Austin Air HealthMate Review

The Austin Air HealthMate – Built to Last

Air purifier units aren’t overcomplicated devices with tens of options, which makes them relatively easy to shop for. There are only a handful of features that you have to consider: price (including unit and filters), filter quality, noise, and circulation for your particular situation. Although these gadgets have been around a while, there aren’t any clear winners in the field that have proven themselves the best year over year. However, the Austin Air line of air purifiers might be a contender for that title in the future. These sturdy units use a four-stage filter designed to last for five years, and the mid-sized HealthMate is very reasonably priced with appropriate power and noise level for all-day home use.

Solid, long-lasting unit for a nice price

The Austin Air HealthMate isn’t the most expensive air purifier on the market by far, but it’s still a significant investment. The initial cost more than makes up for itself, however, because of the extremely long life of the filter. You can practically plug this unit in and forget about it for years. Other features that make this model a popular customer choice are:

• Solid, well-built frame for durability and long life
• Good selection of speeds with acceptable noise levels
• Four-stage filtration with up to five years of use
• Well-designed air intake and delivery system for maximum circulation

Combination of strength and portability

The Austin Air HealthMate is a whopping 45 pounds. No one should expect to be able to tote this air purifier around from room to room on a regular basis. However, the weight is not necessarily a bad thing. For one, it’s a solid square frame, and your kids and large pets are going to have a tough time tipping it over. There’s also a really solid motor inside, which is good for two reasons: it’ll last a long time, and when it does eventually go out, you’ll find that repairing a heavy-duty machined motor is a lot easier than trying to fix a fidgety, high-tech, ultra lightweight design. Of course, by then you’ll have used this unit for so long that you might as well just buy a new one. Anyway, all that weight comes nicely balanced on four castors, which are a cinch to move as long as you’re not going up stairs.

CLICK HERE to see consumer reviews of the Austin Air Healthmate

Three speed levels with no jet-engine noise

Although the Austin Air HealthMate doesn’t have as many speed levels as the Alen A350, it does offer more air delivery for fewer decibels. There are three speed levels on the HealthMate, and although the highest level is uncomfortably loud if you’re in the same room, the middle level is just quiet enough to be able to watch a movie with the sound up, or to use as white noise while sleeping. The lowest level, although not as silent as the Blueair 501, is just fine for having a conversation or doing any other daily activity. Even kids will be fine with this level of white noise as night.

Four-part, five-year filter

The Austin Air HealthMate uses one of the most advanced filters of all consumer air purifiers. With a total of four filters, allergens, odors, and even germs don’t stand a chance. Two separate pre-filters remove large debris like hair and dust and filter out particles down to 1 micron in size, including pollen and mold spores. Finally, air is forced through 60 feet of medical grade HEPA filter to eliminate 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns in size, including bacteria and viruses. What’s more, there’s no ionizer in the HealthMate, which eliminates the possibility that your air purifier will produce any ozone, a toxin and irritant commonly produced by ionizing air filters.

As for odors, the HealthMate takes care of those too. An activated carbon filter captures volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air. VOCs are chemicals that can come from organic sources like mold, and substances like formaldehyde and acetone that emanate from carpet, treated wood, smoke, and other household and environmental sources. However, this isn’t just a fish-tank carbon filter. The Austin Air HealthMate uses 15 pounds of carbon for the ultimate anti-chemical, anti-odor air delivery.

All this filtration stuff seems expensive, and it is. A replacement filter will set you back about $200. The good news is that under “normal” residential use, Austin Air guarantees the filter to last for five years. Even with constant use, customers report that their filters last up to two years. If you add up all the filters you have to buy for other machines, every six months or even more frequently depending on use, the HealthMate makes a lot more sense financially.

360-degree intake and focused air delivery

The Austin Air HealthMate takes in air from all sides through the base of the unit. All delivered air is forced through the filter, and the clean air stream comes out of the top of the unit. With no cross-flow between incoming and outgoing air, you’re guaranteed to get maximum circulation throughout the room so that every square inch of air will get cycled through the machine. Since the air purifier is on wheels, you can easily move it to the center of the room for a super-fast clean-up, and then move it back into a more unobtrusive area for continuous air cycling.

What are other people saying?

The Austin Air HealthMate is pretty popular with customers, and those who decide to purchase this model rather than other models almost always end up pleased with their purchases. This model consistently earns 4 to 5 out of 5 stars around various internet sites, including Amazon. Here are some reports from customers:

• “The item itself, when it is working, is excellent. I would recommend it, as the best air purifier on the market. I recently purchased another air purifier, so now we have one on each floor. We are breathing much better!”
• “We keep it on medium, and I don’t notice the sound. It’s certainly no louder than our AC unit, which we also have going. All in all, a worthwhile purchase that has definitely made our lives easier.”
• “Yes, this air purifier is expensive. At the same time, it does an excellent job dealing with pet dander and regional allergens in my case. If you use it normally you won’t have a yearly filter to purchase.”
• “I keep it on all the time. When I’m at the studio, I have it set to the lowest setting and I find it’s fairly quiet at that setting. When I leave for the day I turn it on full blast.”
• “I can honestly say that this unit has made such a huge difference. It has eliminated dust and all odors, and the air smells totally fresh and clean. The unit itself is quiet and unobtrusive and moves easily anywhere you need it to go. We leave it running 24/7 and have not seen a big jump in electric bills.”

There are a handful of complaints that pop up on a regular basis, but most of these are easy to address. For one, the unit can lose power after only a few weeks of running. This is usually because the outside filter is clogged. Whenever you vacuum your floors, give the unit a quick once-over to keep it running at full power. Another complaint is that Austin’s in-house repair service is quite expensive. Fortunately, there’s no need to use it. Replacement parts can be found cheap on the internet, and your local repair shop can take care of it from there.

Where can I get one?

This unit is sold for a wide range of prices around the internet, but try Amazon first as they have it with FREE SHIPPING.

CLICK HERE to get the Austin Air Healthmate at the lowest possible price – including FREE SHIPPING

Read more air purifier reviews…
1. Blueair 501 Air Purifier
2. Honeywell 50250 Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier
3. Alen A350 HEPA Air Purifier