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Review of Holmes Air Purifier Models
Reviews are only as good as the underlying rating criteria used: After you are done reviewing, STEP5 Buying lists the best places to Holmes Air Purifier Summaries
Model: LifeLong HEPA-Type Tower HAP1200-U  - Poor Rating
Up to 170 sqft MSRP $99.99 Conclusion: A low-end Tower with limited cleaning power. Detailed Review Below 
Model: 99.97% HEPA for Large Rooms HAP650 Holmes Air purifier  - Fair Rating
Up to 340 sqft MSRP $99.99 Conclusion: Low priced HEPA filter with some odor control; yearly cost almost 3X purchase price. Detailed Review Below 
Model: Arm & Hammer Fresh 'N Clean Odor Grabber AOR240FC-U Holmes Air purifier - Poor Rating
Up to 62 sqft MSRP $69.99 Conclusion: Limited actual cleaning ability. Detailed Review Below Other Current Holmes air purifier Models:
Model: 99.97% HEPA for Small Rooms HAP615 - Smaller Version of HAP650 above MSRP $49.99, There are probably more, but you get the idea ... low-end, highly marketed in big-box type stores. Limited on actual cleaning power; low on actual cleaning results.
Model: HEPA-Type Mini Tower HAP412-U Holmes Air Purifier Last Reviewed: 01-15-08 Rating Score: 43/100 points Summary: This is a very low-end air purifier. It has the bare basics of technology. It blows air. It will clean some large particles and the negative ionizer may remove a few more small particles, but that is about it. The odor control is minimal with an "enhanced" filter. It appears that the filter was dipped in a name brand baking soda. A Bad Value. Basic Specifications:
Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) rating from The Association of Home Appliance Manufactures (AHAM) Smoke 76/ Dust 55/ Pollen 55 Pictures: 
Rating Factors: 1) Value: 4/24 points - The MSRP is $49.99. The estimated square footage cleaned is 120 sqft. The Value equation is as follows: 100 * (1 - ((($49.99 initial + $142.43/year)/120 sqft)/2 removal points)) = 19.83. 19.83 = 4 points - Bad Value. 2) What is Removed: 2/16 points - Removal of Larger Particles >0.3 microns - Fair Removal, 1-point. Removal of Smaller Particles <0.3 microns - Fair Removal, 1-point. Removal of Odors and Gases - Poor Removal, 0-points, Removal of VOCs - Poor Removal, 0-points, Removal of Basic Microorganisms - Poor Removal, 0-points, Removal of Advanced Microorganisms - Poor Removal, 0-points. 3) Yearly Operating Costs: 9/15 points - Replacing the HEPA-Type filter every 6 months will cost you 2 X $19.99 = $39.98/year. Calculating electricity usage: 132 watts/1000 X $.0886/kwh x 24 hours/day X 365 days/year = $102.45/year. Total cost $142.43/year. Average to operate. 4) Quality: 5/12 points - The Purifier is made in China and the filters are made in Mexico. This purifier is basic plastic. The quality is average or below. Fit, Finish, and Workmanship - Good Quality, 3-points. Cleaning Technologies - Fair Quality, 2-points. Support Material - Poor Quality, 0-points. 5) Warranty: 6/8 points - This purifier has a 3-year warranty. Very Good Warranty. 6) Maintenance and Cleaning: 4/6 points - The manual says to check the filters every two weeks. There is a color indicator on the side of the HEPA-Type filter that will visually help you determine if it needs changing. Change every 3-6 months. Average Maintenance, 2-points. The pre filter can be vacuumed or hand washed. Expect to clean monthly for 10-15 minutes plus dry time. Average Cleaning 2-points. 7) Look and Feel: 3/6 points - It looks a little like a plastic coffee maker gone bad. Actually it is a mini-tower in white or black plastic. Nothing exciting, nor detracting here. The word "generic" comes to mind. Questionable Looks, 1-point. This unit has functional controls. Feels Good, 2-points. 8) Years in Business: 4/5 points - Holmes has been making air purifiers for over 10 years. They are owned under the Jarden Products umbrella as are Bionaire air purifiers. Jarden ships out of Missouri. 9) Noise Level: 3/5 points - Typical of big box consumer level purifiers, they are listed as quiet, but are sold without any substantial data. Quiet on low. Louder on high. Average Noise Level. 10) Set-Up: 3/3 points - Open box and plug and play. Easy Set-up. total = 43/100 points Conclusion: Generic Min-Tower with limited cleaning power. Model: LifeLong HEPA-Type Tower HAP1200-U Holmes Air Purifier Last Reviewed: 01-15-08 Rating Score: 49/100 points Summary: The HAP1200-U is another big-box store special. The best feature of this purifier is its looks. It will clean some large particles and the negative ionizer may remove a few more small particles, but that is about it. A Poor Value. Basic Specifications:
Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) rating from The Association of Home Appliance Manufactures (AHAM) Smoke 110/ Dust 110/ Pollen 110 Pictures: 
Rating Factors: 1) Value: 8/24 points - The MSRP is $99.99. The estimated square footage cleaned is 170 sqft. The Value equation is as follows: 100 * (1 - ((($99.99 initial + $102.45/year)/170 sqft)/2 removal points)) = 40.46. 40.46 = 8 points - Poor Value. 2) What is Removed: 2/16 points - Removal of Larger Particles >0.3 microns - Fair Removal, 1-point. Removal of Smaller Particles <0.3 microns - Fair Removal, 1-point. Removal of Odors and Gases - Poor Removal, 0-points, Removal of VOCs - Poor Removal, 0-points, Removal of Basic Microorganisms - Poor Removal, 0-points, Removal of Advanced Microorganisms - Poor Removal, 0-points. 3) Yearly Operating Costs: 9/15 points - The HEPA-Type filter is listed as permanent. Calculating electricity usage: 132 watts/1000 X $.0886/kwh x 24 hours/day X 365 days/year = $102.45/year. Total cost $102.45/year. Average to operate. 4) Quality: 6/12 points - The Purifier is made in China and the filters are made in Mexico. This purifier is basic plastic. The quality is average or below. Fit, Finish, and Workmanship - Good Quality, 3-points. Cleaning Technologies - Fair Quality, 3-points. Support Material - Poor Quality, 0-points. 5) Warranty: 4/8 points - This purifier has a 2-year warranty. Good Warranty. 6) Maintenance and Cleaning: 5/6 points - Minimal maintenance. Easy Maintenance, 3-points. This purifier has two filters to clean. The pre filter can be washed as needed. They HEPA-Type filter should be vacuumed as needed. Both are sold as permanent filters. Expect to clean every 4-8 weeks for 20 minutes plus dry time. Average Cleaning 2-points. 7) Look and Feel: 5/6 points - The black and silver is attractive for a tower. Looks Great, 3-points. The controls are standard and functional. Feels Good, 2-points. 8) Years in Business: 4/5 points - Holmes has been making air purifiers for over 10 years. They are owned under the Jarden Products umbrella as are Bionaire air purifiers. Jarden ships out of Missouri. 9) Noise Level: 3/5 points - Typical of big box consumer level purifiers, they are listed as quiet, but are sold without any substantial data. Quiet on low. Louder on high. Average Noise Level. 10) Set-Up: 3/3 points - Open box and plug and play. Easy Set-up. total = 49/100 points Conclusion: A low-end Tower with limited cleaning power. Model: 99.97% HEPA HAP650 Holmes Air Purifier Last Reviewed: 01-15-08 Rating Score: 52/100 points Summary: The HAP650 is a basic HEPA and carbon filter. It does do a decent job at cleaning particles and removing minor odors and gases. The cost on the front-end lures many people into purchasing this purifier. The yearly ongoing cost between electricity and filters is about 3X the purchase price. It reminds me of many ink jet printers ... the upfront cost is reasonable, but you go broke buying ink for so so printing results. I upgraded to a laser printer for that reason. Consider the same here. A Fair Value. Basic Specifications:
Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) rating from The Association of Home Appliance Manufactures (AHAM) Smoke 225/ Dust 225/ Pollen 225 Rating Factors: 1) Value: 12/24 points - The MSRP is $99.99. The estimated square footage cleaned is 340 sqft. The Value equation is as follows: 100 * (1 - ((($99.99 initial + $264.47/year)/340 sqft)/4 removal points)) = 73.20. 73.20 = 12 points - Fair Value. 2) What is Removed: 4/16 points - Removal of Larger Particles >0.3 microns - Good Removal, 2-points. Removal of Smaller Particles <0.3 microns - Fair Removal, 1-point. Removal of Odors and Gases - Fair Removal, 1-point, Removal of VOCs - Poor Removal, 0-points, Removal of Basic Microorganisms - Poor Removal, 0-points, Removal of Advanced Microorganisms - Poor Removal, 0-points. 3) Yearly Operating Costs: 3/15 points - HEPA filters replaced every 12 months at 3 filters each replacement period X $23 = $69. Carbon filters replaced every 3 months are replaced in 3's at 3 filters X 4 replacements X $4 = $48/year. Calculating electricity usage: 190 watts/1000 X $.0886/kwh x 24 hours/day X 365 days/year = $147.47/year. Total cost $264.47/year. Expensive to operate. 4) Quality: 5/12 points - The Purifier is made in China and the filters are made in Mexico. This purifier is basic plastic. The quality is average or below. Fit, Finish, and Workmanship - Good Quality, 3-points. Cleaning Technologies - Fair Quality, 2-points. Support Material - Poor Quality, 0-points. 5) Warranty: 8/8 points - This purifier has a 5-year warranty. Excellent Warranty. 6) Maintenance and Cleaning: 6/6 points - The HEPA filter lasts 12-18 months and the Carbon filter lasts 3-6 months. Replacement takes 10 minutes. Easy Maintenance, 3-points. Periodic wiping down of the outside and inside of purifier is all the additional maintenance needed. Easy Cleaning 3-points. 7) Look and Feel: 4/6 points - A basic, box-like looking purifier. Looks Good, 2-points. Plastic look and feel. Feels Good, 2-points. 8) Years in Business: 4/5 points - Holmes has been making air purifiers for over 10 years. They are owned under the Jarden Products umbrella as are Bionaire air purifiers. Jarden ships out of Missouri. 9) Noise Level: 3/5 points - Typical of big box consumer level purifiers, they are listed as quiet, but are sold without any substantial data. Quiet on low. Louder on high. Average Noise Level. 10) Set-Up: 3/3 points - Open box and plug and play. Easy Set-up. total = 52/100 points Conclusion: Low priced HEPA filter with some odor control; yearly cost almost 3X purchase price. Summary: The Arm & Hammer Odor Grabber AOR240FC-U is more of an inexpensive marketing gimmick than a true air purifier. I was generous in the scoring of what it will actually clean. A Bad Value. Basic Specifications:
Rating Factors: 1) Value: 4/24 points - The MSRP is $69.99. The estimated square footage cleaned is 62 sqft. The Value equation is as follows: 100 * (1 - ((($69.99 initial + $117.59/year)/62 sqft)/2 removal points)) = below 0. 0 = 4 points - Bad Value. 2) What is Removed: 2/16 points - Removal of Larger Particles >0.3 microns - Fair Removal, 1-point. Removal of Smaller Particles <0.3 microns - Poor Removal, 0-points. Removal of Odors and Gases - Fair Removal, 1-point, Removal of VOCs - Poor Removal, 0-points, Removal of Basic Microorganisms - Poor Removal, 0-points, Removal of Advanced Microorganisms - Poor Removal, 0-points. 3) Yearly Operating Costs: 9/15 points - Replacing a HEPA-Type/carbon-like filter every 6 months will cost 2 X $19.99 = $39.98/year. Calculating electricity usage: 100 watts/1000 X $.0886/kwh x 24 hours/day X 365 days/year = $$77.61/year. Total cost $117.59/year. Average to operate. 4) Quality: 5/12 points - The Purifier is made in China and the filters are made in Mexico. This purifier is basic plastic. The quality is average or below. Fit, Finish, and Workmanship - Good Quality, 3-points. Cleaning Technologies - Fair Quality, 2-points. Support Material - Poor Quality, 0-points. 5) Warranty: 6/8 points - This purifier has a 3-year warranty. Very Good Warranty. 6) Maintenance and Cleaning: 6/6 points - This purifier has a HEPA-Type filter and a pre filter. The HEPA-Type filter change every 4-6 months is easy; 10 minutes tops. Easy Maintenance, 3-points. Washing the pre filter is also 10 minutes plus dry time. Easy Cleaning 3-points. 7) Look and Feel: 4/6 points - A small unit that could fit in many spaces. Looks Good, 2-points. Generic plastic look and feel. Feels Good, 2-points. 8) Years in Business: 4/5 points - Holmes has been making air purifiers for over 10 years. They are owned under the Jarden Products umbrella as are Bionaire air purifiers. Jarden ships out of Missouri. 9) Noise Level: 3/5 points - Typical of big box consumer level purifiers, they are listed as quiet, but are sold without any substantial data. Quiet on low. Louder on high. Average Noise Level. 10) Set-Up: 3/3 points - Open box and plug and play. Easy Set-up. total = 46/100 points Conclusion: Limited on actual cleaning ability. Return to STEP3 Reviews A-H from Holmes Air Purifier
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