Dyson air purifier outperformed by cheap DIY box fan filter in Marketplace test • Hacker News Board

Re: Dyson air purifier outperformed by cheap DIY box fan filter in Marketplace test

#181

Post by bluGill » Thu, Feb 11, 2021, 5:52 PM UTC

lxe wrote: post #122

Attaching an air filter to a box fan doesn't look great and sounds loud. There's no remote and no pivot or heating functions.

Why would you want a remote on an air filter? You want it on 24x7 because you never know when something will happen that means the air needs cleaning. If you need a heater, buy a heater, don't try to mix the heater with the air purifier as they have different needs. Pivot might be useful, but only for mixing the air - if you want to feel the air, then you want a fan not an air filter.

Re: Dyson air purifier outperformed by cheap DIY box fan filter in Marketplace test

#182

Post by bluGill » Thu, Feb 11, 2021, 5:53 PM UTC

snickms wrote: post #103

To be fair, the Dyson model claims to heat and cool the air as well as filter it - unlike the DIY purifier.

But those are not functions that should be combined with an air filter.

Re: Dyson air purifier outperformed by cheap DIY box fan filter in Marketplace test

#183

Post by clarkevans » Thu, Feb 11, 2021, 5:54 PM UTC

reaperducer wrote: post #112

The cobbled together box fan may work better than a Dyson, but my wife isn't going to let me put a cobbled together box fan in the library. People care about aesthetics. There are entire industries built around this, even in technical areas (industrial design, UX, etc...) So the Dyson wins simply because it will exist in the house and clean a portion of the air, while the Sanford and Son rig won't be in the house and…

> my wife isn't going to let me put a cobbled together box fan in the library

Perhaps https://smartairfilters.com/en/product/sqair-air-purifier/ ? It's simply a fan + filter in an attractive box.

Re: Dyson air purifier outperformed by cheap DIY box fan filter in Marketplace test

#184

Post by noodlenotes » Thu, Feb 11, 2021, 5:55 PM UTC

Karawebnetwork wrote: post #61

ortusdux wrote: post #4

I still cannot get over this product. They whole selling point of a dyson fan is the 'air multiplier' tech, which creates a low pressure zone that propels air through the ring. According to dyson, this tech can move 15x more air than the fan in the base of the unit. Why in the world would you build an air filter around a system that does not directly interact with 93% of the air it moves? https://www.jameco.com/Jamec…

I live in a large loft-style apartment on two floors which is actually a large room. There are only a few windows and they are placed in a way that no air draft gets created. When I bought a purifier, one of the things I was looking for was air movement. I position my Dyson so that there's a draft throughout the apartment. I thought this would improve the air filtration because the air would move through my home and…

It sounds like you're using the Dyson as a fan and something else as the actual purifier. Sounds like that setup works great for you, but it does prove the point that the Dyson is a fan, not a purifier.

Re: Dyson air purifier outperformed by cheap DIY box fan filter in Marketplace test

#185

Post by gmfawcett » Thu, Feb 11, 2021, 5:55 PM UTC

pdpi wrote: post #168

gmfawcett wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess I was being charitable, and imagining that the poster might be a Korean of a certain age where this myth held weight. The article suggests that young Koreans have changed attitudes, but that doesn't mean that everyone has. I think the comment replies to his question did a fine job challenging the myth. Obviously it's just my opinion, but I'd rather save downvotes for people who were clearly trolling or malici…

To be clear, I didn't downvote their comment — I don't think it warranted it — I'm just saying I can sympathise with the argument that a comment that doesn't add anything useful to the discussion is a fair target for a downvote. Saying "But what about x?" when you yourself provide a link that says that X is a non-issue doesn't make for an engaging discussion. "But what about x? This link suggests it's not a problem b…

That's a fair point. Thanks for the respectful conversation about this. :)

Re: Dyson air purifier outperformed by cheap DIY box fan filter in Marketplace test

#186

Post by turtlebits » Thu, Feb 11, 2021, 5:56 PM UTC

AlexandrB wrote: post #3

Dyson : Air Products :: Beats : Audio Products Pretty much every Dyson product I've used, from the public bathroom air "blades" to the vacuums, seem like a gimmicky, inferior products with a premium price tag. None of them do their intended job better than older, cheaper products in their category. I know James Dyson is regarded as a genius engineer, but the consumer product company bearing his name seems to be 99% m…

A huge part of their price/product is marketing, but their air purifiers are excellent as a whole package (I have the one including heat).

Their stick vacuums and they are excellent as well.

That said, you should not judge their performance based on their cost, as there are other factors, such as ergonomics, WAF, etc.

Re: Dyson air purifier outperformed by cheap DIY box fan filter in Marketplace test

#187

Post by Rebelgecko » Thu, Feb 11, 2021, 5:57 PM UTC

dylan604 wrote: post #114

julianlam wrote: post #10

After watching this segment, I immediately bought a 20" box fan, a 20x20 MERV 11 filter, and put one together. It kicks the pants off of air purifiers twice the price and it moves a lot of air through. Best investment ever. CBC was testing CADR, which is one metric among others, but an important one if you're looking to clean a room's air, fast.

I've had one of these for years with MERV10-12 (depending on availability) filters. This is in addition to the 20x25 filter in the central unit. Judging by how dirty the filter on the box fan gets, it is amazing how the central unit is just unable to do an adequate job.

Does your central air also use a merv 10 filter? A lot of people use the cheap fiberglass ones which are not very effective

Re: Dyson air purifier outperformed by cheap DIY box fan filter in Marketplace test

#188

Post by NullPrefix » Thu, Feb 11, 2021, 5:57 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #154

hoytschermerhrn wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dyson, like Apple, doesn’t make products for nerds like us who are willing to go through that level of effort. Their prices are high because their products are simple and “just work” without much fiddling.

What's being questioned here is whether this product actually works (as air filter, as advertised).

Sold for a high price and andertised as a working solution is equivalent to a working product, in the mind of a normie.

Re: Dyson air purifier outperformed by cheap DIY box fan filter in Marketplace test

#189

Post by adamscybot » Thu, Feb 11, 2021, 5:59 PM UTC

LegitShady wrote: post #106

raiyu wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The public bathroom air blades drive me crazy. It keeps splashing the water back and forth, the air speed is too high and my hands inadvertently touch the sides and probably there are a bunch of germs circulating inside, as not everyone washes their hands thoroughly. The old school super blowers that just do hot air down, or whichever direction you turn, probably consume more power, but certainly dry my hands faster…

I prefer the Excel XLERATOR hand dryers, and usually spec them over most other models. Hands dry in ~10 seconds, not spashing onto a lower surface, etc.

Yeh, those are good. Though they seem to have appeared shortly after the Dyson blade dryers. Dyson seem to have shaken the market a bit into realising you actually need power in these things for them to be useful.

Re: Dyson air purifier outperformed by cheap DIY box fan filter in Marketplace test

#190

Post by Bakary » Thu, Feb 11, 2021, 5:59 PM UTC

I've spent many hours navigating the air purifier market and it is one of the most opaque and customer-unfriendly ones I have ever seen. Beyond the advice given in the article, it's also important to check what the filter exactly is. Some filters are washable, but it often means that they are not as thorough as HEPA filters, which is a big deal if your goal is to avoid the dreaded PM2.5 that are as far as I can tell the main threat to health and the pursuit of happiness.

A more general problem is that there is a conceptual contradiction between low noise and high filtering. It will be difficult for a silent filter to be quick at filtering your room.

The good news is that even a relatively crappy, low CADR setup can still filter a bedroom over time so long as it remains closed. You will however be paying for replacements more often and it might not be worth it if you have to ventilate daily and the filter takes many hours to give you a clean environment.

I like the work that Smart Air China is doing. I am not affiliated with them, but they have essentially done and made available the same sort of research as the one highlighted in the article and have long promoted the no bullshit use of a simple box fan with filter combo for lower income and highly polluted regions.