Coway Airmega AP-1521HH Mighty review: Our top air purifier effortlessly clears dust, smoke, and pet dander

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My seasonal allergies, mild asthma, and 2 long-haired cats prompted nan quest for a high-quality aerial purifier. While I can't power what's successful nan aerial outdoors, keeping indoor aerial pollutants for illustration pollen, particulate mites, and pet dander to a minimum helps support sneezing, coughing, and sniffling astatine bay.

My main criteria for choosing an aerial purifier were effectiveness, easiness of use, and sound level. Since my location doubles arsenic my office, I needed a exemplary that wouldn't beryllium large and distracting. I recovered what I was looking for successful nan Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty, an aerial purifier designed for medium-to-large rooms.

To trial nan Coway's performance, I conducted aerial value tests utilizing incense successful a closed room. Then, I utilized nan aerial purifier for respective weeks successful my home, moving it astir nan clock. The Coway was up of nan battalion among the champion purifiers we've tested. Here's why we urge nan exemplary arsenic nan apical prime for busting indoor pollutants.

Set up and design

Getting nan Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty up and moving took nether 5 minutes. When I unboxed nan aerial purifier, I recovered nan manual resting astatine nan apical of nan package. The portion itself was wrapped successful plastic, which I removed. Then, pursuing nan manual's instructions, I popped disconnected nan beforehand grill and removed nan activated c and HEPA aerial filters (also encased successful plastic) from nan unit, replacing them aft unpackaging was complete. The grill is easy to threat connected and off, making select changes a breeze. After that, I plugged nan powerfulness cord into nan portion and an electrical outlet, and it was bully to go.

In summation to nan c filter, which reduces odors specified arsenic smoke, cleaning, and pet odors, and nan HEPA filter, which filters microscopic airborne particles for illustration germs and viruses, nan Airmega contains a washable prefilter. It prevents larger particles for illustration dust, lint, and pet hairsbreadth from clogging nan different filters.

The Airmega, which comes successful achromatic aliases white, has 5 instrumentality velocity settings: low, medium, high, auto, and Eco. These settings are located connected a power sheet connected apical of nan unit, and I recovered them easy to entree and adjust. The aerial purifier besides contains an ionizer, but we counsel turning disconnected nan ionization function. That's because, according to nan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ionizers typically nutrient ozone, a harmful lung irritant, arsenic a byproduct.

The Coway is designed truthful that aerial enters nan filtration strategy astatine nan beforehand of nan portion alternatively than nan back, pinch filtered aerial exiting astatine nan top, which enables you to spot nan portion connected apical of a array aliases adjacent to a wall without impairing its function. I support excavation successful nan area of my chamber and hardly announcement it astatine all.

The Coway includes an aerial value parameter light, a adjuvant characteristic that changes colour arsenic aerial value improves; reddish signifies unhealthy VOC levels, purple intends mean VOC levels, and bluish intends levels are healthy. When I usage a merchandise containing fragrance successful my bedroom, it kicks into higher gear.

Our reappraisal of nan Coway Airmega AP-1521HH Mighty

Out of nan complete 30 models we tested, nan Coway AirMega AP-1521HH Mighty aerial purifier was nan fastest astatine removing volatile integrated compounds (VOCs) and aerial pollutants for illustration dust, pollen, and pet dander, making it a awesome prime for allergy sufferers.

Overall Ease of Use

The Coway Airmega is elemental to use. I group it to Eco mode, which intends it automatically turns disconnected aft 30 minutes of achieving patient aerial levels and checks aerial value astatine 30-minute intervals thereafter. You tin prime different modes, too, including auto, low, medium, and high, but each changes must beryllium made manually since there's nary distant aliases wifi connectivity. The instrumentality will not extremity successful these 4 settings sloppy of nan aerial quality.

I placed it successful my bedroom, wherever my 2 cats for illustration to bent out. Since it's located wherever I sleep, I emotion that it operates quietly. I tin move disconnected nan aerial value ray astatine nighttime astatine nan touch of a fastener (located successful nan mediate of nan power panel). The portion tin besides tally connected one-, four-, aliases eight-hour timers, but I for illustration leaving it connected astir nan timepiece to support nan aerial bully and clean.

To trial nan unit, I fto nan aerial purifier tally connected Eco mode 24/7 complete respective weeks. Its mean power expenditure was astir 0.3 kWh successful 24 hours, astir nan aforesaid arsenic moving a 60-watt ray bulb for 5 hours. My energy institution charges astir $0.16 per KwH, truthful moving it connected Eco mode nonstop for 30 days would costs maine astir $1.44.

Performance

To measure nan Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty's performance, I experimented by burning incense successful a 200-square-foot room pinch each doors and windows sealed. I utilized an air-quality show to way volatile integrated compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM) astatine 15-minute intervals.

After allowing nan incense to pain for 15 minutes, I activated nan aerial purifier's car mode, which adjusts nan instrumentality velocity according to nan aerial quality. After 2 hours, I assessed nan percent of pollutants removed and nan remaining VOCs and particulate matter levels.

The PM reached its highest reference (134) astatine nan 30-minute mark. After an further 45 minutes, nan aerial value was down to 32 PM, and by 1 hour, it was down to 8 PM. Even though nan aerial purifier is designed for larger spaces than nan 1 I utilized to trial it, its expertise to quickly amended nan aerial value was awesome (and its capacity exceeded nan different models we tested).

Noise

As I mentioned above, nan Coway runs softly connected astir settings. On its lowest setting, my sound metre registered 41 dB (the sound level of a quiet library). In Eco mode, I often hide it's moreover on, and it sits quiet capable not to interrupt my slumber astatine night.

However, nan Coway is noisy connected its highest setting, registering astatine astir 64 dB—the aforesaid arsenic an electrical toothbrush. Luckily, moreover if I take car mode, it seldom kicks into precocious cogwheel unless I'm burning a candle, utilizing cleaning products, aliases spraying perfume.

Maintenance

The Coway is comparatively easy to maintain, but location are a batch of cleaning steps outlined successful nan manual to retrieve to support it successful apical shape. Honestly, I find nan process a spot cumbersome, but it's worthy knowing that my aerial purifier useful optimally. The difficult portion is remembering really often each measurement should beryllium performed—I put a reminder successful my iPhone calendar.

• Air value sensor: Open nan aerial value sensor screen each 2 months (or sooner successful dusty environments) and cleanable it pinch a soft brushwood aliases vacuum cleaner. Use a bedewed fabric swab to mildly cleanable nan lens, particulate inlet, and particulate outlet, removing excess moisture pinch a barren fabric swab.
• Air inlet and outlet: Clean nan aerial inlet and outlet connected apical of nan portion utilizing a soft brushwood each 2 months. If particulate falls into nan aerial purifier during this process, fto it tally for 10 minutes connected manual mode.
• Front screen and merchandise body: Wipe down nan screen (remove it first) and portion pinch a soft cloth each 2 weeks. If needed, it tin beryllium somewhat wet.
• Prefilter: Depending connected its contamination level, you'll request to cleanable nan prefilter pinch h2o aliases a vacuum astir each 2 to 4 weeks. When utilizing water, guarantee nan prefilter is barren earlier placing it backmost successful nan unit.
• Activated c filter: Replace this select each 6 months aliases sooner, arsenic nan select replacement ray indicates.
• HEPA aerial filter: This select is replaced astir erstwhile a year; conscionable cheque nan select replacement light.

Filter replacements for nan Coway costs astir $70 a year, which is nan mean for nan models we tested. Each battalion comes pinch 1 HEPA select and 2 activated c filters. Coway has besides introduced specialized select replacements that prioritize fume aliases pet odors if you're looking to target circumstantial concerns.

Cons to consider

The main drawback of nan Coway could besides beryllium considered a pro — it doesn't travel pinch immoderate bells and whistles for illustration WiFi aliases app connectivity (or a remote), truthful you person to set it manually. While that tin beryllium a pain, it's besides easy to "set it and hide it" by choosing car aliases Eco mode. Just support successful mind nan sound level tin beryllium rather large connected its highest setting, truthful we don't urge utilizing that mode if you're concerned astir noise.

Again, nan Airmega contains an ionizer, but we counsel turning disconnected nan ionization function.

What are your alternatives?

Coway offers a wide assortment of aerial purifiers.

If you worth smart features for illustration WiFi aliases sound controls, Coway offers a smart version of nan Airmega Mighty. I haven't tested it, but customer reviews item trouble connecting to nan net and an underwhelming app.

If you're looking for a comparable action from Coway for smaller rooms, you mightiness see nan Airmega 100, designed for rooms up to 810 quadrate feet, While we haven't evaluated nan Airmega 100, which is Coway's newest model, it's nan brand's 2nd best-selling Airmega model, according to nan institution and a bully action for bedrooms. For extra-large spaces, there's nan Airmega 400S, which serves spaces up to 3,120 quadrate feet of sum and is wifi-enabled. It operates softly pinch debased power usage but only exhibited mean capacity successful our tests.

Among nan aerial purifiers we tested pinch nan champion performance, nan Shark NeverChange Air Purifier Max is simply a comparable action to nan Airmega Mighty. Although nan upfront costs is higher than nan Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty, its select lasts up to 5 years, importantly reducing early costs. Another exemplary that has consistently earned a apical spot successful our capacity tests is nan Honeywell HPA300 HEPA Air Purifier. It softly and quickly removes aerial pollutants and allergens and has comparatively debased maintenance.

The bottommost line

Consider nan Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty if you're seeking an effective and user-friendly aerial purifier for a medium-to-large environment. Its easiness of usage and no-frills style make it perfect for anyone who wants a cleaner situation without nan fuss of smart technology.

I person decidedly noticed a quality successful my allergy symptoms this Fall. I'm sleeping amended (no much nighttime sneezing and sniffling), and I'm much comfortable wide connected high-pollen days. My seasonal allergy symptoms persisted indoors successful nan past, but now my location is simply a haven of relief.