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So I like my new Levoit, and they seem good overall. But there's something to look out for. If you find a page comparing their many different models, you might scan down, and see something like
Core 200S -- 176 sqft -- $89 -- 7 pounds
Core Mini -- 176 sqft -- $49 -- 2 pounds
and you might think the Mini is a great deal. Or you might smell a rat and dig deeper. And if you dug, you would find that Levoit is coy about the CFM/CADR of the Mini, but buried somewhere you can find a line saying it's 2 changes of air per hour for that 176 sqft. Whereas all the other models are rated at 4.8 air changes per hour. Which means the 200S is around 112 CFM but the Mini is 47 CFM. Not such a great deal.
Lesson: don't choose a purifier until you've really pinned down its CADR, in whatever units you like. "Covers a room of size X" cannot be trusted unless they also say how many air changes (ACH) that's for.
I view this as shady on Levoit's part, but then the whole market sector is a mix of good engineering and shadiness. You've got people selling basically the same thing for 2 or 3 times the price. You've got add-ons that don't work or are outright dangerous (ionization and ozone-generating UV).
I should also note that I wrote most of this based on memories of their own website. On Amazon, I see the 200S sold as "ideal for 183 sqft" in the fine print, but the headline is "up to 915 sqft" -- which only works at 1 air change per hour...
while, heh, the Amazon Core Mini page has an explicit 46 CFM for the Mini vs. 140 for the 300. So now it looks not so much disappointingly shady as just inconsistent marketing.
(Though I also note the Mini is "HEPA" and not "True HEPA". Another thing to look out for. And has an aroma dispenser which I wouldn't want.)
Core 200S -- 176 sqft -- $89 -- 7 pounds
Core Mini -- 176 sqft -- $49 -- 2 pounds
and you might think the Mini is a great deal. Or you might smell a rat and dig deeper. And if you dug, you would find that Levoit is coy about the CFM/CADR of the Mini, but buried somewhere you can find a line saying it's 2 changes of air per hour for that 176 sqft. Whereas all the other models are rated at 4.8 air changes per hour. Which means the 200S is around 112 CFM but the Mini is 47 CFM. Not such a great deal.
Lesson: don't choose a purifier until you've really pinned down its CADR, in whatever units you like. "Covers a room of size X" cannot be trusted unless they also say how many air changes (ACH) that's for.
I view this as shady on Levoit's part, but then the whole market sector is a mix of good engineering and shadiness. You've got people selling basically the same thing for 2 or 3 times the price. You've got add-ons that don't work or are outright dangerous (ionization and ozone-generating UV).
I should also note that I wrote most of this based on memories of their own website. On Amazon, I see the 200S sold as "ideal for 183 sqft" in the fine print, but the headline is "up to 915 sqft" -- which only works at 1 air change per hour...
while, heh, the Amazon Core Mini page has an explicit 46 CFM for the Mini vs. 140 for the 300. So now it looks not so much disappointingly shady as just inconsistent marketing.
(Though I also note the Mini is "HEPA" and not "True HEPA". Another thing to look out for. And has an aroma dispenser which I wouldn't want.)