Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

cbc.ca

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

381–390 of 602 posts

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

#381

Post by tpxl »

ashtonkem wrote: post #309
detritus wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The company famed for creating bagless vacuums added a 'bag' to a product that doesn't necessarily need it? Dyson's stance on Brexit makes ever more sense... .

Having just gone back to a bagged vacuum, I genuinely wonder why people ever accepted bag-less vacuums in the first place. Aside from the “empty the canister out and watch all fine dust float back into my house” issue, vacuum bags function as one massive filter. It’s not physically possible to build a filter into a bag less vacuum that approaches the size or capability of the vacuum bag itself.

Water works really well as a filter.

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

#382

Post by thekingofravens »

catmanjan wrote: post #378
Judgmentality wrote: post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're assuming the laughter is at the child, not with the child. It's laughing about a mistake because that's what makes us human.

Do children understand that nuance? I would have thought they would associate people falling with laughing

They aren't dogs. They understand a lot more than you would expect.

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

#383

Post by hytdstd »

The article completely ignores noise. I personally have a box fan filter, but I don't pretend that it's appropriate or better for most people-- it's loud and annoying to work in the same room, and almost impossible to sleep with. And it is important that they're constantly on [0] (air quality generally reverts to normal levels in less than 2 hours), because all homes breathe to mitigate moisture and mold growth.

[0]: https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/can-you-turn-off-your-pu...

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

#384

Post by danShumway »

sdljfjafsd wrote: post #365
nostrademons wrote: post #359

My wife rigged up a similar box fan + HEPA filter + duct tape solution during last summer's CA wildfires. They are remarkably effective. We also have the BlueAir purifier that was top-rated in this report, and arguably the box fan did better. (The BlueAir is better for kitchen smells, the box fan is better for particulates like wildfire smoke.) I think the filters are like $40 each from Costco and the box fan was $30…

Why did you believe the box fan did better? Did you do any kind of testing to verify that? The Blue Air's CADR is 2.7x that of a box fan. I do agree that the box fan solution is a great low cost option for small to medium rooms, but if you need 1 device to purify a large area, it's not gonna cut it.

> but if you need 1 device to purify a large area

I realize there are other concerns here (noise, power usage, aesthetics), but at the price points this article is talking about, you can buy 3 box filters for the price of one BlueAir device. Or spend a bit of extra money (but still comparatively less than $400) on a more powerful box fan.

I am doubtful that a BlueAir would outperform a setup with multiple independent fans.

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

#385

Post by lambda_obrien »

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…

The only thing they make that's good is the stick vacuum, everything else is just trying to put their nice, fancy motors into other products.

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

#386

Post by zeroimpl »

If the only metrics you are comparing is price and purification level, then of course you won't want a Dyson. But there are other important objective metrics such as size and loudness which deserve to be a part of any scientific comparison.

If the box fan is bigger and 4x as noisy, it's not a valid comparison for many situations. Instead should compare fans which are similar sizes and operating at similar noise levels.

I have a Dyson fan and a box fan (not air purifiers), and the Dyson fan is significantly quieter, smaller (same height but about half as wide), while having a similar power (not exactly sure which one is stronger).

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

#387

Post by averynicepen »

sdljfjafsd wrote: post #365
nostrademons wrote: post #359

My wife rigged up a similar box fan + HEPA filter + duct tape solution during last summer's CA wildfires. They are remarkably effective. We also have the BlueAir purifier that was top-rated in this report, and arguably the box fan did better. (The BlueAir is better for kitchen smells, the box fan is better for particulates like wildfire smoke.) I think the filters are like $40 each from Costco and the box fan was $30…

Why did you believe the box fan did better? Did you do any kind of testing to verify that? The Blue Air's CADR is 2.7x that of a box fan. I do agree that the box fan solution is a great low cost option for small to medium rooms, but if you need 1 device to purify a large area, it's not gonna cut it.

The study doesn't mention the air flow rate of the box fan, nor the size of the box fan. I'm not familiar with it, but on Wikipedia it looks like CADR is calculated as (fraction of particles) x (airflow rate). So one good explanation would be that even though the box fan could be less efficient at filtering particles, if it's moving 2 or 3 times the air over the BlueAir, it will clean a room faster.

I think it's a feasible estimate of CFM, as the diameter of the box fan's impeller would be larger than the one used in the BlueAir box.

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

#388

Post by harperlee »

catmanjan wrote: post #378
Judgmentality wrote: post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're assuming the laughter is at the child, not with the child. It's laughing about a mistake because that's what makes us human.

Do children understand that nuance? I would have thought they would associate people falling with laughing

When I pick up my children from a small fall, and I laugh belittling the hit, they do not feel mocked at, instead laughing with me. I think the kind of insecurity that makes you suspect that people are laughing at you comes later - and if you don't have crappy parents you don't even come close to suspecting that your parents might be laughing at you...

Obviously you don't laugh with big falls and broken arms.

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

#389

Post by catmanjan »

harperlee wrote: post #388
catmanjan wrote: post #378

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do children understand that nuance? I would have thought they would associate people falling with laughing

When I pick up my children from a small fall, and I laugh belittling the hit, they do not feel mocked at, instead laughing with me. I think the kind of insecurity that makes you suspect that people are laughing at you comes later - and if you don't have crappy parents you don't even come close to suspecting that your parents might be laughing at you ... Obviously you don't laugh with big falls and broken arms.

But when your children are with their friends, and their friends fall over, do they laugh? Maybe their friends aren't as confident
Post reply on HN