Note: this review is for the Austin HM 400 Black model.This purifier generates three different levels of white noise, depending on which of three settings you use. It''s quiet on the first setting but the 2nd and 3rd highest are nice for masking background and outside noise when you need to sleep without interruption. Unfortunately, my HM 400 developed a minor rattle after about three years of moderate use.
I didn''t use it every day, nor did I run it at top speed very often. I mostly used it at night while I was sleeping and often I''d go for months without running it (e.g., during the warm months, I mostly relied on my fan and open windows for fresh air, and even when I used my air conditioner, I didn''t usually use my air machine, save for this past summer).
I was going to send the machine back for warranty repair back when it was still only a few years old, but the noise was only intermittent and ultimately went away after a brief while. Meanwhile, the power cord frayed because there was no rubber shield around where the cord came out of the cabinet. Very poor design! I had to repair that myself (and no the motor fluctuation issue is not due to a shorted or faulty power cord).
Anyway, after seven years of what was at mostmoderate use, the motor is now not working properly at all. It starts out normally but after a minute or so, it begins to vary speed until it slows down and stops working. I tried replacing the motor run capacitor after reading another Amazon review that documented a similar problem, but the machine is still varying its speed and stopping even after I replaced that part. Furthermore, there is no place on the motor to inject lubricant, unlike the motor on my old box fan (which I have have had and used almost daily for many years).
I am very disappointed in the poor quality of this machine. I took very good care of it, keeping it clean and replacing the expensive ($200) filter when it needed one. This thing should not have failed, considering how expensive it was and all the good press about it.
Be warned if you buy one and it breaks, you have to ship it back to Buffalo, NY. You can''t take it back to a dealer or authorized repair center for warranty service. And Austin is not clear about whether you have to pay the shipping and insurance even when you are within the warranty period, so get something in writing before you ship it back.
In any case, you are risking your money if you buy one you cannot assume you will get a quality product.
UPDATE: January 15, 2012 I did ultimately get some Zoomspout oil into the motor, even though it''s clearly not meant to be lubricated. That definitely helped. I was able to get this thing to run for at least a half hour without any problems (I probably could''ve run it longer without issues). But when I looked inside after each test run, I noticed some oil getting to places where it shouldn''t. Good thing I removed the filter, because I could have ruined that. I also notice a faint electrical burning smell in the motor housing after each run.
So, I decided to get a used HM 400 on eBay. I also got a couple of Austin Juniors (HM 200s). I now run one of the little ones quite a bit and it''s a nice machine.
The people at Austin Air have been helpful to me on the phone and online. But I wonder about the quality of their newer machines. Two machines I got from eBay are older, more than ten years old, and I think they''re better made than the one I already had, which I bought new in 2004. So, I think the issues with their products are probably more from the newer machines, which I think are made in China now.
One other note: the new filter I bought for the HM 200 (Austin Jr.) was defective and I had to return it after only about three weeks'' use. But my filter was exchanged, with free shipping and with no questions asked.
Why do I continue with Austin Air purifiers amidst such issues? Nothing beats them when they''re working properly. They make great white noise if you want it (you can use a quiet setting if you don''t want white noise), they really do seem to clean the air, they''re economical (other machines require about $15-$30 a month in new filters while Austin filters can last 3-5 years), and the older ones are pretty durable.
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