roguefan's Full Review: Friedrich C-90B Air Purifier
I got two units for my apartment after reviewing several consumer websites, Consumer Reports, and reviewing government sites. I had them for less than a month...thank goodness Sylvane, Inc., was good about taking them back.
I honestly gave them a chance. I sent one unit back thinking that it was a fluke, the other started misbehaving within a week, and the replacement sounded like it was going to fall apart straight out of the box. Three out of three units had the same problem...hello, McFly? McFly...
Here's the problem: the units, when on high, make a lot of noise. I'm intelligent, so I expect that when a fan is on high, it'll make a lot of WHITE noise. This wasn't white noise, though...it was the sound of the fan hitting the housing inside the unit. It wasn't the "snapping" noise of the electrostatic plates collecting particles, either. That was an entirely different sound.
When I returned them, I told Sylvane that I was not confident that, if I left them on high, that the unit would last long. How much of that fan hitting its housing would it take to burn out a motor? I also explained that, at $450 each, there shouldn't be problems like that.
Additionally, even though it's reported that the units put off well under the EPA's threshold for indoor ozone, there is a distinctive odor of ozone that emanates from the unit. It probably is below the threshold, but...how much poison is OK with you to put in your lungs?
Finally, the corona wires got very dirty very quickly when I was using the units. Crusty white dust accumulated on the wires, lowering their ability to remove particulates from the air. In two weeks of having the units, I washed one's plates in the dishwasher three times.
One of the features that the company touts about the units is that they are cheaper due to its lack of HEPA filters that need to be changed. Instead, there are two filters, a "prefilter" and a carbon filter. Both are very thin, and both seem very cheap. The prefilter can be vacuumed clean. The other is supposed to last three to six months or until it stops removing odors. But, if you need a replacement...a prefilter is $20 from the Friedrich site and the carbon is $19.95. These are both so thin as to be able to be seen through...certainly not worth those costs.
Count $19.95+shipping every three months plus a weekly dish-washing (has to be alone in the dishwasher, too...) and your "savings" evaporate.
Stick with the tried and true HEPA filters appropriate for the size of room you're trying to get clean.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 450 each Battery Life: N/A Noise Level: An intolerable racket
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
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