Customer Reviews

3M Ultra-Clean Air Purifier - Living Room Size (FAP03RC)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I must say, I was really surprised to see this large 3M unit for sale at Amazon for under $100. I did much looking around before deciding that the 3M Filtrete would be my purchase... but when I saw the Amazon price, on the largest model - the deal was done on the same day.

When the unit arrived, I could tell it was sturdy, and designed to be a permanent fixture in my home. For months, my wife has been having sinus problems, and it was time to fix the issue. We live no more than 200 yards from a major interstate highway in Southern California - so the dust and particulate in our home is high. One turn of the knob, and this machine went to work.

The first day, I vacuumed and dusted... then let the machine do the dirty work. It took about a week to first see the evidence of the filters ability. Now the top of the TV is clean, and so are the nightstands, etc. - in general a huge improvement. My wife is feeling better, and I'm sleeping sounder. Even on the highest setting, this machine is quiet. It filters well, as evidenced by the gunked up filter... and clean surfaces in my home. Pet hair and dander is gobbled up, along with the dust. Even the soothing "white noise" sound of the fan is a plus. You'll be impressed - and the filter is still "in the green" after a month of nearly continuous use.

Buy this large model in place of the smaller units, save some serious money while you're at it... and know that the filter capacity & performance of this unit will save you in the long run. With air quality, it's always better to overkill. I'm very pleased with this machine, and I think you'll feel the same. 3M's well earned reputation for quality and performance continues to strengthen with this unit. Buy one - you'll be pleased you did.

I actually have not bought this product, but from what I read, it is a very promising purifier, and I will get one this late summer. It is quiet and the filter replacement cost is slightly less than many purifiers, about $80 a year (no pre-filter needed). It has an average 290 CADR, very powerful for a $200 unit. No, it is not a HEPA units, but the electrostatic filtration technology work very well. I have just talked to customer service from 3M and they are very helpful and responsive. The power consumption is 80-141 W for this units, so it is not energy star, but it is not abnormal. I like to compared it to the best rated purifier by Consumer resports, the Whirlpool AP51030S. AP51030S is a great unit. It costs $300 and has a 316 averaged CADR. It is a energy star product with a power consumption of about 100 W at full speed (not certain). The annual filter cost of the Whirlpool is expensive, about $130 annual.

So, let compare the two units again, shall we?
Filtrete FAP03-RC..........Whirlpool AP51030S

$200 a unit...................$300 a unit

241 CADR Smoke.............330 CADR Smoke
306 CADR Dust...............330 CADR Dust
332 CADR Pollen.............288 CADR Pollen

141W at Full Speed.........100W at Full Speed
$80 annual for filters.......$130 annual for filters
Quiet............................Quiet

Another main point I like to make is that you will see two different Living Room Size Filtrte purifiers. The FAP03-RC and FAP03-RS. The FAP03-RC is the better one because of the additional holes, it has an average 293 CADR, as mentioned. The FAP03-RS has a 270 average CADR.

In addition, the review above wrote down the specifications for a different model. FAP03 is alot more powerful than the FAP04 series.

This filter is great! The amount of dust it collects is frightening and I don't wake up stuffy in the morning anymore. I keep it on high most of the time. Replacement filters are inexpensive. Keep in mind this unit is LARGE and will become part of the decor. Not designed to be portable. Just pick a spot in the room, fire it up and let it do its magic. CADR rating is high and judging from the reduction of dust on surfaces, I'd say it is accurate. If household dust is your issue, this is the right machine.

I'm impressed. This purifier really moves the air, and it does make quite a difference in the air quality. I have roommates who smoke, and this will clear the smell much more than anything else I've tried in the past. I keep it on its medium setting almost constantly, since it's so quiet. The high setting is rather loud, however, but I'm quite pleased with it otherwise.

According to AHAM (Association of home appliance manufactures) website, 3M Filtrete FAP04-RC has DustCADR = 116, Tobacco Smoke CADR = 97, PollenCADR = 141, Room Size = 150 SQ FT. I use this website and Consumer Reports to determine the model of air cleaner that I want to buy based on the size of the room. My top choices are Fredrich C-90B, Whirlpool AP45030R and 3M Filtrete FAP03RC after comparing the energy cost, filter cost, CADRs and noise.

This filter works great and on the lowest setting is quiet. I just wish that it was built around a filter available at local hardware dealers.

This is the second unit that I have purchased. I am now in the market to purchase at least two or three more. They are wonderful. You can see the dust, hair, etc being pulled out of the air. I have five cats and between the hair and litter it really helps. These are great little machines. I would recommend highly.

Thank you.

Carol L. Camacho

Works great. It is quiet and picks up an unbelievable amount of dust/dander. I really like it.

First we tried the Honeywell air purifier because of its rating, even after so many complains about the noise and we had to return for the same complain: too noisy! So, we tried this FAP03RC and we are so happy we did! This works great in our bedroom, so great that we ordered another one for the living room. Yes, it is big, but actually better for us, since we live in a small one bedroom apartment because you can put near a wall, as long as you keep the parts where the air is filtered and the top clear, opposed to the honeywell where we had to leave in the middle of the room because it has to be 3 feet away from walls or furniture. Even though this machine moves a lot of air around, it is still very quiet. We leave it on the lowest setting while we are sleeping and we barely hear it working and during the day we leave on the mid setting which is still not bad. The noise on the highest setting is similar to the lowest setting of the honeywell. We are completely satisfied with this product and we would recommend this one instead of the honeywell (50250 model).

Quality build. Three fan speeds should suit most users. Moves a lot of air through the filter (3M Filtrete). Should make for noticeable difference by removing much of dust and pollen. Price is right.