BLUEAIRAir Purifier Large Room, Air Cleaner for Dust Pet Dander Smoke Mold Pollen Bacteria Allergen, Odor Removal, for Home Bedroom Living Room, Washable Pre Filter, HEPASilent, Blue 211+ (Non-Auto)

I waited six weeks to write this review so I could get a good feel for this 511i Max since it was a replacement for my Levoit 131s that randomly stopped working just short of the 3yr warranty.First, the app: Simple download and easy set-up. Setting up schedules is a snap and there’s a feature where you can turn on your location so it’ll refresh the air right before you get home (haven’t tried it yet but sounds cool).Noise: A+I used Decibel X on my phone for the best I could manage and at level 3 (the highest setting) it registered 55.2 decibels (which is halfway between “a quiet home” and “a quiet street”)Level 2 — 44 decibels (white noise level/halfway between Quiet Whisper and Quiet Home)Level 1 — 35 to 40 decibels (halfway between rustling leaves and quiet home)Night mode: 32 to 33 decibels (“rustling leaves”)Suffice to say: this air purifier is quieter than my roommate’s nails clacking on her keyboard in the office across the hall from my room with the door shut even on “High”. I sleep just fine with the schedule I have it on (auto is fine “night” mode isn’t required but drops the decibels a tiny bit more).Air Quality and Movement: in a 64 sq ft room I don’t “feel” the air moving until I put it on level 2 or 3, but it smells fresh enough that I don’t need to do that unless I want to help out my ceiling fan with circulation.I’ll try to come back and update how long it lasts but my last air purifier (not this brand) was perfectly fine until one day, nearly three years into owning it, it stopped working and gave me flashing lights.

I’m really pleased with my purchase of the Blueair purifier. Every morning I would wake up with a stuffy head and have to use my nose spray to get rid of the congestion. The very first night I went into our bedroom (after running the purifier a half a day) I noticed the air smelled fresher and clean. The next morning I woke up with NO congestion and I haven’t used my nose spray since. I was so pleased with the small unit I purchase the whole house unit. I’m sold on the results these purifiers have given us. We both breath so much better!

Initial impressions of this purifier are very positive. I'm not setup to test the actual purification abilities beyond an anecdotal indication that it seems to clear the air well. See the reviews on Smart Air (they think it works very well but is over priced), Consumer Reports (the 211 and the Classic 605 are their two highest rated units), and elsewhere. BlueAir is very well regarded in terms of actual cleaning effectiveness.For all the other features, here are some of my key decision points and useful tips:First, I bought both a 121 and 211+ - they have similar specs, except the 121 has a 400 CADR rating rather than a 350 for the 211. I was a bit surprised to realize that they appear to have identical motor and fan units - you can swap them back and forth, and they measure identical power consumption, and sound the same. This means the 121 gets the slight boost by simply being taller and holding a larger filter. More filter area would make for more efficient filtration, and a small boost in CADR rating.This isn't really a knock, it is just worth noting if you are considering both units. I would say the 211+ is the better value in this regard, the 121 is over $120 more expensive, has $20 more expensive filters, and only slightly more filtration capacity. If you need something just barely over the 211+ in filtration, only have space for one unit, and have a large open space, then the 121 makes sense. Otherwise, if you need more than the 221 provides, and you have a space that isn't just one big open room, then buy two 211+s - it is still a better value than most of the other comparable units, and two small units will filter an uneven space better than one loud one.As for noise, these are both very quiet units (same noise, because they seem to have the same fan). The background noise in my house measured at 38dB, and I measured on an iPhone running DecibelX, A-weighted, at 1 meter from the unit, horizontally, mic pointed at the unit.- Low - 39dB, just barely over the background noise. It is not obvious that the unit is even on.- Medium - 48dB, I can tell that it is on from around the room, but only if I listen for it.- High - 55dB, OK, now it is making some noise, but it is soft in tone, not rattling or whining. Still reasonable in volume, and easy to talk over. It wouldn't kill your conversation and if you sleep with a white noise machine it might actually be similar volume (our DreamEgg at mid-high volume is about this loud).Power consumption is as indicated on the package - 30W, 43W, 62W, as measured by my meter. Quite reasonable again given the ~400CFM the fan must be blowing.Small things to appreciate:- The unit is attractive and simple. It doesn't look like a weird 90's appliance with a bunch of random protuberances or shiny stickers. It is clean and Swedish, and would integrate with a lot of decor. The changeable pre-filters come with a light blue and a midnight blue, and you can buy others. Looks fine without it as well, pure white.- The overall construction is simple and sturdy - a metal box to hold the square (but flat folding) filter, and an upper box with the controller and fan unit.- Upward blowing and pulling from all sides makes for a lot of filter area - units that just pull in the side or front are going to have a lot less filter area for the same air flow - meaning more noise.- The button on the front is capacitive - touch to change between off -> low -> med -> high -> off. It is sensitive and easy to use - I change it with my toe while holding a baby.- The unit remembers the last setting if the power is removed and restored. This means you can use it with a timer or in my case, Home Assistant automation!- The LED showing the current speed dims to 10% after a few seconds - very nice - I'm usually forced to put black tape over everything I buy to dim the bright LEDs everyone uses.The unit does not include Wifi (pointless and risky), particle counters (not going to be accurate at these price points), a display (why does it need one?), or an auto mode (read the articles on Smart Air about auto modes - they are mostly useless and sometimes much worse than just setting a moderate level and letting the unit run all the time). Basically it has everything you want - quiet fan, large filter area, easy buttons, and nothing you don't want.It isn't the cheapest unit, but it isn't the most expensive either. Compared to very cheap units you get a quieter fan and a more proven filter technology from a vetted company. Compared to more expensive units you lose some (mostly useless) control features, and some options for multi-stage filtering or chemical canisters like you might see from a (8X the price) IQair. My inlaws have a Blueair Classic 605 and this unit is smaller and quieter, for only slightly less filtration capacity, at 1/3rd the price.All in all, an easy recommendation if the filtration capacity meets your space needs.

A great product for the price .. I leave ours on during the day at the low setting. As Im a bit sensitive to noise I usually turn it off when we go to bed. The cloth cover easily comes off for washing and does a pretty good job at pre filtering the dust.