Alen BreatheSmart Classic Large Room Air Purifier with H13 True HEPA Filter - Covers 1100 Sqft, 99.99% Removal of Allergens, Dust, Smoke & VOCs - Medical Grade Air Filtration System in Weathered Gray - Ideal for Home, Office and Allergy Relief

I reserve 5-star reviews for products that significantly surpass my realistic and context-specific expectations - to wit, this product isn't perfect and may not be similarly effective for everyone, but meets my criteria for 5-stars.I use this BreatheSmart Classic 1100sqft purifier with the mold-specific filter - I have owned and used this product for six months at the time of this review.GENERAL OBSERVATIONS:- The unit was eerily simple to set up. The front panel snaps onto the main body via magnets - you just have to approximate the magnets and it aligns itself into place. I have not noticed any off-putting (or any, really) smell in the unit or filter at any time during setup or operation.- We've run this filter almost non-stop for six months in our high-allergen home (an old, damp farmhouse with pervasive spring-fall mold growth, two cats and a dog, lots of dust/pollen, where the HVAC system is windows and a wood stove) on the automatic setting, only vacuuming the filter twice so far, without any noticeable change in efficacy and the filter light (which changes color when it is time to buy a new one and again when it is time to change the filter) has not yet changed.- The automatic setting has worked very well for us so far. The fan speed (as well as the detector light) changes in predictable ways - increasing when we light fires in the wood stove and smoke escapes, when we are doing heavy cooking, or during vacuuming/dusting. Typically it goes to the lowest setting at night and the detector light corresponds appropriately (turning blue during times of low activity, turning red during times of obvious particulate contamination).- We greatly appreciate the nighttime feature that allows you to turn the units lights off while it is still running.- The until is surprisingly lightweight and easy to move. There's a handle pocket in the top of the unit and I am able to carry it up and down steps and from room to room with relative ease for something that size.EFFICACY: I have allergy-induced reactive airway disease that ranges from mild-to severe depending on exposure and is particularly sensitive to mold and strong chemicals/fragrances. With prolonged exposure, my symptoms can become cumulative and I begin reacting to things I normally wouldn't, like cooking smells.The first spring-fall in our damp house was almost unlivable, I was using multiple inhalers and oral medications and frequently waking up gasping and needing to use my rescue inhaler during the night. Many nights I went entirely without sleep.The second year we scrubbed the inside of our home from ceilings to floors, with every cupboard, shelf, and cabinet in between (bleach and ammonia are out because they exacerbate the RAD - we had good luck with vinegar on unfinished wood as well as the product Micro Balance EC3 Mold Solution Concentrate on that and all other surfaces). This brought a ~15-20% reduction in symptoms.A couple months later we added two dehumidifier/AC floor-window units which helped significantly, but were loud, took up a good bit of space in our ~1000 sqft home, and tripled our electric bill (which was already quite small starting out with, but still). I still needed frequent anti-histamines which left me drowsy, cranky, and foggy-headed but was able to stop the daily maintenance inhaler and only occasionally needed to use my rescue inhaler. I also was still waking up unable to breathe from my nose, usually with a headache, and used a 3M respirator to do any house-cleaning to avoid an exacerbation.After ample research, we purchased the BreatheSmart and immediately put it to use. While spring-fall is the worst season for my particular allergies, the "off" months have still been challenging, just less so. We received the unit in November during a notably mild but wet winter, when the humidifier/ac units were off. I was still experiencing the morning stuffy nose, frequent headache, anti-histamine and inhaler use ~3-4 times/week, and needing to use a respirator to clean.I noticed improvement in the morning symptoms after the first night of having the unit in our room. Over the last six months, I now use anti-histamine or prescription oral asthma medication on average 2 times/month. I've used my rescue inhaler (while at home) twice. And I no longer require a mask to clean (though in some rooms working underneath or behind furniture I occasionally feel a mild attack - but these have not progressed to the chronic, unrelenting reactivity of years past). I have noticed a significant improvement in sleep, I wake up able to breathe out of my nose, and my number of headaches has substantially decreased.After a week out of town with the purifier turned off, we arrived home and within minutes of moving some items around in the living room, which is also the dampest part of the house, my old symptoms began returning with a vengeance. I moved the filter to the room and returned about 90 minutes later. I was able to stay and work in the room (after only using the rescue inhaler once) for several hours without exacerbation or recurrence of symptoms - until all symptomatic discomfort completely resolved.An unexpected benefit is that the cooking smells that used to filter up our small home's steps and lodge for hours in our bedroom have now virtually vanished. My clothes no longer smell like burned popcorn and cooking meat.COST/EFFICIENCY: The purchase price of the unit stung a little...but we'd done quite a bit of research, made price and rating comparisons among numerous products, and when you get into more validated and rigorous sources of consumer reviews this appeared consistently better rated than many far more expensive and popularly advertised products.- We've estimated the until utilizes roughly 100 kilowatt hours per month - this equates to an ~$7-10/month increase in our monthly electric bill. To put it in perspective, I could run this unit for almost a week before it cost as much as turning on the baseboard heater in our <50sqft bathroom for one hour. Our two 500sqft dehumidifier/ac floor-window units running concurrently (which we relied on previously with less effective results for 6-8 months of the year) up our monthly bill by $100-120/month.OPTIONAL IONIZER: The jury is still out on this one - I know I would not have purchased this model if the Ionizer feature wasn't optional (can turn on or off). Despite claims (as most air purifier products do) that it meets regulations limiting ozone emission to less than 0.05ppm, there's still spotty evidence suggesting the possibility that even ozone at this concentration level could have negative health impacts on humans. That said, I have used the feature a few times for brief periods when we were not home or in a room no people or animals were in to see if it made a noticeable difference. We have never been able to detect a difference in operation or efficacy of the unit when the ionizer is running vs not. So we opt for not. Like I said, evidence is equivocal - we'd rather err on the side of caution, but this comes down to personal preference. I encourage any potential purchaser or owner of any air filter with this feature to do their own research (via objective research such as that found on google scholar over that found on company websites).NOISE: For the truly hypersensitive, it could be problematic. I would characterize the noise level at highest speed on par with a commercial white-noise machine or small fan. We usually keep the unit in our bedroom and I've found it quite helpful at night because it buffers the noises of my husband's snoring and teeth grinding that used to wake me up several times a week (an unexpected bonus); I've actually missed it on the few nights it was in a different room or turned off. Compared to the dehumidifier/ac unit, it's a whisper. I'm not a particularly heavy sleeper and may have woken up once or twice in the first week of owning the unit when it switched from a lower to higher fan speed during the night, but that's it. At low speed, sound is minimal - during a particularly drizzly day (not a storm) I actually had to check that it was still on because the sound of the rain was louder.BOTTOM LINE: This unit by itself brought more measurable relief, and much more rapidly, than our powerhouse dehumidifier/ac units. As this wet spring progresses, we will see if we will need to add the dehumidifier/ac units into the mix as well for more complete mold prevention (we probably will, just in case), but the point remains that this purifier was a very worthwhile purchase that has significantly improved my quality of life. There isn't any expectation point (at this time) in which it has fallen short and has, in fact, surpassed nearly all my expectations. I would buy this product again and recommend without hesitation to anyone with similar issues and pricepoint.I will start by saying this air purifier made such a difference in my asthma/ allergies that I purchased a second unit 2 days after I bought the first.VOLUMEMy husband HATES white noise, so I was concerned about this being too loud. I check the decibel ratings on all new appliances because it makes such a difference to him. This does not bother him on auto during the daytime, and works for him in our bedroom at night if he set the unit to level 2 so it does not keep changing speeds.EFFECTIVEMy kids have even commented on how the air "smells cleaner". We aren't fighting odors, so I did purchased the base level HEPA filter model. However, we have a lot of dust and dander from our 2 big dogs and 3 cats. I actually never realized just how much until we started running this. I like how the unit clearly shows on top when there are more particulates in the air, and adjusts itself accordingly.We have a VERY open floorplan in the living room, kitchen, and great room, then our 2600 sq ft house is shaped like a U leading to the bedrooms and laundry. One 1100 sq ft unit was obviously not enough to do the entire house with all of our pets. Two units are making a substantial difference, though hardly ever on "blue" that shows fully clean, by having one on each side of the house.When I say substantial, I mean I am no longer having to take my allergy medicine every day and am not waking up having to blow my nose every morning. My allergies are to poor air quality, not specifically any one thing, and this has done the trick!QUALITYWow! I have to say that from just opening the packaging, you can tell this unit was made with quality in mind. I HATE assembling new products, and I am the person that reads ALL of the directions, much to my husband and son's amusement. This was so well packages, the directions were so simple and well-written, and it was the easiest to assemble product I have ever purchased. So much so, that I actually looked forward to putting together the second one when it arrived.SIZE/ APPEARANCEThis unit is much larger than I expected. I thought I would be able to put it in an unobtrusive spot by our fireplace, but it is much too large for that. That being said, the white has a sleek appearance and the effectiveness of the unit is worth the space it takes up.WEIGHTThe design is nice and simple and the unit was light enough (about 15 pounds) that I could easily carry it to and from my bedroom each morning and night. The bulky size made it awkward, but not undoable had one unit been enough to keep up with my house full of pets.CONSPrice, price, price.... We invested over $1000 just pruchasing the 2 units and the filters are expensive to replace. In my household full of furry critters, filters will probably need to be replaced much more often than the manufacturer states. They are however, like everything else about this unit, of very high quality and quite thick. Pricing for the replacement filters appears to be $80-$110, but I haven't shopped around for them yet.RECOMMENDED?YES!!!! I actually will probably end up buying a third one because I am so happy with this purchase and would recommend it to anyone with sensitivity to air quality.After a lot of research - I was excited for this item to arrive. I unpacked it, set it up and plugged it in. I was immediately disappointed. THE SMELL OF CHEMICALS WAS HORRIBLE AND WOULD NOT GO AWAY. It gave both my wife and I a terrible headache. Thinking it might be temporary I put the unit in a spare room in the basement and let it run. The smell did not go away. I determined the issue was likely with the filter. I had read about this problem so called Alen. I FOUND OUT ALEN DOES NOT SUPPORT UNITS SOLD IN CANADA. As always Amazon was helpful. Although they would not replace just the filter only the entire unit which they sent over right away. BUT THE REPLACEMENT HAD THE SAME CHEMICAL SMELL. I even ordered a separate filter - which was not as bad but still smelt like burnt plastic and chemicals. BOTTOM LINE IS ALEN IS USING SOME PRETTY NASTY SMELLING, HEADACHE INDUCING CHEMICALS IN THEIR FILTERS AND THEIR SUPPORT TO CANADIAN CUSTOMERS IS NON EXISTENT.We ordered the Alen BreathSmart large unit with Hepa Pure filter since April 2020. Recently, it has been making a humming noise that is very hard to deal with as it used to be extremely quite on first speed and now it makes this noise that is unbearable. We wrote to the company and learned that they don’t service in Canada. We purchased the item on Amazon.ca $1,301.98 as well as two other filter next size down and those two smaller ones are working fine but the large one seems to be defective.Nous avons acheté cette machine en avril 2020 et avons été très heureux au début de notre achat. Tout fonctionnait bien et la machine ne fait presque pas de bruit. Néanmoins, depuis une semaine, nous avons dû arrêter l’usage et mettre la machine de côté car elle commençait à ronronner très bizarrement. Nous l’avons fermé et redémarré et elle continuait son ronronnement alors qu’elle est très silencieuse normalement. Cette machine nous a coûté environ 1300,00$ CAD en avril 2020 et c’est anormal qu’elle soit devenue défectueuse après seulement 8 mois d’usage, dans un condo neuf où il y a peu de poussière. Nous avons contacté la compagnie/le fabricant et le service Chat en ligne nous a informé que la compagnie n’a pas de service après vente au Canada. Nous sommes très déçu de ne plus pouvoir utiliser notre machine et avons pourtant payé pour la meilleure qualité sur le marché selon le magazine Forbes.This is an expensive item and i was a little taken aback that the box was so badly battered. Then to make matters even stranger, the item came without a manual. Im hoping it keeps working without issue.We bought this 2 summers ago when the forest fires were smoking everyone out, it has been running in my home, cleaning the air ever since.Much better than the low value small air purifier