Honeywell AirGenius5 HFD320

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Specifications
Price $171.41
CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) rating 161
HEPA Filter? No
Energy Star certified? Yes
Area coverage 250 square feet
Dimensions 12.2 x 12.2 x 29.9 inches

 

Summary
The Honeywell AirGenius5 HFD320 is a versatile, well-performing purifier ideal for medium-sized rooms. It’s extremely energy efficient, particularly effective against allergens, and doesn’t have any serious drawbacks.

A great all-around purifier, although it doesn’t necessarily excel in any one area.

Read the full review below.

PROS:
  • Nice coverage area; great for medium-sized rooms
  • Five settings make this a very versatile device from performance, noise and energy standpoints.
  • Very energy efficient

CONS:
  • Not ideal for large rooms (above 400 square feet)
  • Doesn’t excel at any one thing

FULL REVIEW:

The Honeywell AirGenius5 HFD320 calls itself “one of the most advanced air purifiers ever designed”. Does it live up to that billing? Let’s find out.

Performance

This purifier features five purification “settings”: sleep, germ, allergen, general and max. I think the names are a bit deceiving. For example, “germ” doesn’t focus specifically on germs, and “allergen” doesn’t focus specifically on allergens.

All you need to know about the settings is that they refer to fan speed levels. The “sleep” setting is, for all intents and purposes, the “low” setting. And the “max” setting is the “high” setting. All the settings in between – well, you get the idea.

But moving past semantics, I actually really like the range of settings for the customization they provide. If you’re using this device overnight in a bedroom, the “sleep” setting is an excellent way to keep the purifier running at “whisper quiet” levels.

If you’re looking to kick things into top gear, the “max” setting is great for quickly handling larger rooms. And for everything in between, you have the middle settings.

The HFD320 is great for medium sized rooms; the manufacturer lists its coverage area as 250 square feet, or a room with dimensions of approximately 15 ft. x 17 ft. That estimate seems to be on the money, and the device can likely handle rooms significantly larger, although not as quickly or effectively.

The HFD320 is strongest at fighting allergens; it deals with particles as small as 0.3 microns, which means it can easily handle pollen, pet fur and dander.

As far as CADR ratings, here’s how the manufacturer breaks it down:

Tobacco Smoke: 161 CADR

Dust: 160 CADR

Pollen: 170 CADR

Noise

Again, one of the nice things about this device is that it has five speeds. That’s great for adjusting performance and energy usage, but it’s also helpful for controlling noise levels.

On it’s two lowest settings, the HFD320 is extremely quiet; you’ll be able to run it in your bedroom while you sleep without trouble.

The device gets progressively louder on settings three, four and five – that’s to be expected, because the unit is working harder and thus making more noise. But the noise levels are still tolerable in this range; you might have to turn up your TV a bit, but in medium-large rooms the device is adequately quiet.

Energy Efficiency and Other Features

One of the best parts of the HFD320 is its energy efficiency. Here’s how the power usage breaks down by setting:

“Sleep”: 20-22 watts

“Germ”: 21 – 23 watts

“Allergen”: 23 – 25 watts

“General”: 26 – 28 watts

“Max”: 32 – 40 watts

That’s some outstanding efficiency for a device that performs as well as the HFD320.

Another good feature: very low long-term maintenance costs. The device’s two main filters – the pre-Filter and the “ifD” filter – are both permanent, so while you’ll need to wash them periodically, you won’t need to buy replacements.

The unit’s design is sleek, modern and nice to look at – it’s not an eyesore by a long shot, which is good because the device is almost three feet tall.

One minor problem with this unit: the brightness of the LED light could become a problem if you’re planning on using this in your bedroom. It’s a shame, because this device is exceptionally effective in bedrooms, and it’s usually quiet enough to sleep through.

Overall, this unit scores well in nearly every aspect. But I wouldn’t consider it truly “excellent” in any one area.

Verdict:

8 Total Score
Very Good.

The Honeywell AirGenius5 HFD320 is a versatile, well-performing purifier ideal for medium-sized rooms. It's extremely energy efficient, particularly effective against allergens, and doesn't have any serious drawbacks. But while this device is a jack of all trades, it seems to be a master of none.

Performance
8.5
Value
7
Noise Level
8
Other Factors (Durability, Energy Efficiency, Design)
8.5
Honeywell AirGenius5 HFD320

$171

1 Comment
  1. Reply
    IQAir HealthPro Plus June 20, 2015 at 4:44 pm

    […] you do need a bedroom purifier, we’d recommend researching the Honeywell AirGenius5 HFD320 or the […]

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