IQAir HealthPro

Best air purifier overall

• Good for large rooms
• Does not emit ozone
• Endorsed by medical groups

• High price
• Loud at highest setting

February 2009. Oddly -- and frustratingly -- the IQAir HealthPro is recommended by Air-Purifiers-America.com on the basis of test results in a small room, but similar tests by Consumer Reports place the HealthPro in the lower third of a pack of 36. Based on what other reviewers say, though, it seems that Air-Purifiers-America.com is closer to the mark. Experts praise the HEPA-filtering HealthPro for its large coverage area (1,000 square feet, but it will work better in smaller rooms) and efficiency at removing particles, and say it's the best air purifier for people with severe allergies. However, a few owners and experts point out that this air purifier can be loud on its highest speed setting, and it's also expensive: The Alen A350 (*est. $400) performs nearly as well in tests at Air-Purifiers-America.com for half the price.

The IQAir HealthPro has been evaluated by the four best sources for air purifier reviews: Consumer Reports and Air-Purifiers-America.com, which both perform detailed testing (though in this case with contradictory results), and it's also reviewed at the enthusiast site Air-Purifier-Power.com, and AllergyBuyersClub.com, a retailer that points out the pluses and minuses of the products it sells. The HealthPro is also reviewed by Reviewboard.com and receives a handful of posts from owners at Amazon.com.