CleanAirKits Luggable XL-7 review

Today, I am excited to review another PC fan-powered air purifier: the Luggable XL from CleanAirKits, a business operating out of Missouri.

CleanAirKits came about in 2022 as an online community of engineers from around the world experimenting with PC fan-powered Corsi-Rosenthal boxes. The goal was to design a solution that could offer air cleaning in a quiet, cheap and efficient way to keep classrooms’ air clean and safe after mask mandates were dropped.

The result? A series of snap-together kits that aim to bring energy-efficient and super quiet PC fan-powered air purifiers to as many people as possible. 

We received tons of messages from readers after we published our review of the Nukit Tempest asking us to test a DIY air purifier kit from CleanAirKits, so I hope you will find this review insightful and helpful in your search for the best PC fan-powered unit for your home.

It was great to see that CleanAirKits offers several different options with each device they sell on their online shop: you can choose the number of fans, the type of wood, the size, and even whether you want your kit pre-built. 

As with all the air purifiers we reviewed here at HouseFresh, we bought the device from CleanAirKits ourselves. We do this for two reasons: Firstly, we want to remain unbiased, without any special relationship or deal with the manufacturer. Secondly, we like to experience the full customer journey just as you would.

If you buy a CleanAirKits Luggable XL through one of the links on this page, we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you—this is how we can afford to spend months testing air purifiers like this one.

I’m based in the UK, so I chose to go with one of the kits available for international customers: the CleanAirKits Luggable XL-7 Sickleflow. We paid £176 for the kit that includes everything except for the filters, and then we added two Filtrete 20x25x1 MERV 13 for £88.47. 

If you are in the U.S., you can get the same kit for $227, and the filters will be much cheaper at around $45. If you’d like to go with the pre-built option with filters included, that figure will go up to $299.

The lowdown on the CleanAirKits Luggable XL-7

The best Luggable XL-7 feature: Only 38.8 dB of noise without compromising on air cleaning power

The Luggable XL is a great choice for classrooms, offices and rooms where a quiet environment is important.

One would think I’d get used to quiet operation after having tested and reviewed five different PC fan-powered air purifiers, but the CleanAirKits team really pushed the limits with the Luggable XL. 

When running at top speed (which is also the only speed), the Luggable XL-7 hit 38.8 dB(A). That is as quiet as leaves rustling, and it compares incredibly well against other air purifiers we have tested:

As you can see, CleanAirKits’ choice of Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 fans paid off: the Luggable XL is the quietest air purifier we have tested to date even when compared against other PC fan-powered devices (in red).

A lightweight, thin, good-looking CR box

Combining a lightweight wood case, seven PC fans and two 20x25x1 MERV 13 filters.

The design of the CleanAirKits Luggable XL is inspired by the Corsi-Rosenthal box, but looks a lot slicker and is easier to move from room to room.

The Luggable XL’s body is made of hardboard panels and houses only two filters (versus four in the CR box), one on each side. We bought the XL-7 model, which has seven PC fans on top and two more on one of its sides.

One of the big downsides of the original Corsi-Rosenthal Box is that they are very big, take up a lot of floor space and can potentially look pretty ugly if you suck at DIY as much as I do. 

However, you can’t say the same about the CleanAirKits Luggable XL.

While it’s certainly less durable than the steel used for the Nukit Tempest, the Luggable XL is truly lightweight, and it looks modern and clean—especially when compared to the CR box:

However, keep in mind that even though it’s not as deep as the CR Box, the Luggable will be wider than other similarly-powered air purifiers if you use it with the five filters on top. 

That said, you can turn it on its side to have the shorter side on top and this will reduce its width. See how it compares to the Smart Air SA600 in the photo below:

When it was time to buy the Luggable XL, I chose the DIY kit to assemble it at home. I was pleased to see that it came with clear instructions. 

Inside the box, I received seven Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 PC fans, four hardboard panels (one with an integrated handle), a power supply, internal pre-tensioner cords, foam tape strips and seven fan guard grills. The whole process took me around 45 minutes but bear in mind that I’m not great at building stuff.

The internal pre-tensioner cord helped me neatly connect all the PC fans, while keeping the cables out of the way of the filters for when the time comes to replace them.

I particularly like the side suitcase handle as it makes it easy for me to grab my Luggable to move it around the house. That said, my wife (who is much shorter than me) mentioned that it would be great to have a handle on the longer side of the Luggable as the current placement means that she will drag the device on the floor.

If you prefer, you can get a mesh filter guard, which may improve durability and looks. Personally, I quite like the open filter design, but if you want the mesh, it’s another $85.

For a more interesting look, they sell versions that are higher priced but made with Cherry wood, starting at $285 without filters.

Two widely available MERV 13 filters

You can choose any 20×25 MERV 13 filters. CleanAirKits recommends 3M Filtrete MPR1900+, and I agree with their recommendation.

On their website, CleanAirKits recommends two 3M Filtrete MPR1900+ filters, but you can use any other brand of MERV 12 or MERV 14 filters, which is the beauty of PC fan kits like this one.

However, be aware that if you don’t go with Filtrete, you will need to use 2-inch thick filters to get the same level of performance. This means that the filters will stick out a little more compared to how they look when you use the Filtrete MPR1900 or MPR2200 filters.

After testing multiple MERV filters with other DIY air purifiers, I have to say I really like how well-constructed the filters from Filtrete are. They are sturdier and hold their shape incredibly well, thanks to the thick cardboard border.

The Luggable XL-7 cleared our test room in 23 minutes

As fast as the Winix 5500-2, the Levoit Vital 200S and the Smart Air SA600.

After some controversy with the r/AirPurifiers subreddit, CleanAirKits sent the Luggable to Intertek for AHAM AC-1 CADR testing. The report is here and shows the following figures:

• Smoke: 259 cfm
• Dust: 323 cfm
• Pollen: 370 cfm

Based on dust CADR figures, I expected our performance results for the Luggable XL-7 to be somewhere between the Levoit Core 400S (247 cfm, 28 minutes in our test) and the Levoit EverestAir (365 cfm and 18 minutes in our test).

We tested the Clean Air Kits Luggable in the same 728-square-foot room where we tested 90+ different air purifier models since 2020. By testing every device in the same room doing the same job (removing incense smoke), we can quickly compare performance across devices.

Our trusted PurpleAir Zen laser particle counter shows that the CleanAirKits Luggable XL-7 reached PM1 zero in 23 minutes.

I knew CleanAirKits had built something special with the Luggable, but I didn’t know it would be so special.

This DIY PC fan-powered air purifier reached the top tier of our air purifier ranking with two MERV 13 filters and without any type of ionization technology.

Check out how its performance compares to other air purifiers in its same price range:

The Luggable XL-7 performs as well as popular retail HEPA air purifiers coming from well-known brands such as Levoit, Winix, Coway and Smart Air. 

Noise levels, compared

While air cleaning performance is very important, if the air purifier sounds like a jet engine then it will be turned off. That is why we use a sound level monitor from 3 ft. away to record the sound levels generated by air purifiers at each fan speed.

Now, the CleanAirKits Luggable XL-7 has made my job easier as it has only one speed. In our test, I recorded 38.8 dB on average, which is incredible.

The first PC fan air purifier we ever reviewed was the Nukit Tempest with Artic P14 fans and it generated 41.8 dBA of noise — super quiet! However, the Luggable XL-7 with its 120 SickleFlow fans is even quieter.

The background noise in our house is around 35.5 dBA, so I would often forget that the Clean Air Kits Luggable XL was running—which is exactly what you want from an air purifier.

But listen for yourself:

Most air purifiers we test sit between 50-60 dBA at their highest fan speed, could be considered too loud for some use cases such as a classroom, an office or any other space where you need quiet. That’s why we recommend that most people choose bigger devices than they need and run them at lower fan speeds. 

When comparing the Luggable XL-7 to popular air purifiers running at fan speeds that generate less than 45 dBA (suitable for classrooms and offices), we found that even at these lower speeds, other devices can’t compete with the low level of sounds generated by the CleanAirKits device:

As you can see from the table, some of our most highly recommended air purifiers running at sub-45dBA fan speeds are still louder than the Luggable XL-7 running at its main fan speed.

The only device that got close to the Luggable XL-7 in terms of noise levels generated was the $500+ Levoit EverestAir. However, running at this low speed, the EverestAir couldn’t match the air cleaning performance of the Luggable, and needed five additional minutes to complete our particle removal test.

So, when you account for sound levels, the CleanAirKits Luggable XL-7 offers just incredible air cleaning performance.

The cost to run a CleanAirKits Luggable XL-7: $58.16 per year

The use of PC fans and HVAC filters leads to lower long-term running costs, compared to traditional HEPA retail devices.

1. Electricity costs = $12.22 per year

We used a power meter to measure how much energy is pulled by the Luggable XL-7 when running at its only fan speed. Similarly to what we saw with noise levels, the energy consumption of the Luggable XL is also very low: 10.55 watts with all seven PC fans running.

Energy consumption figures are even more impressive when we compare the Luggable XL-7 with other devices running at their top speed:

The only air purifier I have tested that pulls less energy than the Luggable XL-7 is the Tempest by Nukit.

When compared with other devices running at lower fan speeds, the energy difference is less pronounced in itself but it becomes clear how powerful the Luggable XL is in terms of air cleaning:

When you account for energy usage and air cleaning speed at sub-45 dBA fan levels, the Luggable XL-7 from CleanAirKits is much more efficient than most—especially when compared to standard retail HEPA devices.

Clearly, CleanAirKits made a solid choice going for the super energy-efficient Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 fans. 

If you were to leave your Luggable XL-7 running 24/7 all year around, it would add $12.22 to your energy bill in a year. This is one of the lowest we have seen!

2. Filter costs = $45.94 per year

As with any air purifier, the filters for the CleanAirKits Luggable XL-7 will need to be replaced eventually.

CleanAirKits recommends replacing the filters every 12 months, but filter life will be dependent on the air quality in your area and the severity of the issues you’re tackling with your air purifier.

The recommended Filtrete MPR1900 filters cost $45.94 for two, so this is how much you’d need to spend on filters each year.

The total cost of running your CleanAirKits Luggable XL-7 all year is $58.16. This also compares favorably with other air purifiers we have tested: 

With its significantly reduced energy costs and the ability to use HVAC filters, this air purifier offers excellent performance at much lower running costs than a traditional HEPA retail device.

Bottom line: Is the Luggable XL from CleanAirKits worth it?

When you take into account sound levels generated and energy consumption, the Luggable XL-7 can out-clean anything sold in retail. 

The Luggable XL-7 is the quietest, most cost-effective high CADR air purifier we have tested. This is a highly contended spot in our rankings as we believe that the Holy Grail of air purification is a device that can move a lot of air quickly without excessive noise or long-term running costs.

I appreciate that CleanAirKits has been making kits for a while, and it shows. They are continually improving their designs to make them easier to construct. The Luggable is easier to put together compared to the other DIY kits like the Nukit Tempest. However, it is worth mentioning that the Tempest’s steel material will likely be more durable than the Luggable’s hardboard body, That said, the fact that the case material is more flexible makes adding the filters easier compared to the inflexible metal case of the Tempest. So you get pros and cons with both.

With the Luggable XL, CleanAirKits has convinced me that the PC fan DIY kit movement is the future of air purifiers. The big benefit of DIY air purifier kits like the Luggable XL is that they are repairable and much more environmentally friendly than a traditional shop-bought air purifier. These devices have been designed with easily available parts and filters. 

If you don’t want to build anything, you can buy the pre-made version, and the kit itself is easy to put together. And if you are based in Canada, I highly recommend you check out what the team at NorthBox Systems is doing over there with the NorthBox 6XL.

Just to wrap this up, I want to touch upon the unwarranted controversy around CleanAirKits over at Reddit in the past year or so. After some negative comments made about CleanAirKits on Reddit by a former moderator of the popular r/AirPurifiers subreddit, CleanAirKits have invested into getting their device CADR tested by an independent third-party and these results match our in-house tests.

I hope that our air cleaning performance data will add to the body of work that supports the high levels of air cleaning performance you can expect from a CleanAirKits Luggable XL, compared to even the best retail HEPA devices on the market.

If you have any questions about this PC fan-powered air purifier DIY kit, please drop a comment below and I will reply as soon as possible. Thank you for reading!