CNET has tested dozens of air purifiers over the years to help you pick the best ones for your needs -- whether it’s for cold and flu season, to reduce dust and allergies or to deal with a shedding pet. All of our air purifiers are rigorously tested in CNET Labs product testing facility in Louisville, Kentucky. When evaluating our scores for air purifiers, we take into account particle removal ability, energy efficiency, loudness, price and features. Each unit is given a score out of 10 for each criteria, and then receives a weighted final score out of 10.
Editors' Choice and CNET Lab awards
Our two new lab winners for high and low fan particle clearing are the Coway Airmega 400S and Shark HP232. CNET
After we test air purifiers, we also evaluate the top performers for an Editors’ Choice award as the best purchases for most consumers, based on quantitative and qualitative factors like particle removal, energy efficiency, noise level, price and unique features. This award was given to our current best overall, the BlueAir Blue Pure 311i Max, and our pick for the best cold and flu prevention, the Shark Large Air Purifier HP232.
We also evaluate pure quantitative test results from our rigorous methodology to distinguish a Lab Award winner. Our lab award winner for the fastest particle removal on a high fan setting is the Coway Airmega 400s, achieving a T90 of 21 seconds at the highest fan speed. It also ranked second in overall particle removal and is a great option for large rooms. The Shark HP232 Air Purifier Max earned our other lab award for the fastest particle removal at a low fan setting. It was the top performer in overall particle removal speed, with a T90 of 1 minute and 17 seconds. It was also the cheapest unit to run in terms of energy efficiency.
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How we test air purifiers
Coway AirMega 400S lab award winner CNET
Particle Removal (30%): The average amount of time it takes for an air purifier to remove 90% of the particles from our test chamber.
The average amount of time it takes for an air purifier to remove 90% of the particles from our test chamber. Energy Efficiency (20%): The average energy measured in kilowatt hours used by the air purifier, we also calculate it over the course of a month.
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