The most effective small air purifier? Not exactly...

I have severe allergies, and for that reason I have three heavy duty air purifiers in my home (a Plasmacluster, an IQAir, and a big GE model). The only area in my home that doesn't get adequate air purification is my storage room. Since I rarely visit this room I never considered purifying the air (big mistake). It wasn't until this past Christmas holiday, when I decided to dig out some decorations, did I find just how contaminated with allergens this room had become. I found myself so watery eyed and stuffy nosed that I decided against taking anything out of the room for fear that I it would contaminate the rest of the house with dust or worse: dreaded mold spores! I figured that I'd be able to tolerate this space a little more if I installed an air purifier, however I didn't want to spend 500 + dollars for an air purifier that would be used for a room that I rarely occupied: enter the very inexpensive Holmes HAP412BN-U.

Some info about this product:

The Holmes HAP412BN-U is a mini air purifier that is designed to treat small rooms up to 120 sq. ft. It uses a HEPA-type filter (it's not a true HEPA filter) that is supposed to remove up to 99% of airborne particles as small as 2 microns. The filter is laced with
Arm & Hammer brand baking soda that is also supposed to help eliminate common household odors, i.e. the smell of mold. Features for these units are minimal: there is an ionizer and 3 cleaning speeds: that's all folks.


Ease of use: 10/10

Because this is a no frills unit, it's painless to operate. Simply unwrapping the filter (you must make sure you unwrap the filter that is preinstalled in the back), turning the ionizer on or off, and adjusting the switch to a desired fan speed is all that is needed to operate this unit. Because of its small dimensions (measuring about 8" wide x 11" deep x 17" tall), the HP412 can be placed virtually anywhere in the home, providing a power outlet is nearby. This unit is also very lightweight (about 5 lbs.), so moving it around your home shouldn't be an issue. The only maintenance required for the unit is a periodic cleaning of the pre-filter (can be rinsed with water) and changing of the regular Arm & Hammer HEPA Type Filter every 3-4 months (the filters run about $15.00).

Build quality and style: 4/10

The HAP412BN-U is styled to be refreshingly neutral. Dressed in stark black plastic, it's an unpretentious unit that doesn't draw attention with fancy chrome accents or a million lights. The build quality, however, really should have been improved. Unlike some of my other air purifiers, i.e. my Sharp Plasmacluster and my IQAir Health Pro, the Holmes HAP412BN-U sports a cheaply made plastic shell. During the time that I owned this unit, I always kept it on the floor as I was certain that even a minor fall would result in disaster.

Performance: 1/10

Costing less than $50, I didn't have very high expectations for the HAP412. Good thing; because despite having the HAP412 in my storage room for more than 5 days I experienced no positive effects in terms of a reduction in allergens. Even with setting on max with the ionizer on, I found that this unit was not adequate, even for the small room that I was treating. I decided to give the HAP412 three more weeks to prove itself as a worthy purifier, but even after the three weeks the difference in the quality of air was negligible at best. The musty smell in this room also did not improve: apparently Arm & Hammer is better left for the fridge. Although I wanted to avoid making my Plasmacluster the sacrificial lamb for this dusty storage room, I eventually caved. By using my Plasmacluster purifier in this room, I was able to clear out most, if not all, allergens within 3 days: proof enough for me that the HAP412 was not doing its job.

Noise: 9/10

Noise levels range from nearly silent at the lowest speed setting to mildly noisy at high speeds. Because this air purifier doesn't move much air, it's relatively quiet at virtually any speed setting. The motor is usually all that can be heard from more than a few feet away of the unit. Overall I’d say, it's quieter than the Plasmacluster and my IQAir model, but not nearly as quiet as some purifiers on the market, i.e. the Ionic Breeze Quadra.

Reliability: N/A

I only used the HAP412 for approx. 1 month before it became just another unused package in my storage room. In that 1 month, I experienced no mechanical problems with this unit. However, it's very hard for me to dub this product as "reliable" when it doesn't work well enough to suit its purpose of purifying air in the first place.

Price/Warranty: 9/10

What will undoubtedly attract many consumers to this product is its measly $40-$50 price tag. I paid $39.99 at Target, so I imagine this model can be found for even less money online. If anything goes wrong with your HAP412BN-U, Holmes does offer a generous 3-year limited warranty.


Overall: 3/10

Unfortunately the old adage "you get what you pay for" rings true in this case. The HAP412 is much more a novelty item than a useful air purifier. When all is said and done, I do not recommend this product, at least not for those serious about cleaning the air in their homes. If you are on the market for a new air purifier, I definitely recommend shelling out more cash for something that will be worth while.


Thanks for reading!