Air pollution is an increasing concern in the modern world, affecting more people with every passing year. To combat that, home labs recently came out with a sleek, affordable, and effective air purifier that cleans the air using filters. The device works by sucking the air inside of it, where it goes through a filtration system to clean it. After filtration, the device releases clean air into the room.
As usual, we are first going to take a look at the features of the device, move on to the pros & cons, and finally finish with some final words/conclusions.
hOmelabs Air Purifier – features
Compact and stylish design – with dimensions of 7.87 x 7.87 x 12.8 inches and a weight of 6.85 pounds, the homelabs air purifier meets all the requirements of a small and portable device. It is compact enough to be put anywhere in your home or office setting and can be taken with you everywhere you go. You can also easily move it around the room or from room to room.
Three filtration stages – the device cleans the air using three different layers. First, you have the pre-filter, the first line of defense that captures only the biggest particles. The air goes through True HEPA H13 Filter next, which removes smaller particles (up to 0.1 microns in diameter). Lastly, there is an activated carbon filter, which is used for absorbing gas and odors.
Adjustable LED light – one of the cosmetic features that allow you to change the brightness of the device. If you are a big fan of lights or can’t stand them, this device has you covered. Several brightness levels make it possible to suit all of your needs.
Low noise levels – the device operates under 50 decibels, which is generally not very noticeable. To give you a comparison – 30dB (decibels) is the equivalent of whispering nearby, 40dB = quiet library sounds and 50dB = refrigerator. We wrote more on air purifiers and noise here.
Pros and cons
hOmeLabs Air Purifier comes with its own set of pros and cons, which we are going to list and explain. These are:
Pros
Very effective air cleaning – as we already mentioned, the device uses HEPA H13 filters. This is the highest tier and is considered medical grade. In other words, it is VERY effective. The pre-filter is always a nice addition because it captures large particles first. This is important since this way you put less strain on the HEPA filter and less strain=longer lifespan. The activated carbon filter is there to capture odors and gas before clean air is released back into the room.
The adjustable fan speed and LED levels – we like the fact that you can adjust the fan speed. There are 3 levels of speed that you can choose from. This comes in handy especially if you have the device next to you at night and you are a light sleeper. The low fan speed allows you to enjoy uninterrupted sleep as it emits less noise than a higher fan speed. You can also set the LED levels according to your liking.
Size – because the device is so compact it is very convenient You can put it pretty much anywhere and it is light enough to take with you in case you go traveling somewhere. This flexibility gives it an edge versus larger and heavier units at the same price point.
Budget-friendly – this is a very affordable air purifier that will not break your bank. While it is considered an entry-level air purifier, you are getting a really effective one considering the cost. Definitely above average among other air purifiers at this price point.
Cons
Limited cleaning range. the size of the device and its fan limit the range of its effectiveness. It can effectively clean spaces up to 57.5 square feet, which is honestly not that big. Then there is also the issue of adjustable fan speed. Lower fan speed translates into lower effectiveness as the air is not pushed as far. At the highest fan speed the air circulates up to four times, which you can expect to decrease as you lower the fan speed. So why would you then even want to lower the fan speed? Because of the next bullet point – noise.
Noise. even tho the device lists 40 dB as the upper noise level, quite a few users report higher noise levels. After some time, it is possible for the noise to increase. This might not be an issue to some, but others found it not so tolerable. If the noise becomes too loud you can always lower the fan setting, but sacrifice some effectiveness in the process.
Not the strongest activated carbon filters. As we stated above, an activated carbon filter has a very specific role – to remove gas and odors. In the case of hOmeLabs Air Purifier, it seems that this filter is not the most effective one. While users do report an improvement, many notice that odors still remained (despite running the device at max fan speed). This seems to be especially tied to cigarette smoke. If very strong odors are not an issue in your household, then you have nothing to worry about.
Pros & Cons
- Very effective air cleaning
- Adjustable settings
- Flexible due to small size
- Budget-friendly
- Limited cleaning range
- Activated carbon filter could be better
- Can be a bit noisy
hOmelabs Air Purifier – conclusion
Despite its small size and simplicity, hOmelabs came out with an air purifier that is quite a small powerhouse. It has its own niche use where it excels.
HEPA 13 filters make it VERY effective at cleaning the air and a simple, yet useful interface gives you all the settings you need in order to fit your needs. If you find the LED light to be too much or the sound a bit too loud – change it with a simple press of a button. Generally, this device is quiet enough to not disturb you during your daily activities. At night you can lower the fan speed a bit and still enjoy a good night’s rest, while your air purifier cleans the air around you. The filter change is a “necessary evil” that comes with all air purifiers that use filters, so it is unavoidable. We would maybe like to see a little bit of a longer lifespan of the filters, but 2100 is still a solid number.
Taking all of this into account, we strongly recommended that you use this device for rooms that are actually no more than 80 square feet, as suggested by the manufacturer. One unit will have a challenging time covering anything over that, especially if you do not keep it on the maximum setting all the time. For bigger spaces and offices we recommend using something a little bit more powerful or at least more than 1 unit. However, for smaller, single rooms this product is excellent and we definitely recommend it, especially with its affordable price point.
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