Idylis Air Purifier Review – Is it Worth It?
If you suffer from hay-fever or live in a high pollution area you have probably already looked at getting an air purifier for your apartment.
Air purifiers work by remove allergens from the air using filter technology so the air you breathe inside your home/apartment is free of any pollution or allergens.
Here at Apartment Geeks, we are going to look at reviewing a number of popular air purifiers to try and see if they live up the marketing hype.
The first review of the series is the Idylis air purifier found in The Lowes store in the United States – the reason we are reviewing this product first was that this was my first air purifier I ever bought.
Top Rated Air Purifiers:
Idylis Models and Prices:
Idylis provide a range of 7 air purifiers ranging from the simple air sanitizer to the large room capable Idylis 280.
- Idylis GEM – AIR SANITIZER $19.98
- Idylis 100 – TABLETOP – $89
- Idylis 50 – CONVERTIBLE TABLETOP – $50
- Idylis 125 – SMALL ROOM 194 SQ. FT – $138
- Idylis 150 – DIUM ROOM 232 SQ. FT – $167
- Idylis 200 – MEDIUM/LARGE ROOM 310 SQ. FT – $198
- Idylis 280 – LARGE ROOM 434 SQ. FT – $299
Competition:
Idylis is the the only brand of Air Purifiers – there are many excellent (and often less expensive) True HEPA air purifiers out there:
- SMALL (Table-top) – GermGuardian AC4100 3-in-1 HEPA Air Purifier System with UV Sanitizer and Odor Reduction $59.96
- LARGE ROOM (390 sq. ft.) Honeywell 50250-S True HEPA Air Purifier $115
- LARG ROOM (360 sq. ft.) – Winix 5300-2 w/ True HEPA, PlasmaWave + Odor Reducing Carbon Filter $199
The most popular purifiers that you see in homes/apartments in the Idylis 200 and 280 which we will spend the majority of time reviewing. I actually owned the Idylis 280.
Idylis air purifiers are created by the Korean Coway Company who are a major player in the Korean market with a 40% share of the market.
In regards to the overall market range, Idylis purifier are priced on the lower end covering the very basic $20 up to the $300 Idylis 280.
Ratings and Reviews:
The Idylis 200:
- Received 5 stars from 55 reviews from the Lowes website
- CADR ratings of 215 for dust, 200 for tobacco smoke and 215 for pollen.
- According to a test by Air-purifier-power.com he recommends you use in a maximum room size of 230 sq. ft.
The Idylis 280:
- Received 5 stars from 52 reviews from the Lowes website
- CADR ratings of 290 for dust, 280 for tobacco smoke and 285 for pollen.
- According to a test by Air-purifier-power.com he recommends you use in a maximum room size of 320 sq. ft.
- CADR ratings are not perfect but these are not bad scores for a relatively cheap air purifier.
The Technology:
Like any technology and gadgets, the air purifier market is full of jargon and technical marketing hype that may mean nothing.
The Idylis air purifier uses HEPA filter which is the same technology as used by HEPA vacuum cleaners to remove particles using a very fine filter that blocks big particles such as pollen and lets the clean air through.
The problem with HEPA filters is that you need to change them… which can get expensive.
The Idylis filters cost $70 for the 280 and $50 for the 200.. which is pretty reasonable considering you will only have the replace them once per year.
The Idylis 200 and 280 also come with a very small carbon filter for removing smoke and odours. It’s so small that I wouldn’t recommend these air purifiers if this is the main reason you are getting an air purifier.
The Little Things:
How much noise? – the Idylis air purifier emits 42.5 dB of sound when on high speed which is very low in comparison with other purifiers on the market.
Buttons – The Idylis uses a lot of technology normally only seen on a high priced units. It has a time function for 2, 4 and 8 hours so you can leave it running for that amount of time. It also has an LED to alert you when the filters need changing.
Conclusion:
If you are looking for a cheap simple air purifier for reducing pollen count then the Idylis air purifier is the perfect tool for the job. Whilst premium air purifiers costing over $500 do a better job fir hard stuff (odours and pollution), this air purifier does a great job for the money. Nice work Lowes on providing a product that surpasses expectations. A great site dedicated to reviewing air purifiers gave this particular model a score of 83 out of 100.
More: Air Purifiers on Amazon
The Idylis is a cheap air purifier.
Cheap and effective? Effective and economical? Could you be more precise?
Yes! Finally someone writes about hepa filter.
Using an air purifier to clean the air is a good choice as it better than using chemical products that may cause harmful body effects.
So, if I am looking to remove the smell of cig. smoke from an apt. above me, this is not the purifier to get? What would you recommend? Small 2 room apt.
you should tie up your upstairs neighbors and lock them in their apartment 🙂
on the serious note – i’d recommend living in the smoke free apartment.
while i do smoke, i never do so inside, and hate cig smell in the apartment / house / hote … i feel the pain. Not shure air purifier will help
I just purchased the 280
Today. It was donated so it o let cost me $25. I’m very impressed because it works just like the writer said it does.
Does idylis purifier need water
Neither of the two I own need water.
Not very effective . Better to sleep outside. Filters very expensive . Don’t last long. Can’t clean them.
I am so sorry I bought this Idylic air purifier. The control panel was designed by an idiot. It has a very bright light when on and you can not turn it off without turning the machine off. I bought this for my bedroom and I do not want a bright light in my bedroom. It makes me angry every night as it wakes me up with the light. I will never buy another Idylic product. They sure did not give the customer much thought in the design.
I just put a piece of black construction paper cut to cover the display Tape it at the top so it can be lifted to see the display. No more light at night. I agree the display should include a function to shut the display off after 5,10,15 seconds, etc. or just a spot to touch to turn off and then touch anywhere to turn it on. Even a plastic sliding cover would do it as well. Electronic or physical display cover couldn’t be that expensive to add that small feature. It’s been done already on a zillion other devices. The device itself worked great for me beyond my expectations
The light on mine didn’t bother me, if it did I would just tape a piece of construction paper over the lights like I do with my DVR…. Maybe you could try that.
I have had mine for less than six months smells like something electrical burning
thanks for post, It’s useful, we are from VietNam and many people in our country with Asthma
I have 4 193 sq ft units in my small condo. I love them! The air in here is fresh, cool and crisp! I have pet birds and I cant believe how much pet dander these units capture. My lungs are happier too! I purchased these 4 units 6 months ago when my wife and myself had serious lung infections that we just couldn’t shake! We sanitized the house and added these 4 purifiers with the UV lamps. We both began to improve the next day! I’m not noticing any odor elimination, but the airborne dust and allergens are greatly reduced and our lungs feel noticeably better and breathing has improved over last year. Filters look good, I clean them twice a month, but I lost 2 UV bulbs, need to get replacements. Overall, I would recommend living and sleeping in purified air!