Blueair Air 403 SmokeStop

Bottom line

The Blueair 403 does a good job at removing dust, pollen and other allergens from the air. It does a better job -- but is also much noisier -- at its high-speed settings. The manual controls are easy to use, but the 403 is pretty heavy, weighing 33 pounds. Filters on the Blueair 403 must be changed every six months, so while it costs less than more expensive air purifiers up front, the ongoing costs are greater.

Performance

Solid performance for dust, pollen and smoke removal, but lower CADRs. In one professional roundup, the Blueair 403 earns excellent scores for dust, pollen and smoke removal at the high setting, but just middling scores on the low-speed settings. Overall, this air purifier has four speed settings for customization of the cleaning level, based on the pollution level in the air. It offers lower clean air delivery rates (CADRs) than other Blueair models, according to research by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

Ease of use

Heavy but otherwise easy to use, with manual controls. The Blueair 403 weight about 33 pounds, so it's not ideal for moving from room to room, particularly up or down stairs. Blueair is gradually moving to all-electronic controls for its air purifiers, but the Blueair 403 still has the manual knob control. The filter indicator counts days (182 days or six months), not actual filter quality -- so it's most accurate if you actually run the unit 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

Noise

Noise is a mixed bag. Noise is the key trade-off to performance with the Blueair 403. On the high setting, it does a better job of purifying the air more quickly, but it's also too loud to be used in a room that you'll be occupying. On the other hand, the low speeds will take longer to clean the room air, but the noise levels are more bearable. One owner posting feedback to Amazon.com says, "At the low setting, you can hardly hear it. At the high setting, it is still quieter than most fans and has the wonderful benefit of purifying the air that you breathe!"

Cost of ownership

Frequent filter changes add to overall cost. Several owners posting reviews of the Blueair 403 at Amazon.com say they've owned this model for several years without a problem. Changing the filter (Est. $120) every six months is the biggest ongoing cost of ownership, which some experts see as a downside. That's because many air purifiers have long-life filters designed to last three to five years. Changing the filter much more frequently adds to the overall cost.