Review of Austin Air HealthMate+

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Austin Air HealthMate+ - Sandstone
By: Austin Air Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 15
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Units come Damaged, but always work

On: 2010-07-02

The product is good and performs as the company claims. Getting a machine that is not dented is almost impossible. The company insists on damaging out the hole unit for a dented top. A new lid could have been sent. The replacement Healthmate Jr. came damaged also. I have purchased a PET machine and 2 Health mate Jr. Units. I am happy with the quality of the air cleaners, but the pet machine came dented, and not only the first HM Jr. unit was dented in the top, the replacement was dented on the side. I was able with some effort to fix the PET machine. Only one Healthmate Jr. came undamaged. What is upsetting is when you fork out about $1,000 worth in air cleaners, you expect them to look like new when you get them. Austin has a packaging problem.

Efficient HEPA Air Filter... though somewhat noisy on high

On: 2010-04-26

This is a no frills HEPA air filter in terms of its aesthetic: its an efficiently designed rectangle, and though its not snazzy on the outside, its not offensive or obtrusive either.

It sits in my home office, and does its thing quite well: cleansing the air, and overall improving the living conditions in a space in which I spend entirely too much time.

I ordered this unit because I had begun to develop dust allergies in my mid-thirties and was having trouble focusing and getting work done. I noticed an improvement in the way I was feeling shortly after the unit was put into operation.

The unit, though not cheap, is a particularly reliable model and is extremely cost-effective to operate over time. As any one who has done the research can tell you, the true expense with HEPA filters is not necessarily the up-front purchase cost, but the cost of replacement filters over the course of the years. Austins design is one they stand behind with a 5 year warranty, and a filter rated at needing replacement once every 5 years... yes, you read that right. All you need do in order to achieve this longevity is to vacuum the pre-filter every few months. This is accomplished by running a bristled vacuum wand over the outer surface grating. Its simple. It really is: set a reminder in your calendar to run the vacuum over it and youre safe.

The unit doesnt take up a lot of room, though it does produce a fair bit of sound in 2 of its 3 settings. The base setting is actually pretty quiet, but the middle and upper settings are noisy - the trade off is that at these settings it moves A LOT of air, which is what you want if youre trying to quick cleanse a room. To give you an idea of what Im trying to say, while you likely wouldnt have a hard time sleeping with setting 1, you might with setting 2, and you DEFINITELY would with setting 3. Of course, everyones mileage varies and Im using words to describe an audible volume, which is not the same as hearing it yourself. As I said earlier: its in my office, not my bedroom, so I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER with its performance.

If youre looking for a bedroom model, you might look into an Alen A350 HEPA Air Purifier (wall mountable and quieter.)

Air purifier

On: 2010-04-22

This purifier (Austin Healthmate Jr.) seems to be a very good purchase for the money. Although it is not cheap, we are using it in a loft and it seems to be doing a great job with the air not only in the loft but also in the living room which is below the open-air loft.

Stylish and works great

On: 2010-03-06

I got the Austin Air Healthmate Junior air purifier when I moved into my new house. The previous owner was a smoker. Although Id replaced the carpets, painted the walls, and cleaned the ducts, I still needed something to help cut down the residual smoke smell. After extensive research, I chose the Healthmate Junior.

It did the job. Its nice and quiet on the low setting. On the high setting its a bit noisier, but I just set it in a corner and its fine. (Not right up against the wall though, because you have to leave a few inches of space around it for it to work right.) I left it running for over a year. The smoke smell is gone from the house now. Even my mother, with her super-sensitive nose, cant smell anything when she comes to visit.

I did buy a new filter after about nine or ten months. The air coming out of the Healthmake Junior started to smell a bit acrid. I called Austin Air and asked about it, because I thought the filter should last longer. They said it depends on the quality of your air. That makes sense. They gave me a discount on the new filter because it had been such a short time.

Im quite pleased with it. It looks nice, its relatively light, its simple to use, its quiet, and it works.

Workhorse that does what it's here for.

On: 2009-09-26

Austin Air Plus and the Superblend - running everyday for two years, three years and beyond in several different homes (we own 6 units)and they work. This unit is not whisper quiet but on low it will remind you of white noise piped in at your office and is not bad. Medium and High fan speeds will move the air and can clear a sudden problem. These units have been effective in negating carpets that have had too much cleaning with that dry powder,chem-dry type of carpet cleaner that never comes all the way out of the carpet and later on causes the "lung slime" problems. They offset the dust and pollen blowing in from the road and storms and seasonal build-ups, they stop the stink of the dog and the cat box, they eliminate that stinky feet smell from an old bedroom and catch the cloud of insecticide that the neighbors pest control man hoses around the yard. Any wonder these units were at ground-zero? Heavy use of the unit may result in need for replacement filters - which although they should last 5-years - sometime only go 1 or 2-years before they start blowing a funky smell (my sign its time to change). Replacement filters are expensive at $200 to $250, representing half the cost of new unit. The switches on a few units that had lots of back and forth switching have stopped working properly but can be sent in for warranty work. Steel case and casters is a plus for this heavyweight.

Perfection!

On: 2009-02-28

I bought this product at [...] , but wanted to share my feedback in this forum. It has dramaitcally increased the "breatheability" of my air. I suffer from MCS, astham, and severe allergies, and the use of this product has helped tremendously...and even allowed me to reduce the amount of medication I take! It has already paid for itself!

Portable Hepa Jr. air purifier,

On: 2009-02-11

I have used a number of air cleaners, but this is the best so far. I like that it has a Hepa filter, but is low maintenance and low cost. I bought it for someone who has asthma and this has seemed to make a difference as compared to other units,especially the electro-static type which seemed useless with dust and allergens. When I purchased this unit, it was not made with casters(wheels). I notice the more recent models seemed to now have casters(wheels) attached. Although Amazon does not offer the caster tray(which makes the unit portable to wheel around) it was and is available at other dealers online. I paid approximately $35 for the caster tray. The casters make the unit easier to move when cleaning or to relocate to another area. I intend to buy again for other rooms. I hope that Amazon will start to offer the unit which has the attached casters. I plan on having one in every bedroom. You can feel/breathe the difference it makes in a room. Worthwhile buy.

Not worth the money

On: 2008-07-10

I have owned a healthmate junior air purifier for a number of years now. Frankly I can say that it was not worth the money. I bought the filter due to the "warranty" on the main filter. What a joke! After getting a new filter 6 months ago the air coming out smells terrible. When I spoke to Austin Air they informed me that they would sell me a new filter for 50% off. Are you kidding me? I just replaced it and they are asking me to spend even more money with them??
Bottom line, there are MANY other higher rated air cleaners out there that cost much less money and that are more reliable. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this one.

Austin Air=Antiquated Air Filtration Technology

On: 2008-03-27

Austin Air Healthmate Jr is missing UV LIght to kill bacteria filtered from the air, ozone to kill airborne viruses and negative ion output. All it has is a medical grade HEPA filter. The filter will need to be replaced before the 5 years it is supposed to last and it will SMELL when the filter gets clogged. I did the research AFTER I bought a Healthmate Jr unfortunately. Also when you buy this bulky item, ask them about a restocking fee and return shipping. Buying and returning one could easily leave you $50-60 dollars poorer. There are better, more advanced, cheaper air filters out there. I now have 2 Multi-Tech 2 XJ3000D air filters and I love them!!

This thing is loud

On: 2008-03-02

Im disappointed with this unit. Its too loud for the bedroom even on the lowest setting. I think the filtration is good, but too loud. Its gotta be more than the db rating its published under. In fact, its loud for any room in the house. Maybe I got a defective unit, but I dont think so.

Pleasantly Surprised

On: 2007-05-30

Allergies, along with issues from the four pets, created a significant breathing problem. Someone suggested this purchase, and I was skeptical but was in desperate need of relief. An air purifier has made all the difference in my ability to breathe. I only have one for the bedroom, but will get one in the future for the downstairs, too. The company I used to order, Best Filters, was also quite accommodating. Austin sent the wrong color, but BF corrected the problem immediately (within two hours of my email) arranging for the correct color, and then easy pick up of the other unit. I would highly recommend both!

Nice Unit

On: 2007-05-05

The unit works well but has some design flaws that could be added such as: a variable speed control to adjust the speed (sound) beyond just the three choices, the outlet could be adjustable so you could direct the flow of the air wiout moving the unit, the strength of the casing could be stronger so that if somene accidentially sits on it that would not be a problem (got kids?), and the manufacturing company could bother to answer their emails and cold write you back (which they dont) with a confirmation so that you *know* they have received your warranty registration online. I would buy the unit again and wanted another unit, but since the company did not answer back my emails when I had questions about an other use for an additional one I did not bother to buy the second one. So far I dont feel the manufacturer cares much about their customers and hope there will be no problems when I have to deal with them in the future.

Should be a 10 star

On: 2007-04-29

I am very sensitive to chemicals. I give the HealthMate Plus credit for saving my life. With it in my home I can handle odors and chemicals from other apartments and the outside.
Mine has been thru neighbors painting, and remodeling. I did have a break down with it and the warranty was honored. They even put an emergency tag on the repair so it was repaired faster.
The newer ones are so much more quieter than the old ones. When I got mine back from the factory I was constantly putting my hand on it to see if it was running. It was just so quiet.
This is one of the first items that I recommend for a chemically sensitive person to buy.
When the box arrived all I had to do was lift the box off and plug it in. It was so well packed I was impressed.

Basic HEPA Filter Machine

On: 2004-02-29

Not only is this particular model energy efficient, there are three speeds and the filters dont have to be replaced for 5 years. I just ordered a new HEPA filter and it cost one hundred dollars for the replacement, which is only twenty dollars a year.

The low speed setting allows air to filter in my bedroom while Im asleep and I can easily move the air purifier around the house while Im cleaning. The exterior is highly durable and the surface really does resist scratching.

I have found that I am sick less often now that I have this filter in my home. If you have allergies, this is a must! The included HEPA filter filters out allergens up to .3 microns and 99.97 % efficiency.

When you order a new filter, they also send you a new liner for the inside of the air purifier.

This Filter is always running somewhere in my house, so after years and years and years of work, this is still filtering the air and I hardly ever have to dust, especially now that I have a new filter. Also look for the models with "wheels" if that is of interest to you. These filters are not that heavy, but you might want to consider how often you are going to be moving the filter around the house.

~The Rebecca Review