I purchased this today at Fry''s Electronics for $199, but really wanted a 5300 model, which they were out of as it is being discontinued. Later I found 5300 model could be purchased at Walgreens for $149. The only difference between the two as far as I can see is that there is a washable filter in the 5500, which might save me some money in the long run. My home showed "green" but I put it on the top speed to clear out the air anyway. It is loud at that speed, but very quiet at first 2 speeds. Later I will like the auto mode which switches to whatever the sensor thinks the fan should be on according to air quality. It is nice looking. I can''t say much now but it seems a little overpriced to me. I did not buy the extended warranty and hope nothing goes wrong as it only has a 1 year warranty. You still must replace the carbon filters every 3 months. Besides the one in the unit they give you 3 more carbon filters so this should last a year but maybe more if I vacuum it. The other washable filter should be washed every 6 months and can be washed 6 times and then must be replaced.
UPDATE: 6/6/11 I really like the Winix 5500, so much that I purchased a Winix 5300 from Walgreens and in the future will get the washable filter that Winix 5500 uses and put it in the 5300.
Both machines are quiet, clears the air, are sensitive to air quality. My rooms appear to be so much fresher and I''m happy with my purchases.
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I have four of the round Honeywell air purifiers in large 50250 to the 50150 (with the vibration problem) and was needing something for the bedroom as the huge air movers were just too loud even on low. Many like the low Honeywell settings as a white noise generator and in that case they are the thing. You won''t find one quieter than the Winix. I have had many different brands and this one is the quietest. One thing you must understand is that when large amounts of air is forced through anything wind noise is produced. That is why the Honeywell purifiers are so loud because they move huge amounts of air quickly.
The Winix units are designed for dust and pollen hence the heppa. The automatic air sensor only senses molecule changes in the air quality (smells) and not pollen and dust on the auto mode. I keep mine at level 2 all the time and hardly notice it. First level is basically silent, but not sure it moves enough air.
It takes up less room being square and looks more modern. On the bad side it''s a freakin light show with all it''s settings. I had to put some tape over them to sleep with unit on second speed. On auto it has a sleep mode which tones things down. I can''t help but think that if you kept this on automatic you would be disappointed in your air results.
As for the plasma thing, I''m not sure mine works at all no sound difference or air change. Will this make the air better than the honeywells; no but it works well according to what speed you set it on and can approach their effectiveness on turbo but who wants to listen to that. Unit also does well to suck animal hair out of the air. Have a cat that walks into the room and you would think he exploded, takes care of all that.
UPDATE 1-2-2013 added a video so you can hear winix 5500, p150 and honeywell 50250 side by side and added a star. Doing its job well now.
Buy Winix WAC5500 True HEPA Air Cleaner Now
Had the Winix 5300 on ordered from Amazon for $149 (cancelled) but instead Bought the winix 5500 unit from my Local Frys store for $149 (on Sale)
Pros:
1. auto feature, will turn on higher settings when it detects more dust, or after cooking or other chemicals in air
2. will cycle air up to 350 sq foot room pretty fast
3. Works, when I wake up in the morning, nose cleaner than when i didn''t have winix 5500
4. can turn off plasmawave from remote so at night it''s a lot quitter when sleeping
5. since getting unit, haven''t woken up with a headache, and my stuffy nose only once so a major improvement
6. eliminate odors cooking, perfumes, etc
Cons :
1. on remote, doesn''t have auto feature, will have to setup auto from the unit itself
2. Plasmawave makes some cracking noise, not loud but noticeable when sleeping
Other Comments :
it''s a powerful unit/fan so when set on Max, it will make room cold not good for weathertime LOL but
it does clean up the air of dust and other stuff.
Thinking of getting another one for my computer room so I don''t have to carry my only one back and forth between rooms
added the extra 1 for 5 stars since this unit is great!
Read Best Reviews of Winix WAC5500 True HEPA Air Cleaner Here
I did not buy this from Amazon because they were charging $199 and here in Texas Amazon has to charge 6.25% sales tax. I bought this one on Ebay for $185 free shipping.
WAC5300 $159 vs WAC5500 $199. I have 2 WAC5300''s and 1 WAC5500.
WAC5500
1) This model does come with a remote. The remote is very useful turning it on and changing fan speeds. It is the only way to turn off the plasma wave.
2) Washable Hepa filter. I have serious doubts that you can effectively wash a Hepa filter. There are no instructions for cleaning it either.
3) External color
4) On fan speed #2 this unit (5500) is quieter
I have had this air purifier for 2 months now. It works great for us. I use it mostly on the 2nd lowest speed #2. The air in the bedroom where I use this one is always very fresh now. This model is a little quieter than the 5300. Both my 5300''s you can hear the motor making a faint whining sound on speed #2 only. The 5500 does not make this sound making it best for the bedroom.
I bought this primarily for:
1) cleaning the air of out-gassing from plastics/synthetics, paint, particle board, carpet etc.
2) No one in the family has any allergies, but I was interested in lowering the pollen, mold spores and dust especially in spring and summer when we all get runny noses from time to time.
3) I have a 5yr old son and want to keep the indoor air as clean as possible for his health.
IT WORKS FOR DETECTING AND CLEANING PLASTIC/SYNTHETICS OUT-GASSING:
I bought a memory foam topper to soften up a hard mattress and it feels great. However there were many complaints about chemical smell and that it needs a few days to air out before using. When I received it, I noticed a minor smell but used it that night since I am not sensitive to the odor. (2.5" Lucid by LinenSpa Gel Infused Ventilated Memory Foam Mattress Topper with Removable Bamboo Cover, QUEEN)
****This product detected the new mattress odor the 1st night and and while on auto kicked into #3 fan speed for about 45min. The air quality meter was at 4 bars of 5 and gradually declined to "good air quality". This continued for several days even though I couldn''t smell it anymore.
**** I smoke outside (never inside) and both models occasionally detect the small amount of smoke left in my lungs when I come in the house. This truly surprised me.
For LIGHT SLEEPERS like me:
For use in the bedroom I use a timer to shut the unit off between 4am and 5am when I am most likely to wake up from fan noise. The unit is very quiet at speed 1). Speed 2) is also quiet but can wake me up at around 5am. The timer I use is Belkin Conserve Energy Saving Outlet. It can be set for 30 min, 3 hours and 6 hours. So, I set it for 6 hours and turn it on at 10pm. It shuts off the air cleaner at 4am. Perfect for me.
Power consumption by fan speed:
Off 1.3W
Auto) 5W
1) 5W
2) 15W
3) 38W
4) Turbo 77W
Fan noise:
1) Very difficult to hear in a very quiet room at night.
2) Minor white noise, fine for daytime use but may be too noisy for light sleepers.
3) Sound kicks up a few notches, fine for brief periods but too much for all day use.
4 Turbo loud
Plasma Wave noise:
None. I can only hear something when the fan is on #1 low and I listen at the air outlet vent.
My modifications:
Surprisingly these all fit
1) I added a second charcoal filter to increase the effectiveness of cleaning odor and synthetics out-gassing. Carbon filters are VERY IMPORTANT to cleanse the air of very small pollutants. Pollutants too small for the HEPA filter to catch. Change the carbon more often than 3 months. You can buy cut to fit ACTIVATED CARBON filters here on Amazon for 7-10$ for 2.
2) I bought a washable pre-filter to keep dust from blocking the charcoal''s cleaning and extend the life of the Hepa filter. This prefilter is a little narrow on the width by 1/4" but works well Duck Brand 1285234 24-Inch by 15-Inch by 1/4-Inch Foam Air Conditioner Filter
Charcoal filter vs Activated carbon:
They have similar cleaning abilities but Activated Carbon is many times more effective than charcoal or carbon. For those that want to know, here is why: Activated carbon is processed carbon or charcoal. It is processed with steam to create millions microscopic holes and channels that trap the sub micron particles that pollute your air and that can''t be cleaned by the hepa filter. Activated carbon is used commercially to purify air and drinking water. I will be replacing the charcoal filter with Activated carbon filter. Cut-to-fit Carbon for Air Purifiers
Air quality sensor:
I was skeptical about the air quality sensor but it has detected some cooking odors and plastic out-gassing so far.
My only concern is how long will it work and I seriously doubt it will detect everything. Most sensors need some maintenance (more than the vacuuming recommended in the manual). ****But maybe it''s not important in the long run as you become confident the air cleaner works and you change the carbon filters at the recommended 3 months or sooner.
A little about me: I am a practicing Electronic Engineer with over 20 yrs experience analyzing electronic components and engineering modifications to improve performance or fix defects.
The price performance of this product is very good. I rate it 5 stars.
Thank you to all the reviewers of this product and other air purifiers sold on Amazon. You have helped me make a good choice in the $200 price range.
Want Winix WAC5500 True HEPA Air Cleaner Discount?
I purchased this unit in the hopes of helping my chronic sinusitis. As that will usually take a few months for me to finally realize whether or not it''s working, I can at least give some feedback on the unit itself (have only had the unit for a couple weeks now).
I used to own a Sharper Image Ionic Breeze and I absolutely loved it! But it broke and they went out of business. :( Those units work great and are a breeze to clean (just wipe the metal bars and you''re done!). Sadly, this unit is not the same (hence the four stars instead of five).
First off, I love the AUTO feature on this unit. It will automatically adjust the level (four speed levels 1, 2, 3, & TURBO) based on how dirty the air is (or how dirty that sensor in front is). It''s almost always on LOW for me as I have this 270 sq ft. room for just me and I''m super anal about keeping my place clean and dust free (this unit is certified to clean at least 80% of a 350 sq ft. room). Although, randomly at times, it will just go on full blast and I can even see the AIR QUALITY bar on front fully lit (yellow, green, and orange/red). Very odd. There''s a fan/vent on top of the unit and it blows so hard my ceiling fan even starts to spin. Otherwise, on low, it''s essentially noiseless (but you can definitely feel air coming out of that vent).
The "PlasmaWave" feature, as most have stated, when on, has this slight electric crackling noise that''s pretty annoying (unless the unit is on any other level but 1 or I''m watching TV or other loud noises that drown it out). So I just turned it off until I sleep.
This version has a remote and a washable filter so I''d definitely opt for this version (over the 5300, which, I believe, is now discontinued). It also comes with 3 carbon filters which you change every 6 months. The "TRUE HEPA" filter needs to be washed every 3 months (or is it the other way around?). Either way, with this purchase, you''re good to go for at least a year. And the carbon filter is not necessary so you could just use the HEPA filter for a few years.
I''d like to think that the air is cleaner but it may just be a placebo effect. Plus, I''m on new medication so now it''s hard to see what is causing my improvement. All I know is that, when I clean this filter, I''m going to see just how dirty it is. And now I''m considering getting another unit for my bedroom. :)
As far as the plastic-like smell some people have claimed on the 5300 model, I can''t smell so I have no issue with that. :P
Oh, and I paid $189.99 for this unit here on Amazon.com, with free shipping and no tax.
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Received my new countertop water filter in timely fashion and it NOW works well. I had to go to Home Depot to purchase a faucet adaptor ($5.00) as none is included with the product...even though it clearly states it is included. The supplier''s response was basically...it''s your responsibility. The screw on fitting supplied has a female thread while every kitchen faucet I ever owned requires a male thread to attach where the aerator is. The posted ad on Amazon also says 1 Micron filter included, again not so, packing slip says "Filters Sold Seperately" and I was charged an additional $10.89. Also an extra $.79 for a plastic wrench to open the filter. The unit works very well, removing any processed water "smells". A definite plus for a city boy (Philly) looking to ditch the bottled water habit!
