Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I owned this unit for about 3 months before returning it.
Despite it is called a HEPA air purifier, it is not. HEPA is strictly defined as a filter which has a >99.97% capture rate of 0.3 micrometer particle. This model has an advertised capture rate of 98 or 99%. Although I have also seen a few websites quoting it has a 99.97% capture rate, I doubt it. That being said, a 99% capture rate is not much different than 99.97% for most households. The poor air seal is a much bigger concern. The holder for the IFD filter does not seal tightly to the IFD filter, and therefore air will pass around the filter. This purifier actually belong to the ionizing purifier family, not the tradition HEPA filter purifier family.
Mind you, it works fine and it is fairly easy to use and clean. It is also relatively quiet. My reason for returning it is that it produces ozone and other oxidants as by-products, which is true for all ionizing purifiers. The emission ozone level is under the 50 ppb voluntary guideline, but I simply did not enjoy the idea of a purifier that purifies and pollutes at the same time. This is especially true for me because I had asthma and currently I have an abnormal heartbeat pattern. It is not a threatening health situation nor serious, but I want to be on the safe side.
Nevertheless, Kaz support team was nice and advised me to return it to where I bought it. I was able to return it back to Home Depot without any trouble. Consequently I was really grateful and bought another Kaz made purifier from Home Depot in the same day. It is the Honeywell 50250 Honeywell 50250N 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier. I researched a lot before getting the 50250N.
I am convinced that Honeywell 50250N is a better purifier than Honeywell HFD-130. First, 50250N is a true HEPA with higher particle capture rate. Second, 50250N has a greater purification speed at 250 CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rating), whereas the HFD-130 has only 140 CADR. The real CADR for this unit is confusing as well. Many commercial websites claim it has a 130-140 CADR, but according to the AHAM website and Kaz's website, it only has ~110 CADR. Given that the CADR measurement is certified by AHAM. I am leaning toward believing the lower number. Third, 50250N produces no by-product gas. Fourth, 50250N is sold at lower price than HFD-130. On the other hand, HFD-130 has one major advantage over 50250. It is much quieter. For the reviewers who complain about the noise level of this unit, don't even think about a HEPA air purifier. The noise level of HFD-130 at its highest fan speed is similar to the noise level of 50250N at its lowest fan speed, if not queiter. HFD-130 is also more stylish than 50250N. The permanent IFD filter on HFD-130 seems more robust than the Lifetime HEPA filter on 50250. HFD-130 uses much less electricity than 50250N (60W versus 170W at full speed), but I do not consider that as a 3 fold advantage since HFD-130 has half the purification power of 50250N.
HFD-130 is still a good unit and it certainly works. I have seen dust particles collected on the pre-filter and the discharged collector plate. Smaller particles are collected inside the IFD filter. When I dipped the IFD filter into water to clean, the water changed its color to light gray. It is not difficult to clean the filter. It is more difficult to wait for it to dry out before putting it back to the purifier. It takes at least 4 hours to air dry it. Some complain that they see dust collected around the exhaust of this purifier, and I have too, which means these dust particles are not trapped inside the filter, but that does not mean the purifier is not working. It is just working differently than you may have expected. This purifier is not designed to capture large visible particles, rather the small invisible ones. For this units, ions are generated by electrical discharge and the ions attach to nearby airborne particles. For the larger particles, they will aggregate and fall due to their weight, and that is why dusts are collected at the collector plate. Some however will fall around the purifier including the exhaust. These large particles are removed from the air. They are simply not trapped inside the filter. This, however, is not the main purification mechanism. The main purification is that ions attach to small airborne particles and these charged particles drift to the charged IFD filter. The larger particles cannot be trapped by IFD because of their momentum. Keep in mind that allergy is caused by the smaller invisible particles. If you want a purifier which can trap large visible particles efficiently, then this is not your unit.
As mentioned, particles are also collected at the discharged plate, but there is no easy way to clean it and the instruction manual does not state it need to be cleaned. I believe it is probably a safety decision since this is the high voltage part and Kaz probably does not want people getting shocked. However, the air purifying ability will decreases when the dust grow thicker on the discharge plate. You CAN actually clean it. Here is my advice if you want to clean it. Of course, unplug the unit and wait for a moment. Then get a cotton Q-tip and tie/tape it to a small wood or plastic rod, something like chopstick maybe even thinner. Now, you should able to reach in and clean the plate. An insulator handler like a wood or plastic rod is preferred. For those who I have just scared regarding the ozone comment, I have some advices short of returning the product. Ozone is reactive which means it can irritate your throat and respiratory system at high concentration. On the other hand, it does not stay in the air for long because it is reactive. As long as you do not place the HFD-130 next to you head while sleeping the ozone should not be a concern. If you suffer from asthma or serious allergy, then an ionizer purifier should not be your first choice. An ionizer does not always irritates people who suffers from asthma and allergy; rather, it is a possibility. Thus, even if you have asthma, as long as you do not feel anything unusual, then you probably do not have to return it.
**Update: I read a bit more careful on several websites which claims HFD-130 has a 99.97% purification ability. They actually states it has up to 99.97% removal rate. That means it can remove 99.97% at its best. The real definition of HEPA is at least 99.97% removal rate for particle of size 0.3 micrometer. This is a world of difference between "at least" and "at most".
**Update: Also I looked into AHAM more carefully. I believe here is the source of confusion for the CADR value. HFD-130 had a 140 dust CADR on Apr 2006, but it has been downrated to a 100 dust CADR on Jan 2007.
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