Blueair vs. IQAir Purifiers: And The Winner Is…

 Air Pollution, China public health, Favorites, Indoor Air Pollution  Add comments
Sep 222010
 

 

Beijing’s internet forums are always filled with heated debates as to which air purifier is best: IQAir vs Blueair vs others; import vs local; etc etc. I finally decided to jump into the fray and enter the great debate. As I’ve mentioned in many posts, I am a big fan of indoor air purifiers because I think indoor air pollution is a serious public health concern here in China. And while indoor plants can help a lot, I think the machines are far more effective. So, which machine should you buy — if any?

blue skies

We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto...

I personally use three brands; in my small office I have a Hunter 31125, which is a true-HEPA filter. It’s Taiwan-made from the American company Hunter, and I bought it for around 1248RMB at the Sundan electronics store at the Sanlitun Village mall basement. At home, we have two machines which are also HEPA filters; the bedroom has the Blueair 501 which we bought for around 6,000RMB, and the living room has an IQAir 250, which I believe was around 11,000RMB.

Real World Tests: Blueair 501 vs IQAir 250

Last year I borrowed an air particle monitor from IQAir and did a lot of spot checks at home to check out which purifier at home — my IQAir or Blueair — worked best. My den (living room) is about 40+ square meters, and my bedroom is ~20 square meters. Both of my machines’ filters were a couple months old. The original data is in the table below (note that “%” means “percent of that room air versus current outdoor air”).

BlueAir vs IQAir

BlueAir vs IQAir

You can parse (spin?) the data many ways, but here are my conclusions:

  • Normal settings: with the typical mid-level speeds, I didn’t see much of a difference. Both took out 60-80% of the particulates.
  • Max settings: Again, I found no major difference. Both removed 80-90% of particulates.
  • On the worst days with AQI over 500 (!), I still couldn’t get any room under the more desirable 100,000. Scary, no?
  • Rooms are different: my bedroom consistently had better air than the den (good news for me)
  • Without any air purifiers, the indoor air was 72% of outdoor air

My Hunter Did Very Well

My smaller air purifier, the Hunter 31125 in my small office, also did quite well. It routinely got 50-70% of pollution even with the constant door opening. At max speed with the door closed for a while, it got 91% of the pollution. I think this is a great option for small rooms, and at 1290RMB is far cheaper and smaller than the other brands.

Real World Reviews: Survey Says…

Readers should definitely read the most objective sources out there and try to avoid the many “review” sites which are essentially shills for selling particular brands. One reputable consumer group, which is free, is the Consumer Search group. In their reviews of air purifiers, they list:

  • Best Air Purifier Overall: IQAir HealthPro Plus
  • Best Value: Austin Air HealthMate
  • Best For Small Rooms: Honeywell Enviracaire

This website has a ton of good info and links to the most reputable reviews, so readers should definitely use this website. The magazine Consumer Reports also has an excellent reputation for reviews; interested people would need to pay online to download their review of air purifiers, but a tiny one-month charge is nothing compared to the thousands you may spend on machines, and their advice is highly regarded.

What About Local Products?

I would love to endorse a locally made brand such as one from China’s reputable brand Yadu, but I’m simply not aware of any good research, at least available in English. If anyone has such information, please share with readers in the comments section below.

The Bottom Line: It’s All A Cost-Benefit Analysis

So here you are with all this information, and you need to decide. The biggest factors are quality and cost. Buying imported seems to be a no-brainer, at least for now. In my real-world tests, I didn’t see much difference at all between Blueair and IQAir. IQAir does have many good reviews out there but the price difference is a serious issue for many; it’s less of an issue if you plan to resell, since the resale value is high. I think the next level under these two brands are the highly regarded but less locally available models from AlenAir, Austin Air, and Honeywell. I’ve read on the Beijing blogs that some are happy with Alen Air, which has an easy website in English and ships for free from Hong Kong. (I think World Health Store just started to carry Alen Air?)

Don’t Get Ozone Ionizers

Last but not least; do not buy ozone-creating purifiers that ionize the air. This was trendy a few years ago, but there is now excellent data that ozone itself is an indoor hazard. No reputable company or reviewing magazine recommends ozone-creating ionizer machines anymore.

Air Pollution Info-junkies, Here’s Your Fix

I created a full page listing my top pollution articles here.

Take a Poll Below! What Are Your Plans For Air Purifiers?



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  • Jim

    we're running a few yadu purifiers in our home, and for those of laowai who are on limited budgets these are by far the most cost effective option (i think we paid around ~RMB700 for each purifier). they seem to work well, but I would also love to see documented results of how the yadus stack up against IQ and Blueair. Even 2 or 3 yadus would be much much cheaper than 1 IQAir…

    • Dr. Richard Saint Cyr

      Does your purifier say “HEPA” on the packages? I would also love to see some real comparisons between Yadu and other brands. Does anyone have this info, or something printed in Chinese?

  • mshark

    Can you tell me – is it okay to work out indoors at a gym on a day when the air quality outside is considered hazardous?

    Should going outside be avoided on "hazardous" days?

    Also the US embassy publishes daily readings of Beijing's air quality- I am sure you are aware.

  • Roger Underhill

    I checked out some air filters in store and noticed that many had poor fitting filters and in one case the back side where the clean air should be was covered in dust. The seal around the filter is critical to correct operation and it seemed to me on inspection that many of the local brand models I checked had design flaws or manufacturing flaws allowing some (all?) air to bypass the filter. However, I'm pretty sure with some draft excluder tape or duct tape they could work correctly assuming the filter itself is sound.

    I recommend disassembling and checking the seals thoroughly.

  • Mandarinanni

    I am planning to live in Beijing for 6 months in 2011 – but I'm really concerned about the air quality, because I had serious bronchitis problems last time I stayed there for 2 months (not to mention loosing a lot of hair, but I have no idea what caused that). Is there any way to assess the quality of the HVAC system and indoor air quality before signing a lease? Or are certain buildings known to have better air than others??
    Also, are there air quality measurement devices that are affordable enough for individuals when making decisions about apartments, gyms, schools?

    • Dr. Richard Saint Cyr

      I know that both IQAir and Blueair reps (from Torana) can do home visits and check pollution, but I’m not aware of how to do this before moving in. And I’m not sure if their machines check for VOCs or other compounds besides particulate matter…as for which places are safer, that’s tough. Both new and old places can have problems with paint and VOCs off furniture. I think in general it’s easier just to buy a top air purifier that takes care of all the bad stuff, both indoor and out.

  • Miriam

    We’ve been using two Yadu for a couple years now. We have the biggest units, two of them, for an apartment that’s about 100sqm. We simply cannot afford the cost of the IQAir. There is a HEPA filter, an activated carbon filter and simple large dust filter. As Roger Underhill notes, the Yadu, like many locally made products, have a serious problem with the seals fitting. When you look at it closely, you see that all the air will just be drawn up and around the HEPA and carbon filter instead of through them. However, this was a very easy fix. Whenever I install a new set of filters, I use weatherproofing strips all around them to seal them tightly. At times it’s so tight I can hardly get the cover back on. But this does ensure that air is going through the filters. Once when I had no weatherproofing tape, I used silver insulating tape (available for about 3 RMB a roll at any little shop that sells hardware and home repair stuff–this is the stuff used on planes and will be a fine seal if done correctly). It’s a simple matter to slit that tape and put down a new strip when you get new filters.

    We have not measured anything, so can’t tell you what the Yadu filters do. But I can tell you that whenever I’m outside, even on “blue sky days,” I can’t breathe deeply to the bottom of my lungs without a slight hitch or ache. Since getting the Yadu filters I’ve never had that problem indoors. I also have very occasional asthma that used to flare up any time I got a cold. No problem with that since getting the filters. My flatmate had problems with the “eternal winter cold” that would set in around Oct or Nov and not leave till March or April. No problem since getting the filters (as well as no more biking to work in the winter). Finally, when I used to walk outside for exercise, (which I almost never do now), I would always feel a little lightheaded and tired. Now I use an elliptical in our apartment’s air, only, and exercising actually feels good and energizing.

    • Dr. Richard Saint Cyr

      Thanks for the reply! I’m glad you’re happy with your Yadu — can you share how much it cost? I’m definitely worried about those “air leaks” you describe, even with the tape it just shouldn’t do that in the first place.

      • Gerald

        I’ve also got a Yadu, the KJF2801N (I’m guessing it’s the same one that Miriam has, it used to be the top-of-the-line model until a couple of years ago when they came out with a new massive and rather hideous-looking model). It retails for around 4500RMB but you can get it cheaper online (Taobao). This may seem expensive for a local brand, but the Yadu has much lower running costs than the ones listed here – a set of replacement filters (pre-filter, carbon, and HEPA) currently runs less than 170 RMB (last year I only paid 110 RMB for a set of replacement filters, but it seems with the recent hype about PM2.5 these filters are in short supply). Trust me, with the pollution levels in Beijing you’re looking at replacing filters every 4 months if you keep your purifier running 24/7. So these filter costs definitely do add up. It’s also how these air purifier makers make the meat of their profits (think razor blades).

        The 2801N has a lot of bells and whistles, including indicators on the LCD screen for different types of pollution and a simple remote. It also has a humidifiying function; as you know it gets really dry during the winters in Beijing, especially with the public heating cranked up so high. This is the first winter that we’ve left ours running 24/7 and the humidifying function works surprisingly well – with it on our indoor humidity level is always above 40%.

        As for effectiveness, the sealing on the filters could be better, but like Miriam mentioned this is a simple DIY fix. Though I did notice that my last set of filters were much improved in this regard, so I didn’t bother. I can’t give you actual numbers, but I will say that the filters get filthy after just a couple of months use, so it definitely is helping with the air quality. By the way, I keep the fan on the medium setting (there are 3 speed settings, plus auto).

        I’m actually thinking of getting a second unit, to put at the other end of our living room. Our living room isn’t huge by any means, but I think there’ll be better circulation/cleaning that way. I was thinking of getting a Blueair or AlenAir, but the replacement filter costs for these are quite high. I’ll probably just get another Yadu.

        One last thing – Yadu’s after-sales support is excellent. When we first got our Yadu we couldn’t figure out how a certain function worked, so we called Yadu customer service. They ended up sending a technician over the same evening, even though it was probably past his regular working hours (it was after 6:00pm when we called and he showed up around 8:00pm). The tech was very nice and patiently showed us how to use the function in question. He also had brought up a brand new unit in case ours was defective. When he left he gave me his mobile number and told me to call him if we had any more questions.

        • Dr. Richard Saint Cyr

          I agree that Yadu’s customer service is good; when our humidifiers konk out, they can drop by quickly and fix for 40RMB (plus parts). But I’m still waiting to see any data on Yadu’s effectiveness in air pollution. Does anyone have that data? Hasn’t any geek with a particle monitor checked out these machines? Yadu, if you’re listening, I’m more than willing to test your flagship models, send me an email…

          • Gerald

            I probably qualify as a geek but I cannot afford a particle monitor (unless affordable ones exist). Hopefully Yadu will take you up on your offer.

            I’m actually of the opinion that as long as the purifier uses a “real” HEPA filter, it’s much better than nothing.

  • Chris

    Hi,

    I am considering purchasing a Blueair 203 for a small bedroom but I am a bit concerned about the technology they use. And even though they describe their product as almost ozone free, I could not find any independent testing/study to confirm what Blueair website affirms.

    Also, does the purifiers stays ozone free over the years?

    I see that you use one of their purifiers, have you been able to test the ozone levels by yourself or found any relevant article/benchmark to confirm what the manufacturer says?

    thanks for the good articles and advices

    • Dr. Richard Saint Cyr

      Sorry, my machine doesn’t check for ozone. In my personal opinion, ozone is not at all needed to clean the air and I see a lot more scientific concerns than praise for machines that create ozone. HEPA is the key. I always find it counterintuitive that a machine would add a chemical that is one of the specific air pollutants we are supposed to be avoiding!

  • Bob N

    Thanks. bought a
    PHILIPS飞利浦AC4072/00空气净化器 55平方米（金属白）
    on amazon due to its being the most competitive and well reviewed HEPA purifier.
    definltely come back again. thanks again.

  • Pingback: Smog survival 101: stock up on masks and air filters! « the Qrious life

  • Eugene

    Any test results for PHILIPS air purifiers ? I spent quite some time trying to find some but all in vain… Please email me at postevg@rambler.ru if you have any. Thank you in advance!

    • http://www.myhealthbeijing.com Richard Saint Cyr MD DABFM

      Sorry, no!

    • http://www.myhealthbeijing.com Richard Saint Cyr MD DABFM

      Sorry, no!

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