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.
