Fellowes Allergy UK Approved AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier with True HEPA Filter, White

I own both the 'Fellowes AeraMax DX55' (hereinafter - DX55) and the over half as costly - 'Puremate Hepa Air Filter' (Puremate), and since no one else has written a review to date, comparing what appear to be Amazon's two most popular air purifiers, it's time to compare them both for you. The DX55, after all, is significantly more expensive to buy than the Puremate. But I wanted to know, before buying it, was it really worth the extra? In short, the answer is that I'll be keeping mine without any question and here's why:Indeed, if you can afford it, there's no need to read any further, the DX55, despite coming with no remote control, is definitely better than the Puremate. Its quieter in operation, we've found that it chills the room less (a bonus in cooler months) in its default auto mode; it has British Allergy Association seal of Approval (which the Puremate currently doesn't); and my wife swears that when we were sleeping in a room with the Puremate running on its default settings, she always woke up with a blocked nose and dry mouth. No such problems with the DX55!The fact too is that the DX55's a lot better at *effectively* clearing smoke - as it not only has a Hepa filter *and* a Charcoal based filter, but it also features inbuilt sensors which aren't a gimmick and do indeed detect air quality, before adjusting air speed (when necessary) for optimal clearance. The Puremate, by contrast, works solely on a Hepa filter and therefore is less ideal at clearing smoke from the air. Truth is the Puremate will *appear* to clear smoke from an average sized room in about 10-15 minutes, however the fact that it has no Charcoal based filter means that it will just *not* be as effective at clearing the very smallest smoke molecules (and arguably the most dangerous to human health) PAH's, the PCB's etc., - from the air. I would think, yet stand corrected if wrong of course, that that was one of the reasons why the British Allergy Foundation did not award an approved status to the Puremate.The Puremate does, however, have some comparative pluses to take into consideration - its far lower cost - being the most obvious, but also as it requires only one change of filter - as opposed to the DX55's two different filters, means its running costs long term, I know will be lower. Nevertheless, please just remember that that second filter is definitely 'there' for a very good reason... Also, the Puremate has its own, ostensively advantageous, and 'mini sized', remote control - which the DX55 lacks. So you, in theory at least, could change it from your seat. The reality, we've found, was that we ended up spending more time just looking for its diminutive remote control, so we most usually ended up simply controlling its operation from the unit itself. YMMV of course... For bedroom usage the Puremate does not illuminate the room as much as the blue lights of the DX55. But we just apply some black gaffer tape, to the DX55's blue lights, for night-time usage. Not an ideal solution, of course, but one that works! However, and in all fairness, Fellowes really ought to have considered allowing users the opportunity to turn off, at least temporarily, the DX55's lights for all night usage. Let's just hope they read this and take heed for their next generation of purifiers! One other way in which the Puremate pips the DX55 is that it has a timer function, which is admittedly basic, and rather limited in scope as it can't be set, e.g., for a whole week's worth of varying days in advance. Nonetheless, even a basic timer is something the costlier DX55 lacks and, quite frankly, ought to have... Lastly, the Puremate might actually be more useful in the few warmer months we have in England, at cooling the room at its default setting - which is definitely breezier than the DX55 is at its default. But then again, the opposite is of course true in wintry months. And surely a higher default fan speed means the Puremate's long term electrical running costs ought to be comparably somewhat greater? Hmmm.A system of lights warn you of the air quality in the room, which are not present on the Puremate. So you just have to trust that the latter is measuring air quality correctly. Not that I had any reason to believe it wasn't. Just that the DX55 has, IMO, one more, and frankly excellent way, of showing users that it is working correctly.Then there are the respective warranties to compare. Some have already reported here, that Fellowes have excellent customer service, and I have no reason to doubt that. Nonetheless, the DX55 now comes with three years 'parts and labour' warranty - that is, if the warranty that comes with mine is to be believed. I do nonetheless believe that earlier sold units may have shipped with a shorter warranty. Whereas the warranty which currently accompanies the Puremate is only of one year's duration. Which is another reason to pay the extra for the greater peace of mind!From our experience it's definitely worth spending the greater sum on the DX55, and all the more so if you can stretch to buy it, particularly if ultimate air quality is what you're seeking. I was sceptical at first, whether it would be worth over double the cost of the equally popular Puremate, but in this reviewer's considered opinion, I have to confess now, that it most certainly is.- - -Lastly, as ever, I will continue to monitor both units for any signs of trouble and report back here of my experiences. But if this review is unchanged, you can confidently take it, that there are no changes in my very positive experiences with the DX55 and the (in all honestly) less impressive Puremate. Should you have any questions about either then please ask me below. Thank you for reading.

We have had this air purifier for almost three years. With two days to go until the guarantee runs out, the on/off switch has failed, making a crackling noise when switched on. We have tried to contact Fellowes UK customer service for help, but have only got an answering machine so far (Covid-19 is in full swing as I write this, so that may well explain it). When in use, the machine has worked extremely well, clearing the air and making a noticeable improvement for the hay-fever sufferer in the household. It is very noisy when initially switching on in a room, but becomes whisper quiet after the clearing job has been accomplished. We have usually set it running in the bedroom several hours before going to bed and then removed it when we actually go to bed for the night. As mentioned in other people's comments, the blue lights on the control panel are so bright that it is impossible to sleep with it switched on in the same room. A dimmer switch would have been so useful. The filters are expensive, and require regular changing to maintain the guarantee and to keep the purifier effective; we have found that they do their job very efficiently. During the hay-fever season it is easy to tell if we have forgotten to use the purifier in the bedroom by the quick return of symptoms during the night or early the next morning. On balance, this could be a fantastic machine, albeit expensive, if only the engineering of the on/off switch was sorted out. It is clearly a well-known problem, customers have been reporting it since 2015.

This is a true hepa filter and has worked wonders for my sons' respiratory problems, it works very quickly and is relatively quiet so you can have it on when you are sleeping.Ok so why not a 5 star review, basically I got my first on in May 2015 and in Novemeber 2018 it packed up, so it worked for 3 and half years considering that you have to buy a Hepa filter each year at approx £35 and the carbon sheets approx £25 for 4 which last for a year it does work out a bit pricey. Maybe I am being a bit mean but it died on me just before Christmas which is an expensive time as it is.This isn't the cheapest but because it is so good and I know that it works and I have ordered another one.One thing to remember is that this is a bit like a fan that it does have cold air because obviously hot air multiplesspores and bacteria but be mindful when using in winter, the best thing to do would be put it on and in the room that you want so it can clear the air and then switch it off and go back into the room once it is a bit warmer.I do like how you can make it go faster which really clears all the dust in a record time and when you are shaking the bedsheets and blankets etc I have my filter on max and then shook everything in front of it so it could catch all of the dust and particles, because however much you clean it is impossible to get all pollutants out of a room, they just go from one place to another place.It also has a function when there is something more serious in the air that it automatically increases the filter pressure and the blue light turns red, this was extremely good for me as soon as my son started coughing the light would change to red so I knew that something was in the air which was making my son cough and his coughing would stop in less than a minute.It is a very good product and does make a difference but if it was a tad cheaper or if it had lasted for 5 years then I would have given it 5 stars.I would give it 3 and half stars if I could.