Once you’ve gotten used to an air purifier, it’s hard to go back to living without one. I like them in the winter because they help the air feel less stale when I can’t crack my windows open. And goodness knows they’re handy in the warmer months, when Mother Nature and her army of grasses and leaves threaten to make me sneeze all day long. We’ve hand-tested multiple models for our air purifier buying guide, and Coway’s have been a consistent favorite. The brand’s popular design-forward Airmega line is discounted right now up to 30 percent off—this is close to what they ran for Black Friday. The sale ends January 30, so if you regret not buying an air purifier while they were on sale during the holidays, this is your chance.
Be sure to check out our other recently updated buying guides, including the Best Ventless Fireplaces, Best Office Chairs, and Best Blenders.
WIRED Featured Deals:
Coway Airmega Mighty Air Purifier for $170 ($60 off)
The best affordable air purifier offers excellent value for the price, even when it’s not on sale. This is the best price we’ve seen since Black Friday (and it comes within $30 of that cost), and it usually doesn’t fall cheaper than it is right now outside of seasonal shopping events. It can clean a room up to 361 square feet, exchanging the air at 4.8 times per hour. We recommend running it in a slightly smaller room to allow for lower noise levels. It has a built-in timer allowing for automatic shutoff after one, four, or eight hours, and there’s an Eco Mode that’ll turn it off after 30 minutes without detected pollution.
We like this purifier’s color-coded light, which shows blue for clean air and purple or red for different levels of pollutants based on its built-in air sensor. That sensor can also automatically adjust the Mighty’s fan speed. The whole device is easy to port around, thanks to its incorporated back handle, replacement filters are inexpensive (WIRED editor Kat Merck has a Mighty and buys these), and it has a three-year warranty.
Coway Airmega ProX Air Purifier for $720 ($279 off)
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Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
This big ol’ air purifier is the most effective option we tested for homes with high ceilings. The design is a little Dune-y, but it can clean the air four times per hour in a 1,000-square-foot space if you’re running it at its highest setting. It’s also pretty quiet, around 50 decibels at its loudest, and there’s a control panel lock to help prevent accidental setting changes.
It has Coway’s air quality indicator light where blue is good and red is bad, so it’s a handy way to monitor your air quality at a glance. It has three different airflow speeds and an auto mode that’ll adjust fan speed as needed. The machine is heavy at 50 pounds, but it has built-in wheels and handles for easier maneuvering, plus a solid five-year warranty.
Coway Airmega 50 Air Purifier for $63 ($17 off)
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
This tabletop model received an honorable mention in our air purifier buying guide—also see our in-depth review here—but it’s still a decent pick for small spaces. And we mean small; following the CDC recommendation, it can effectively clean the air in a 100-square-foot space five times an hour. But it’s also about the size of a roll of paper towels, and the large indicator light on top is easy to spot from across a room. There’s a built-in timer and nightlight too. It’s covered by a three-year warranty. If you don’t need to cover a large amount of space, but you still want a little purifier for your living room, kitchen, or bedroom from a reliable, proven brand, this is a safe bet—especially at this price.
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