Bionaire BAP1412-U PERMAtech Mini Tower Air Cleaner

Virtually identical air cleaners are sold through both Bionaire and Holmes brands. The smallest units are of either mini-tower or tabletop design. Both cover about the same area, 80 square feet, but the mini-tower is a little quieter and diffuses the airflow better, while the tabletop design produces an obvious blow of air. Most rooms will need two or three units, unless you need to clean only the air closest to the cleaner, such as a seating area. All HEPA air cleaners are essentially the same—a HEPA filter and a fan motor, and possibly an ionizer. It is more effective and less expensive to use multiple small room cleaners than bigger ones costing several hundred dollars. Every other brand I have look at uses much more expensive HEPA filters. The only difference between HEPA filters is the physical size, which determines how much air can be blown through it.I have used multiple units for decades. The biggest problem is with the tabletop: the filter can easily be cocked, compromising its filtering ability, and the filter is very hard to install. Also the pre-filter holder eventually weakens so that it cannot be held in place (I inserted two screws at each end to hold it in place). Plus, this machine collects more dust inside, requiring more frequent disassembly for cleaning. The white plastic model turns yellow with age. The mini-tower does not have these problems, although both use the same filters and motors. Honeywell originally designed the blower motors, and this product is designed to run mostly at 50% speed or less (the medium or normal setting). So after decades I am still using every one of my Holmes/Bionair cleaners.I recently purchased another mini-tower, a Bionaire which is advertised on Amazon as having a HEPA filter. On the box, the HEPA filtering model is shown to be a different model, and the cleaner inside is described as having a cleanable “HEPA type” filter. These are the fad right now, but I insist on using the allergen HEPA filters, since these provide excellent results, they last about a year, and they are very inexpensive. I simply yanked out the “permanent” filter and installed a replacement Holmes Aer allergen HEPA filter. The cleaning machines are identical; any of the several types of Holmes filters will fit.A number of reviewers have complained about rattling, fires, or smoke. This is consistent across all models and brands. The rattling could occur if something falls into the fan area, or if screws are loose. ALL cleaners will leak air past the filter; this is why it is stated that they remove up to 99.5% of particles 2 microns or larger from the air which goes through the filter. So every cleaner will eventually have a build up of dust, which could catch fire under certain circumstances. There is a warning label indicating fire hazard if not “inspected and cleaned regularly.” If you use an ionizer, you are introducing a high voltage spark, which could ignite the dust. In addition, ozone is a recognized pollutant, so I never use the ionizers in air cleaners. They can stain surfaces and really don’t do any cleaning. Also, you must clean (vacuum) a room before using an air cleaner—you cannot expect them to pull all of the dirt from the room and deposit it on the filter.During peak pollen season, despite using all possible medical treatments and precautions, I have a very miserable time unless I have one of these air cleaners nearby. I aim the mini-tower at my CPAP’s air inlet so that I don’t clog up at night.

Works well, kinda loud

I really like this filter; great size and not too loud. I got the filter in my old apartment because it would get dusty time to time. The size is great and it works really well. I have not changed it so I am unsure how easy it is.

I bought this to filter dust and after 3 weeks of use there is no difference in the amount of dust I can see on the furniture or in the air when the sun shines through the windows and the filters looked brand new, not a spec of dirt on them after running on medium for that amount of time. And the ionizer as far as we could tell is nothing more than a blue led that come on when you flip the switch, didnt seem to make any difference at all.

Lately I've been sneezing more often and was having trouble sleeping with stuffy noses. I live in an apartment with no central heating or cooling and no air conditioner. That means I have to keep my windows open for most of the day. And because I live in a busy city next to a major freeway I have many dust particles entering. I decided I needed an air purifier but did not want to spend money replacing filters. I saw this and decided to give it a try. Wow! It really does work! I put this in my 11'x13' bedroom and to my surprise it still worked like it should! I've since stopped sneezing in my bedroom (but when I leave my apartment that's a different story). There has been slightly less dust build up as well. After about a month the pre-filter was completely clogged with dust! (That means it's working.) The actual filter itself captures the smaller particles.To clean the pre-filter you can wash it with warm soapy water. For the actual PERMAtech filter you can vacuum it when it's dirty. There is a small picture scale under the filter to tell you when it's time to vacuum. Whatever you do DO NOT WASH THE PERMAtech FILTER. Only the pre-filter is washable.Pros:Comes with a pre-filter. This will extend the time between each cleaning.No filters to replace.The pre-filter is washable!The PERMAtech filter is vacuumable. (DO NOT WASH THIS)On the lowest speed setting it is fairly quiet.Cons:The blue Ionizer LED is super bright. If you need a blue night light then this would be perfect.There is a slight rattling noise that is noticeable at the lowest speed (though I can still sleep with it on).The PERMAtech filter has a coating that lets you vacuum dust from it easily. However this also slightly decreases the CADR a bit.Long story short, I believe this air purifier is perfect for 10'x10' rooms or smaller even though it says 80 square feet. As long as you follow instructions this air purifier will help you live a better life.

I purchased the Bionair air purifier for a room about the size of a standard dorm room. 10 x 16. When I examined this product it came as promised, intact with no assembly. Just plug in and turn it on. This is a 5 star rating so far. When I plugged the air purifier in I ran through the fan's 3 speeds and noticed the motor rattled at its highest settings. OK 4 stars. I set it up where I wanted it and turned on the purifier. I stuck my hand in front of the outflow vent noticing little to no air flow. I read the directions and nothing magical was found. Following the instructions for replacing the filter I thought maybe something was obstructing the air intake. I quickly found out that I should have been in the Air Purifying business. This product is a cheap HEPA filter in front of a fan motor that is so cheap that it cannot push any air through the filter. NICE! So $50 for an air purifier that cannot blow air. The only reason I gave it 2 stars and not 1 was because when I plugged it in and turned the power switch on, the little blue light at the top came on. Last purchase from Bionair.....

I ordered two for my home, one worked very well and does exactly as I expected it to. The second one did not work at all. The light is on but the fan is clearly not operational.