Air cleaner for small rooms
- Outstanding dust/pollen/smoke removal
- Permanent HEPA filter
- Low price
- Small coverage area
- Noisy on high speed
- "Permanent" filter has to be replaced eventually
- Not Energy Star-qualified
Owners and experts are generally fond of the Honeywell Enviracaire 50250-N air purifier, with two major caveats. First, this low-priced air purifier isn't meant for big rooms, and second, it's very noisy. Ed Sherbenou of Air-Purifier-Power.com, who praises the Honeywell's cleaning power, says he refuses to use it in his bedroom because of the noise. The Honeywell air purifier takes in air from all sides of its cylindrical design, expelling clean air out the top, but it doesn't pull as much air through its HEPA filter as more expensive models such as the IQAir HealthPro Plus (*Est. $900), experts say. The Honeywell's "permanent" HEPA filter should be vacuumed twice a year, but Sherbenou says it will eventually have to be replaced. The Honeywell also uses an odor-reducing carbon prefilter (*Est. $14) that should be replaced every three months. The consensus is that this model is fine for the price, but the Austin Air HealthMate (*Est. $490) is better.
The Honeywell Enviracaire 50250 series is listed among the 10 best air purifiers at Air-Purifier-Power.com, a retail site that goes into great depth about the pros and cons of various machines. It also pops up in ConsumerReports.org's comparison test of 22 room-sized air purifiers. The Enviracaire 50250-N receives many comments from owners posting to Amazon.com, but only one written review at Epinions.com.
| Honeywell 50250-S 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier | |
(652 reviews) In Stock. Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping |
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Our Sources
1. Air-Purifier-Power.com
Air-purifier expert Ed Sherbenou owns a Honeywell 50250, and it shows in this illustrated review. He says the 50250 (and now the 50250-N, which adds a permanent HEPA filter) is well sealed and has a big filter. "I have seen 18-wheelers with smaller air filters than this," he notes. But it's so loud that he doesn't use it in his bedroom.
Review: Honeywell Air Purifier: 50250, Ed Sherbenou
2. ConsumerReports.org
The Honeywell Enviracaire 50250-N is one of the 22 room air purifiers tested by ConsumerReports.org. By injecting allergens into a test room, then measuring particle removal on both high and low speeds, editors rate air purifiers for dust and smoke removal and noise level. This article refers to it as the 50250, but the accompanying photograph and estimated filter cost show that the tested model is the newer 50250-N.
Review: Air Purifiers, Editors of ConsumerReports.org, Sept. 2010
3. Amazon.com
About 300 owners post comments at Amazon.com about the Honeywell Enviracaire 50250-N (the page title says 50250, but it describes the newer 50250-N with permanent HEPA filter). Most users are very satisfied -- praising the air purifier's effectiveness at ridding odors -- but again, there are complaints about noise.
Review: Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier, Contributors to Amazon.com
4. Epinions.com
The Honeywell Enviracaire 50250-N posts an average rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 from 17 users here. However, only one full written review is posted.
Review: Honeywell 50250-N HEPA Air Purifier, Contributors to Epinions.com
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