Pros: high speed fan = high volume/flow; Attractive-unobtrusive; Easy to clean; replace HEPA cartridges
Cons: Noisy ; No prefilter (sponge); Not "True" HEPA filter.
Cannot kill viruses or mold.
The Bottom Line: If you suffer from chronic allegeries or any other illness, invest in a better unit like the "IQ Air" or Sharp Plasmacluster. Otherwise, this might work for you.
karimi's Full Review: Bionaire BAP825-U Air Purifier
I purchased this unit last year and so I have about 11 months of experience with it.
Reasons for purchasing this unit
=================================
I have a pet cat, so I am concerned about dander, hair, etc.
I have chronic cough and infrequent allergies.
Length of Time Used
====================
I purchased this unit in March 2004. So I have had about a year to use it.
Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR)
================================
This unit claims a Clean-Air Delivery Rate (CADR) of Dust 110, Smoke 116 and Pollen 110. I would urge members to go and google "Clean Air Delivery Rate" and learn what this means, because it is an important indicator for how effective an air cleaner will remove particles/contaminants from the air.
Room Size
=========
This unit will clean a room approximately 180 sq feet, or stated. That is about a 12' x 15' room. I was using it in a room which was much smaller, maybe around 100 sq feet.
Ergonomics/Controls
===================
The unit has 2 selector switches on the top - one switch controls the Fan Speed (I, II, III) and one controls whether the ionizer is turned ON/OFF. There is also 2 LED lights - one green showing the Fan is on, and one orange, depending if you turn on the Ionizer or not.
Method of cleaning air
=======================
When you plug this unit, and turn on the fan to any of the three speeds, it uses forced air - that is, there is a reverse fan internal to the unit, which sucks air into the grills, and behind the grills is a pre-filter, which is basically a piece of sponge, and then the HEPA filter. The "cleaned" air is circulated on the other side. There is also an ionizer on the inside - an Ionizer, in a nutshell, is a device which emits negative ions into the air. These ions attact dust particles in the air, and then drop to the ground. If anyone is familiar with the Ionic Breeze Infomercials, where someone pulls something out of the cleaner, and wipes the black stuff off the plates, that's an ionizer. If you want more technical details, you can search the internet. Basically, this unit has an internal ionizer, (you can't see it) and you can turn it on or off with one of the switches on the top.
Effectiveness
=============
This unit, in my opinon, is effective in doing what it claims to do - that is, removing Dust, Smoke and Pollen, for the given room size - that is, a medium-to-large sized room. I would suggest getting this unit if:
1) you are concerned with OCCASIONAL dust, tobbaco smoke and maybe pet dander. That is, your house is reasonably clean, and there is not much smoke around.
2) Your allergies are very mild.
I would NOT suggest getting this unit if you are concerned about:
1) Mold (it cannot remove mold spores)
2) Viruses (it cannot)
3) Pollen - it seems only reasonably effective at most.
4) You are an asthmatic or suffer from any type of COPD. (Chronic Lung Disease).
5) Noise. This unit makes a lot of noise. I can't sleep with it on, even on a fan setting of I, the lowest.
Advantages
===========
It's easy to change the HEPA filters and clean the "prefilter". Just pop up the front cover, pull out the sponge, rinse it, let it dry, and put it back on. The HEPA cartridges can be replaced - there are 2 of them, and they last about 1 year in a resonable clean house, or maybe 6mths if the air in your house is "dirty" - i.e. - smoke, etc.
Disadvantages
===============
The pre-filter is not a true prefilter - it is merely a sponge. I'm unsure how effective it would be at trapping all kinds of weird stuff floating around - it seems to catch hair, but it might let other stuff through, compared to a true pre-filter which is a fine screen and thus should be able to catch more "stuff".
It's noisy on the lowest (I) fan setting. It's very noisy on the middle (II) and high (III) settings.
The HEPA filter is not a TRUE Hepa filter. Yes, there is a difference. There are 2 types of Hepa filters:
1) True HEPA
2) "HEPA"
Please search the internet and you will discover the technical details each. In a nutshell, it depends on the size of particles caught - any manufacturer can have a "Hepa" filter, and it might trap particles as large as 25 microns in size, which is basically crap, because most particles are way below that in size, and hence a TRUE hepa filter could trap particles at only 3 microns in size, which is what 98% of the air contaminants are - ie.. mold, viruses,etc. So if you buy a cleaner with just a "Hepa" filter, what exactly is the point of filtering only 2% of the air ?
The ionizer only emits negative ions, unlike other technology which emits both positive & negative ions. Negative ions, over the long run, have a link associated with them for POSSIBLY causing cancer. Do your own research and make your own judgements. Negative ions attract to dust particles in the air, and drop to the ground, therefore, you should see black crap on the walls and ground - although I personally haven't seen them, that's probably because I dont' always operate the unit with the Ionizer turned on. With both negative positive ions (Plasmacluster technology - see below), the net result is Water (H2O), so no black crap like the stuff you wipe off the ionic breeze made by the Sharper Image.
In Conclusion
=============
If you are serious about your health, or suffer from any medical condition, it is probably better for you to get a real air cleaner like the "IQ Air" series or a Sharp "Plasmacluster". These units offer better pre-filters, better cleaning technology - through ACTIVE and passive monitoring of the air - that is, they have dust sensors and odor sensors, and they will sense how "dirty" the room and adjust cleaning. They can also remove mold and viruses from the air, which this unit cannot.
If you just have occassional dust in the house, if you are a light smoker, and have a pet, and you just want to clean the air quickly, you're not concerned about allergies and you dont' want to spend too much $$$, - then this might be
the choice for you.
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