Oreck WK15500B Air Refresh Review: Refreshing Good!

Last updated on April 22nd, 2020

The starters

One of North America’s most beloved brands. Oreck WK15500B Air Refresh is one fine looking 2-in-1 HEPA Ultrasonic Humidifier. At 16.2 x 15.7 x 11 in dimension and 14.1 lb weight, this is perhaps the slimmest air purifier humidifier here. The tower profile will fit well on tight space, tables and even top of the cabinet with enough support to the base. The front panel can be quickly removed to replace the filter when needed. Water tank is located at the back with grabbing handle that is nicely concealed in the design. It is rather small given how tall the machine is. Refilling is also slightly troublesome as it requires removing the reservoir to check on the water level. Overall the fitting and build quality is there that you would expect no less from the price you paid.

Let’s dive into the control panel. At the top, you will find the main air outlet grill (air inlet grill is located at the side), an LCD digital screen, 5 main touch-sensitive controls, and a reset button. So let’s begin with the blue LCD screen. The screen will display your current fan speed, timer including a number of hours, current RH%, desired humidity target. The top water tank indicator will flash and turn the LCD screen to red when the water level is low. There are also 2 filter life bars (HEPA and carbon) that will decrease according to usage. To begin the operation, press the On/ Off button to the most right. Next to it is the Speed button that will cycle between Low, Mid, High, and Turbo. Middle timer button can be set between 1-8 hours that will auto shut down the machine once the time is up. Humidity button is self-explanatory. With the help of the built-in humidistat, you can set the right RH level so the humidifier will auto switch on or off the device based on your setting. To the most left, Sleep button will set the fan speed to low and dim the LCD screen. Last but not least, the reset filter will reset the life bars that should be used after you have changed the filter.

Airflow, speed, and CADR

Oreck WK15500B 2-in-1 Air Refresh performance is a mixed bag. On one hand, it has a rather small purifying coverage at only 115 square feet. However, the small range does come with an outstanding filtration that can target even the tiniest particles. Pair with the compressed water tank, Oreck WK15500B will be able to run for a day without refilling. If you are planning to use it during bedtime, just keep it between 1-2 speed and you can sleep soundly throughout the night. CADR or clean air delivery rate also tally with the small purifying coverage. Dust, pollen, and smoke CADR are at 77 cfm output. Way below our 200 cfm benchmark. Not great for living hall but perfect for bedroom use particularly if you are suffering from allergies like cough, red eyes or runny nose.

What’s inside count

Let's begin with the superb Oreck WK15500B Air Refresh 2-in-1 HEPA air purifier side. The first-stage HEPA Media will capture up to 99% of the airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns. This includes dust, mold, pollen, dust mites, and pet dander. With most non-particles captured, the Charcoal Odor-Removing Filter can focus on removing cooking smoke and cigarette odors. So what about the humidifying part? Oreck WK15500B ultrasonic technology uses a plate that vibrates thus forces the water to exit as mist. It is an eco-friendly, filterless approach but you should only fill in with demineralized water to reduce the risk of mineral buildup.

Keep it down

As for the noise and power, think Oreck WK15500B Air Refresh as you normally would for an air purifier. At the lower 2 speed, barely any noise can be heard from the machine. While at max speed, there is some fan noise that is still bearable other than for night time with Sleep mode. Power rate wise is good across all fan speed. Expect a fairly low consumption rate when compared with a full-blown air purifier or dehumidifier.

At what cost

At around 399 RSP before discount, Oreck WK15500B Air Refresh 2-in-1 HEPA Ultrasonic Humidifier price is on the higher side. That said, it is still cheaper than getting an air purifier and a humidifier separately. The price you paid also comes bundled with a HEPA media and carbon filter. Unfortunately, that would also bring us to the downside. Even though the filter replacement cost is inexpensive, both HEPA and carbon filter has a relatively short 6 months lifespan. You may have to fork up more on filter recurring fees than the competitor's model.

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