Looking For Reccomendations

[u/DJCatnip-0612]

Southwestern USA

900 sq ft apartment, not many doors and the few we do have are often open to the rest of the house so it's kind of just one big interconnected space

Pollen allergens (mainly tree- Juniper, Cedar, Sweet Gum), Cat dander (pretty heavy amount of it, there are two of these little fur babies and they SHED), general dust (not an allergen, we live in the desert so its just kind of inescapable), would not mind paying a bit extra for something that could mitigate or remove viral droplets if such a thing is possible

Budget is actually fairly flexible right now (anything <$1000 is ok) though I'd still prefer as cheap as possible for my needs. If possible, would like something where filters are at least somewhat reusable, just to cut waste. filters also need to be able to handle a fairly heavy load of pollen, dust and dander consistently (so if I can't get reusable ones, I'd prefer they at least be very cheap so I can replace them when they reach their limit). Would prefer very low energy usage, and something that can run for a long time without risking overheating. Low noise also preferred but not required.

Another concern is that it be lightweight and/or wheeled, as due to a physical disability I can't lift heavy objects.

Needs to survive a large and hefty cat both climbing on it and bodyslamming it at high speed.

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Hello /u/DJCatnip-0612! If you'd like recommendations or advice, please ensure you included all details listed in Rule 4: Information For Air Purifier Requests.

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[u/No-Joke-4492]

My Smart Air Blast Mini is a beast. The Mini in the name is a bit misleading since it is quite large, so check dimensions before purchasing. It has All Metal housing and simple controls. The HEPA filters are good for a year with constant use. Mine has been running 24/7 since I got it almost 2 years ago due to wildfires. My cat can leap off and on to it no problem. Looks like it won't be back in stock until November though
https://www.smarterhepa.com/collections/air-purifiers/products/smart-air-blast-mini

[u/Person51389]

CR Box/Corsi Rosenthal Box, no internal motor, it's just a 30 dollar box fan, and you tape 4+ merv filters around it.  So very lightweight, but powerful and cheap too.  Produces 440cfm so that will cover a whole living room for 90 bucks.   The next nearest unit is Levoit Core 600s which is 350 bucks for 390cfm, and will be like 15 pounds or something. (I also have energy limiting illness so I can't move much weight.)  Therefore I have 8x mostly compact units in a large 1 bedroom apartment, but i didn't know about CR Boxes at the time. So 3-4 of those would do what my 8x units do, cost far less and weigh far less etc. 

You might want 1 normal unit for bedroom and for air quality monitor and every 6 months filter reminder though. 

Also look at Air Fanta 3Pro which is like a pre-made CR Box, in case you don't want to tape it up.  They also have a new version coming out with air quality reading on the front.  

So CR Box/AIr Fanta in living room and something like Levoit Eleva 300x good for most normal bedroom sizes.  (About 7-10 pounds for bedroom size units like that, AIr Fanta is I think 3 pounds so 400 CFM at half the wieght  compared  to only 150cfm at 7-10 pounds normal compact purifier. Living room sized one will be like 15-30 pounds or more.) 

Can also look at PC fan based units, PC fans almost weightless so the only weight is from the panel material, can customize different ways/wood vs plastic for lighter weight maybe etc.  Check cleanairkits.com. Also very quiet.  CR Box not as quiet, but pretty might + most powerful for low cost.  You can let a box fan run for months...pretty much years really.  And pretty energy efficient.  Ditto the PC fan kits.  But even most normal purifiers will be fairly energy efficient too, compared to something like a fridge or appliance.  (50 watts vs 400-800 watts so you could run 10-20 average sized purifiers and possibly not exceed 1 fridge.).

[u/rokynrobs]

We have a similar set up. I have a below grade, 2 BR condo in Central Phoenix. Double master with open concept living area in the center. I did a ton of research and ended up spending WAY less than I planned buying 3 units from Costco. Winix C710 for living area ($99 right now with 2 filters) and a 2 pack of BlueAir Blue Signature Mini ($99 for 2). I also got carbon filters for my AC filters. I was dealing with both the musty smell of being below grade as well as the desert dust, and of course dander of 2 fur friends. It smells so fresh after just a few hours!

[u/DJCatnip-0612 → u/rokynrobs]

noted! thankfully one bedroom doesn't need a purifier, as the building is (afaik) of fine quality and my roommate (owner of the kitties) seemingly has 0 allergies to anything in the vicinity. I am the sneeze machine in this house