Honeywell AirGenius 4 HFD310 Review: Is 4 Better Than 5?

Last updated on March 17th, 2020

The starters

A mirror to AirGenius 5, Honeywell AirGenius 4 HFD310 shares the same tower design at 11.5 x 29 x 11.5 in and 13.5 lb weight. Available in black or white, the flask shape body is slim and tall thus not suitable as a tabletop air purifier. Circling around the body is a back air inlet that pulls air in and air outlet that pushes air out. Fitting quality is tight as with most modern air purifier these days. We did not encounter any off-gassing during our test.

Continue with the controls and functionality. HFD310 might not come with advanced touch panel, it is still easy to use with many standalone buttons. Let’s jump ahead the main Power button explanation (duh). Above it is the “leaf” purification level button that essentially is the speed button. On tap, the air purifier will cycle between Sleep mode that is ultra quiet for night use. Tap again to the default General mode that is best used to remove dust, cooking odor, and tobacco smoke. Again to Allergen mode use to target seasonal allergens particularly during spring/ fall. Last is Max Cleaning mode that has the fastest settings for ultimate purification. Next is the timer button that cycles between off, 2, 4, 8 hours. Light Dimmer button with Low/ High setting. Oscillation Button that will activate side to side purifying to improve air circulation. Check Filters Reset Button to check filter status. Press and hold the button for 3 seconds to reset the filter countdown timer. On reset, you should see the filter status red color flash twice and shut off.

Recapping the features again. You have 3-stage permanent filtration with 4 cleaning setting. There is timer, Oscillation, light dimmer, and check filters/ reset Button. Finally, AHAM/ ARB certified, Energy Star rated and 5 years warranty.

Airflow, speed, and CADR

Honeywell HFD310 250 sq. ft. purifying radius is decent for medium room size coverage at best. Airflow distribution is ample and consistent via its 4 cleaning mode. You do have to manually crank it up to Max Cleaning mode to cover a larger area. No Auto or night mode is available as with all AirGenius models. Again same as HFD320, CADR is at adequate tier for household particles filtration. You have the dust at 160 cfm, pollen at 170 cfm and smoke at 161 cfm (with odor-reducing pre-filter) installed. It did not pass our airfuji 200 cfm benchmark but it's close and you will not be able to tell the differences anyway.

What’s inside count

Honeywell AirGenius 4 QuietClean ifD technology by no means is poor. It has a 99.9% capturing efficiency against all types of particle. Depending on which filter you use, the washable pre-filter would do a fine job at capturing large particles. The premium odor-reducing pre-filter will do likewise with enhanced filtration against gas particles. Ending the process is the Ionizer that releases ions to merge with on-float ions. This causes the merged ions to fall and the filtration will finish up any unclean particles. As the permanent filters do not need change, you have to regularly clean the filter instead.

Keep it down

The two fans generate low to medium noise level across its 3 cleaning mode. Other than that, Sleep setting is absolute quiet thanks to the QuietClean technology. Manageable for night time use without any disruption. Low Power usage around or less than a light bulb from Honeywell official statement. Ideal for all-day use as it does not have too much impact on your electricity bill.

At what cost

Honeywell AirGenius 4 HFD310 is not cheapest among its low mid-range price group. On the bright side, it is a one-time fee and you'll get good spec including the reusable filter set. It is also possible to have zero filter cost if you only utilize the default washable filter. For better gas filtration, choose the odor-reducing pre-filter upgrade that would not cost you much anyway.

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