hOmeLabs 4-in-1 Compact Air Purifier HME020020N Review: HEPA for under $50?

Last updated on September 11th, 2021

The starters

Good things come in a small package. That is 100% true with hOmeLabs 4-in-1 Compact air purifier. At only 6.7 inches in diameter and 7.5 inches in height, it is very small and you can place it at a desk or table without having to worry it will tip over. The 2.9 pounds lightweight also makes it perfect for room to room purifying for those that rely on one machine for the entire home.

The boxy white housing is a clean yet simple layout that most people with familiar with. The surrounding air inlet is functional that traps pollutants all the way from the bottom to the top. Air outlet is nicely radiant with blue lights and a power button smack in the middle. The single-button control is super easy to use with zero learning curve. Overall the fitting is good with no off-gassing despite the plasticky built. The hOmeLabs air purifier will have no issue lasting longer than its 2 years warranty duration.

Airflow, speed, and CADR

hOmeLabs 4-in-1 Compact HME020020N airflow delivery rate is not its strongest suit. There are only 2 fan speeds to select between them and the output differences are limited. The same goes with the purifying coverage, it is only at 40 square feet thus hOmeLabs is limited for small room size use e.g. dorm, single bedroom, bathroom, work desk, or bedside. No official CADR is available but during our test, it is quite under par tally with the airflow distribution. No autonomous mode either but that should be expected given its price group. You can still enjoy clean, fresh air as long as you placed hOmeLabs close to you.

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What’s inside count

Despite the affordable price tag and compact body, hOmeLabs 4-in-1 Compact Air Purifier HME020020N is fully packed with most of the filtration you will ever need. At the front, you have a pre-filter that traps dust, hair, debris, and other visible large particles. The pre-filter is also there to protect the HEPA filter from being clogged by PM10 particles. Next, the HEPA filter will remove 99.97% of fine particles small as 0.3 microns in sizes like dust mites, pet dander, pollen, mold spore, bacteria, and viruses. For smoke particles, the carbon filter will absorb toxic fumes and odors from pets, cigarettes, food, paint, and detergent. Lastly, the ion booster emits 3 million ions per cubic centimeter that attach to charged pollutants in the air. The merged particles will fall from the increased weight allowing the HEPA filter to capture. Overall, the filter size is rather small so filtration strength will be on the weaker tier zone.

Keep it down

hOmeLab 4-in-1 compact air purifier low noise output is often underappreciated. At low speed, you will not hear a chime from it so no worries about any white noise during work or sleep. At a higher speed, there will be vague fan noise but can be easily drowned out with music from Spotify or YouTube. Besides the silent operation, power output is low too that is suitable for all-day operation without the need to auto-regulate the speed. We're getting less than $0.10 power usage per day which should be around $3 a month or $36 a year. Cost efficiency indeed.

At what cost

The best thing we like about hOmeLabs 4-in-1 Compact Air Purifier HME020020N is the under 50 online price. You can easily find great discounts for this model from certified resellers with an official warranty. The same goes for the filter replacement set. You will only have to fork out 26 to 34 dollars annually on the all-in-one cartridge depending on the operational hours. Compared with other small air purifiers in the segment, hOmeLabs HME020020N is marginally cheaper but will have to do with a weaker airflow output.

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