Breathe better with cleaner air
The transboundary haze plaguing Malaysia annually has raised the public’s awareness on the importance of good air quality. Consequently, there are now a plethora of air purifiers in the market. As such, shopping for one can be a daunting task.
We surveyed the market to give you a brief review of what is available in Malaysia. Below, we compare the attributes of air purifiers from five popular brands – Coway, Cuckoo, Dyson, Panasonic and Sharp.
A good air purifier is effective in both removing airborne particles and improving indoor air quality. The objective of the air purifiers is to minimize the hazardous health effect of polluted indoor air in a user friendly manner by continuously reducing the concentration of particles in the air to a minimum, especially the smallest particles (nano particles, below 0,1micron) as these are considered causing the most severe health problems.
Coway has four air purifiers available in Malaysia. The Dolomities has a 4-step filtration, the Indicator and Tuba have 5, and the Lombok II has 6. All of them feature Coway’s Anti-Flu HEPA™ Filter that eliminates cigarette smoke, micro dust, bacteria, viruses and germs. Indicator and Lombok II have a resistive barrier discharge (RBD) plasma and filtration system that generates charged ions that capture airborne particles and sterilise moulds and germs like Aspergillus, Nigermand and E.Coli and decompose harmful gases like formaldehyde. All but Dolomities have a deodorisation filter.
Source: Coway
Cuckoo only has one air purifier in the market, simply named B Model, which is certified with the Clean Air Mark by the Korean Air Cleaning Association. It features an 8-level filtration, which consists of 5 filters – “Pre-Filter, Allergen Plus, Harmful Gas Relax, Deodorixing, 4-in-1 HEPA” – and a plasma ionizer. Cuckoo boasts of filters that are 1.5x larger than those of regular air purifiers (300×465).
Dyson, meanwhile, boasts of filters capable of capturing pollutants as small as 0.1 microns. Moreover, Dyson’s 360° Glass HEPA filter is engineered to draw air from all around, allowing free positioning of the machine. A layer of activated carbon granules captures odours and potentially harmful toxins like paint fumes.
Dyson’s patented Air Multiplier™ technology draw air through the filter and accelerate it through the machine, creating a long-range stream of smooth air. It’s the same technology used in Dyson’s bladeless fans.
The Dyson Pure Cool™ and Pure Cool™ Link are also low maintenance. Some purifiers rely on you changing, washing and drying your filters every month or so. Waiting for the filters to dry can result in up to six hours without a purifier. It takes fewer than 60 seconds to replace Dyson’s filter, and only after using it for 12 hours every day for a year.
Dyson’s 360° Glass HEPA filter is engineered to draw air from all angles
Panasonic, meanwhile, feature long-lasting filters (other than the pre-filters). The filters of the F-VK655A last 5 years while those of F-VXK70A lasts 10 years.
The key technology in Panasonic air purifiers is nanoe™ – it claims that this technology inhibits 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, reduces 90% of odour after 30 minutes, and even restores moisture back to your skin! A nanoe™ is a fine (5-20nm) and weak acidic water particle with a reactive substance and an electric charge. nanoe™ possesses the characteristics of removing hydrogen from viruses, bacteria, odours and allergens. It has a lifespan 6x of normal ions. The nanoe™ dimension is one-billionth parts of vapour, which enables it to easily penetrate textile fibres and eliminate bacteria and odour.
Sharp has a similar technology, which it calls Plasmacluster Ion technology, that powerfully and quickly removes airborne particles.
Mechanism for removing bacteria from the air using Plasmacluster (for illustration purpose only)
Source: Sharp
Filtration aside, there are other unique characteristics that may sway you to consider them.
Sharp, for example, has two air purifier models that can also double as a mosquito catcher! Some of the Panasonic and Sharp models are also humidifiers. Cuckoo has voice guide enabled — you can choose between English, Malay and Mandarin.
Dyson air purifiers double as fans and arguably the most aesthetically-pleasant air purifiers in the market. Not that because they are fans, they tend to be louder than others when on higher fan speeds. Nonetheless, they are quieter than regular blade fans. Moreover, while other air purifiers rely on big AC motors and large filters to purify the air, taking up valuable space in your home, Dyson purifier fans use a small efficient DC motor. Its compact footprint makes it smaller than conventional purifiers.
Dyson purifiers can be set to automatically monitor, react and purify the air — multiple sensors detect changes in conditions, before automatically adjusting airflow to maintain your target air quality. Live air quality metrics are then sent straight to your Dyson Link app (for Pure Cool™ Link machines). You can also control your purifier remotely via the app.
| Brand | Model | Power Consumption | Airflow Rate | Noise Level (dB) | Pollution Indicator | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Indicator |
5.6 – 38.0W | 1.9 – 5.1 m³/min | 21.1 – 48.0 | Colour Indicator | 7.9 |
Lombok II |
13 – 72W | 1.6 – 7.1 m³/min | 20.0 – 70.5 | Colour Indicator | 12.0 | |
Tuba |
106W Max | 4.2 – 16.8 m³/min | 31.2 – 52.5 | Colour Indicator | 25.0 | |
 |
B Model |
16.4 – 33W | n/a | n/a | -Colour indicator
-Contamination figure -Voice Guide |
11.4 |
 |
Pure Cool™ |
56W | 33.4 litres/s | 63dBA (Max Setting) |
Colour indicator. Detailed reported shown via Dyson Link App. | 3.03 (desk)
— 3.2 (tower) |
Pure Cool™ Link |
56W | 418 litres/s | 63dBA (Max Setting) |
Colour indicator. Detailed reported shown via Dyson Link App. | 3.03 (desk)
— 3.2 (tower) |
|
 |
F-VK655A |
12 – 54W | 1-5.5m³/min | 10 – 58 | Colour indicator | 11.9 |
F-VXK70A |
n/a | 1.1-6.7m³/min | 18 – 54 | Colour indicator | 10.2 |
| Brand & Model | Power Consumption — Airflow Rate |
Noise Level — Pollution Indicator |
Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Indicator |
5.6 – 38.0W
— 1.9 – 5.1 m³/min |
21.1 – 48.0
— Colour Indicator |
7.9 |
| Lombok II |
13 – 72W
— 1.6 – 7.1 m³/ min |
20.0 – 70.5
— Colour Indicator |
12.0 |
| Tuba |
106W Max
— 4.2 – 16.8 m³/ min |
31.2 – 52.5
— Colour Indicator |
25.0 |
|
B Model |
16.4 – 33W
— n/a |
n/a
— Colour indicator, contamination figure, voice Guide |
11.4 |
Pure Cool™ |
56W
— 33.4 litres/s |
63dBA (Max Setting)—Colour indicator. Detailed report shown via Dyson Link App. |
3.03 (Desk)
— |
|
V6 Entry |
56W
— 418 litres/s |
63dBA (Max Setting)—Colour indicator. Detailed report shown via Dyson Link App. |
3.03 (Desk)
— 3.2 (Tower) |
|
F-VK665A |
12 – 54W
— 1 – 5.5 m³/min |
10 – 58
— Colour Indicator |
11.9 |
|
F-VXK70A |
n/a
— 1.1 – 6.7 m³/min |
18 – 54
— Colour Indicator |
10.2 |
Decent air purifiers are not cheap. Coway and Cuckoo air purifiers can also be rented if you prefer not to buy them outright.
Coways range from RM2,500 to RM4,500 or RM85-150/month to rent. The Cuckoo B Model is RM2,988 or RM120/month to rent. Dyson’s Pure Cool™ Link tower costs RM3,399 while the desk model costs RM2,599. Panasonic models range from RM599 for the entry level F-PXJ30A with 20m2 coverage, to RM2,999 for the F-VK655A. Sharp air purifiers range from RM549 to RM2,619, with the two mosquito catcher models costing RM769 and RM1,049.
Dyson's Trade in Campaign
If Dyson tickles your fancy, you may want to take advantage of its trade-in campaign running from 10 Dec 2016 to 29 Jan 2017. Enjoy 15% off all Dyson technology (vacuum cleaners, bladeless fans and purifier fans). When you trade-in any vacuum cleaner, desk/floor standing fans or air purifiers. Terms and conditions apply.