Winix 5500-2 Review: Price is Right for this PlasmaWave Machine!

Winix 5500-2 key features

• 4-stage filtration with PlasmaWave™ Technology
• Permanent pre-filter
• AOC Advanced Granular Carbon Filter - 93% efficiency
• True-HEPA filter - 99.97% efficiency up to 0.3 microns
• 4 fan speeds (Low, Medium, High, Turbo)
• Auto mode/ Sleep mode
• Timer (1, 4, 8 hours)
• Air quality indicator - Blue (good), Yellow (fair), Red (poor)
• VOC sensor/ Light sensor, Odor sensor
• Remote control
• 2 years warranty

The starters

Similar to Winix 5300-2 setup, Winix 5500-2 has the newest aesthetic design that is both modern and contemporary. At a relatively compressed dimension, this black housing air purifier is just the right size at 15 x 23.6 x 8.2 in with 15.4 lb of weight. Build quality is solid, well-fitted with no visible gap as it should be. The whole body is made of plastic materials but is not the cheap, flimsy type that you feel it will release harmful ozone with any heat. Air vent placement is very typical console air purifier setup, where you have air inlet located at front sides while air outlet is located at top back. Lastly, there is a back handle slot that you can grab on to when moving the air purifier around.

Detects the level of ambient background light and automatically adjust the brightness of the LED indicators.

Moving on to the usability, Winix 5500-2 has a slight slanting angle control panel placed right at top. The entire control panel is made of a left Winix logo, five evenly spaced buttons (On/ Off, Mode, PlasmaWave, Fan Speed and Timer), one center air quality indicator bar that cycles between blue/ amber/ red, eleven indicator lights including the change filter indicator, odor sensor, light sensor, and a small filter reset button. Let’s go through each button one by one. Skipping the first self-explanatory On/ Off button, Mode button allows the cycle between Auto mode or Sleep mode (fan speed low, air quality indicator light off). The center dedicated PlasmaWave button activates or deactivates Hydroxyls function. Next is Fan speed button that will cycle between the four fan speeds. Timer button will preset between off, 1, 4 or 8 hours setting. A Reset button that will reset the count and turn off the change filter indicator light (use after you have changed the filter), odor sensor that detects the amount of odor in its surrounding and light sensor that detects the level of ambient background light and automatically adjusts the brightness of the LED indicators. Besides the filter reset button. All of the above function can also be control via Winix 5500-2 remote control. Overall the controls are clearly labeled with many supporting indicator lights. One tiny complaint though is the touch button lacks tactile feel like some of the older, classic air purifier model.

To round up Winix 5500-2 “complete purifying specification”, the air purifier comes with a 4-stage filtration with PlasmaWave Technology, 4 fan speeds with auto mode/ sleep mode, odor sensor, light sensor, digital screen with air quality indicator, filter replacement indicator, remote control, Ozone safe Certified by CARB (California Air Resource Board), AHAM listed, ENERGY STAR rated and 2 years warranty.

Airflow, CADR and everything in between

Winix 5500-2 continue with the already impressive 360 sq. ft. purifying coverage from Winix 5500 with a slight increase at. No differences between the airflow delivery rate and 4 fan speed setup as both stands at 53 - 226 cfm. Features such as Auto mode and Sleep mode plus VOC/ light sensors are also available in Winix 5500-2. At maximum capacity, the air purifier would cover small to medium-sized bedroom or living hall that falls within its coverage range. CADR is still at a remarkable level, Dust CADR gets upgraded marginally at 243 cfm while Pollen and Smoke CADR gets downgraded slightly at 246 cfm/ 232 cfm. Check out the table above to compare the CADR between Winix 5300, 5500 and Winix 5500-2 itself.

What’s inside count

^ Winix 5500-2 filters/ technologies/ lifespan

Winix 5500-2 has a typical 4-stage filtration setup that includes a permanent pre-filter, True HEPA filter, AOC Advanced Granular Carbon Filter and PlasmaWave technology. The permanent pre-filter would focus on large particles like hair, dust and at the same time, reduce the work stress of True HEPA filter. The protected True HEPA filter would then concentrate on microscopic allergens as small as 0.3 microns at a standard 99.97% filtration efficiency. AOC Carbon filter would function as what a deodorization carbon would, trap smoke and odors indoor within its proximity. Finally, PlasmaWave would produce Hydroxyls to help break down tough airborne allergens, bacteria, and odors. The tiny differences between Winix 5300-2 and Winix 5500-2 are the former uses carbon pre-filter while the 5500-2 uses an upgraded AOC Advanced Granular Carbon Filter.

Keep it down

Winix 5500-2 offer the same noise level output that if you have no issue with the previous Winix 5500, this air purifier will serve you well. 26.6 - 60+ dB Noise level is reasonably soft at low to medium speed while at high/ turbo speed, there is clear fan noise that might not be bearable for some. Fortunately, you can activate Sleep mode to lock the air purifier at low speed while you're having your good sleep. PlasmaWave does generate some noise but is neglectable and can be deactivated when not needed. Energy usage is low to average at 5 - 90 W max depending on the fan speed setting the air purifier is regularly running. Auto mode does help in optimizing energy consumption but do not expect a sensitive, fast-changing speed even when pollutants is roaming nearby.

At what cost

To our surprise, Winix 5500-2 online price is cheaper than the prior model Winix 5500 despite having a newer design and better specification. The better spec is also well reflected in its mid-range/ medium room size group despite having a lower price point. Filter replacement cost is quite reasonable as it comes in a yearly bundled pack of True-HEPA filter and Carbon filter. Filter availability is also excellent because the filter set can be used across a few different models in Winix stable.

The challengers

In conclusion......

 

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