REVIEW – Is the TaoTronics TT-AP006 room air purifier the solution to my allergy problem? Can it make the air in a teenage boy’s room breathable to adults? Let’s put it to the test.
What is it?
The TaoTronics TT-AP006 Air Purifier is a small(ish) room air purifier that uses a three-stage replaceable filter to purify the air in individual rooms. The three-stage filter uses a pre-filter to capture large particles (floating dust), an H13 HEPA filter to capture smaller particles, and finally an active carbon filter to attack odors and chemical molecules floating in the air.
What’s in the box?
I was sent a TaoTronics unit that was packaged in a standard shipping box from one of TaoTronics distribution partners (the one started by that Blue Origin guy). The TaoTronics packaging is a multicolored, descriptive box similar to other TaoTronics products and those of other manufacturers.
Inside the box, the TT-AP006 purifier (further described as “the unit” or “the purifier”) is cradled in pressed cardboard shipping blocks (kudos for using recycled / recyclable materials).
The total contents of the box include
- 1 purifier with attached cord
- 1 filter cartridge (shipped inside the unit)
- 1 instruction booklet
- 1 welcome / thank you card
Hardware specs
- Physical Size: 8.27 inches square x 11.65 inches high
- Voltage: US : 120V-60Hz
- Rated Power: 26W
- Rated CADR: 200 m³/h
- Filter: Paper Pre-Filter + H13 HEPA Filter + Active Carbon Filter
- 3 Fan Speeds
- Room Size: 107ft²-215ft²/10-20m²
- Running Noise: 24dB-55dB
Design and features
The unit is very stylish and fits in with most semi-modern decors. I wouldn’t want to try and fit this into a Victorian sitting room, but it works well in most mid-to-late-20th century / 21st century decor. As far as I can tell, the blue light is purely decorative and is not a UV sterilization system.
Setup
Setting up the purifier involved
- removing the bottom cover
- taking out the wrapped filter cartridge
- unwrapping the cartridge
- replacing the cartridge (not keyed, so it doesn’t matter which end you put in first)
- closing up the bottom cover
- plugging in the unit
- turning it on
This should have been a painless process, and it was once I realized that the arrows on the bottom didn’t correspond the direction that I needed to turn the cover to remove it, but instead merely indicated that the bottom cover turned. I just needed to turn the base so the triangle nearest the unlocked symbol was aligned with the little red indicator (engineers are literal creatures and this wasn’t what I was expecting based on other products).
Paper pre-filter and the ring
Outer mesh protecting the charcoal layer.
Operation
The unit has a straightforward logical control panel located in the center of the top surface. From here you can turn the unit on or off, turn the “mood lighting” on/off (this will also turn the control panel lighting on/off), select the fan speed, and all you to set a run timer.
In operation, the air purifier pulls air in from the bottom of the unit through the center core and then passes the air through the three-stage filter and out through the vents on the top of the unit.
Performance
The unit performed well in reducing the airborne particulates in my study and helped tame the portion of my allergies that were caused by pollen circulating in the house during the orgy of plant propagation that occurs every March in Florida. I also noticed a significant reduction in the dust accumulation on my desk and monitors during my tests.
In the test of taming the air in a teenager’s room, the unit was able to make some headway, but in the end, it was only able to fight to a stalemate. The air in my son’s room was much more pleasant while the unit was running on high, but teenager funk was again noticeable when the unit was turned off or run in sleep mode / low speed.
Shortly after completing the teenager room test, my unit reported that it was time to change the filter. I don’t know the criteria for when the unit makes that call–my guess is either hours of operation or cubic feet of air rather than a flow sensor since the paper pre-filter appeared only slightly dirty, and I notice no decrease in the volume of air coming out of the top vents.
What I like
- Easily replaceable cartridges
- Simple, logical controls
- Can serve as a nightlight
What needs to be improved
- Fix the iconography on the bottom cover to indicate which direction to turn to unlock and lock the base.
- Add option to turn off the blue light without turning off the backlighting of the controls.
Price: Air Purifier: $89.99, Replacement filters: $19.99
Where to buy: TaoTronics, Amazon, others
Source: The sample of this product was provided by TaoTronics.
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I recommend a review of IKEA $55$ air filters, you might be impressed… I have 4
I haven’t been in an IKEA in quite a while. I’ll check out their air filters the next time I’m in a store.
Thanks
Hello I changed the filter and the light is still flashing. Any idea how to reset it?
I changed my filter but light still flashing
Five stars for air purification, but zero for reliability and support. The adapter, where the cord gets plugged into the machine failed within a couple of months. We’d purchased an extended warranty that the company did not respect. I eventually took it apart and simply hard-wired the cord to the machine. It now works great, but should not have failed, and the company should have stood by the own equipment.