Customer Reviews

Surround Air XJ-3800 Intelli-Pro Air Purifier

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

A little research pays off! This was my first air purifier purchase. Originally, I was going to buy an ionic one. But, I was amazed once I started researching how little I knew!

In case you're in the same boat, Here's the criteria I ultimately set, ratings for this model on the criteria, and my experience with it:

CRITERIA #1: Must noticably reduce our allergies, clear smoke and odors: 5+ Stars!
Have had it two months with a smoker, a hairy dog, and allergy season in full bloom. Reduced allergies and no breathing problems at home since we got it. Noticable quick removal of odors and smoke!

(NOTE: More power than I even intended. You may be able to get a cheaper model if you don't want all this one has:
A) Electrostatic/Ionic- attracts pollutants from a wide area, but not odors and allergens
B) Carbon - clears smoke, odors and pollutants but not germs and allergens
C) HEPA - traps even the smallest of allergens, but nothing else
D) UV - destroys bacteria and germs, but not allergens, pollution or smoke - cheaper models offer only HEPA and UV filters.)

Best Added Feature: The sensor lights that let you know the status of your air quality - and then watching them go off when it's corrected the problem.

CRITERIA #2: Low/No ozone model! 5+ stars.
I found that the old sharper image-type ionic-only models (many still on the market at reduced prices) only clean pollutants, but not odors and allergens. Worse, they generate ozone at a level that can exacberate asthma problems. The electrostatic filter combined with the ionic one in this model - eliminate that problem. Look for one that has this!

CRITERIA #3: High area coverage: 4.5 stars.
I found an obscure site that lists air purifiers and their coverage areas and particle levels. This one seems to cover about 1,200 sq. ft. - or more than double what is listed. But, even with what was listed, proved to be the best ranked in comparison with price levels.

CRITERIA #4: Low Noise: 4-stars.
We keep it in the living room mostly on auto. On low and medium, it's very quiet. On automatic mostly very quiet, unless it's under attack from something like cooking or opening the door frequently. On high, it makes a noticable "white noise". But, it's OK good for falling asleep and not so loud you can't hear the TV. Wouldn't put it on "high" regularly though.

CRITERIA #5: Price/Value including maintenance: 4.5 stars
My budget was $200. I went over that slightly. But, the filters on this one are so much cheaper than the models I compared it to that the extra $40 should more than pay out.

BOTTOM LINE: I chose this one based on research, but I highly recommend it for quality and value! If you want to cleaner, fresher air and reduced home allergies without intrusive noise - at the price, I'm not sure you can do better.

Given that there weren't many reviews out when I bought this purifier, I figured I'd take a minute and give a brief review of it after having used it for a few weeks.

Out of the box:

It's a very lightweight machine that has a very elegant/professional look to it. The "Flow, Timer, and Power" buttons feel a little like cheap plastic, but it's really not a big deal, nor does it diminish the look of the purifier.

In Action:

When I first started it up, I heard a little bit of "static" noise coming from the ionizer, as it was possibly collecting the dust that was in the packaging that it was shipped in. Within a minute, that noise was gone, and it has been operating very smoothly and quietly for the last few weeks. I live in a house with central air, and the air quality is pretty good, but since I have bad allergies, I wanted to get a purifier. To be honest, I'm not sure if I can tell the difference, if any, it has made in improving the air quality in my room, but I always keep it on (Auto setting) and it gives me comfort to know and "see" (the indicator) that my air is clean. Interestingly, the sensor in this purifier that determines the air quality and revs up its engines as soon as the air quality becomes worse is quite sensitive. It even knows that the air quality has changed/worsened (ever so slightly) whenever I peel an orange! - this also happens if you spray some cologne while you're in the room. Just a few minutes ago, I opened my window to my backyard and noticed the machine's air quality indicator shoot to its highest setting, signifying that the air needs to be rapidly cleaned. It was right! I know that there is a ton of pollen outside today, and that's what came into my room. My Intelli-Pro picked it up quickly and adjusted appropriately.

One small thing I don't like about the Intelli-Pro is its always-on blue light, which tells you that the UV light is working. I don't like sleeping with a night light, and even if you do, this light might be too bright to sleep with. For now I just angle the purifier away from my bed and that solves the issue. I may eventually want to put a small piece of tape over it - but obviously that would ruin its beauty.

I have not yet looked into how difficult it will be to clean the different filters, but there are decent instructions in the manual provided and I don't anticipate it taking more than 15-20 mins.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the different air-purifying technologies that this company has incorporated into quiet, yet powerful Intelli-Pro air purifier (look into the product details/description for the specifications). I would definitely recommend this other consumers in the market for a reasonably priced, high-quality air purifier. I'm sure you will like it!

It's bigger than it looks in the pictures: Stands about thigh-high. This put me off at first...but then I plugged it in.
First impression: It's not doing anything.

After two days: I want to have it's babies.

I have allergies...miserable miserable allergies, and I just moved back to maryland during the worst allergy season I've seen in years.
To a house with three smokers. And Two Dogs. And Two Cats. This house has clutter (re: dust) and mold and four plants in the livingroom and old carpets. It has old furniture and crummy filters but it DOES have ceiling fans!

This house is allergy hell.

and this purifier?...Ah...I swear I can breathe again. It cleans up the air (auto setting rocks!) of the entire 500 sq/ft first floor from *awful* to *clear* in roughly 20 minutes, and if it's running constantly, it never gets intolerable. In fact, it barely ever gets to worse than "do you smell something?" for more than a minute or two, even if there has been cooking and smoking and the dogs were in the rain.
Even if it only lasted 6 months before it totally broke down, it would be worth the price to pay every six months to get another one.

I am in love.
Make more of these.
Buy it. Buy ten and give them to your friends. Send this link to anyone with allergies. Or gas.

Wow, this machine is amazing. I actually picked it up at a second hand store for $15.00 dollars. It only needed a new $36.00 HEPA filter. I have two dogs and it took the dander smell right out of the air. I can also walk up to this machine and fart, the machine will detect the odor and the Ordor light will turn on. Too Funny!!

I was expecting more from this. I'm a single father, and I'm not a fan of dusting. So I expected to see a little more in the filters, but not much at all. Others talk about how their unit senses odors and such, and they could see the lights changing as it did things, or as the auto setting would turn up the speed and such. I went so far as to get a fresh stinky doggie mine from my neighbor's yard, and held it right in front of the sensor, and even after several minutes, no change. I even cleaned the sensors as they suggest despite the fact that being brand new, it shouldn't have required it.

Had chicken one night, threw a few pieces my 6 year old didn't eat in the garbage, and the next day took the bag out of the can since every time the lid opened you could smell the old meat. Put THAT in front of the unit, also, no change in status, sensor, etc...

What I will say in the positive though, is that it really is unobtrusive (other than the size, it is much deeper than I had thought, guess I didn't pay attention to the dimensions, which is why I posted the extra pictures so you can see the actual size), and the fan is relatively quiet except on high, and even then it's not annoying, just noticeable. And it does take care of odors pretty well even if it doesn't seem to be sensing anything. I vacuum frequently (hard not to with a 6 year old around) and other than dusting, keep the house pretty clean, but there's sometimes a damp smell from the laundry room you notice when you first walk into it from the garage. This took care of that, as well as just a general "dog used to live here" smell in the great room. I had no ozoneish smell, nothing to tell that it was doing anything other than filtering, but even if I'm not seeing any signs of particulate matter in the filters, at least it is making the air smell fresher.

Only problem was packaging was not good, unit bounced around and the box was damaged in shipping, and I have some marks on the unit that made me wonder if it was used... Still not sure if I'll keep it or return it and try something else, but it at least does help make rooms smell cleaner.

It works!
I'm not a germaphobe, nor do I have asthma or allergies. My wife and I are smokers though and this baby keeps the room clear of smoke quite effectively. Keeping the windows open with the heat on just to let in some fresh air this winter was costing us a bundle in electric bills so I started researching air filters and arrived at this one. The auto mode function is nice, just set it and forget it. The fan can be heard on higher settings but it's easy to ignore and can barely be heard over the TV or music. I keep this a few feet from my computer and I've noticed a dramatic decrease in dust buildup on the computer case vents, a nice bonus! There was a strange metallic odor on the first couple days of use but I've either gotten used to it or it's gone so it loses no stars for that. When I come home from a long day in the restaurant reeking like garlic this unit smells me the minute I walk in the door and fires up! Very cool. It has a sleek modernish look to it which could be a good or bad thing I guess. It's not gonna work if you hide it, it needs to be out in the open so it can get airflow going so keep that in mind for any decor clashes. If you need to remove smoke and/or odors from a room in your house, look no further.

I am very happy with this product. It does a great job of elimination cigarette smoke from the air.

After reading reviews of various air purifiers, I purchased this model. Like one reviewer, it was a little more than I anticipated spending, but it's amazing. I immediately noticed the difference in the air, and it does cover about 1000 sq ft. It really does sense odors, going to 'red alert' when the cat uses the litter box! I was worried about the noise, but on the lowest setting the noise is less than the HVAC fan, and quieter than my computer's fan. I let it run all day and don't notice any noise, but do notice a lack of smells and fewer allergy symptoms. This purifier is well worth the money for anyone with allergies or animals.

overall a pretty good filter. look at the list below and shop around. all are just re-branded and re-designed cosmetically, if not at all. buy the one with the best price since they are all generic off-brands. should buy it through amazon just to guarantee satisfaction/return/exchange if anything happens. the filters are the same for most and are interchangeable. just double check.

japanese original:

mitsubishi mhi-6800

chinese / re-manufactured clones:

surround air xj-3800 intelli-pro
multi-tech intelli-pro
advanced pure air newport 9000/ap-9000
heaven fresh hf-380-a/xj-3800
naturopure hf-380
alive air hf-380-a
airpod as
maier biohepa hybrid mhi-6800
... and many others.

hope this helps my fellow amazon peeps get their moneys worth!

A really great air purifier! I am a stroke victim and have trouble breathing. This has really helped!