Rabbit Air MinusA2 SPA-700A

FULL REVIEW:

Rabbit Air isn’t a household name, and I was skeptical when I first read about the brand.

But I was swiftly proven wrong – because as it turns out, the Rabbit Air MinusA2 SPA-700A is one of the best air purifiers on the market.

Performance

“Rabbit” is a misleading animal to name this device after. Rabbits are quick, but not strong.

The SPA-700A more resembles a leopard. It’s not as well known as the lion, and a leopard doesn’t have a reputation as king of the animal food chain. But maybe it should.

The SPA-700A is one of the more effective purifiers on the market, and offers truly well rounded performance.

The device comes with four filters. First, a pre-filter that tackles dust, pet hair and other larger particles. Next, a HEPA filter that captures smaller particles; followed by a charcoal filter designed to tackles odors; the fourth filter is interesting, because there are several options the consumer can opt for.

There are four options for your fourth filter: my two favorite are the “pet allergy” filter, tailored specifically toward allergy defense; and the “odor remover” filter, geared toward people living with smokers.

I love the versatility the fourth filter provides. After all, not everyone buys an air purifier for the same reasons; some people need a purifier that better handles cigar smoke; others buy a purifier to get rid of allergens.

The fourth filter offers an extra “boost” in the area of your choice; but the SPA-700A can do it all, regardless.

It has a huge coverage area (about 700 square feet), so it’s certainly capable of covering multiple rooms for light-medium jobs. But if you have serious allergy or odor issues, that number will come down closer to the 350 square foot range.

Its performance (and ease of use) is bolstered by a few very cool features. Which leads us to the next section:

Intelligence

This device is possibly the most intelligent air purifier on the market. When I say “intelligent”, I mean that the device is capable of doing its job largely without human guidance; it decides when it needs to work hard, and when it can lay back.

The SPA-700A has an extremely fine-tuned built-in air quality detector. When it detects a change in air quality for the worse – say, when your wet dog walks into the room or your roommate lights up a cigarette – it kicks up the power. When it detects the odor is cleaned up, it automatically reverts to a lower setting.

The device’s internal air quality measurement is shown via an indicator light that changes colors based on the quality changes it’s detecting. Blue means clean, red means poor air quality.

In order for the device to work to the best of its ability, you should run the purifier non-stop for two straight days upon purchase. This will give the machine a “baseline” level of air quality from which to judge future changes.

Noise and Design

The SPA-700A is one of the quietest air purifiers on the market, relative to performance. What I mean is this: the purifier is capable of working its butt off and producing relatively little noise while doing it.

Here are the measured noise levels at each fan speed:

Speed 1: 27 dbA

Speed 2: 30 dbA

Speed 3: 36 dbA

Speed 4: 44 dbA

Speed 5: 53 dbA

At its lowest speed, this device is whisper quiet. But where a purifier truly earns its keep is its noise levels at higher workloads; the SPA-700A is incredibly quiet when running at top speed. Not whisper quiet; no, not even close. But I could sleep through the night even with this device running at top speed in my bedroom.

The SPA-700A is really stylish, too; it’s a sleek, modern white rectangle with the dimensions of a flat-screen TV. I have no idea how the manufacturer packed all that power into something so thin (just 7 inches thick), but they did.

The wall mount is a nice touch, too. Check out the pictures at the top of the post to see how it looks mounted.

Energy Efficiency

I wanted to quickly touch on energy efficiency. This device is Energy Star certified, but that in itself doesn’t serve as a strong indicator of efficiency level.

But, as it turns out, the SPA-700A is a pretty darn efficient device. Here is the measured wattage at each fan speed:

Speed 1: 4 watts

Speed 2: 6 watts

Speed 3: 12 watts

Speed 4: 27 watts

Speed 5: 48 watts

For a device this powerful, 48 watts on “turbo” setting is a steal. Further, 4 watts on “low” is a great number: it means you can run the device nearly 24/7 without having to worry about spikes in your electric bill.

To conclude, this is a purifier that has it all. The biggest drawback is always going to be the price point; many consumers just aren’t comfortable spending $500 on an air purifier.

And that’s fine! If you are casually looking to improve your air quality, you don’t need to spend more than $250 – check out some of our other reviews to find devices that better fit your budget.

But if you are serious about air quality, $500 is a small price to pay for the power packed into the SPA-700A.

Verdict: