'm glad I did, the world of air purifiers is a confusing one. But this has not disappointed.

However, like several other customers I had the dreaded "what is that funky paint/chemical smell coming from the machine?" moment happen a few days ago. I've only had it 3 weeks, but I had read the reviews on here so I knew something was up and that it wasn't just me. I now finally understand what causes it.

I spoke with a very helpful fellow at IQAir and he explained that it was probably the V5 filter (i then took apart the machine and tested each filter one at a time in the machine - start with the pre-filter, then add in the V5, then the HEPA - and smelled the air output with each one - yep it was the V5).

What happens with the V5 filter is it contains charcoal and it soaks up stuff in the air (odors, chemicals, etc.) whether the machine is running or not. So where the machine is stored, how long it is stored, how it's shipped, the kind of container (styrofoam, plastic?) it is stored and shipped in, etc. can mean that the filter gets lots of "usage" before it ever shows up at your door.

The purifier came in a cardboard box inside of a cardboard box, but the filters were not individually wrapped, so I'm pretty sure that it got stored in a warehouse somewhere for too long and just soaked up stuff. Maybe forklift exhaust. :)

I called Amazon to get some help. They handle customer service for the actual seller, Mr Vac and Mrs Sew. I explained the problem and they offered me a partial refund on the cost of the purifier, which was enough to get a new V5 filter .

So there it is. Now for a few possible solutions that I hope the seller and the manufacturer read and put into practice:

- The best solution by far is for IQAir to individually wrap and seal each filter before putting them in boxes and shipping them to re-sellers. Then add a step to assembly where the purchasers take each filter out of the sealed wrapper and put them in the purifier. The machine is pretty simple, adding this step wouldn't be much of a bother for the consumer.

IQAir can't control what re-sellers do and where they store things. Yet, if a consumer has this problem, as many of us have, we tend to associate it with the product, that means the IQAir brand takes a hit and I think they should change this process in order to preserve what is otherwise a very superior product.

- The next best solution would be alot more work and seems kind of silly, but...the re-sellers would need to be careful about where they store these machines and for how long. They would need a freshness date of some sort and to be stored in a "clean room". I know, it's ridiculous. But it's the only alternative to the first solution I could think of.


Again, overall a great machine, but there is one clear improvement they could make and I hope they do.

This was supposedly a top-of-the-line air cleaner but I believe it was an overpriced rip-off and let me tell you why:

(1) Within one week of purchasing this unit from an authorized internet vendor, the unit got stuck at high speed and would not return to lower speed. Called vendor (who would pay you $20 to give them a good review) and they told me I could return it within the 30-day guarantee period. No help from them and no help from IQAir. Luckily, it returned to normal after one week.

(2) The power cable kept popping out. The castors at the bottom would break easily if you keep moving them around (not very well made). The most annoying part is any speed higher than 3 (up to 6) are very noisy and will wake you up. At speed 6 it sounds like a jet plane.

(3) After owning it for not quite 4 months and without using it for 2 weeks, it started emitting funny odor from the unit. The literature did warn you that chemical smell would be emitted from the V5-cell filter (specific for HealtPro Plus) come with this unit and any people who are sensitive to this type of smell may want to run it in an open space for 3 hours prior to its first use. However, this smell was generated after running the unit almost four months.

(4) The worse part was when trying to call their technical serivce. Called a total of six times in one day and could not get hold of anybody. To be fair, the person did call me back one time but missed me. Had to correspond by e-mails. He instructed me to keep only one filter in the unit at a time (Shlef 3 on top: Hepa filter; second: V5-cell filter and bottom Premax filter). They are a pain on the neck to take off but became easier when you got the hang of it. Found out it was the V5-cell (that was supposed to get rid of odor) actually emit the funny odor. The tecnical person at first said he would sell me another V5-cell filter prorated but changed his mind when I protested and decided to send me a new one free of charge. I honestly expect much better customer service (for solving problems and response time) from a company selling such expensive model. If this company does not improve its technical service, it is going be in troubles in a year or two with a bad economy. Why pay so much to suffer? ISE gives a 3-year in-home service for their hot-water dispensers, that is what I would call good service.

(5) You are better off just buy the IQAir HealthPro model because if you add $89 for the V5-cell filter to change it to a HealthPro Plus model it will still be cheaper than the price of a HealthPro Plus. They did not tell you that on the front end. My adivce is not to get the V5-cell filter at all because I do not believe it has as long as a shelf life the company claims. I beleive you almost have to change it more often in order to avoid funny odor.

(6) If you do not buy from IQAir, you have to be very careful. Many of these vendors have a restocking fee or a limited returning period for the unit. However, they do offer free shipping.

I believe I would not have so annoyed if I would have obtained better customer service (technical service) from IQAir. To me if they are a top-of-the-line air cleaning company they should act like one and offer their quality customer services equivalent to the quality of their products. Otherwise, they would soon be out of business just like all other companises who have great products but with poor services. Do you agree? I hope somebody from IQAir will read my comment and do something about it.

I've now owned this machine for approximately 3 months. (Long enough for one prefilter change.) Before I begin, let me give you some background information:

I live in an area that produces most of the US grass seed.... and I've become severely allergic to grass. In my 750 sq foot apartment, I had two honeywell filters. Even so, I had to be on 20-60 mg prednisone for 6 weeks to be able to breathe. (Average dose was about 30-40mg prednisone/day and I could not leave the apartment).

I got this filter partially out of desperation. I did not want to go through another grass season like that.

I can't say (like some have reported) that I was able to be free of all medication, etc. But I got through the time with only 10 mg prednisone (which if you've ever been on it, you know that 10mg is VERY little!) and I could not tell if the pollen count outside was 30 or 1600. My breathing inside was no different. (And if I tried stepping outside, I felt like I was being hit with a sledgehammer, and my lungs would nearly instantly tighten up).

So for me, this filter is a keeper. I was MUCH healthier this year than I was the previous years without it, and I'm very grateful to the company for making something that has given me such asthma relief.

However, this filter is not without its issues that should be weighed in:

Minor issues with this air filter:
- This is a "slow-and-steady wins the race" filter. I would not expect you to feel serious relief from this filter for about 24 hrs after putting it in a room. Furthermore, if you have an exhaust fan running for any long period of time (ie, bathroom fan, kitchen hood fan, etc.) _this filter cannot keep up_.

-Doesn't seem to filter out wood smoke (or perhaps one of the chemical byproducts of it) 100%. I was at a location where the front of the home had a wood stove that was belching out some smoke. Even though I was in a room at the other end of the house with a closed door, this filter couldn't clear the smoke enough for me. I was forced to leave.

Cons:
-It is "plastic-y." While the "lego-brick" construction is definitely ingenious, I'm concerned about longevity of the side clips and handles. If I'm paying that much for an air filter, I would expect the handles and clips to be rock solid, not like this.

-VERY Pricey: Don't bother with this filter unless you really need it. If you are only an allergy sufferer, you might want to try the Honeywell filters first.

-Prefilter is pricey. I never heard about the prefilter in reviews of this device (I only heard about how you only have to change the HEPA filters every few years). The prefilter is supposed to be changed 4 times a year and they are $50 each. (!!) Worse yet, the "change indicator" is only a timer. So you have no real indication of the performance of any particular filter or whether or not you actually NEED to change it.

Conclusion:
If it didn't perform its job so well, it would be a 3-star machine because of the cons. If you aren't dealing with some serious breathing issues, I'd pass on this machine.

But if you are having serious breathing problems and would be willing to pay through the nose to get some relief, then I would HIGHLY recommend this machine.

I have owned the IQAir HealthPro Plus for about a year, and would rate it as the best air purifier on the market. If you have chemical sensitivities, however, be aware that the unit will "outgas" for several days when it is first operated. This releases fumes into the air that may cause problems for those with asthma. I was unable to use the activated charcoal filter for this reason and am now running the IQAir without it. Even so, air filtration is great... I sleep well at night and no sneezing or coughing at all. I plan to buy a second one for out beach house.

I noticed the impact almost on the first night... clean air and comfortable sleep at night.

I have allergy and asthma and I usually hesitate to cook since the smell after that bothers me but I decided to give it a try after I bought this purifier and the smell did not bother me at all because there was almost none after I finished cooking.

So overall, the product delivers. It is expensive yes, but you are not going to buy something like this every month or year so you might as well invest in the best product there is for your health.

My child's allergist recommended that I get a room air purifier, so I did my research and bought the IQAir Health Pro Plus. I purchased it locally from an authorized dealer. For what it is worth, the purifier did nothing to improve my child's allergies. I can't blame the lack of child's improvement on this particular room air purifier. However, this unit emits a nasty odor from the charcoal filter, and it seems that this filter has contaminated the HEPA filter stacked above it--the odor is not there if the unit is operated with only the prefilter. Cost to replace these stinky filters will be $280, and who knows if the problem will return. There are supposed to be more than 7800 hours of life left on the charcoal filter and more than 14,000 hours of life left on my HEPA filter, but they just need to go to the trash. What a waste. I cannot endorse this unit with these problems, especially at the price. Not recommended.

I have several air purifiers throughout my apartment. My son and wife have severe allergies and we needed something more than what we had. I bought the IQ air purifier and we no longer smell the smoke wafting from other apartments. Going from the hallway through our door is like night and day. One side is smokey, the other side smells like nothing at all. I can't say enough about this purifier. I would highly recommend this to anyone with allergies.

I have three of these, two HealthPro Plus and one GC, all in my home. Bought them after I did a lot of research online and decided that I would spare no expense protecting my kids against indoor air pollutants. Have had them for 2 or three years. The prefilters cost around 60 bucks each and need to be changed every 3 or 4 months. The other filters cost between 100 and 300 bucks each, but don't need to be changed as often. I am a medical doctor with degrees in public health as well as basic science. I had used Honeywell filters in the past and was not satisfied with them. Yes, these IQAir machines are the best such machines available and if you demand the best at any price then this is what you want. However, I also have an Austin Air machine that costs less than half of what these cost and my sense is that it is just marginally inferior to the HealthPro Plus. If cost is no object, then by all means these IQAir machines are the way to go. But you should recognize that you are paying way more than twice (and probably 3 times) as much as other brands that do nearly as good a job.

By the way, I have never had any problems with outgassing or with customer service. Some of the employees at the vendors that sell the replacement filters are clueless, but I have found that when I have talked with the manufacture's tech support that these folks were knowledgable and courteous.

I put this in the nursery after I substantially remodeled it in anticipation of my daughter's birth. I wanted to be sure to protect her little lungs from old house dust and construction related out-gassing. As a side benefit, my wife's allergies to the pets have disappeared, even though this filter is in another adjacent room. At fan setting 1, this filter is nearly silent. Fan settings 5 and 6 are quite noisy.