This post brought to you by Fellowes . All opinions are 100% mine.
I was trying to put on a screen protector onto my tablet they other day, and discovered just how much dust I had in my office. Perhaps it’s because of all the constantly-buzzing computer equipment, but a fine dust layer on top of everything.
I used to be a big fan (pun intended) of air purifiers when I lived in the South because the region’s legendary yellow pollen dustings caused several major sinus infections. Now that I live in the Northwest, I noticed that I spend a lot more time inside with the windows closed.
I wanted to cut down on the dust in my office, and an air purifier would fit the bill nicely. Most people don’t need a fancy medical-grade air purifier for that, but if a mid-range model happens to catch viruses, then that would be a bonus. Fellowes was nice enough to send along their new AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier for us to take a look at.
Features
The Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier offers total innovation and convenience with:
- True HEPA filter with AeraSafe antimicrobial treatment eliminates 99.97 percent of airborne particles, including viruses, germs, dust, mold, pollen, ragweed, pet dander and cigarette smoke
- AeraSmart Sensor monitors the air quality and automatically adjusts the fan speed to keep your air purified
- Aera+ Mode increases air turnover by up to 50 percent to remove increased airborne allergens during peak allergy and cold/flu seasons
- Filter Change indicators automatically alert you when the filter needs to be replaced
- User-friendly touch screen technology with back-lit performance LEDs
Many air purifiers today have a vertical orientation, and these “column” style units have a very tall “blower” fan. This rotor has to spin very fast because of its small diameter, which can result in noisier operation. The Fellowes AeraMax is also vertically oriented, but uses a more traditional fan technology that moves more air with less noise.
Naturally, the Fellowes AeraMax has a stand to raise it off the table or floor a few inches, but the unit does not oscillate. The unit does have a true HEPA filter, which is coupled with a separate odor-reducint carbon filter. Both of these filters reside in the same tray which is vertically inserted into the right of the unit.
Air vents reside on both the left and right sides of the unit. Air is pulled in (via negative pressure of the internal fan) and through the carbon and HEPA filters and then exits through the top vent. The top vent is notched so it can send the air output in one of four directions.
The unit is powered on by first plugging in and then flipping the single switch on the back of the unit. For the first few minutes the AeraMax is completely silent as it measures the quality of the air. The air purifier then sprang to life at its lowest setting, which was nearly silent. While in auto mode, the fan can increase or decrease airflow as conditions change.
The unit does not oscillate so to get the best room air circulation I placed the Aeramax on a table.
One sign of the longevity of an air filter is how thick it is. The HEPA filter that comes with the AeraMax is about an inch thick, which is average for a mid-range unit. Fellowes included one carbon filter, which are usually replaced more frequently (usually around 3 months or so of continuous use) to maintain its odor-removing effectiveness.
The Fellowes AeraMax DX55 is already assembled in the box. All that is needed is to remove the outer plastic bag, peel the protective sticker from the control panel, and remove the plastic bag around the filters. Once the filters are unwrapped and placed in the vertical sliding tray just flip the switch on the back and the unit takes a sample measurement of your air quality and starts in auto mode.
The purification technology is great and all, but one of the things that make this unit attractive is its touch-sensitive control panel on the right front side of the unit (similar to the technology used in the Fellowes PowerShred reviewed here). The panel can be set to auto mode or you can toggle one of four fan settings, the first one which is nearly silent.
The unit also creates an ion field, which in theory attaches to dust particles, making them heavier and bringing them to the floor. While this may make the unit more effective at clearing dust, the resulting ozone is a known respiratory irritant. Thankfully the ionizer can be turned off by pressing and holding the ionozer icon for a few seconds.
Auto mode can be toggled off by pressing the Fan icon, which switches between one of four levels (low, medium, high, and ultra). Pressing the “double airflow” icon (looks like a plus), auto mode is toggled back on and the airflow is doubled based on what the sensor believes the setting to be. If Auto has the fans set at Low level, then pressing the Plus icon will change to Medium. You cannot set the unit to High or Ultra and get double airflow on top of that. Honestly the only way I was able to get into High or Ultra modes was to use the manual fan settings.
We tested the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 with another mid-range air purifierwith our trusty Radio Shack Noise Level meter and Kill-A-Watt electricity meter. Below are the results:
| low | med | high | ultra | |
| Fellowes AeraMax DX55 | 4W | 10W | 15W | 53W |
| AeraMax noise | < 50dB | 58dB | 62dB | 73dB |
| Holmes HAP9422 | N/A | 43W | 54W | 66W |
| HAP9422 noise | N/A | 66dB | 72dB | 74dB |
Our Radio Shack meter can only detect down to 50 decibels, and the Fellowes AeraMax was undetectable even when we tested each unit at 12-inches away. Of course, we made sure we did not point the microphone directly in the airflow, which would artificially inflate the noise level.
Both the AeraMax and the Holmes units were both equally loud at their highest settings, and the Holmes unit uses a lot of electricity even at its lowest setting. The AeraMax barely sips electricity at its lowest setting, and is actually undetectable in an average room (the room is probably louder than the air purifier). Electricity doesn’t change much even at its high setting. When set to Ultra, the unit jumps up from 15 to 53 watts!
It must be noted that turning the ionizer on added about .5 watts at each setting for both units.
In first use, the air will smell slightly artificial until the carbon filter airs out. I didn’t notice any typical ozone smell that accompanies other ionizers or air purifiers, which smells like the air after a heavy rain.
One of the great things about the Fellowes is that it uses a negligible amount of electricity and is practically silent. My dusty office can definitely use more air circulation and dust filtration. Some may argue that the benefit of mid-range air purifiers is subjective. I feel satisfied that I can get some dust removal without adding to the noise already in the room.
The price of the Fellowes AeraMax™ DX-55 starts at $189.99 and can be found at Best Buy and other retail stores.