Customer Reviews

Sanyo ABC-VW24 Air Washer Air Purification System with Electrolyzed Water Technology

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Length:: 5:47 Mins

The thing I like best about the Sanyo Air Washer Purification System (besides that it does a great job of purifying the air) is that it has a nice sleek look to it and doesn't detract from the room decor. It has a handle built into the top, making it easy to carry (15.9 lbs.) and it's pretty quiet as air purifiers go. It has a 4-stage HEPA filter removes 99.97% of airborne particles and allergens. The other thing I really like is that the filters can be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner and are supposed to last for about 4 years. (You'd want to use a HEPA vacuum cleaner or you'd defeat the purpose.) I called customer service to ask about the price of replacement filters and they told me the suggested retail price is $69. That's pretty much in line with other filters I've researched. The customer service people were very helpful in answering questions about the unit which I count as a big plus.

I don't know if the electrolyzed water technology is just a gimmick or not, but the unit does a good job of cleaning the air and removing odors from any room that I place it in. There are several articles on the internet about electrolyzed water technology and electrolyzed water being used to sanitize water and possibly use it to kill bacteria in a number of applications including using it as a non-toxic way to clean fruits and vegetables in the food industry. It would make sense that it could be useful to kill bacteria and viruses in the air. With pets and all their dander, not to mention all the pollen and dust in the air this time of year, it gets a real workout around here. I hope that we find that we have fewer colds in the winter.

Just a few details that I didn't include in the video: I measured the watts that the unit takes at the low, medium and high speeds with a P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor device. At low speed it uses 4 - 8 watts (the higher number when it's emitting the electrolyzed water. You'll see that in the video.), on medium 13 - 17 watts, on high 57 - 63 watts, and if you use the "power" setting, 63 - 65 watts. This compares favorably with other air cleaners that I've used in the past or use now and it seems to work more quickly at removing odors.

BTW, another reviewer had mentioned that the "Device contains a chemical known to the state of Caifornia to cause cancer, birth defects, etc." Living in California I'm used to seeing these warnings on just about every piece of electrical equipment I buy due to the "Prop 65" laws here. Nonetheless, when I called Sanyo, I asked about this warning and what part of the unit had the chemical. As I expected it is the lead in the electrical cord connection, the same as my computer. When handling electrical cords it's always a good idea to wash your hands afterward.

I hope the video is useful. It's difficult to tell from a small photo what the unit looks like and I wanted you to have a better idea of how it worked and what it sounds like.

I have been using this product for over 3 weeks. All members of my family have allergy. We live in Redmond, WA. This product works as advertised.

Pros:
* Removes odor out especially when we had Asian food in the room with this air purifier
* No more foul mold smell in the room (it moist and humid during winter)
* Operates quietly

Like to see improved in the product:
* Water tank is small and requires refill once a week (I run the air purifier on medium - 8 hrs a day x 7 days a week)

So far it is a good buy.

*** (Updated on 18 May 2010) ***
* Still runs great 8 hrs x 7 days a wk
* We have placed this device in a 11x15 room...still is very effective
* Knock on wood...no Allergy and cold symptoms so far.
In Redmond, WA for April 2010 was Moderate and in May 2010 has been low
(Source: [...])
* Refilling the water tank once a week is now a routine!

*** (Updated on 19 Jun 2011) ***
* My family had allergy free year. Thanks to this product!
* Around end of May 2011, my son developed allergy symptoms. And, in next few days the filter light flagged on.
* Now searching for the best place to get the replacement filter (not easy to find one). I didn't get the life of the filter as stated in the product document (4 yrs). However, we have been running the product for at least 330 days x 8 hrs. Still a best buy.

I was looking for a humidifier and air purifier. Check
I was looking for a compact yet does a good job. Check
I was looking for a quiet functioning unit. Check
I was looking for a low maintenance. Check

There is an odor sensor where you can set it to low, med, high. Its neat because it apparently can detect most bodily odors when your near by and I tried, it turned itself on to cleanse it. 5 stars!

The filter supposed to last 5 years in a normal environment. Filter can last longer since it can be vacuumed. Replacement part is maybe on the high side, but after 5 years who knows what will come out next.

I set mine to Auto, It has a 1, 2, 8 hour timer. I don't like timers so mine is constantly on.

The Fan Speed can be set to Auto, Low, Med, High. The Med and High makes noise, however I have it set on auto. When I plugged it, it starts off Med but after 30min or so it has been low ever since. Yay clean room.

The Humidifier tells you if you need to change the filter or add water. Neat! If required there is a Power Mist setting where it can blast continuous mist if your in dire of humidity. BTW the water is electrolyzed?!? so basically the mist is a clean mist!!! Good Job!

The size and the style is just great! It doesn"t feel cheap and it matches my living room.

So In my opinion I give it 5 stars! Yay!

I give it 5 stars, I have left the thing on for a month now, I have less dust and a clean neutral smell. I don"t like chemical cover up or that candle stuff so it works for me!

Before I purchased this I had one of those Sharper Image ion thingie. After using it for about 6 months I honestly don't feel any effect even though I do see dust gathered up during cleaning.

My main usage is for my baby son, who seems always has nasal congestion and my doctor told me is due to dust in the room. So when the Ionizer failed to work I purchase this Sanyo Air Purifier. I need a machine that works and quiet enough so I can leave it on at night without waking my son up.

This Sanyo works perfectly. It's quiet (unless you put it into STRONG mode). And I do notice the air quality has improved. And most importantly, my son no longer has nasal congestion. I would recommend buying this machine.

I had chlorine odors from this unit as well, and almost returned it. I'm trying it with water that has been filtered with a Brita filter, which does not necessarily remove all the chlorine. I usually let the water sit out a while as well. It does still mist, and doesn't have the odor.

Since I am primarily concerned with odor removal, I also added a layer of carbon prefilters (cut to fit so they are only one layer thick), sandwiched between the pre-filter screen and the main filter unit. I have done this with all my air purifiers: they catch a lot of the smaller particles so that the main filter lasts longer, and I change it out every few months for better odor removal.

This product has left better impression than the other air purifier, I've owned before. It has some limitations, but they are not crucial.

Features I like:
1) Slim design looks great and allows using filters with big surface area. Heavy enough for good stability.
2) Very quiet at low settings, almost no noise at all.
3) Power mist feature is very useful, but consumes water from the tank too fast (see limitations).
4) Effective cleaning: air quality noticeably improves; I've seen a lot of dust captured by filter after few days of usage.
5) Moisturizing effect for air in small rooms.
6) Thoughtful engineering for air blowing direction: I do not personally like when air is blowing directly onto me.
7) Accurate recognition of smells: purifier instantly reacts on fumes, kitchen chemicals, etc.

Some limitations:
1) Water tank is too small for using at high settings (lasts just 1 - 2 days).
2) Though unit has LED brightness modes, it is hard to reach it. The button is situated under the filter cover, and even the lowest brightness is disturbing at night time. You can switch it OFF, but then you will have no idea how dirty your air is and at which mode unit is operating. So I just put 2 stripes of paper Scotch tape over LED. It is still noticeable, but not disturbing at all.
3) Impossible to manage mist and fan power separately.

I got this because I thought that it might help with odors in the house and with my husbands' allergies. After a few weeks of use here are my results:

Allergy reduction: Not in our case. We had had it set up and running in the basement for a couple weeks then my husband had a really bad attack when the golden rods came out and he slept downstairs in the basement right next to the purifier thinking it would help but it had no effect (we had kept all windows closed during this time). We then tried putting it in our smaller bedroom with the door shut all night but there was no improvement in his allergy attack. I would add though that his allergy attack was a severe one and I don't know if anything would have helped.

Odor reduction: Without a doubt. Worked in our large open basement at reducing the odor of our cat that seems to linger down there, and worked in the small area of our bedroom. It took the bacon and frying smells from our kitchen in no time. This product is AWESOME for odor reduction.

I like that it runs with just water. We have ran it on the lowest auto setting and filled the tank about once every 6 days. On medium we have to add water once per day. They say the filter will need to be changed yearly we have not had to do that yet.

Runs fairly quietly. Actually at night in our bedroom it was a pleasant white noise and not very loud. The display lights up but those lights can be dimmed so that if you are sleeping in the room they will not disturb you.

Overall this is a nice addition for our home and even though it didn't seem to work on my husband's allergy attack it is SO effective at reducing odors I find it indispensable.

My son's allergies were no longer being maintained by the prescription medication he was on so I took him to an immunologist and pulmonologist in May. They ran a gamut of tests including a skin test which discovered one of his biggest allergies was to dust mites. I immediately implemented the new drugs as well as mattress and pillow covers. His allergic reactions decreased but still three months later he was not "perfect." One of the immunologist's recommendations was to purchase a air filtration system for his room. I did not purchase one right away as I thought of the products as "infomercially." I received this product almost three weeks ago and now my son wakes up every morning with a clear chest and sinuses. I am a complete believer in this product.

My son's room is fairly small and it took a couple of days for the product to work but when it did, it was the last piece of the puzzle to keep him breathing easy.

We run the machine 24 hours a day in his room on automatic. 90% of the time the machine is nearly silent. Since it is on auto, the machine will occasionally kick into the high fan speed and make a louder (but not loud) white noise. Nothing that would, or has, woken anyone up or freaked our our mental cat. I know, I know, a cat with allergies in the home but my son is not allergic to pet dander. However, animals do increase the dust mite population as they enjoy the taste of dander. Luckily this machine covers the whole spectrum of allergens and filters out dander.

Maintenance is easy. I have only added water at the two week mark (again running 24 hours a day on auto)and the machine's small red light turned on to notify me. The pre-filter just needs to be cleaned by a vacuum or can be washed... easy enough and the machine tells you when the maintenance needs to be preformed. The other filters that are not cleanable/washable only need to be changed every four years.

To summarize my favorite features:

1. Very small footprint in a room. Just put against a wall and it uses very little space.
2. Quiet
3. Low maintenance. I can commit to putting in water 2x per month.
4. Low cost. Filters every 4 years!!!
5. Doesn't seem to use much electricity as my lights don't flicker in my ancient house when it goes into high gear like most of my electronics do.
6. It just plain works!

I'll be brief : this one works so good I still can't believe I wasted money on other purifiers that did very little!
The quality is amazing - I was 100% sure it was made in Japan, but looked on the box - nope, China.
Sanyo is always quality while other Japanese companies cut corners!

It's quiet, it looks good and you can tell the difference in air quality withing 5-10 min! Electrolyzed water in the air makes
it easier to breath.

The filter lasts about 4 years and can be vacuumed to make it last longer.
The units detects odors,mold and dust in the air and gets rid of it!

Update:

Well, it didn't work well on tobacco smell. I would also like to see a remote for it.
I have to refill water tank every day and that's very annoying.

Old idea in a new device. HEPA filter with natural water ionization. Water as the water that is used in home for washing, day by day. As contrary to many devices, the Cl in the regular water is nescesary for the generation of hypocloroso acid. Really keeps out the smoke odor really without noise. the advertaising of the acid in the air is exagerates, but the real results are exellent