When I took a deeper look into ULTTY, the company behind this air purifier/fan combo, there was not much information on their website. When I looked at archive.org, the first site went live on July 28th 2020, and in their ‘About’ page mentions a factory you can visit but that info was removed from the latest version of the site. Analyzing their website details further, DNS records show that the site was registered in China, which makes sense.
ULTTY seems like a smaller version of Taotronics. They are both Chinese manufacturers selling units directly to American customers. They don’t just sell fan and air purifier combos but also garden hoses and frying pans.
As a manufacturer who sells direct, they don’t waste time on marketing, with their value proposition defined by their low cost and ability to manufacture new designs quickly. They currently have multiple types of air purifier/fan combo units, and also a fan/heater combo that sells very well.
In the space of air purifier and fan combo units, we have one main player which is Dyson, and the next smaller competitor would be ULTTY. The main point of difference between ULTTY and the competition is the price: consumers can spend $150 to get a seemingly similar unit to a Dyson air purifier/fan combo, which costs at least $799.
The unit we are reviewing today is the CR021, although now there is also a CR022 for sale which is slightly larger and more powerful. The ULTTY CR021 uses an H13 HEPA filter and can work as a fan and air purifier combo or just one without the other.
| Why You Can Trust This Review As with all the units we test here at HouseFresh, we bought this air purifier + fan combo with our own money, so we can truly be open and honest about our experience. We want to help you find the right unit for your specific situation. We bought and tested the ULTTY Bladeless Fan Air Purifier R21 in our testing room. This is how: STEP 1️⃣ – We recorded how fast the ULTTY CR021 cleaned incense smoke from the air in our 705 cubic ft. home lab when running at its top speed with the help of an air quality monitor. STEP 2️⃣ – We used an energy monitor to record electricity consumption in watts when running the CR021 at its bottom and top fan speeds. STEP 3️⃣ – We recorded actual sound levels in decibels emitted by the ULTTY CR021 when working at its different fan speeds, according to our sound level monitor. |
All this to say, we didn’t just gather some features and specs from the manufacturer’s website and called it a day.
TL;DR The Lowdown on the ULTTY Bladeless Fan and Air Purifier Combo CR021
“The ULTTY CR021 does the job but takes a long time, making it an okay option for really small spaces or for those of you who don’t need to clean the air quickly.”
— Danny Ashton, Founder & Senior Writer
Can’t be bothered to read more? Then insert my key thoughts about this air purifier/fan combo straight into your brain below:
What We Really Like:
👍 The bladeless fan feels very sci-fi and futuristic
👍 It comes with an H13 HEPA filter, which is not normally used in cheaper air purifiers
👍 Simple remote that does everything you need
👍 Small size and lightweight, so easy to move around
👍 Price is much cheaper than big brand competitors
What We Think Could Be Better:
👎 The lack of activated charcoal means it has no odor-removing ability
👎 Air cleaning performance is similar to a $70 air purifier
👎 No on-board sensor for indoor air pollution
👎 Cheaper build quality and design when compared with higher-priced models
Spec for Small Spaces
As a fan/air purifier, we would expect a much lower CADR score for the price, and as expected, this unit is really designed for smaller spaces or those not needing to clean a lot of air quickly.
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★☆☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 2 hours and 11 minutes |
| Air purifier technology: | H13 HEPA Filter |
| Recommended room size: | Up to 320 sq. ft. |
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | 35 CFM |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 28H x 18W x 16D inches (71H x 38W x 41D cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 8.6 lbs (3.9 kg) |
| Noise level (measured from 3 ft. away): | Speed 1: 32 dB Speed 2: 59 dB |
| Filter life: | 3 – 6 months |
| Electricity consumption (kilowatt-hour): | Standby mode: 0 kWh Speed 1: 25 kWh |
| Estimated running costs (electricity consumption + filter replacements): | $84.30 per year |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | No warranty |
| Country of manufacture: | China |
No Dyson, but Still Looks Great
OK, so the ULTTY CR021 doesn’t look as sleek as the Dyson units, but considering its cost, it’s not a bad looker.
It still has the bladeless fan of the Dyson, with the main body used as the location for the HEPA filters. The screen is simple, with 9 speeds available but no onboard particulate or VOC sensors.
When you compare it to the Dyson combo units, it’s much shorter but has a similar floor footprint.
Filters Won’t Remove Odors
The ULTTY CR021 comes with an H13 HEPA filter. This is the same medical-grade filter Dyson uses, but I think this was a mistake for such a low-powered fan.
Lower-grade HEPA filters can still remove many small particulate particles from the air and are usually a better fit for air purifiers with low-power fans.
The higher the grade of HEPA, the denser the fibers and the harder it is to push air through them. This was one of the reasons we saw such a high cleaning score for the Smart Air S even though it used H11.
The big downside about the type of filter ULTTY uses is that it has no activated charcoal – it doesn’t even use the cheap impregnated type we see on lower-budget versions. This means that while the HEPA will remove particles, all odors will not be removed. This feels like a big home goal, as I know that most household users will want to remove odors. That’s why we see activated charcoal used in budget air purifiers like the Levoit Core 300.
The lack of activated charcoal is something that I really hope this manufacturer looks at for future versions, as right now, it has no odor-removing ability.
Changing the filter on the ULTTY CR021 is not difficult at all. Watch the video to find out how to do it:
| This might seem silly, but do make sure you remove the filter from the plastic bag it arrives in. Every manufacturer will keep filters sealed so they are not used passively. If you don’t remove the plastic, the air will not be cleaned, and you might even cause overheating problems or melt the plastic. |
Simple Remote Control
Unlike Dyson units that need an app to unlock all of their capabilities truly, the ULTTY keeps things simple with an old-school remote control.
With the remote, you can adjust the level of rotation, the fan speed, and also set night mode or timers. While an app would be nice, I would be worried that it wouldn’t be built to the high standard we saw with the Dyson link app, so I am much happier with this simple approach to using this fan/air cleaner.
The ULTTY CR021 Cleared Our Test Room in Over Two Hours
As with all the reviews we perform here at HouseFresh, we went deep to see how well the ULTTY CR-021 is at removing pollutants from the air.
We did this by performing the same test that all our air purifiers are put through to see how fast they clean one incense stick’s worth of pollutants. As all our air purifiers are tested in the same room (a 705 cubic ft office), we can compare performance across all models and brands.
We use a Purple Air indoor sensor to export the pollutant count every 2 minutes for PM1.0ug/m3, PM2.5ug/m3, and PM10.0ug/m3. As we also have a professional background in data analysis and information design, we like the visualize the data in an interactive chart for our readers to explore:
I knew this fan/air purifier combo wasn’t going to beat records for cleaning particles from the air based on its price and reported CADR, but it was good to see that it did manage to remove all pollutants within 131 minutes.
Air Cleaning Performance Compared to Other Air Purifiers
In comparison, the Dyson HP04 air purifier and fan combo cleaned the air 47 faster than the ULTTY CR021, but this comes at a cost of nearly $900. Looking at pure air purifier performance, you will see that the ULTTY device is similar to the Levoit Core Mini with 113 minutes. However, I was glad that this combo unit managed to clean the air quicker than the Molekule Mini, which took 141 minutes with its PECO technology, which costs close to $400.
Noise Levels Test Results
The ULTTY has a maximum sound of 59 dB, less than the Dyson HP04 but more than the 44 dB we see with the Levoit Core mini. It’s a good unit for sound especially considering the function of a fan which is inherently noisier.
But feel free to listen to the actual noise levels in the video below to see if the sound would be a good fit for your ears:
The Cost to Run a ULTTY Bladeless Tower Fan and Air Purifier Combo CR021: $84.30 Per Year
Most people just look at the initial price of an air purifier, or as in this case, a fan/air purifier, but there are extra long-term costs you have to consider, with both electricity and filter costs needing to be considered.
1. Electricity costs = $36.79
Energy costs are not getting cheaper and are doubtful to see any big drops in the next few years, so energy usage is now something that every homeowner needs to consider. There is no point in getting a gadget that uses so much electricity that it outweighs any benefit it provides.
With a top wattage use of 35 watts, this air purifier/fan will not break the bank as even 24-hour usage will only cost $36.79 a year according to the Department of Energy’s appliance energy calculator.
The fact that this does two jobs could be something to consider, as running both a fan and air purifier could cost much more than this. Overall, it’s an energy efficient machine for the price.
2. Filter costs = $36.79
HEPA technology is remarkable — just using fabric filters, you can remove tiny particles and viruses from the air. But the main downside is that these filters will need replacing over time if they are expected to keep cleaning air with the same performance.
The genuine filters from the manufacturer cost $29.99, which might seem cheap, but considering it has no activated charcoal, is a little higher than I would want to pay. If you are open to generic filters, you can get them for under $15, which seems a fairer price considering the technology used.
In comparison, you pay $70 for genuine Dyson air purifier replacement filters, which do contain activated charcoal, but you can see how these costs can start to add up. While not the cheapest filters, you can a 2-pack of generic filters for $39.39.
Bottom Line
There are some major downsides to the ULTTY Bladeless Tower Fan and Air Purifier Combo CR021.
The lack of activated charcoal seems like something that could be fixed easily without a massive increase in price for filter replacements. As for the fan, I am as happy as I was with the Dyson — having a bladeless fan is great for when you have kids as you don’t have to worry about them poking it with their fingers.
If you like the idea of a fan and air purifier that doesn’t cost the earth, then you don’t have any other options currently than the ULTTY models. But if you are more worried about getting the best air cleaning bang for your buck, you would be better off with a cheap fan and a budget air purifier as you will get far more performance per $ spent.
If you really want a combo fan + air purifier and have the money to spend, I would recommend the Dyson combo units as they look way better, have better performance, and have a ton of extra smart features with an app that is actually useful, but it does come at a cost that is closer to $1000.
SOURCES
We used the Department of Energy’s appliance energy calculator to calculate yearly costs associated with running the ULTTY Bladeless Tower Fan and Air Purifier Combo CR021 for 24hs a day for 365 days. We chose to run this calculation utilizing the US average utility rate, which is $0.12/kWh as of February 7th, 2023.
Last update on 2024-04-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
