Winix

After having tested multiple Winix air purifiers, I have grown to become a fan of their brand. 

In fact, their trusted and affordable Winix 5500-2 is one of my top recommendations for most people. So you can imagine my excitement with the release of the new Winix line in 2023.

The Winix T810 was first announced in September 2023 as a “cutting-edge” air purifier with “unparalleled 360° air care capability.” These big promises were paired with photos of a sophisticated, “Instagrammable” design that we’ve never seen from Winix.

In this review, I will compare the T810 to the more than 100 air purifiers we have tested at HouseFresh since 2020. 

My observations are based on our first-hand data on air cleaning performance, sound generation, energy efficiency, real-life user experience and long-term running costs. You can read more about how we test air purifiers here.

By the way, I bought our T810 for $421.66 on Amazon.com, including the shipping and import fees needed to get it sent to us here in the UK. If you are buying it from the U.S. you will only need to pay $215.

The lowdown on the Winix T810

If you don’t want to read my full review of the Winix T810, here are the three things I like about it, and the three things I don’t:

The best T810 feature: A design that will make you look twice

The Winix T810 won’t look out of place in the most stylish of spaces.

I know looks have nothing to do with air cleaning performance, but it’s hard not to comment on how beautiful the design of the T810 — especially compared to other Winix air purifiers we have tested.

The Winix T810 is easy on the eye thanks to its sleek medium-sized cylindrical design with vertical lines topped by a high-end touchscreen control panel. 

If you asked me to choose the best looking air purifier out of the 104 devices I’ve got now in my home, the T810 would be my pick.

A modern and sophisticated device, packed with smart features

The T810 is one of the few air purifiers from Winix with smartphone connectivity.

Normally, my wife and I disagree on what we like and dislike about the design of air purifiers, but for once, we are both in agreement that the T810 is a seriously good-looking device.

While design aesthetics shouldn’t be your primary concern when shopping for an air purifier, I understand it’s an important thing to consider because you will need to have the device on show all the time.

If having a better-looking design means more people are more likely to use air purifiers, then I am all for it.

The big difference over other popular Winix devices is the use of a cylindrical design vs the rectangular box we see with the 5500-2, C545, Zero Pro, 5510, Zero S… etc.

However, there are some downsides to the T810’s cylindrical design.

The 360-degree filter combines all filters into one, so you will have to throw away the entire filter once the carbon layer is full—even if the HEPA filter is perfectly fine.

You have to remove the full filter to vacuum and clean the pre-filter cover. The process is more cumbersome compared to devices with washable removable pre-filters.

That said, the big benefit to the cylindrical design is that the T810 is less bulky and takes up less floor space than other medium-sized air purifiers with similar levels of performance.

You can see in the photo below how the T810 compares to two of our most recommended air purifiers since 2023: the 5500-2 also from Winix (right)  and the Levoit Vital 200S (left):

Rather than pulling air from just the front, the T810 pulls air in from all sides of the device, which means you have higher CADR without the usual large size.

Compared to other cylindrical air purifiers such as the Levoit Core series, I much prefer the design choices that Winix has made. 

The vertical lines make the T810 feel much more stylish and sophisticated than the usual all-white cylinder shape used by many other air purifier manufacturers.

We chose to go with the Silver design, but you can also choose Blue stripes instead if you go for the T830:

The one thing I dislike about some cylindrical air purifiers is having to access the filter through the bottom of the device. Sadly, this is what Winix decided to do with the T810.

So to access the filter of your T810, you will have to tip the device upside down and turn the handle counter-clockwise to release the cover:

Something my wife reported experiencing a few times, which is a common issue with this type of cover: if you slide the air purifier on the ground from one side to another for some reason (e.g. you’re sweeping the floor), then you might end up unintentionally opening the cover.

Moving on from the design aesthetic, one of the big differences between the T810 and most other Winix air purifiers is the inclusion of an onboard screen and app support.

Not only that.

Like the Winix ZERO Pro, the T810 also comes with two sensors: one for particles and one for gases.  This makes the T810 more responsive to air quality changes. 

Plus, people often forget to clean the particle sensor and this can negatively affect the reliability of the auto-mode. The addition of the gas sensor is a welcomed inclusion for those cases. 

The screen takes a few moments to kick in, but once it does, it shows the level of PM2.5 detected on screen.

You also get an LED light that adjusts its color based on the level of air quality, moving through red (poor) to amber (fair) to green (average) to blue (good).

Another innovation from Winix is the inclusion of app connectivity.

The T810 can be paired to the Winix Smart app, which I found easy to install and navigate. The app has a clean UX, without the product ads or content marketing we see with other manufacturer apps such as Levoit.

I tested the Apple app, which has better ratings (4.6 stars) than the Android app (3.3 stars), so perhaps I am one of the lucky ones but I didn’t encounter any issues and I am happy with the app’s functionality. The scheduling function is easy to use, and every other feature can be also controlled from the touchscreen on top of the device and the remote control.

Something I really liked about the app is having the ability to store historical air quality data from the device, but I am a data nerd so it might not be something you’ll care about. I’m also glad Winix didn’t move all the features to the app (as we see with Xioami) because not everyone wants another app.

An all-in-one 360°cylindrical True HEPA filter with an activated carbon coating

It offers good particle filtration but doesn’t come with enough carbon to be effective against serious VOCs or strong smells like cigarette smoke.

Overall, the filter you’ll get with the Winix T810 is very similar to other cylindrical filters we see with many other brands:

But this all-in-one bonded filter is very different from what we expected from Winix.

You see, most Winix air purifiers come with separate filters for carbon and particles. These non-bonded filters from Winix usually come with a removable (and often washable) pre-filter, which makes it easier to quickly clean the pre-filter to help extend the life of the HEPA filter.

However, the T810 comes with an all-in-one cylindrical filter that includes a pre-filter mesh, a carbon coated layer and a True HEPA filter.

As is the case with every other Winix device, the particle filter of the T810 is HEPA-graded, which means it was independently tested and certified by a lab as True HEPA grade.

And the gas filter consists of a carbon coated layer, which is likely not going to be as effective at tackling chemical gasses and odors compared to a filter with a good amount of pelleted activated carbon.

The Winix T810 cleared our test room in 26 minutes

It matches the performance of the Coway Airmega AP-1512hh, but it was slower than the Levoit Core 400S.

First, we tested the particle removal speed of the Winix T810 running at top speed with PlasmaWave enabled. 

According to our PurpleAir Zen sensor, the T810 needed 26 minutes to achieve PM1 zero in our 728 cubic ft. test room:

We can compare this to other similarly-priced devices running at their top speed:

Considering AHAM’s high CADR ratings for this device (267 cfm for dust), I was surprised that it wasn’t quicker than the Winix 5500-2 and Vital 200S.

It’s also fair to say that while the list price ($250) is similar to that of other devices, many (like the Winix 5500-2) are often sold for much less so you are likely to get better value from this older Winix device.

But, these are the results with PlasmaWave enabled, which is not something everyone will want to have as many people avoid ionizers. That is why we disabled PlasmaWave and re-tested the air cleaning performance of this device.

Without using Plasmawave, the T810 needed 27 minutes to achieve PM1 zero – that is just one additional minute from our previous test. This is how this result compares to other air purifiers with and without their ionizers enabled:

Our data shows that the T810’s PlasmaWave has a fairly low effect on overall air cleaning performance here―especially when compared with what we saw with the Blueair 211+ or the Coway AP-1512HH. So, I see no downside to running your T810 without PlasmaWave enabled if you want to avoid bipolar ionization.

It is louder at top speed than other mid-sized air purifiers we recommend

In our testing, the sound levels of the Winix T810 ranged from 35.1 dBA to 62.5 dBA.

If an air purifier is too loud, you will find yourself turning it off eventually. That is why we always measure how much sound they generate from 3 ft. away with a sound monitor.

These are the results for the T810:

As you can see from the table below, the T810 does run louder than many of the other similar-performing air purifiers we have benchmarked:

Next, we re-tested the particle removal performance of the T810 when running at its lower fan speeds.

Running at speed two (2), it generates 44.8 dBA, which is just below the 45 dBA limit that CleanAirStars recommends for noisy classrooms or offices. At this speed, the T810 managed to reach PM1 zero in 46 minutes.

When running at sub 45 dBA, the T810 performs similarly to other popular devices, such as the Levoit Vital 200S and Winix 5500-2 although you do get better performance at the same sound level with the Levoit Core 400S:

As I expected, our data shows that the T810 is completely outmatched by PC fan-powered devices like the CleanAirKits Luggable XL-7 and the AirFanta 3Pro. But this makes sense as PC fans are whisper quiet.

The cost to run a Winix T810: $126.64 per year

We look at how much the T810 will cost you in the long term, including your energy bill and filter replacement costs.

1. Electricity costs = $46.65 per year

As always, we used our energy meter to record how much energy the T810 uses when running at each fan speed and also while on standby.

I also made sure to measure how much power was used once I disabled PlasmaWave:

If you were to leave your Winix T810 running 24/7 at its top speed with PlasmaWave enabled, it would add $46.65 to your energy bill within a year.

With this calculation in mind, we can compare the annual energy costs you can expect from the T810 to other devices we have tested.

At this point, we can see the improvements WInix has made as the T810 is more energy-efficient than the popular 5500-2.  That said, if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to run, you might want to consider the Levoit Core 400S or the CleanAirKits Luggable XL-7.

2. Filter costs = $79.99 per year

It’s not just energy costs that add to the running cost of an air purifier, you will also need to replace the filters eventually. 

Winix says that you need to replace the filters for the T810 every 12 months and their OEM Filter R filter costs $79.99. 

So you can expect to pay $79.99 each year on filter replacements for the T810. 

As you can see from the chart below, the annual running costs of the T810 are higher than what you can expect from units like the Levoit Vital 200S or the Coway Airmega Mighty.

As this air purifier is fairly new, I was happy to see that you can already get generic filters from PUREBURG for $29.22 for one filter.

Now, I wasn’t able to buy a PUREBURG filter from the UK to test it with the T810, but based on tests I’ve run with other air purifiers, I have found PUREBURG filters usually offer similar performance to genuine filters.

However, performance will vary depending on the amount of carbon included in the filter and the grade of HEPA you get with the particle filter. 

Bottom line: Should you get the Winix T810?

Well, for most people, the older Winix 5500-2 will be a better choice.

If what you want is an air purifier with above-average air cleaning performance, then the T810 isn’t it. 

You will get a better air purifier in the older Winix 5500-2 as it provides better air-cleaning performance, comes with pelleted activated carbon (which will be better for odors in the long term) and also has a removable pre-filter that you will find easier to clean regularly.

However, the 5500-2 is a big black box without app support. So, considering design and features, I’d say the main competitor to the T810 is the Levoit Core 400S, which has a similar design, comes with app support and sells for $219.99 (although you’ll usually find it cheaper than that).

Now, does the Core 400S look as sleek as the Winix T810? Well… no.

If you are looking for a stylish air purifier that won’t look out of place in even the most well decorated spaces, then the Winix T810 is the best-looking air purifier you can buy for less than $220. I even prefer it to the also new Winix 5510, which is louder and bulkier compared to the T810.

If you end up deciding that the Winix T810 is the right air purifier for you and want to support the work we do here at HouseFresh, please make sure to use this link to make your purchase — you won’t pay anything extra but we will get a 3% commission from Amazon.

Do you have any questions about the Winix T810? Have you bought the T810 and are using it at home? Please drop your question or share your experience in the comments below, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

With a trajectory of over 50 years, Winix has a solid background in indoor air cleaning.

During the COVID pandemic, the South Korean brand gained a foothold in the U.S. market, attaining a solid place among the most preferred brands to improve Americans’ home air quality.

Winix produces budget-friendly, well-built, and high-performing air purifiers, with the corporate mission as its compass: “To deliver perfect products that are superior in Innovation, Performance and Style.” 

The Winix C545 is not the brand’s latest model (it was Energy Star-certified in 2019). In fact, the unit is only available as refurbished on the U.S. Winix website. But it is still trending and hyped by Costco, so we got curious about its performance. 

Besides traditional mechanical filtration, all Winix units have the built-in PlasmaWave® function, a by-polar ionizer that boosts cleaning efficiency. Ionization is a known controversial topic, so you’ll be pleased to know Winix units emit less than 0.01 ppm of ozone and are CARB-certified. However, one of the highlights of these air purifiers is that the function can be easily disabled. 

We have previously reviewed three Winix units, the 5300-2, 5500-2 and A231 and found solid results. So, we decided to get the C545 and put it to the test.

As always, we bought the C545 with our own money like regular consumers — no special treatment for us, no free Winix for HouseFresh. We prefer it this way. We are free to write unbiased reviews with an honest take on every unit we test.

The lowdown on the Winix C545

Before we dive into the detailed analysis of the unit, I’ve condensed the C545 highs and lows:

The best feature of the Winix C545: good $ to CADR ratio

Impressive 232 CFM (smoke) for $90 if you get it refurbished from Winix

As mentioned in the introduction, the Winix C545 can be bought refurbished at the manufacturer’s website for a mere $89.99. At Costco, on the other hand, you’ll find the new unit for $129.99. At the time of writing this review, I wouldn’t recommend buying from Amazon, as the C545 rises to over $170.

This price disparity makes my job harder when trying to compare the C545 with other units in the same price and cleaning power range. But I will try my best anyway.

The TaoTronics TT-AP003, for example, has a CADR of 226 CFM for $80 and features a pelleted activated carbon filter instead of the carbon-impregnated fabric. The same goes for the Levoit Vital 200S, which outperforms both the TT-AP003 and the C545 BUT it doubles in price ($190).

Now, things are more favorable to the C545 when comparing it against the Winix C535 and 5300-2, which can be found at $140 and $135, respectively. While neither of them have smart features, they share similar CADR and are all suited for 360 sq. ft. rooms. With those numbers in mind, it is clear that the  C545 offers a great $ to CADR ratio with extra smart features, not bad.

An old design that’s compensated with a few aces up its sleeve

The Winix C545 won’t stand out from the crowd for its looks, but it remains functional and offers smart features.

I’d venture to say classic rectangular-shaped air purifiers are making a comeback; they seem to be regaining protagonism after cylindrical units occupied the central stage for some time. Take, for example, the bold-looking Coway Airmega 150 or the sober and stylish SmartAir SA600. 

While the C545 is not among the latest releases in the industry, its rectangular body with a front air intake benefits from this trend.

The C545 comes in an all-white matte style with curbed edges, and is shorter and somewhat chunkier than the larger (and darker) 5500-2 and the 5300-2.

While newer Winiexes come with a magnetized tab to fasten the front cover, the front panel on the C545 is only attached to the body by clips. True, many units on the market rely solely on tabs (take the TaoTronics TT-AP003, for example, although it has an extra clip compared to the Winix). Still, it is worth pointing out the magnet feature ensures a more secure attachment.

The controls on the Winix C545 are straightforward and self-explanatory, so you can set it up and have it running without browsing the manual – although I usually take a look when unboxing a new unit. 

Instead of having just one button to cycle through the four different fan speeds, the C545 comes with arrow buttons to go back and forth between Auto Mode, four different fan speeds and Sleep Mode. 

The P – 3SEC legend stands for PlasmaWave®. To toggle the PlasmaWave® function, you’ll need to press the two arrows for three seconds simultaneously. The white LED light will indicate when it’s activated (light on) or deactivated (light off). By default, the unit will turn on with PlasmaWave enabled — I’m not a fan of that.

The Auto-mode in the C545 is possible thanks to the onboard air quality sensors, which will adjust the fan speed to tackle the level of pollutants detected. The LED light on the control panel will indicate the air quality in the room with a color-coded scale:

LED indicator	Fan speed
🔴 red for polluted air	Top fan speed
🟠 amber for fair air	Medium fan speed
🔵 blue for good air quality	Low fan speed

That’s the industry-standard Auto mode, but the Winix C545 has an extra perk: it has a built-in light sensor that detects the amount of ambient light in the room. 

So, when in Auto mode, the moment you turn off the lights, the unit will turn to Sleep mode automatically. It will adjust the fan speed to the lowest, reducing noise output, and turn off all LED lights (except for the night mode light, though).

The Winix Smart app is usually reserved for top-tier air purifiers, such as the 9800 ($329). However, for tech enthusiasts on a budget, the C545 fits the bill — at least for North American users. 

The Winix Smart app will let you create schedules, monitor indoor and outdoor air quality, track the filter’s life (and get alerts when it’s time to replace it), and logically control the unit remotely from wherever you are. As a bonus, you’ll also be able to command the Winix C545 with Amazon’s Alexa.

Although you get useful features and an enhanced experience with the app, I must say that it’s not the most intuitive one:

• The signing-up process is tedious and a bit of a maze. Luckily, you just need to do this once.

• You’ll have to grant the app access to your exact location. Winix claims this is just to provide outdoor air quality readings, but it won’t let you go through the pairing process without it.

• The app sometimes loses connection with the unit. This can be easily fixed by closing and reopening the app, but it would be nice to see the Winix team permanently solve the issue.

Winix four-stage filtration: mechanical filters boosted by PlasmaWave®

The C545 comes with a robust True HEPA filter for particles but a weak activated carbon filter that falls short when dealing with serious VOCs.

Almost every air purifier comes with a single set of filters for you to get the unit up and running the moment you take it out of the box. Well, Winix went the extra mile with the C545 and added an additional set (which could last up to 12 months!) That’s right, when you buy a C545, you get two years’ worth of indoor air cleaning. Nice touch, Winix!

But then, there are some highs and lows to the C545 filters worth considering before making up your mind. Let’s start with the good. 

Like all Winix air purifiers, the C545 features AHAM-verified True HEPA filters capable of removing 99.97% of particulate air pollutants from the air as small as 0.3 microns. The filter traps dust, pollen, mold spores, dander, smoke particles, bacteria and more, boosted by the unit’s 246 CFM Clean Air Delivery Rate.

A second advantage of the C545 four-stage filtration is the removable pre-filter. Picking up on the rectangular-shaped air purifiers’ comeback, I’d say this type of pre-filter is one good reason behind it.

In budget cylindrical units, like the Leoivt Core series (200S, 300, 400S and 600S) or the Shark HP102, you usually find pre-filters fitted into the HEPA, which makes maintenance a lot trickier. But when you get a removable pre-filter, you will find that it’s much easier to stay on top of vacuuming and washing the mesh.

Winix suggests cleaning their pre-filters every two weeks. It’s pretty often, for sure. But by doing this, you extend the life of your HEPA, as the pre-filter traps larger particles such as lint, hair and pet fur that would otherwise clog the main filter faster.

The greatest downside of the C545 is the activated carbon filter.

Activated carbon filters trap VOCs and odors through adsorption: the gas molecules stick to the carbon, accumulating on its surface. The Winix C545 comes with a thin fabric impregnated with activated carbon, which is less effective when compared to a filter with pelleted activated charcoal.

Utilizing carbon-impregnated filters means there is a far smaller surface for the pollutants to adhere to. This leads to filters that become full (and ineffective) way faster than you’d like.

You can see how flimsy the activated carbon filter in the Winix 5300-2 and the C545 look when compared to the sturdier pelleted activated carbon on the Winix 5500-2 (right):

What you need to know about PlasmaWave®

The last stage of Winix filtration is the PlasmaWave® function. To put it in (very) plain terms, bipolar ionizers on Winix units alter the composition of airborne gas molecules and particles. These are either neutralized and turned into water (H2O) molecules or regroup into bigger, heavier clusters that are thus drawn into the ground (or any other surfaces in the house). 

As a disclaimer, I’m not 100% into ionization, no matter if it is unipolar or bipolar. Even when the air purifiers’ ozone emission is tested, such as in the case of the Winix units, introducing ions into the air can alter all kinds of airborne molecules and particles, such as fumes from ordinary cleaning products, and potentially produce dangerous by-products. In my view, compensating a weak activated carbon filter with an ionizer is not the smartest (nor safest) choice. 

Besides, those re-formed ion-particle clusters will deposit all around you, the HEPA filter won’t trap them all. As proof, you’ll notice more dust around the air purifier when the PlasmaWave® is on.

The Winix C545 cleared our test room in 26 minutes

Although somewhat old, the C545 can still compete with newer units.

At HouseFresh, we run a series of performance tests for every single unit we review. We like taking matters into our own hands to contrast manufacturers’ specs. We evaluate the air purifiers’ performance in real-life situations – mirroring the use you’d give the unit at home. 

Our first step is the air cleaning performance test. We light incense to generate particulate pollution in the same 728 cubic feet we test all units. Then, we measure the time it takes to remove the smallest PM1.0 particles using two Purple Air sensors: the Touch and Zen.

These were the results of the Winix C545:

Air cleaning performance results, compared

The C545 took 26 minutes to remove all PM1 particles from our 728 cubic ft. test room. This is above average on the spectrum of mid-sized affordable air purifiers.

With such speedy results, the Winix C545 outpaced more powerful and costly units like the Mila and Levoit Core 400S. 

While it didn’t outbeat the Levoit Vital 200S, it was three minutes faster than the TaoTronics AP-003. Similarly, upon comparison with other Winixes, the C545 felt behind the 5500-2 but trimmed off a whole minute of the non-smart but otherwise almost identical 5300-2. 

Noise levels results, compared

Cleaning efficiency is undoubtedly a key indicator of an air purifier’s performance. However, considering the air purifier will be running in the background for most of your time at home, the noise output can also be a decisive factor. 

By measuring the noise levels of the Winix C545, we found out the output was:

It’s not the quietest Sleep mode we’ve come across, but it is still silent enough to let you rest unbothered. At top speed, though, the C545 gets noisy. On the bright side, it comes with app support and the Winix Smart App allows you to create custom schedules. You can program or command the unit to do a deep air clean before you get home. 

Here’s how the Winix C545 compares to other units:

I know from personal experience that noise levels are subjective. Have a listen at our full sound test to see whether the C545 is too noisy for you:

The cost to run a Winix C545: $190.52 per year

An affordable air purifier with average long-term running costs.

1. Electricity costs = $77.79 per year

Air purifiers are like any other appliance: they add to the electricity bill. Energy costs are rising worldwide and are a pressing matter for some households. Knowing your energy consumption will help you plan your monthly expenses and decide if a unit is right for your home. 

Winix units have the PlasmaWave® feature; common sense would suggest that with the ionizer on, the unit would need more power to operate. However, we found no significant difference after measuring the energy consumption with the PlasmaWave® on and off. 

However, there is a leap when comparing the energy consumption at the bottom and top fan speeds, which range from 4.15 to 51 watts. There’s no mystery here: the fan needs more energy to pull in extra air at the top speed than on the lowest setting.

The C545 is the most efficient than other Winix devices, such as the 5500-2 (51 watts) and 5300-2 (53.46 watts) when running at top speed. 

However, units at a similar price point and similar CADR, like the Levoit Vital 200S or the all-affordable TaoTronics TT-AP003, consume far less energy annually ($37.84 and $30.48, respectively).

2. Filter costs = $59.99 per year

While you get replacement filters to last for two years with the Winix C545, air purifiers are built to last longer. 

The C545 uses the S Filters. It’s worth noting that, as an older unit, genuine replacement filters are not always easy to come by. When writing this review, for example, the genuine S Filters are missing from the  Winix Store at Amazon. However, they are available on the Winix web at $60 for a year’s worth. 

On the other hand—and for the same reason—plenty of generic Winix S filters are available on Amazon for $34.99, which is $17.50 a year for two HEPA and four odor filters.

The C545’s replacement filters are not among the most expensive, but considering the odor/activated carbon filter is not exceptional, I wouldn’t consider them the most affordable either. Once again, when comparing with similar units, a two-set of filters for the TaoTronics TT-AP003 costs only $35, while the Levoit Vital 200S filter price rises no further than $60 a year.

Bottom line

With affordable long-term costs and featuring app support, the C545 is a solid option.

The Costco hype that is turning the old Winix C545 into a popular unit once again is not unfunded. 

It boasts a fine CADR score and a better cost-per-CADR ratio when compared to similar air purifiers. Besides, the unobtrusive design, removable pre-filter and a fair share of smart features make the unit very easy to live with.

As for the C545 shortcomings, I would point out two. First (and most significant to me), is the lack of pelleted activated carbon on the odor filters. Having to replace these every three months just to get subpar VOCs and odor filtration in return is not great.

It would be nice to see some improvements done to the Winix Smart App, especially in terms of UI and UX as it would be good to have an app that is more intuitive for the user. Needless to say, the company should also review the app’s privacy policy to comply with European and UK legislation.

SOURCES

We calculated yearly costs associated with running the Winix C545 for 24 hours a day, 365 days per year utilizing the latest average energy prices as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of $0.174/kWh as of April 29th, 2024.

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Starting their journey in 1973, this South Korean company made it their mission to “deliver perfect products which are superior in Innovation, Performance, and Style”. By making sure each of their products meets the high standards of testing companies like AHAM and Energy Star, it’s no wonder they’re a major player in the market.

Alongside HEPA and Activated Carbon filters, they use their signature technology, PlasmaWave®. PlasmaWave® claims to reduce bacteria and viruses from the air in your home without producing harmful ozone. 

As a disclaimer, we’re still not 100% convinced with ionization technology, so it will be interesting to see if PlasmaWave® persuades us otherwise.

As with all our product reviews, we don’t just do a little reading and look at pictures, we actually BUY the thing and conduct our own performance tests. This lets us play around with each product to tell you exactly what it’s like in a real-world setting, highlighting both pros and cons. We’re not scared of delivering the truth. If it sucks, we’ll tell you, trust us.

Here’s how we tested the performance of the Winix 5300-2:

The lowdown on the Winix 5300-2

The Winix 5300-2 may be older but isn’t dated. This hard-working air purifier proves that Winix builds efficient units to last, and at a price we can get along with. Here are some of the things we really like about the 5300-2, and some of the things we think could be improved.

The specs

Although Winix can boast a good CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate), it comes at a cost. When you have a high-efficiency fan, you need to be able to afford the cost of powering it (we’ll get into that further down). The other thing that comes with a big fan is noise. On its highest fan speed, you can expect the 5300-2 to make more noise than other units out there like the SmartAir Blast Mini or Blueairs’ Blue Pure 211+.

Slender, modern, matte finish design with user-friendly controls

As soon as you pull the 5300-2 out of the box, you notice how different it looks to other models. Unlike the SpongeBobiness of the Coway Airmega 300 or the flat glossy Alen BreatheSmart 45i, this Winix is slender with a matte gray finish and a black control panel.

It has a flat base, so no need to worry about it wobbling over and it stands 23.6 inches tall. There’s a nice-looking grill on the front panel and side inlets, so plenty of air can enter the filters. 

The front panel is magnetized rather than having a clip, so you know it won’t be falling off in the middle of the night. A great safety feature on the 5300-2 is the fact the unit automatically shuts off when you remove the front panel to clean or change the filters. This way there’s no chance of you trapping your fingers in a moving fan.

We stood the 5300-2 next to the Honeywell HPA300 so we could compare the two units side by side. The HPA300 cleared pollution from our testing room only 1 minute faster than the Winix, but is heavier, more expensive, and uses a lot more energy. 

I don’t know about you, but I personally prefer the look of the Winix in comparison. I think it complements a room more and has a few more features like its smart sensor and air quality indicator light.

The controls on the 5300-2 are easy to navigate, easy to operate, and easy to understand. 

There are five buttons across the top of the unit to turn it on/off, select mode, engage PlasmaWave®, change fan speed, and set the timer. Each button is responsive and the icons above light up to show what setting the unity is on.

You have four different fan speeds to choose from, press the fan speed button to scroll through the speeds. The timer allows you to select from three countdowns, 1hr, 4hr, and 8hr. Once the countdown hits zero, the unit will automatically shut itself off.

The mode function selects between sleep Mode and auto Mode. Sleep mode sets the fan to its lowest (quietest) speed and dims all the lights on the unit so you can get a good night’s rest without any distractions. 

The auto mode takes over the controls, so you don’t have to change the fan speed. Once engaged, the Smart Sensor measures air quality in the room and adjusts fan speed accordingly.

It also lets you know the quality of your air with its indicator light:

🔵 Blue: Good

🟠 Orange: Fair

🔴 Red: Poor

Three-stage filtration, powered by PlasmaWave technology

The activated carbon filter could be improved but the presence of a TrueHEPA filter really helps

When you open the front panel, you’ll first see the pre-filter. This is here to stop any of the larger airborne particles from getting to the HEPA filter, thus removing them from your environment and prolonging the life of your HEPA.

You can unclip and remove the pre-filter, enabling you to clean it when needed. After prolonged use, the pre-filter will get clogged with dust particles. You can wipe the filter down or vacuum it clean.

When you unclip the pre-filter, you’ll reveal the bonded activated carbon filter:

As you probably know, the activated carbon filter takes care of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and unwanted odors, removing them from the air. Here, activated carbon is pressed into a sheet so when VOCs try to pass through, they get caught in the carbon through a process called adsorption.

The basic rule for an activated carbon filter is; the more carbon it contains, the more effective it is.

Unfortunately, the 5300-2 doesn’t contain much of this, so it’s less effective than some (like the Coway Airmega 300) at removing VOCs and odors from your home. You should be able to clearly see how flimsy the activated carbon filter it is in the photo below:

Once you’ve removed the activated carbon filter, you expose the True HEPA filter:

This is the main part of the filtration process. Made from tightly woven fibers, the HEPA catches tiny airborne particles, trapping them so they don’t get released back into your room.

True HEPA filters are designed to remove up to 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns in size (that’s SMALL). These are things like:

• Pet dander
• Pollen
• Mold
• Smoke
• Fine dust

Having a HEPA filter is the most efficient way of removing these harmful pollutants from the air in your home. If an air purifier doesn’t contain a HEPA filter, I wouldn’t look twice at it.

Replacing the filter is a pretty simple process on the 5300-2. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Remove the front panel and unclip the pre-filter
2. Pull the tab removing the filter
3. Slide in the new filter and re-attach the pre-filter and front panel

Here is a video just in case that seems a little complicated.

What is PlasmaWave®?

Most brands these days use their signature technology in their air purifiers. This not only sounds fancy, but it shows that they have their own engineers developing technology to make your home cleaner, aka, more trustworthy.

For Winix, it’s PlasmaWave®.

This basically means the unit has an ionizer. An ionizer sends out electrically charged particles into the air, which attract airborne pollutants and pull them to the ground. Pretty much like when clothes stick together fresh out of the dryer from static.

I’ve never been too keen on ionizers for two reasons:

1. We tested one and it didn’t seem to make any difference to the pollution in my room.
2. The ions pull pollutants to the ground, they don’t actually remove them from the environment.

Because of this, I won’t be using the PlasmaWave® technology in my home.

The Winix 5300-2 cleared our test room in 27 minutes

That is 7 minutes faster than the Alen Flex and the Mila, but 8 minutes slower than the Winix 5500-2

So, how does the 5300-2 actually perform? With every air purifier we review, we put it in our performance testing room where we see how well it does at removing airborne pollutants. We test each product in the same room under the same conditions in order to get a fair result that we can compare against other units.

Because we want to give you real-world results, we don’t test our air purifiers in a lab or manufactured environment. We use an actual room in our actual home.

To get these results, we placed the 5300-2 in our 705 cubic ft performance room and contaminated the air using incense. We then turned the unit onto its highest fan speed and waited until the room was clear of pollution.

We monitored each stage of our test using our indoor sensor from Purpleair to provide us updates on PM1.0ug/m3, PM2.5ug/m3, and PM10.0 ug/m3.

Here are the results:

As you can see from the graph, the Winix managed to clear the room of contaminants in 27 minutes which, for the size of the unit, was a good performance.

Air cleaning performance compared

When compared to other units, it was only 1 minute more than the powerhouse which is Honeywell’s HPA300, and Coway’s Airmega 300. Quite surprising as both of those units have a higher CADR.

Noise ;evels test results

As I mentioned before, because of its powerful fan, the 5300-2 can get quite loud when running on its higher fan speeds. At its lowest speed, it clocks in at 27 dB, but on high, it can reach 60+ dB. This is loud enough to disturb your movie or gaming. 

Fortunately though, as you can see from our performance tests, you should never need to have it at full speed for long periods of time. Here’s a video to demonstrate the sound levels.

The cost to run a Winix 5300-2 : $150.99 per year

When purchasing an air purifier, most of us will factor in how much a unit costs before buying. Unfortunately, that’s not the only expense you need to consider. 

1. Electricity costs = $66.23

With rising energy costs worldwide, you’ll need to consider how much an air purifier costs to run — especially as it is recommended that you have it on for eight hours every day.

We clocked the 5300-2 at using 63.4 watts on full power, which isn’t the most efficient we’ve tested, but it also is not the worst. It looks good when compared to the Honeywell’s HPA300, as it uses 87 watts at full speed. But put it next to the Levoit Core 600S, which cleared our performance room 12 minutes faster using 47 watts. It doesn’t look so great.

We worked out that if you had the 5300-2 on full fan speed 24 hrs a day, it would cost $66.23 per year, according to data from the Department of Energy’s appliance energy calculator.

2. Filter costs = $84.76

Air purifier filters don’t last forever. Periodically, you must replace each filter so your unit can run efficiently. If you don’t, you’re running a useless fan wasting energy.

Over time, HEPA and activated carbon filters become full of all the contaminants they’ve pulled out of the air. As they get fuller, they become less effective; therefore, they must be swapped out for new ones, which costs money.

As the activated carbon filters don’t last as long as the HEPA filters, Winix has included some replacements in the box. Nice touch, Winix; thank you!

When it’s time for a full replacement, the pack comes with one HEPA filter and four activated carbon filters, so you only have to make one purchase each time. This is well thought out and much appreciated, as some brands like to leave you to purchase separate filters.

Unfortunately, the filters cost around $80, so replacing them every 6 months can get a little expensive.

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Bottom line

A solid option, although you might prefer to go for the Winix 5500-2 which looks nearly identical but offers better air cleaning performance and a sturdier activated carbon filter

Although Winix has released an updated model, that doesn’t mean the Winix 5300-2 is out of the race completely. This air purifier has enough features to keep you happy, and its design would look great in your home.

That said, the Winix 5300-2 is let down by the noise its fan can generate and that fact they use an ionizer as their signature technology. The activated carbon filter isn’t the best by far and the matt control panel is susceptible to fingerprint marks.

You can’t deny its performance, though. The 5300-2 sits comfortably alongside the “Doctors’ favorite” Honeywell’s HPA300 and Coway’s Airmega 300, making this unit a strong contender in an ever-growing market.