Winix HR900 Review: The New Ultimate Pet Air Purifier

Winix HR900 review

The starters

Winix HR900 is a modern approach to air purifier without sacrificing its practicality. At 16.3 x 23.6 x 9.6 in and 18.7 lb weight, it is exactly the same dimension as HR1000 so expect the same build quality. Carrying the air purifier is easy with the back handle. At the opposite side, there is an AQ indicator light that will change color to reflect on room air quality. When the bar color is Blue means air quality is good, Yellow = fair, and Red = poor. Like most Winix models, air inlet is at sides with many small vent holes at the front. Air outlet is at typical top right behind the controls.

Speaking of controls, there are 6 clickable buttons plus Smart and light sensors on top. Starting with the Power button that we are all familiar with. Right above it is the filter reset button that is only used after you replace with a new filter set. Press and hold the button for 5 seconds to complete the filter countdown timer reset. Mode button will cycle between Auto, Sleep, Low, Medium, High, or Turbo speed. PlasmaWave button will activate/ deactivate the features on press. Timer button will cycle between 1, 4, 8 hours and no timer on press. Press and hold for at least 3 seconds will enable/ disable the Air Quality light. Lastly, child lock will lock all functions when you press and hold the button for at least 3 seconds. This prevents children from meddling with the air purifier controls. To your most left, there is the Smart Sensor used to detect nearby air quality. The light sensor checks ambient light and auto adjusts the LED indicators brightness.

To recap on HR900 long list of features, you have AHAM, Ozone-safe certified, UL listed, and ENERGY STAR. 5-stage filtration with Ultimate Pet Filter U. 4 fan speed plus Auto, and Sleep mode. AQ indicator light, Child lock, and 2 years warranty.

Airflow, speed, and CADR

Winix HR900 air purifier improves drastically of the previous WAC9500 with a 300 sq. ft. purifying coverage (2 air charges). This would cover well on your cat or dog that roams freely in your home. The stable airflow delivery rate is proven to be useful for spreading across the 4 fan speed. There is also Auto mode that allows autonomous speed adjustment on nearby air quality. Sleep mode will turn off all indicator light and set the speed to low for bedtime use. Clean air delivery rate also sees much improvement from its predecessor. Dust CADR is at 200 cfm, Pollen CADR at 220 cfm and Smoke CADR at 194 cfm respectively. Above average as one should expect no less from Winix standard. Being a pet allergen machine, pollen CADR is key for irritants removal and that's where HR900 does well.

What’s inside count

This is called the ultimate pet air purifier for a reason. Starting with the first line of defense against pet hair and dander. You have the add-on Ultimate pet pre-filter and the standard, washable pre-filter. Both work simultaneously well with each other. Next is the AOC Advanced Granular Carbon Filter. The carbon filter will capture smoke and pet odors well and extends the HEPA life. With the True HEPA filter well-protected, no bacteria or germs will be able to fly back out. The HEPA filter efficiency is rated at 99.97% efficiency on microorganisms as small as 0.3 microns. Ending the filtration is Winix own PlasmaWave Technology. The PlasmaWave will safely break apart allergens and chemical vapors at a molecular level.

Keep it down

We don't have the official noise figure for HR900 and we are not going to test it since is similar to other Winix models. It's safe to assume the bar would be between 20 - 60 dB. In any case, Sleep mode would be the go-to setting for bed time use. Power usage is at a max 90 W (Turbo speed). It might seem high but compare with other appliances, it is not. Don't forget there is Auto mode that will manage your fan speed thus the energy consumption rate.

At what cost

Winix HR900 is very well priced and expect not more than 300 dollars after online discount. Is it reasonable for a pet air purifier? Absolutely. Is it the best deal for a generic air purifier? It depends. You can easily get most Winix air purifier and stuck an ultimate pet filter in it to achieve a similar result. Filter replacement wise is plentiful but not cheap. The bundled pack (HEPA + carbon) cost close to 100 excluding the ultimate pet filter. Since you are going to use the air purifier for many years ahead. There are cheaper choices if the recurring cost is your concern.

Winix HR900 VS the challengers

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