Winix5500-2 Air Purifier with True HEPA, PlasmaWave and Odor Reducing Washable AOC Carbon Filter Medium, Charcoal Gray

Have done a fair bit of research on the subject of purifiers and the product doesn’t disappoint. We are using it in a bedroom and the noise level is so low that you can use it at night.Big compliment to the seller who chose expedited shipping which made the product arrive almost a week before expected delivery date.

Great and useful

Extremely poor customer service. The product doesn’t work in Asia, Middle East, UK. Beware, I bought this product and it didn’t work even with a voltage transformer. I have yet not received a refund nor a follow up on my purchase.

Received in not working condition

As soon as I plugged it in the smoke started to come out of it and it didn’t even turn on.

Product does not work no matter if we used a step down converter. The product doesn't look legit? idk. everything on stickers/ print is faded gray compared to what i see on the actual online Winix store in US which is colored. I should have bought there except thay they dont ship outside US. I am on my way in processing a refund. Unfortunately why did the seller changed its name tho.

The device arrived with broken 110V power adapter , And when connect to electricity started to burn. it's not working out of the box.

I just got this air purifier a few days ago so this review is not about long term use or efficacy. So far I love it. It looks and sounds cool and very modern and more importantly it works well with no smells, no fumes, etc. It's easy to understand and move around with the handle on top. I initially set it on automatic and since the air seemed clean, the fan was staying on slow speed or going in sleep mode (very slow). Since this unit is used in a basement with concrete flooring and 2 cats around with litter, I manually set it on fan speed 3 and leave it there throughout the daytime. On rare occasions the air quality light will turn amber for a few minutes and then turn to blue again so I guess it's doing what it's supposed to do. Even on speed 3, I can hardly hear it. I can look and listen at the TV a few feet from the unit with no problems.The only thing I didn't like was the very lousy manual that comes with it. The writing is ridiculously small. They mention how to clean the screen filter (first one) but not how to clean the carbon one. I went on online to find out. It's pretty simple. I don't care or need the remote but it's there for those who might. I get the feeling most people will lose it anyway.The online reviews seem to agree that this is a great air purifier and so far I really like it. A review mentioned that it was made in Korea. Mine is not. It's made in Thailand according to sticker on the box.

** 3-week update **After a few weeks a clicking noise developed in the fan when running on the sleep (lowest) speed. Looking at the fan it appears there maybe an imbalance that over the weeks developed into a motor shaft tapping. Make sure to inspect your unit for a balanced fan. I just issued a replacement on the 5500-2 so we'll see what happens.** Original **I spent weeks comparing units on Amazon and elsewhere. I didn't want to spent > 200 on an overbuilt fan, or be stuck buying overpriced filters. I ended up buying the Winix 5500-2 and Renpho AP002 and first impressions with the two units are that they both appear well built, quiet, and have the automatic mode I really wanted.TL;DR;Winix 5300-2 - Quieter w/Smarter hands off Automatic technology & Ionizer - Set and Forget!Winix 5500-2 - Identical in Black w/Remote & washable carbon filterRenpho AP001 - Incredible unit, Amazing filters, Low cost ownership!Renpho AP002 - Almost identical, slightly more air volumeFILTERSThe Renpho filter has a price and feature advantage over the Winix. Both units have H13 Hepa filters, both have the honeycomb active carbon filters (for capturing VOC), and both have a washable pre-filters for catching large particles. The Renpho however has 2 bonus layers, a microbial coating on the Hepa filter, and an additional charcoal filter sitting before the carbon filter to collect larger particles. The Winix does claim the active carbon filter is washable - Renpho does not make this claim, however both appear similar so it maybe purely marketing. The Renpho filter is shorter and fatter - if you ran the numbers they both likely have similar surface area, thought the Winix is CADR rated for 360 sqr/ft while the Renpho is 330 sqr/ft. They are close.Renpho OEM filters sell for $25 for a full replacement. Winix OEM filters sell for $50 for a full replacement. Renpo claims the filter should be changed every 6 months, Winix claims every 12. I assume this is reflected in their price strategy, however since the filters are so similar, I doubt both claims can be true - and this all depends on how dirty your air is! So cost of ownership is likely less with the Renpho.AIR IONIZATIONThe Winix comes with an Ionizer (called Plasmawave) and Renpho does NOT. The Ionizer charges any particles passing through the unit so they are heavier and will float to the ground and out of air. If you're concerned about Ozone gasses, then this is a feature you can disable and is not a feature on the Renpho.SOUNDThis is a real issue for me - I am sensitive to sound and like the home quiet at night. Deciding on a unit for my children makes this even more important, and I don't want to force them into a white machine for air filtration. In Sleep mode the Winix is significantly more quiet at (advertised) 26dB where the Renpho is at 35dB. With the Winix 10ft from the bed I can just barely hear it. The Renpho is noticable but not "loud". The Winix appears to have 5 speed modes, Sleep, Low, Med, High, and Turbo. The Renpho has just 3 modes, Low, Med, High, with Sleep mode being the Low mode with lights off. Here's the rub however - outside of Sleep mode, the Winix sounds "louder" having a higher pitched whine while the Renpho is more of a hum. If I was going to just set this on High in a corner and forget it, then Renpho is the winner. For a quiet bedroom the Winix appears the winner.AUTOMATIC MODEThis was a huge feature for me and the Winix is a much "smarter" unit. Both units have a similar Automatic feature, sensing the air, bringing the fan speed up or down according to the readings. Both have light(s) indicating the current air quality reading. The Winix however had a light sensor that, when the unit is in Automatic mode, will place the unit in Sleep mode when the lights go out (for more than 1 min). In the morning the unit goes back into Automatic mode. This is huge if you appreciate how quiet the unit is. You can set the Winix to Automatic mode and not touch it until your next filter cleaning. If you wish to use the Sleep mode on the Renpho you will need to push the Speed button to cycle through the speed options back to Sleep - and then again in the morning cycle back to Auto. In reality you maybe better covering the lights with black tape and leaving it in Auto or just leave it in Sleep mode permanently.REMOTEWinix has one, Renpho not - for my needs this is a non-issue.CHILD LOCKRenpho has one, Winix does not - this is a great feature if young kids are around!APPEARANCEPersonally I think the Winix looks clean, modern, and the black color blends well into a corner near furniture. The Renpho AP002 like the Renpho AP001 have their signature funky look which is fine but not as refined. It's an air purifier, so who cares, but it is also a visible piece of equipment in your home.For us the Winix seems more appropriate for a bedroom, the Renpho for a living room. Winix higher cost of ownership justified by the features and sound levels, Renpho for lower ownership cost.If the Renpho unit was QUIETER (ahem - hint hint Renpho) then I would just go that route - save on upfront and ownership cost.SIMILAR MODELSThe Winix 5300-2 and Winix 5500-2 are the exact same physical unit in different colors with different filters. The 5300 is gray, the 5500 is black. Only the 5500 has a remote. The 5500 has their "advanced" AOC Washable Active Carbon filter, while the 5300 has a disposable active carbon. The 5300 Hepa filter is slightly thicker (good) and you get 4 disposable filters with each replacement. If you buy the 5500 and don't like the washable filter it comes with you can buy the 5300 replacement pack and use them instead. For $23 more we went with the Winix 5500-2 to test the AOC filter, and for the black aesthetic. Currently you can get the 5300-2 for $129 (Amazon) and when I purchased the Winix 5500-2 for $152 (now listed at $159 on Amazon).The Renpho AP001 (often found as RP-AP001 or AP-001) and Renpho AP002 are very similar products, both using the exact same filters, having different aesthetic designs, and with the AP002 having more airflow (for supposedly the same sound levels) and covering 30 sqr/ft more space. The AP001 has a dedicated Sleep button while the AP002 Sleep mode is the first option on the Speed cycle button - more daily button work for you. Currently the AP001 sells for $99 (Renpho direct) while the AP002 for $137 (Amazon). I bought the AP002 thinking the newer model maybe more quiet than advertised. If we get another Renpho it will be the AP001 for $37 bucks less.

Realizo esta reseña después de usarlo durante tres meses, lo compré por que actualmente vivo en la CDMX y me estaba afectando mucho la contaminación. Puedo decirles que realmente funciona, ya que el aire se siente más fresco (sin llegar a ser frío) y limpio, dejé de tener problemas para respirar.Al encenderlo o apagarlo se escucha ese tono musical del vídeo y se enciende una luz de acuerdo al grado de partículas en el aire (Rojo=Muy contaminado, Naranja=Contaminado y Azul=Limpio), además cuenta con varios modos.Limpiar los filtros es sumamente fácil y en las fotos podrán ver (con la misma sorpresa que yo) todo el polvo y partículas que acumuló en estos tres meses, me encuentro casi en shock al saber que todo eso es lo que respiramos día a día en un espacio cerrado.

After much research I bought this for my woodworking workshop. It's incredibly quiet--really can't even hear it except on the highest level. Easy to move around--I just reach down, grab the hidden handle at the top and move it to another room. This summer we had massive forest fires and there was smoke in the air for weeks. This is one of the few air purifiers that has an activated charcoal filter in addition to a hepa filter. So it filters out chemical vapors, not just smoke/ash particles. Our daughter was sick from the smoke (she's an actor) and putting it in her dressing room allowed her to breath freely. We ended up buying another one for her. I highly recommend. And the first one I bought is still going strong on its first set of filters after being in regular use in my workshop for a couple of years. I also like the fact that it shows--with colours--the amount of impurity/particulates in the air, so you know when the air is clean.

El modo noche es muy silencioso, prácticamente no se oye nada. El modo noche también apaga el nivel de la luz del indicador de calidad del aire, solo queda una luz blanca muy pequeña. Yo tenia duda entre ej philips y este, finalmente me decidí por este y estoy muy contento con la compra.