261 of 264 people found the following review helpful:
Got Six Cats? Stop Popping Sudafed.
To start, I just want to let it be known that I've had my Hamilton Beach TrueAir Allergen Reducer for all of a week... But there's been so much of a difference that I couldn't wait any longer to write this review.
I've never had any hardcore allergies to cats or dogs, and I love pets. When I married my wife, I became Dad to her six cats. Long hair,...
49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
Replacement Filters No Longer Available!!!
These WERE great air cleaners. I purchased 6 of them on March 23, 2008 for a charity along with 18 replacement filters. Little did I know, those would be all the filters we'd ever get.
I tried to order a number of replacement filters about a week ago right here on Amazon, and after they didn't show up I inquired as to their whereabouts. I was informed that...
This review is from: Hamilton Beach TrueAir 04381 Allergen Reducer Air Cleaner (Kitchen)
To start, I just want to let it be known that I've had my Hamilton Beach TrueAir Allergen Reducer for all of a week... But there's been so much of a difference that I couldn't wait any longer to write this review.
I've never had any hardcore allergies to cats or dogs, and I love pets. When I married my wife, I became Dad to her six cats. Long hair, shorthair, hair everywhere. And a few months ago, I began noticing that waking up in the morning was getting increasingly unpleasant. As of last month (and I'll try not to be overly graphic) I was waking up without fail each day with what felt like a concrete mixer behind my eyes. Congested every morning, and having to take extra-long, piping hot showers to feel any better... usually followed by at 500 mg of Tylenol and an additional allergy medicine.
So I saw this Allergen Reducer for a 210 square foot room online and decided the price was right to give it a shot (replacement filters are less than $15 each, which was also an acceptible cost). Our bedroom is about that size exactly, and since we usually have at least three cats in bed with us at any given time during the night, it seemed worthy of the investment.
After four days of having this machine on in our room (with the one door usually open only enough for the cats to enter and exit), I'm happy to report that each day I have (waked? woken? waken?) to a 99% improvement. I'll certainly come back to this review in future months to update, but there has been such an enormous difference within a very short time that I wanted to tell others who might be currently experiencing what I have in the past that this device might provide much welcomed relief, and quickly!
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This review is from: Hamilton Beach TrueAir 04381 Allergen Reducer Air Cleaner (Kitchen)
I live in a small split level home that was built in the 1940's. We have two cats and now babysitting two more cats for the winter. With the addition of the 2 new cats, my wife was being affected by the dander and we both were sucking in a lot of cat hair. I did some research online and found mostly mixed reviews. This one had the best reviews, but only from 4 different people. I figured the best way to know for sure was to buy one and try it out.
I got the 250 square foot bigger brother of this model and have to say that the first impression is very good. I put it in the bedroom, set fan on high, and a couple hours later, the room smelled great. I can't comment on the allergy effect yet as it is too early. However, I did notice that some of the finer cat hairs were trapped in the HEPA filter.
We have our cat pans in the lower level bathroom. Smell has always been a problem. I put the new air purifier in this room, closed the door and an hour later, noticed a huge improvement in the smell. Even when I put my nose just above the catpans, the decrease in odor was very noticeable, though still faintly there. I hadn't cleaned the litter yet.
The filter is very easy to change, rated for 1 year, and it cost $24 for a replacement (remember that I got a bigger model than the Amazon one, but fyi, the replacement filter for this smaller model was about $10.50 and good up to 6 months.) Neither models have the odor carbon filter, but heck, I don't think I would need it now any way.
The only downside I see so far is that on high, it is very loud. It does move a lot of air, and if you stood over it, it would feel similar to a hair dryer. On medium, the noise will compete with the central heating kicked on and slightly overtake it, but no where near as loud as on high. The air movement will flutter your hair. On low, the sound is like a whisper. The central heating noise overtakes it easily. It still moves air, and the breeze is like a gentle wind. In a silent room, the noise on low is a pleasant low drone.
I give it 4 stars due to noise on high and because I haven't had it long enough to make sure it is a great product without any more flaws. I purchased mine at a local store and used the local store prices.
For odor control alone, I think I will buy the 210 square foot model for the litter room and keep the bigger one in our bedroom.
Update:
After writing the initial review, I went out and bought this 210 square foot model. I have it in the litter room and it has significantly reduced the odor. My wife's nose is more sensitive than mine and she used to complain about smelling the litter box the moment she walked in the door. She has not noticed it at all now.
In terms of allergies, I think we received a big seal of approval. One of our friends is allergic to cats and said she noticed a big difference her last visit. Her husband also claimed that the smell was much better. This is something because I never put either purifier in the living room nor in the kitchen, which combined, takes up most of the lower level.
Our bedroom (which has the bigger model,) no longer bothers my wife at night and the purifier is still keeping our room smelling fresh.
The 210 model has a smaller fan and smaller HEPA filter. I've mentioned the price of replacement filters above. The noise is generally slightly higher pitched than on the larger model. On high, the noise can be heard throughout our lower level, but not obnoxious unless you are in the same room. Medium is only slightly quieter. It is less noticeable from the other rooms. Low is barely a whisper. Even in the small bathroom, the central heating drowns it out. You wouldn't notice it from other rooms.
This model has a nice squarish figure. Physically, it is about 50% smaller than the bigger model. It has a built in compartment to store the chord and would make for easy storing should an occasion arrive. The grill is metal and the whole unit feels pretty sturdy. The filter on this model is also easy to change. I haven't used this in any bigger rooms, but having the bigger model to compare with, not sure how effective it would be in very large rooms. On high, it would make too much noise.
For half the price of the Ionic Breeze, I have two models for two areas of the house that were in desperate need of filtered air. I do move the bigger model around as needed, but bedroom is the primary location. I've been happy with the initial results. While it will cost more money to replace the filters than on electrostatic models, I'm thankful I don't have one more chore in cleaning an air purifier. $44.50 a year in replacement filters is reasonable. FYI, our house is smoke-free.
After almost a of week of use, I'd give them 4.5 stars. If these units last a long time, I'd give them 5 stars. If I had to choose only one, I'd take the bigger model. However, I love this two combo punch.
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This review is from: Hamilton Beach TrueAir 04381 Allergen Reducer Air Cleaner (Kitchen)
These WERE great air cleaners. I purchased 6 of them on March 23, 2008 for a charity along with 18 replacement filters. Little did I know, those would be all the filters we'd ever get.
I tried to order a number of replacement filters about a week ago right here on Amazon, and after they didn't show up I inquired as to their whereabouts. I was informed that the vendor checked with Hamilton Beach and they are no longer producing the replacement filters.
So, I would highly NOT recommend purchasing one of these unless you only intend to use it for 120 days and then throw it away.
Have a nice day.
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This review is from: Hamilton Beach TrueAir 04381 Allergen Reducer Air Cleaner (Kitchen)
My girls just coughed and coughed without apparent colds mostly at night and when the got up in the morning. At school they didn't cough hardly at all. The Dr. said he thought the one had allergies. As soon as we filtered the air in their bedroom, they both stopped coughing. The results were immediate the first night they slept in their room. This is one of the best investments we have ever made.
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This review is from: Hamilton Beach TrueAir 04381 Allergen Reducer Air Cleaner (Kitchen)
This product is awesome. We have multiple housecats and household members with dust and cat allergies. We own three of these units and they are great in smaller rooms. We swear by them...HOWEVER...as of now (January 2009) we can no longer easily find filters. Online wholesalers selling reasonably are selling out, the average cost of $12 for a single filter is climbing to $20 to $30 a piece, and Hamilton Beach has made 2 versions of this purifier since this one originally came out. I would advise anyone shopping for one of these to pass up the cheap cost and go for the newest version of the same product by Hamilton Beach because this will end up being a waste of money in the end. I am getting ready to have to buy all new units I am afraid. I will stick with the same simple model and company but I am very disappointed about this filter situation.
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This review is from: Hamilton Beach TrueAir 04381 Allergen Reducer Air Cleaner (Kitchen)
I had tried some of the Ionic air purifiers, but those did nothing for my allergies. I would sneeze like crazy every morning, and many times after coming back into the house. I decided to purchase the Hamilton Beach 4381. Easy to install and setup. After the first night, I could feel the difference. In the morning, my nose was not stuffed, I didn't even feel like sneezing; it was great. Of course, right when I left the house, my nose started to act up.
Its not quiet like the ionic air purifiers, but it works because it circulates air using a fan. The air is sucked in from the front and blows out the top. I'd say at low fan speeds, its very quiet, at med speeds, its like a normal fan, and at full power, its wayy too loud. However, it should work well for most people at med and low power.
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This review is from: Hamilton Beach TrueAir 04381 Allergen Reducer Air Cleaner (Kitchen)
I bought this about 3 months ago, after looking at many different air cleaners. I rent a room in a NYC apartment, my window faces a busy street. Now studies show that indoor air is usually about 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air, but being next to a street.. well let's just say window open or closed, I'm getting a lot of pollutants.
This machine runs very quietly compared to most of the others, I run it on the low or medium setting about 9 inches from my head blowing on me while I sleep, and I sleep like a baby. The fan is so powerful that I actually use it to keep cool during the summer months, I haven't even bought a fan because this works just fine!
Although I'm sure this is not quite as effective as an actual HEPA filter, the price makes it a great find for those of us on a budget.
In fact, the BEST thing about this air filter is that despite claims to the contrary, you DON'T need to buy replacement filters. All you need is about 40 Q-tips & 15 minutes once every 3-4 months. Seriously, I just cleaned it this way yesterday out my window and I can't even describe to you how much dust I got out. The way to tell if it's clean is compare the front (dirty) side of the filter to the back. The front will be covered with dust.. when you're finished your cleaning, it will look ALMOST as clean as the back side. Viola - no filter replacement.
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This review is from: Hamilton Beach TrueAir 04381 Allergen Reducer Air Cleaner (Kitchen)
Even when the higest setting was selected for this air cleaner, I did not really feel any different about the air quality. Since it uses a small disposable 3M type of filter, I do not believe it is much better than the 3M filtrette type of air filters you may use on your regular air-conditioning/furnace system. I believe my Honeywell Air Cleaner (large unit) actually works better than this cleaner.
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This review is from: Hamilton Beach TrueAir 04381 Allergen Reducer Air Cleaner (Kitchen)
So far it's ok. I've only had it for less than 2 months, so I can't comment on the longevity of the product, but it works well and isn't noisy on the lowest speed, but somewhat on the middle and high setting. I notice that I breath easier at night and wake up feeling less tired because I'm not having as much trouble with sinus constriction (I use it in the bedroom). I also notice that later in the evening, I don't start to get congested like I used to, probably because my sinuses aren't overloaded by allergens as much, with the clean air they get at night. I turn it on low about 4 hours before I hit the sack, and close the bedroom door. I will leave it on low all night at times when I don't mind the slight hum of the fan. This unit has no other gimmicks, just a filter. I wish the filters where less expensive ($12 for the tiny things are kind of a rip) but you can get them at Target stores (still $12), as well as the unit itself. The instructions say the filter will last 1 to 1 1/2 months, but I will vacuum it on occasion and stretch it to 2 and see how that works. (Changing the furnace filter every month helps too.) The speed switch is a little chintzy, but ok. We'll see how it holds up. The rest of the unit is built sturdily enough, and is compact, which was important to me. I didn't want some honkin' big thing in the bedroom to trip over.
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