Overview:
Pros: High airflow, large volume of activated carbon, all metal construction
Cons: Purchase price, heavy unit, more complicated filter change process
Great for: Heavy smoke concerns
Not Recommended for: Allergies, Dust, Asthma
Summary:
T600 is Air Purifiers America’s best seller for Tobacco smoke concerns.Manufactured in Canada, Airpura has been selling heavy-duty chemical removing units for over 20 years.
The T600 has several features that make it an excellent smoke/tobacco unit, such as:
- A tar capturing pre-filter
- A blend of 26 lbs of carbon specifically targeted to remove smoke odors/chemicals.
- A thin HEPA layer to reduce carbon dust in the air.(Not recommended for dust/allergen removal)
The metal drum is the hallmark of an air purifier with a high volume of activated carbon, ideal for chemical and odor removal. Airpura uses almost all metal components in the construction of its units, which makes the T600 a very durable and long-lasting unit. Hard plastic wheels make the unit easy to roll around despite its weight. A variable rate dial and a powerful motor let you balance airflow and noise levels effortlessly
If you buy the T600 unit for tobacco, you can still switch out your filter in the future to address other concerns. One great thing about Airpura, is that all of their units utilize the same external body and look identical from the outside, only the filter inside is different.
Review Outline & Key Findings (Click to Skip Ahead)
1. Unboxing the Unit
A Heavy Unit
Complex Filter Change
Solid Metal Construction
2. Key Technologies
Variable Rate Dial
Carbon Blends
3. Available Filter Options
Multiple Unit Options
4. Product Specs
2000 SqFt
N/A Efficiency
100 Watts
5. Our Testing
Power Consumption
Noise Levels (dB)
Efficiency Tests
6. Cost to Operate
Power: $10.80/mo
Filters: $15.87/mo
Total: $26.67/mo
7. Similar Units
Austin Air Healthmate
AllerAir 5000 DS
8. The Bad
Heavy
Complex Filter Change
Loud on High
9. The Good
Great Smoke Removal
Durable Construction
Long Warranty
10. Why Buy Here?
Advice
Expertise
Long Term Support
Full Review of Airpura T600 HEPA Air Purifier
Unboxing the Unit
Heavy: A Challenge Unboxing
The Airpura T600 is a very heavy unit. Its large volume of carbon and all metal construction means it weighs in at over 40lbs. This makes getting it out of the box take a little bit of work. Turning the box on its side and dragging the unit out seemed like the most practical way to get it out.
Wheels Make for Easy Moving
Once the unit is out of the box, it rolls rather easily due to the casters on the bottom. This unit should be easy enough to transport around the home as long as you don’t have any steps that you need to go up or down.
Changing the filter: Grab a screwdriver
This is where things can get a little tricky. Whether you are buying from Airpura, Austin Air, or AllerAir, drum air purifiers all have one thing in common: more difficult filter changes.
Drum air purifiers have the fan and motor mounted in the top of the unit, which means that the filter has to come out of the bottom. This requires turning the 40lb unit upside down and unscrewing it. That’s the easy part.
The hard part comes when you have to lift a 30 lb filter covered with years of dust out of the housing: We recommend that you change the filter outside.
Fortunately, filter changes only need to be done once every couple of years due to how long the filter lasts. But if you are using it for strong chemical or smoke issues, you could need to do this on a more frequent basis, such as annually.
NO HEPA Filter
The T600 does not have a HEPA filter. It is a unit designed solely for smoke odors/chemicals, not allergies, dust, and asthma. It includes a “HEPA-barrier” filter, which people often confuse with a HEPA Filter. The HEPA-barrier is a thin sheet of HEPA material on the inside of the unit. It’s purpose is to prevent large amounts of carbon dust from being expelled out of the unit. It is not there to remove airborne allergens.
Solid Metal Construction
AirPura uses mostly metal components which makes the units very solid and durable. These units feel like they could take a beating in a commercial environment and keep on running without any adverse effects. They are supported on casters (wheels) which are made out of a hard plastic.
Key Technologies
On/Off: Variable Rate Dial
Air pura units use a variable rate dial that controls a DC motor. Unlike AC motors which tend to have set speed settings that they switch between, a DC motor can be dialed up or down along its full range of performance. The variable rate dial allows you to pick the exact airflow level that you want, which you are most likely going to do in order to find the highest airflow level that you can tolerate the noise for. The unit can be loud on high.
Wide Variety of Carbon Blends
Variable dials that allow you to specify any airflow level are a standard feature on all AirPura air purifiers. Aside from that, the complex blends of carbon are what make Air Pura units unique. You can request custom blends to address specific chemicals, or choose from any of a dozen pre-blended combinations for specific concerns.
Available Filter Options
Airpura appears to have about 10 different air purifier models. However, in reality Airpura has only one unit and 10 different filters.
The external housing is the same for all units, but it is the internal filter that makes the models unique. Any filter will fit the drum unit that you purchase, which means that you can switch to a new filter in the future if your current one is not meeting your needs. The various filters available for units are great for a wide variety of concerns such as tobacco, odors, VOCs, or plain HEPA for dust and allergens. These specific filters come in the following units:
T600: Tobacco/Smoke Blend of Carbon, No substantial HEPA layer, only carbon & tar barrier
V600: VOC Unit. High volume of carbon, including thick HEPA layer
H600: HEPA Only, No carbon
F600: Carbon & HEPA, Specific blend to address Formaldehyde
C600: Customizeable Carbon Blends. No HEPA layer
R600: Airpura multipurpose unit. Carbon blend and HEPA
Product Specs
| Coverage Area | 2000 sq ft |
| Efficiency | Not Applicable (No HEPA) |
| Noise Levels | 70 dB |
| Power Consumption | 100 Watts |
| Energy Star Rated | No |
Airpura units are not energy star rated. However, very few units with a large volume of activated carbon are energy star rated.
Performance Testing
The following performance specs are what we measured in our performance testing.
| Speed | Power Consumption (Watts) | Noise (dB) | Efficiency (0.3 Microns) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 100 | 70 (loud) | Not Applicable (No HEPA) |
| 3 | 81 | 65 | N/A |
| 2 | 45 | 51.5 | N/A |
| 1 | 37 | 46 | N/A |
Cost to Operate
Cost to Operate: Very Good
Monthly Power Cost:$10.80
Monthly Filter Cost: $15.87
Maximum Operating Cost: $26.67/month
Typical Operating Cost: $13.34/month (We divide max operating cost in half since we don’t expect everyone will run it on high 24/7)
In order to determine the cost to operate, we consider power consumption cost and filter replacement costs:
Power Consumption Cost
| Unit Power on High: | 100 watts |
| Cost of Electricity from Utility: | 15 cents/kWh |
| Your Daily Power Cost on High: | 36 cents per day |
| Your Monthly Power Cost on High: | $10.80/month on high |
Filter Replacement Cost
| Filter | Cost | Change Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| T600 Main Carbon Filter | $249 | every 3-5 Years |
| TarBarrier Pre-Filters | $99 for 6-pack | 1 every 4 months |
Power Cost:
Running the T600 on high speed, 24 hours a day will result in a power cost of $10.80/month.
Filter Cost:
Although the main carbon filter is recommended at a 3-5 year life, we are assuming a 2 year change frequency to calculate our average monthly filter cost. This would be if you are using the unit for heavy smoke issues. Changing the main filter every 2 years, and adding a new pre-filter every four months will cost $15.87/mo on average.
As we mentioned above, the maximum estimated operating cost is based on running the unit 24/7 on high, and changing the filter at a high frequency (once every 2 years). However, since it is unlikely you will run this unit this much, we divided the operating cost in half to give a more typical operating cost of $13.33/mo. This cost is fairly reasonable for a drum air purifier, or one that is going to resolve heavy smoke or chemical concerns.
Most Comparable Units
Austin Air HealthMate Plus |
 Airpura T600 |
 AllerAir 5000 DS |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $649 | $849 | $899 |
| Coverage (2 air changes) | 1500 | 2000 | 1500 |
| Coverage (5 air changes) | 600 | 800 | 600 |
| Efficiency (0.3 Microns) | Not Yet Tested | Not Applicable (No HEPA) | Not Yet Tested |
| Noise on High (dB) | 66 | 70 | 66 |
| Power on High | 120 | 100 | 120 |
| Warranty | 5 Year | 5 Year | 5 Year |
| Max Cost to Operate | Similar | $26.67/mo | Similar |
| Typical Cost to Operate | Similar | $13.34/mo | Similar |
| Full Expert Review | Not Yet Reviewed | Not Yet Reviewed | |
| View Product Page | View Product Page | View Product Page |
The Airpura T600 and AllerAir 5000 DS are both specifically designed to handle heavy tobacco smoke and odors. They are similarly priced and will both perform very well.
AustinAir HealthMate Plus
The HealthMate Plus is designed more as a heavy duty/all purpose chemical unit. Therefore, it will do a good job of removing tobacco smoke and odors.
AllerAir 5000-DS
Similar to Airpura T600. Also manufacturered in Canada. These units are built to order and can take 3-5 weeks for delivery. They do not have a variable rate knob, only 4 set speeds. Available in more colors than Airpura.
Areas for Improvement (The Bad)
Heavy Units
Any air purifier focused on removing chemicals or smoke is going to weigh quite a lot. This is because in order to be effective for these concerns, the units have to contain a large volume of activated carbon. Most air purifiers for this purpose will include wheels to make them easier to move around. This helps a lot, but does not help if you need to take them up and down some stairs. There doesn’t appear to be much that can be done to solve this problem.
Complicated (but infrequent) filter change
Most drum units like the T600 and those from Airpura, Austin Air, and AllerAir brands all require you to turn the unit upside down to change the filter. While this is a little difficult to do, it does not have to be done very often since the filters last several years.
Loud on high
Airpura units are quite loud on the maximum speed. However, Airpura offers you flexbility with a variable rate dial rather than fixed speed settings.
Reasons to Buy (The Good)
Great coverage, high chemical removal, metal construction and manufactured in Canada. This is a solid smoke removal unit and one of our better sellers for that concern.
Why Buy With Air Purifiers America
With a hundred places you could buy this same product, why choose Air Purifiers America?
With Air Purifiers America, you always have someone to call if you run into a problem.
We can give you advice over the phone or online chat. Help you determine where and how often to run your unit. Help you find the right filter replacement, and more!
If you need to send the unit back, we’ve got you covered. If your unit has an issue in a year, we can walk you through the warranty process.
Amazon may ship it to you 1 day faster, but after that, you’re on your own! When you buy from Air Purifiers America, we are always available to help you resolve any issues you may have.