1,411 of 1,428 people found the following review helpful:
Best Value Purifier
In this review, I will first summarize the major points and focus the details afterward. This way you can stop reading when you get the level of details you need. The definitions of "HEPA" and "CADR" are placed at the end of this review. Please vote for this review if you like it :) I appreciate it.
**Kimmer (another reviewer) has kindly uploaded a...
49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
Loved it, until it quit working.
I own the Honeywell 50250 and loved it. I bought it because it was a Consumer Reports' best buy. It cleaned the air of cigarette smoke better than anything I've ever owned. But, mine quit working after 2 months. The switch gave out.
It has a 5 year warranty, but according to the instructions, you have to mail the unit back, which is a huge bummer. It's...
This review is from: Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier (Kitchen)
In this review, I will first summarize the major points and focus the details afterward. This way you can stop reading when you get the level of details you need. The definitions of "HEPA" and "CADR" are placed at the end of this review. Please vote for this review if you like it :) I appreciate it.
**Kimmer (another reviewer) has kindly uploaded a wonderful youtube video to demonstrate the noise level, title: "Honeywell Enviracare 50250 air purifier". Since your computer speaker will affect the demonstrated noise level, make sure you gauge the noise to Kimmer's voice.**
Pros: Powerful, inexpensive, permanent HEPA filter, easy to maintain, 360 degree air intake and output, portable, accessible replacement parts, good support from Kaz, a 5 year limited warranty.
Cons: Noisy, high power consumption, not stylish.
Previously I owned the Honeywell HFD-130 Germicidal Tower HEPA Air Purifier with Permanent IFD Filter, but due to its ozone emission and my respiratory problem, I returned it back to HomeDepot. I got fully refunded and bought this Honeywell 50250N on the same day and loved it. I have a mild allergy. I sneeze and experience itchy eyes when I am outdoor, but stop when I am at home (where my purifier is). I recommend two important points when shopping for a purifier: (1) always examines the CADR number. It is a decent performance indicator, (2) always buys an air purifier adequate for your need. A 100 sq ft purifier will not work for a 1000 sq ft living space.
Honeywell 50250N is a true HEPA filter purifier with a 250 CADR, which translates into a recommended 375 square feet usage space. Currently, this purifier is being sold at ~$160. It has been quoted as the only purifier <$200 that can clean air effectively by Consumer Reports, Consumer Search, Air-purifier America. For most HEPA purifiers, the filter replacement is the highest up-keeping cost and is ~$100 annually. 50250N has a permanent Lifetime HEPA filter which can save a lot of money. The purifier has an activated carbon prefilter which protects the HEPA filter and absorbs traces level of volatile molecules, sources for odors. The prefilter is recommended to be replaced every 3 months for optimal odor removal. If odor removal is not needed, then the prefilter does not need to be replaced regularly. This purifier has a 360 degree air intake and air exhaust, making it effective at circulating air. The unit weighs in 20.1 pounds and all parts are large and sturdy. Replacement parts are relatively easy to find. I have seen them at my local Target, Home Depot, Walmart and Sears from time to time.
The unit vibrates slightly at its lowest fan speed and air "pulses" out of the unit. Kaz consumer service was very helpful in explaining this. The small vibration is due to slow air buildup across HEPA filter. The vibration is considered as a normal feature and does not affect its performance. I did my own test to prove this, and you can too: take your HEPA filter out of the unit and run it, and the purifier should stop wobbling. This proves the vibration is due to air buildup, not an imbalance fan.
The unit has two major shortcomings. It is noisy at the highest fan speed, and noticeable at the lowest fan speed. For those who wonder if you can tolerate the noise, it is not a machine cranking noise. It is a high air flow sound. If you have any doubt, you can always buy this unit from a respected local store, so that you can return it easily. The purifier also has a high power consumption of 170/120/50 watts at the three fan speeds. This purifier is not stylish.
Is Honeywell 50250N the best purifier? Absolutely not! IQ Air purifiers are considered the very best, but their cheapest model is $700 and many are above $1000. Honeywell 50250N is one of the most effective purifiers in its prize range: <$200. In comparison, we will look at Whirlpool AP450 which is rated as number 1 by Consumer Reports, and Ionic Breeze Quadra which has a very large market. Whirlpool AP450 has a ~330 CADR rating and costs $250. This yields a nice ratio of 1.3 CADR/$, which means you get 1.3 CADR capability for every dollar spent. Honeywell 50250N has an even better ratio of 1.6 CADR/$. The two purifiers are also competitive in term of the operation cost. AP450 is energy star certified using only 105 W, whereas 50250N has a permanent HEPA filter. In the case both purifiers run at full speed continuously (24/7) and the electricity cost is $0.1 per kWh (average in USA), the annual electricity costs will be $92 and $150 for AP450 and 50250N, respectively. The AP450 saves an annual $60 in electricity, but costs an annual $90 for HEPA filter replacement. Of course, AP450 is more powerful, so when considering the cleaning power per annual cost, they are almost the same. On the other hand, Ionic Breeze is a disappointment. It has an estimated 10-20 CADR and it costs over $300 -- a ridiculous 0.03-0.07 CADR/$ ratio. It was the worst purifier tested independently by Consumer Reports and Air-Purifier-America. Moreover, ionic breeze produces a high level of ozone, which Consumer Reports has issued health warnings. You can easily find the related news on the web.
(Honeywell 50250N has the Lifetime HEPA filter, but Honeywell 50250 does not. I ordered my second Honeywell from BeachCamera through Amazon, but the one arrived is the 50250 version. I called and BeachCamera admitted it does not have 50250N. I finally got my refund, but it was a hassle.)
A spotlight review here claims Sharp Plasmacluster FP-N60CX is a better purifier. I disagree. FP-N60CX has a 210 CADR and is sold at ~$350 - less powerful and more expansive. The review justifies this expense by stating that the FP-N60CX needs one carbon filter replacement in 5 years and consequently saves $200 in 5 years. This is a math error. The carbon filter replacement for Honeywell 50250N costs $200 in 5 year, but FP-N60CX also needs replacement at the end of 5 years at $80. This is a $120 difference in 5 years. The 5 years replacement is also the best case scenario, as it may need to be replaced as early as in 2 years which results in no cost advantage. According to its operation manual (available online), the FP-N60CX carbon filter needs to be cleaned every 2 months using a 6-steps cleaning process: (1) vacuum clean (2) soak in detergent mixture for 30 minute (3) scrub with a toothbrush (4) rinse with clean water (5) remove excess water with a big towel for 1-2 days (6) hang up and air dry for another 1-2 days. In one year, this may result up to a month-worth downtime. Let's summarize this: $120 saving for cleaning the carbon filter 30 times in 5 years. You save $4 for each cleaning. Since each cleaning can take an hour, this equates $4 per hour of labor. You cannot even pay an illegal immigrant to do this! I also want to reiterate that Honeywell 50250N has a permanent HEPA filter, which can be regenerated by vacuum cleaning. It takes 3 minutes to do and need to be done twice a year. Considering the typical HEPA replacement costs $100 annually, each filter cleaning saves $50. That is $50 for 3 minutes of your time, or $1000 for an hour. This is a real saving. The "plasmacluster" feature is somewhat of a gimmick. Major hospitals, national, pharmaceutical and computer research labs use HEPA for air purification.
One last point about vacuum cleaning the Lifetime HEPA filter: a HEPA grade cleaner is recommended to regenerate the HEPA filter. Otherwise, the particles on the Lifetime HEPA will be dispersed back into the air during vacuuming. If you are suffering from a serious allergy or asthma, then you should consider owning a HEPA vacuum cleaner to begin with. Alternatively, you can vacuum the filter outside of your home so the fine particles are dispersed outside, such as your patio. Yes, and if you are really funny, you can secretly do this at your ex-girlfriend's room. I am kidding!
Definitions:
HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) is a filter grade strictly defined by US Department of Energy, in which the filter can remove >99.97% of airborne particles that is 0.3 micrometer. The removal success rate is usually equal or higher for larger particles and for slightly smaller particles (down to ~0.01 micro), but performance drops drastically for much smaller particles. HEPA can effectively trap pollens, fine dust and smoke particles -- the major causes of allergy. "HEPA-type" and "HEPA-like" purifiers fall short of this requirement, and there is no strict guideline for their exact definitions. Historically, HEPA was a top-secret technology developed to filter radioactive aerosol, part of the Manhattan Project. HEPA is not designed to remove odors and VOC (volatile organic chemicals), since they are much smaller than the effective range of a HEPA filter.
CADR (clean air delivery rate) is certified by the AHAM (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers). CADR is expressed in units of cubic feet volume per minute. The suggested floor space is usually calculated based on a 8 foot ceiling and a 5 air change setting. For example, Honeywell 50250N produces 250 cubic feet of clean air per minute or 15000 cu ft per hour. Divides 15000 cu ft by a 8 ft ceiling and by a 5 air change equates to a recommended floor space of 375 sq ft. A shortcut is to multiple the CADR number by 1.5: e.g. 250 CADR X 1.5 = 375 sq ft. Although the recommended floor space value is easier to relate to, there is no legal guideline for the calculation. Neoair's most powerful purifier, Neoair Plus, has a suggested 600 sq ft floor space, much larger than that of Honeywell 50250N. In reality, Neoair Plus has a CADR <200, meaning it is a less powerful purifier. It turns out Neoair uses a 2.5 air change per hour for the floor space calculation. Another company, Alen, uses a 2 air change per hour for their calculations. Consequently, it is more reliable to compare air purifiers based on their CADR values.
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This review is from: Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier (Kitchen)
I have suffered from allergies all of my life, but especially the last few years, they have gotten progressively worse. Last year, I lived in an apartment over two chain smokers and was constantly congested. I started researching air purifiers because my medications weren't helping enough on their own. I ended up deciding on this unit for my living room/dining area, a Hamilton Beach 04163 for my bedroom, and another Hamilton Beach 04163 to go on the other side of my living room as well since the living room/dining area/kitchen was all together and not separated by doors and was too large an area for only one cleaner to handle efficiently. I have been very satisfied with this unit. I got it in December 2004 and it has not given me any problems. I have had to change the pre-filters a few times (you usually have to change them every three months or so) but have not yet had to change the HEPA filter. I like the way this system has what it calls Intellicheck which lets you know when it is time for the filters to be changed, as well as the way that it has the 360 degree technology. The unit looks kind of like a barrel so that the clean air flows out of the top all around it. I don't notice a cleaner air smell like I have heard people talk about, but I can definitely tell a difference in my allergy symptoms when I am running my air cleaners or not. And when I put my Hamilton Beach air cleaner in the living room which has an auto setting that detects the air quality, it had the air rated as being good from the beginning, which I believe is due to the Honeywell 50250 which had been running 24/7 a few days prior to that since the Hamilton Beach air cleaner in my room had the air quality as poor when I turned it on the auto setting. I still have to take my allergy medications that I was prescribed, but there is a definite difference between when I just take the medication and when I take the medication and use the air cleaners.
I hope this review helps. I also like the fact that it has a carrying handle at the top, and I don't find it very noisy. It has a white noise to it, but I have not experienced any problems not hearing the television or not being able to nap in the living room while it is on.
The replacement pre-filters are easy to find for this unit. The HEPA filter seems a little harder to find in retail stores, but it does not have to be replaced as often so it is not too bad.
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This review is from: Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier (Kitchen)
Let me start off by saying that I suffer from being allergic to cigarette smoke and my husband and I live in an enclosed apartment complex. This is made worse by the fact that the front door doesn't seal up against the frame and smoke from the hallway leaks into our apartment with other odors and smells. Now let me add that that my husband suffers from severe allergy's and takes medicine daily for his condition. Did I mention that we have two cats and a pug. Life was miserable in our 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment, till this little puppy showed up. It's just like the picture describes it, like a barrel, the nice feature on it is the Intellicheck, this little feature tells you when to change the filters and it's quite easy the pre filters just lay on the hepa filter and are held in place by two pieces of Velcro. They do need to be changed about ever two months though, this may be more then normal because of our pets. But since we got the first one for the living room we added one more to the bedroom. Now you walk down our hallway gagging on the scent and odors but as soon as you open our door you are greeted by the clean smelling air and the sound of the filter cleaning it. Okay it is a little loud but don't let that discourage you. Wait till you get it home and turn it on full blast. It is a little noisy but when you go up to it, you can feel it sucking in the air from all around the unit. Then the freshly cleaned air gets pushed up through the top of the unit in a circle around the unit. It really does clean the square footage it claims to. Now I no longer complain about the smoke in our apartment and my husband also enjoys less sinus and nasal pressure. We did our homework on this one and read all about the Honeywell 50250. Before we decided to buy ours and were glad that we did.
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This review is from: Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier (Kitchen)
I own the Honeywell 50250 and loved it. I bought it because it was a Consumer Reports' best buy. It cleaned the air of cigarette smoke better than anything I've ever owned. But, mine quit working after 2 months. The switch gave out.
It has a 5 year warranty, but according to the instructions, you have to mail the unit back, which is a huge bummer. It's not so much the fact that you have to enclose a check for $15 to get warranty service, but the fact that I'm gonna have to trudge down to the post office. I can't recommend anything that costs > $100 and quits working after 2 months. By the way, even though this is branded as a Honeywell, the manufacturer is a company called Kaz, according to the instruction manual.
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This review is from: Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier (Kitchen)
I have purchased several Honeywell air cleaners recently for my family (children, parents and brother's household) and have been very pleased with their performance and and engineering. I was looking for an air cleaner for my daughter's room and was given an older model by friends who had used it briefly before buying an Ionic Breeze instead due to the noise level- the only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars. While that machine is a Sears labelled appliance, it is identical to a small Honeywell. It has effectively reduced her symptoms, and the noise hasbn't been disagreeable on lower settings with any of the machines. Using the higher settings an hour or so before bedtime and reducing the fan speed to low during the night produces a 'white nboise" that I find soothing.
Replacement filters (permanent) arte readily availabvle and economical (under $15.00 at Amazon). Other Honeywell air cleaners we have purchased differ in that they have no ionizer (not recommended by medical authorities- i am myself a family physician) and in their capacity. All of the machines I have bought are the round hassock-shaped ones and this is an imiportant design feature in that these models use either og two sizes of replacement permanent filters as above. Larger models may use up to three stacked filters in place of the original and expensive non-permanent filter. All use a cut-to charcoal-containing pre-filter which may be vacuumed periodically and used for substantially longer than the packaging indicated (at least 6 months). The HEPA filters may be vacuumed as well, a simple maintenance task.
The filter that comes with a filter that is NOT permanent but is instead a "long-life" singlre filter with a recommended replacement interval of five years. It does not have a "permanent filter".
one of the big pluses for these machines is the excellent 5-year warranty. No machine in this price range except a few Hunter models offer a 5-year warranty, and Hunter permanent filters are far more expensive and hard-to find. I have noted some complaints about warranty service in other reviews of Honeywell products, but nonetheless it is still a very good value.
I ofund some of my machines in the local Goodwill for $10 or so- check it out!. On new machines, I really couldn't beat the Amazon deals substantially and ordered one of these and another odel for family. My brother was so impressed he went out and bought 2 other machines (regrettably, not Honeywell) for his fairly severe allergy problems. t wouldn't count on these machines to eliminate strong odors vcompletely but they do make a difference.
I would add a final note about my experience with central air conditioner filters. A NMERV of 8-10 is sufficient to remove almost all common allergens. Higher filtration requires larger surface area to prevent excessive air obstruction. We bought a filter some time ago that we couldn't use for that very reason. The most economical is the Lysol brand filter available in Lowes stores.
Removing bacteria from the air is unimportant- "air sdanitizer" are a waste of money. Airborne bacteria rarely survive long and DO NOT cause odors in and of themselves- they must be in a nutrient rich medium and actively growing to cause odors. As for mold, remember that removing moisture is the answer to that problem. A relative humidity of 40 % or less will take care of mold and mildew very nicely. So, use your AC, dehumidifier, or pipe wrench as needed to control moisture problems. As for vacuums, they all work- IF YOU USE THEM! A central system that exhausts to the outdoors or a garage area that can be aired is a great option. bagless vacuums, water trap vacuums, etc really don't make much difference in air quality. We find that using simple bedlinens in the children's rooms which can be tossed in the dryer for 10 minutes are useful ways to control dust mites and remove some of their allergens. Stuffed animal toys can also be given a spin for the same reasion.
Sorry if I get carried away, but I have always felt a duty to teach my opatients to take care of themselves. I hope this has been helpful. The Honeywell air cleaners are a great way for allergy sufferers to take control of their symptoms in part.
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This review is from: Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier (Kitchen)
One of the best units in its class. Does well with cigarette smoke.
Something to note - there are three versions floating out there - the 50250, 50250N, and 50251. All the units themselves are the same, but the only (and big) difference is that the 50250N and the 50251 have permanent filters. My box had a sticker with 50251 placed over the 50250 that was printed on the box. This concerned me, so I called the toll-free support line on the box and asked about the different model numbers.
The 50251 means that it comes with a free gift (which mine did - a digital thermometer). To be extra sure, I asked the tech how to distinguish between the permanent and non permanent filters. The permanent filters are white, with a clear mesh on the outside. The non-permanent filters have a black mesh.
Hope that helps.
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This review is from: Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier (Kitchen)
Ever since moving to a new home just over a year ago, my husband and I have had an increase in our allergies and sinus problems. We decided on an air purifier for the bedroom since our symptoms were worse in the mornings, and we researched air purifiers for several weeks before deciding on this one. It was the least expensive model recommended by Consumer Reports, and the most conveniently sized for our very small bedroom. As a reference, our bedroom is 14 x 15.
Good points first: this baby moves a lot of air! On the high setting, you'll notice a difference in the smell and quality of air within just a few minutes. When it's on high, we can leave it in the bedroom but still tell that it's working in other rooms that are 30 feet away.
This purifier really does work well at removing smells. That's my favorite part of the purifier. It also seems to help with the allergies. It hasn't cured us, but my symptoms have reduced significantly, and I credit the purifier with that.
Now the not-quite-so-good: This purifier is loud. Believe what everyone says, if you have trouble getting to sleep with noise, you won't want this unit on at night. We like white noise so after just 1-2 nights, we were able to sleep just fine. On high, we can hear it through the whole house, and if it's in your living room you'll have to turn up your radio or TV to hear properly. While it's much quieter on low, it's still a bit louder than what I would choose for white noise. The blue light on the switch is pretty bright, too, and we had to cover ours so it wouldn't light up our whole room.
The air it puts out is warm, so in the summers, we have to turn the a/c down to compensate since it warms up our whole bedroom.
The fan is a bit off-balance, especially on low. It doesn't cause noise or affect the air output so we haven't returned the unit, but it's noticeable. The unit is kind of ugly and quite large. Before buying, I recommend deciding on where you'll put the unit and then carefully measuring a spot the size of the unit, just to see how much room it needs, especially if you have space issues like we do.
All in all, the concerns I had (noise, aesthetics, size) before buying it ended up being valid, but for the price and the good it's doing, I think it's worth it. I'd give this 3.5 stars but since we can't, I'll round up to 4.
Edit 8-7-07: My original review is from May 22, 2007, but I wanted to add a brief update. A few weeks ago we decided to get a second purifier for the other end of the house. This purifier is in our living room which is part of a large kitchen-dining-living room. The best thing about this second Honeywell is that it really gets rid of cooking smells quickly. The whole house smells fresher. As for allergies and sinus problems, last year at this time I'd already had 4 solid months of sinus problems. This year I've just had one episode and it was much milder than what I experienced last year.
This second unit doesn't have the wobbly fan problem our first unit did. The only problems were what I mentioned before: hard to find the room for the unit, and the sound is loud enough I have to turn it off to hear the TV or radio. I'm glad we have two of these purifiers and I definitely think it's worth the 4 stars.
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This review is from: Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier (Kitchen)
I read the reviews here, some of which said something like, "Don't buy from this - or that - retailer on Amazon, they are advertising 50250N but shipping 50250"
I decided to email Kaz, the manufacturer of the Honeywell 50250, to see if I could get a clarification about this. The following is the email I got in response:
<start email>
I am sorry for the confusion. 50250N is not going to be the model number on the box or bottom of any unit. 50250N is the unofficial model number for the new versions of the 50250. The actual units and boxes will only say 50250. The way to tell the difference between the new 50250 and the old 50250 is by the box. The new version (what we refer to as 50250N) will indicate a Lifetime HEPA filter while the older/original version of the 50250 will make no reference to this. The newer unit has a box that is mostly white/light in color while the older version had our black and red packaging.
Based on what you said, I am not sure if Amazon is really sending out the wrong items or if customers are confused when the box and unit only say 50250 when they expected to see 50250N, but really it is the N version. I know Amazon has a pretty good return policy so it's up to you if you want to try ordering from them or not. They have bought both versions of the unit from us in the past so I really couldn't comment on what they are currently shipping out.
If you check your local Home Depot store you may be able to pick the unit up locally, it is carried by some Home Depot stores.
Kaz is committed to offering quality customer service and we hope we have done this for you. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you require further assistance.
Jessica Goncalves
Electronic Data Specialist
Kaz, Inc - Southborough, MA
<end email>
I did go to Home Depot to check this out, and it was in fact packaged in light colored box. There was no indication of model number 50250N anywhere on the box or on the unit. But the documentation included (and maybe the box - I can't remember) did describe it as having a permanent HEPA filter.
So apparently if you want to know what model you have, you need to look for "permanent HEPA filter." The model numbers as marked on unit or box do not help. Go figure.
I guess this probably exonerates the Amazon retailers from accusations of bait and switch.
Hope this helps!
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This review is from: Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier (Kitchen)
Pro: very good ratings from Consumer Reports
Con: to read the reviews here, it's loud
But it's not what I imagined. It's "loud" setting is about as loud as a bathroom fan, and it can easily be set to "low" at night to make it just white-noise.
What matters: my wife didn't need her asthma inhaler after the first day, so I'm very happy with this.
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This review is from: Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier (Kitchen)
After slaving for MONTHS of researching the best air cleaner at an afforable price. I had purchased the Honeywell 50250. It is an excellent machine and at such an afforable price. It is comparable to the $400-500 models. At first I was a little taken back by the size but was amazed at how well it cleaned the air. It is really easy to install and change filters - I can do it with one hand. Also filters are very inexpensive and only need to be changed every 3 months or so depending on your environment. The size is misconceiving beause it very light weight and has the easy handle on top (another plus). I travel from room to room, I can hold my baby in one hand and the air cleaner in another. It also has 3 different levels (for example at night I have it on the lowest level called sleep mode). And most important the sealed Hepa Lifetime filter so no need for expensive replacements. Also has 360 airflow which comes out from the top of the machine, it doesn't blow dirt or dust from the floor up into the air. And filter monitors called intelli-check, which lights up when a filter needs to be changed (no guess work or lookign at a calendar). Also 99.97% germ reduction and 5 year warranty. I also want to tell everyone that this machine is approved by the National Allergy.
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