In this post, I will be doing an in-depth review of the most recent Valkia air purifier, the PU-P02 mode. While Valkia is still a relatively new brand on the air purifier market, it does not disappoint with its most recent release. Air purifiers are almost becoming mandatory to have in our homes, due to the increasing problem of indoor air pollution. It is therefore really important you select the correct air purifier for your needs.
As usual, I am going to be taking a look at the product specifications and features first, move on to the advantages & disadvantages and finish the review with a short summary plus recommendation for this product. My end goal is to help you decide whether this Valkia air purifier is the correct choice for you or not.
Valkia Air Purifier – Features
Let’s start this review off with an overview of the important features that come with the Valkia Air Purifier. I will be adding my own comments as we go. These are the main features:
Standard 3-stage air filtration system. This is a very basic (yet solid) combination of a pre-filter, HEPA filter, and a carbon activated filter. Pre-filter captures dust and offers good protection against the largest harmful air particles. I could not find any information about the HEPA filter quality, but judging from the description I would place it under a H12 HEPA filter type, which is a decent HEPA quality tier. Carbon activated filter is pretty standard too and is used mainly for smoke and odors. All in all, this filtration system is effective at removing 99.97% of harmful air pollutants, down to 0.3 microns in size. Consequently, it is not optimal for certain viruses, bacteria, and other smallest harmful air particles.
Control panel with touch-sensitive buttons. The control panel is located on the front panel of the device. It is very simplistic, yet modern-looking with the touch-sensitive buttons. In total, you get only 4 buttons on it – on/off button, 3 different fan speeds, rapid clean mode, sleep mode, and an LED light switch. Valkia air purifier PU-P02 comes with 3 different fan speeds – low (sleep mode), normal, fast (rapid clean mode). The highest (rapid) fan speed setting produces 52 dB of noise, which is not very loud or disturbing (I wrote a separate topic on air purifiers and noise levels, which can be found here.) When these four buttons start flashing, it also means that it is time to change the filters.
Double set of filters for premium filtration. This is a pretty neat feature that Valkia Air Purifier includes. Instead of a regular single set of filters, you get two – one on the left side, and one on the right side. This offers more flexibility in terms of air cleaning, as the device can intake more air in total, from both sides.
Room coverage of up to 320 square feet. A combination of the dual-sided filtration system and a decent fan allow this air purifier to achieve a CADR rate of 106 m³/h, making it a good fit for most smaller living rooms, bedrooms, and offices… so mainly smaller rooms. It also comes with a very long 6 ft cable, making it possible to put almost anywhere in the room.
Product specifications
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Valkia Air Purifier – Pros & Cons
In this section, I am going to be taking a closer look at all of the benefits and drawbacks of this device. I will also elaborate on each one of my choices. In case you are in a hurry and just want a quick overview – check out the summary table at the end of this section.
Pros
Decent filtration system for the price. While the setup is really basic and standard for an air purifier in this range, the double filter gives it an edge vs similarly-priced competition that uses the same filtration system. This device can intake the air from both sides, giving it more air cleaning potential than it would have with only 1 set of filters. This way you can be sure that the majority of particles as small as 0.3 microns do in fact get removed.
Low noise levels. Valkia Air purifier produces only between 24 dB – 52dB (decibels) of sound. Noise level depends on the selected fan speed. At only 24 dB, the lowest noise setting makes it almost completely silent and very suitable for the bedroom. Even on highest setting, the noise is not too loud – only a few dB above the 45 dB sleeping “limit” (any noise above 45 dB has a chance to wake you up).
Sturdy, durable, and portable design. Since the cable is 6 feet long, you should have no issues putting it pretty much anywhere you want to. The device is also quite small and weighs less than 4 pounds, making it very easy to move around the house or even take with you to the office or on vacation. The bottom also comes with an anti-slip pad, which prevents you or your pet (if you have one) from easily knocking it over.
Low power consumption. At only 10 wats, this air purifier is very cost-effective when talking about power consumption. You can run it pretty much all the time and your electricity bill will barely feel a dent.
Cons
Low CADR rating. While the product description states that it can cover up to 320 square feet – i really believe this is overexaggerated a bit. This is because the company list CADR rating in m3/hr, which is fine, but most comparisons are done in CFM (cubic feet per minute). if we take the 110 m3/hr and convert it into cfm (cubic feet per minute) we only get around 65 cfm – and this is quite a low number. Definitely not amazingly effective at 320 square feet. Seems like the fan power is too weak to move a lot of air.
Expensive and frequent filter replacement. I already mentioned how great it was that this air purifier comes with two sets of filters. Unfortunately, this is also a downside as it means you need to replace twice as many filters as you would normally. The filters themselves are not very durable and need to be replaced every 3-6 months. If your indoor air is dirtier, or if you run it most of the day – expect the filters to run out quite fast. They are also on the more expensive side (around $25) as you need to always get a set of two.
Lack of smart functions. While the control panel is very stylish and modern-looking, it offers very little in terms of customization and automatization. There is a lack of smart functions like an automatic mode, eco mode, built-in air quality sensor…features that some air purifiers of this range have. All you basically get is a fan speed setting and a LED light switch, even no timer option.
Here is a short summary of this section.
Valkia Air Purifier – Conclusion
After taking everything into consideration, I can without a doubt say that Valkia Air purifier PU-P02 is a good investment to make. Despite its downsides, it is a very solid pick for a budget air purifier – as long as you manage your expectations.
While the filtration system is not impressive in itself, it does come in twos, making it more reliable than other purifiers that use only 1 set. Unfortunately, the fan power is just not strong enough for me to believe that it actually can effectively cover up to 320 square feet. That being said, it is a great choice for smaller rooms and will have no issues effectively cleaning your air.
Although subjective, I think the design is very beautiful, looks modern, and can fit pretty much anywhere. It is also quite small and very light, so you can move it around with ease and take with you even on vacation. The extra-long cable and sticky anti-slip pad on the bottom side are two features that I have not yet seen in any air purifier of this price point. This can be especially great if you have small kids or pets, as the anti-slip pad will protect your air purifier from easily falling over and possibly damaging itself in the process.
If you are someone that likes to have many smart features and adjustable settings in their devices…then this air purifier is probably not the right choice for you. It comes with a very basic control panel and has no other settings apart from the fan speeds (turbo mode, night mode) and turning on/off the LED light. This is an air purifier that was designed with performance first, functionality & convenience second. This is understandable, as the low price makes it an entry level-air purifier.
That being said, the Valkia Air Purifier is a good fit for anyone who:
- is looking for a good budget-air purifier under $100
- values air-cleaning performance first
- is looking for mostly a small room air purifier
- is not bothered by the lack of smart features
- has a pet/small children (anti-slip pad is a miracle here).
Ideally, you want to check off most of these bullet points.
Current price and availability:
And with this, we have reached the end of my Valkia air purifier (model PU-P02) review. I hope you found some useful information that helped you decide if this air purifier is a good fit for your needs.
