Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 Review (SPA-550A)

Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A key features

• 4-stage filtration
• Washable Pre-filter
• BioGS HEPA Filter
• Charcoal Activated Carbon Filter
• 5 fanspeed with auto mode
• Odor/ particle sensors with air quality indicator
• Smart Display control with filter maintenance indicator (6 bars)
• Pre-set Timer (4, 8 , 12 hours)
• Negative ion generator on/off
• Remote control with remote holder
• Ultra Quiet operation
• Five-year warranty

The starters

Clean, modern and minimalist is just a few simple words of describing Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A . Its pleasing to the eyes exterior without being over-bloated in size at 16.6 x 22.2 x 9.8 in and 16.8 lb weight. The entire air purifier is made with plastic that feels more solid than it sounds. Fitting is tight that helps protect any gas by-pass other than the air coming in from bottom and sides of Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A . Purified air will be distributed at top and at the back of the air purifier, you will find a convenience handle and remote control slot for its bundled remote control.

Continue with the air purifier control panel, Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A minimalist approach aka “Apple style” limit the number of physical button on the air purifier. Accessing to the front control is easy but require some time to get used to. The sole power button control most of air purifier functions with a single tap to turn on BioGS 2.0, tap again to adjust the fan speed, Auto mode sensitivity and tap + hold to turn off the air purifier. Changes made can be seen below as there is dedicated air quality, fan speed, timer and Negative Ion Generator indicator. Beside the button there is a hidden filter maintenance indicator with 6 status bar and a filter replacement icon that lid up every quarterly as a reminder to clean the filter. Another highlight of Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A Smart Display indicator is the user interface will only appear when you click on the main control button or when the front panel is removed (filter indicator) and disappear after the unit is idle for 5 minutes. As for features like timer, it is only accessible via the remote control that also has dedicated power button, fan speed, Auto mode and Negative Ion Generator.

To recap, features that is standard in Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A include a 4-stage filtration with Negative Ion Generator, 5 fanspeed, particle/ odor sensor with Auto mode, air quality indicator, Smart Display, remote control with holder, 3 pre-set timer, Filter life indicator with usage dot status, Child Proof Safety Design that stop the air purifier from operating when front panel is removed, Energy Star Certified and 5 years warranty on motor and workmanship.

Airflow, CADR and everything in between

Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A 42 - 147 cfm airflow speed might not be best in class, it does provide enough purifying for large room size at 550 sq. ft. coverage (divide the coverage to half if is 4 air charges per hour). Airflow speed is consistent and plentiful at speed 1 although we wish the max fifth speed is not capped at 147 cfm. Plenty of adjustment can be done via the 5 speeds plus a wonderful Auto mode that would automatically adjust the speed based on the surrounding room air quality. During our test we find that the air quality sensors is sensitive in detecting nearby particles and odors if you set the Auto mode to higher sensitivity. Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A is suitable for living hall, bedroom or even office use. While the above chart shows Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A ranked third from bottom, it does not fully justify Rabbit BioGS extensive purifying coverage. Models like IQAir HealthPro Plus and Blueair 605 or Austin Air HealthMate all have a higher price point but loses out on Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A overall packaging that include features like AQ sensors, 5 fan speed + auto mode. Like most air purifiers in the chart, 4-stage filtration is a standard requirement along with True HEPA and carbon filter to support the non-stop airflow circulation. Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A clean air delivery is not at the most ideal level as none of the 3 passes 200 cubic feet per minute benchmark. Starting with Dust CADR at 149 cfm, Pollen CADR at 162 cfm and Smoke CADR the lowest at 135 cfm. As a result, Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A tag team pre-filter/ HEPA filter effort should fair better against non-smoke or gas-based particles. In real life scenarios there is no sign that the airflow distribution is sluggish or lacking to support the 4-stage filtration.Compare with the likes of Oransi, Winix, or Honeywell, CADR is clearly not in favor for Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A as it has one of the lowest score for dust, pollen and smoke. This is perhaps due to the airflow delivery that is not as efficient as it can be with BioGS HEPA and carbon filter during the test. Still, the chart above does not tell the full story on Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A filters relationship with airflow performance and is best used as a reference. For more information on CADR and other air purifier output, refer to the comparison table above.

What’s inside count

^ Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A filters/ technologies/ lifespan

Rather than the 6-stage filtration found in MinusA2, Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A tone it down with a 4-stage filtration that by no means is less effective. Filters build quality is good and well-dense as you would expect from Rabbit Air. All airborne contaminants that flown via side and bottom inlet of the air purifier would first have to go through the washable Pre-filter. As the Pre-filter is only capable of capturing large particles, the ever reliable HEPA filter would come into play by eliminating smaller size allergens like bacteria at 0.3 microns/ at 99.97% efficiency. With most contaminants out of the way, the Charcoal-Based Activated Carbon Filter is free to capture all smoke, gas odor coming from pets, diaper and even YOU, presumably if you are a smoker. Whatever left in the air purifier would be dealt with the negative ion generator that releases negative ion to merge and weigh down airborne contaminants.

Filter maintenance and care

When the filter maintenance & replacement light is up, it’s time to replace the BioGS filters. Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A filter change is as straightforward as it can be. Remove the front panel by slowly lifting the bottom part and pulling it upwards, the pre-filter will be first in-line, remove it by pinching and pulling the top two tabs of the pre-filter. Then continue pulling out the activated carbon filter and lastly BioGS HEPA filter. Unwrap the plastic wrap from the new replacement filters and place it back one by one in exact reverse order (HEPA, carbon and pre-filter). Re-attach the front panel back from top to bottom and voilà, your Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A is good to go.

The biggest advantage of Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 SPA-550A is the tedious filter change task only happens every 18 months or more. While you still need to perform the unavoidable light vacuuming requirement on a quarterly basis (nozzle brush on low speed mode), it’s good to know the filter is still functioning.

Keep it down

With the help of the innovative Brushless Direct Current Motor or simply BLDC motor, runs silently in background at low speed (22.8 dBA), while second and third speed noise level is subtle and finally noise level is clearly but not overly audible at fourth/ max speed (48.6 dBA). Negative Ion generator noise is also a subtle hum when turned on. Despite the lack of sleep mode, no issue operating it for bedtime as you could set to Auto mode and let the machine take over.

Similar case with power consumption as is Energy Star rated therefore it uses very little energy at silent/ low speed (5 watt) and gradually increase at higher/ max speed (39 watt). Auto mode is a must to push the maximum efficiency of the air purifier by utilizing the right speed when necessarily. A neat little feature that is unique in is the smart display controls that only light up when click/ active to help conserve energy.

At what cost

is the least expensive in BioGS 2.0 and MinusA2 series; not so much so when compare with other similar high purifying range air purifiers from Winix, Honeywell. While CADR figures is not overly impressive, you do receive a great deal of premium features as standard like Auto mode, air quality sensor, timer and remote control (with holder). On the other end, annual filter replacement cost is close to flawless as the filter lifespan is lengthy (up to 3 years) and can be purchase in a bundled replacement kit. For the filter maintenance factor alone, will be well worth the purchasing price in long-run.

The challengers

In conclusion......

 

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