Molekule: The Worst Air Purifier We've Ever Tested
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 มิ.ย. 2024
- You may have seen the Molekule air purifier show up in your social feeds lately. It’s a really slick, really expensive machine that makes some strong claims about its ability to purify air. Well, we’ve been testing air purifiers for years at Wirecutter, and in our trials, the Molekule fell short. By a lot. Here's how.
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You completely destroyed my interest in this thing. My wallet thanks you
I watched a comparison of the molecule and enviroclenze on vacuum wars I think, that unit did pretty well
You can legit buy a dyson and have enough money for almost two dyson filters with both the machine and filter are very expensive. The dyson is 650 with two combo filters cost 80 each, and the fact that dyson has so much in there app and machines it’s just a no brainer
Here's my take on this. The Molekule is advertised to purify the following:
Mold, VOC's, Bacteria, Viruses, etc. Those require different tests and different measurement equipment.
They aren't testing for many of the things that Molekule has listed. While it might not do that well with some of the things, it might be a lot better with the things Wirecutter's test doesn't cover.
it would be nice if they tested everything stated in Molekule's web site specifically, but that would require them getting more specific test equipment, but to use lite matches? That's ridiculous. I'm sure they should test differently with different TYPES of particles where they can test for each type of particle separately.
No, I don't own a Molekule, but I'm still trying to figure out if any of these reviewers are really testing properly and with every different type of particle these purifiers claim they purify..
It's only one test.
@@Enrique6299 And it was using lit matches, which is hardly what I think should be used. It's not like I only have smoke from lit matches in my bedroom. I'm worried about bacteria, viruses, dust particles, things that can make me sick or not be able to breath well. Smells is another thing if I've been cooking things like fish or other oders that are unpleasant, but I don't smoke in my home. I do have neighbors that smoke pot that I sometimes smell when I have the windows open.
Who else had an ad for the Molekule before this video? At first I thought it was the Wirecutter setting the video up, but Molekule actually paid to put it there. Ouch!
I had two
Lol, me too.
That's hilarious. We were going to buy this purifier over a year ago, but did my research and said "fuck that!!"
I never even saw this wire cutter video back than, used internet web page reveiws not youtube. This just was recommended to me so had to see what he'ld say on it.
Too funny.
Damn...I don't get them ads on premium😂😂😂
I’m assuming they molekule just throws ads at any video with certain key words.
Same
I’ve seen a bunch of you tubers talk about this thing and how much they love it. Just goes to show if you make a fancy looking product and charge a lot of money, there are plenty of suckers in this world to buy it.
They've been paid to say that.
*cough* apple *cough*
Sam Porter cough Trash can Mac Pro cough cough
On the one hand some people are definitely being paid to say it, but you also can't deny the effect of a good marketing campaign and slick design making people feel like they got what they were after. Especially if they haven't tried air purifiers before.
It reminds me of this XKCD: xkcd.com/937/
Also shows why you NEVER should listen to a youtuber for advice on anything.
THIS is why I love wirecutter.
they only tested with smoke from matches, Molekule doesn't list smoke on their website, so this seems to be a misleading and incomplete testing methodology. Sorry.
@@Oneness100 it's worse in the video they tell you that molecule uses HO to filter... And then they test it with smoke?!? Using a oxidizer to filter smoke is like using a pocket knife to cut down a tree.
5 Minute no BS video
@@vnvuvlvlvkvuvnvx4945 Here's where I'm coming from. First off, I don't own a Molekule and it's too expensive for my budget right now.
BUT, the Molekule lists what it's meant to handle on their website.
they state the following:
Mold
VOCs
Allergens
Viruses
Bacteria
That's what they say on their website.
they don't list Smoke, so why test the Molekule using only smoke and basing a judgement on the product when they don't mention smoke?
Sounds like Wirecutter doesn't know how to test the Molekule in order to formulate a judgement on how well it performs…
@@10kevinle I thought it was a little misleading since Molekule doesn't mention their products deal with smoke, so why test it using smoke? Doesn't make much sense to test it on something that's not in the mfg's claims.
I tried it, and it did absolutely nothing to help my allergies. I will say that the Molekule people were gracious and made it easy to return, which I was very happy to do.
Imagine being so cucked you buy something that costs 800 bucks lol
@@gurneygang9625 im convinced that you don't deal with allergies, which was most likely the reason why they bought it
@@wired-fpz your right I dont suffer from inferior genetics. Besides why would you spend 800 on something you didnt even research
pointless pointing You may not have inferior genetics, but definitely inferior empathy.
@@iMasterchris empathy is for betas
So like any other product that ad targets me on Instagram, it's overhyped and overpriced.
Overhyped, overdesigned crap like the Juicero that spends all their money on marketing
@@Strand0410 I have a rule that the fancier the marketing behind a product the more you should be skeptical and do your research
Dan S I have an even simpler rule - if it’s on Instagram don’t get it!
Sounds like they classify you as prone to impulse buying if you're targeted with overhyped ads.
It's like apple
Well I think the spending on molecule must have looked something like this:
Marketing 50%
R&D 30%
Design 29%
Testing 1%
Interface development 0%
Well they must have gone over budget with 110% spending on the budget.
more like
Marketing 80%
R&D 0%
Design 15%
Testing 0%
Interface development 0%
scrutinizing leather for the fancy handle 5%
30% for a design that is basically just a cylinder ?
@@jonathaningram8157 24% color combinations, 5% setting diameter and height.
@Great Value Bleach "We didn't make a mistake, it's just that our users are using it wrong."
The gentle way he is holding the Coway in the end
The Molekule was what got me into buying an air purifier. After reading the science behind air purification, I ended up buying a $150 Hepa air purifier.
@Will Pack the HEPA one
@Will Pack so?
@Will Pack absolutely
Smart choice!
Since the beginning, I have been saying that this was a fraudulent product, but nobody believed me. I'm glad someone actually tested it.
Did you have any proof back then? Maybe that's why?
You’re not wrong. Lots of these “lifestyle” startup companies that target affluent (aka: “suckers with money to spend”) customers have generally been either inferior to their existing competition or straight up snake oil products yet people continue to buy them because branding is one helluva powerful sales tool.
@@Endohmassato it just ticks all the boxes. “New” technology, vaguely European misspelling that makes it seem “exotic”, heavy advertising, minimalist presentation; it just has ripoff written all over it
@@colinmurphy2214 I completely agree with you. However, what do you mean with "vaguely European misspelling"?
Before this I watched a TH-camr pushing Molekule, going on & on & at the end says, “I can’t actually TEST the air quality as I don’t have any kind if meter” but this thing is the BEST air purifier. I have pets with serious asthma. Recently bought the Blue Air 411 & was getting ready to break my bank acct with the Molekule to try to do the best for my animals. Thank you so very much. Molekule’s website sounds like it will cure cancer, home school your kids and make dinner. I’m adding the CoWay. Many thanks!
My husband wanted this particular brand. His logic? You get what you paid for. I said, spending premium price ($800) on an air purifier doesn't always mean you get what you paid for. Thank god I came across this review. We're looking into something else.
If you’ve never used an air filter these are great. th-cam.com/users/postUgkx_dppjvjF8BYEmPSDTcgCUdRsgWYLXNHN I ended up with three after starting out with one. The noise level depends on the 1-3 settings with how hard you want the machine to work. You can also upgrade the filters and get one better for pet hair and smells which is a must have in my home. I noticed the air seemed lighter and easier to breathe when running the machine for the first time. Works great every time. Highly recommended!
I bought two of the Coway a few months ago after reading the Wirecutter review. They work great. Very quiet, I run them 24/7 on medium, sometimes putting them on high when I'm out of the house (if I remember, which I usually don't). I sleep with one on medium just a few feet away, it's a very pleasant and very smooth wooshing noise with no high frequency components.
Do you know if the Coway is effective in removing mold particles?
@@HRAARH yeah, that's what I'm looking for something that can remove mold particles if you find out let me know, thanks
@@user-dx7gh8qi4o Mold spores are pretty big, around 3 microns so any HEPA will capture those but mycotoxins which the spores release are around .03 so you need a unit that goes that small.
That's the thing with Hydroxyl: it takes so much of it to destroy most particles that it can also damage humans.
The solution is to pass the output through a screen that reacts with the hydroxyl, which the Molekule doesn't have. This missing feature could be why it works so poorly, or it could mean that this machine is a potential health hazard.
The video specifically said it had a screen that reacts with it
@@PixelLabsMinecraft Yes, he said it has a screen that reacts....
with the air to create hydroxyl. I watched it again and the only other screen he mentioned was the pre-filter which won't help with that.
@@PixelLabsMinecraft can't argue with someone who has a Minecraft username.
@@andrewmandrona7891 it forms on the surface of screen and isn't released into the air. That also means that any "cleaning" is done only when contaminates physically hit the material. It's almost a scam to call this a filter at all. Only the prefilter is filtering, the UV activated portion is doing chemistry and you need sunlight levels of UV to do that well. Say 50w of UV per square meter and 1 to 2 square meters of surface. This thing simply can't do the job.
It's the same with ozone generators. Yes ozone works. But TO work, the ozone has to hit the target, and to do that, you need a LOT of ozone, so much that the area becomes hazardous to living things and destructive to plastics and rubber and other things that make up most of what we all own. So you make the air smell better at a huge cost of degraded and damaged people, pets, and things.
i couldn't stop laughing when they showed the price
Definatly something Apple owners would buy. Garbage.
Interesting video. Thanks for doing the testing! We have had our Molekule for exactly a year now. I can say that it made a huge difference in my own and my 2yo son’s allergies in our condo. Before we got it, my “seasonal” allergies had become constant and my son was mouth breathing during sleep due to nasal congestion. Immediately after using the Molekule, those things resolved, and have been ever since. Except, in the last month they’ve been digging in the street just 20ft from our windows adding/changing utilities. I’ve noticed an increase in sneezing, but no other symptoms, on those days during construction. Part of what I wonder, after seeing the results of your test, is that perhaps the PECO filter is better suited to neutralizing living things in the air rather than removing particulates. It makes sense to me that you’d see the results that you have from matches simply because you’re comparing the small prefilter HEPA filter in the Molekule to other systems which have a larger filters and are designed around that specific method of removal only. Another direct example is that when I change the diaper pail in the same room as the Molekule, I can turn the fan speed on high and the smell disappears very quickly without any other ventilation. Whereas a simple HEPA filter on its own doesn’t seem to neutralize the smell at all. I definitely will check out those two filters you recommend, hadn’t heard of them before. But I would be interested in more comprehensive testing of the Molekule before dismissing it entirely, given that we saw positive results in a year of use.
This seems accurate based on how the technologies work. The radicals created by the uv light are great at sterilizing the air, but basically useless when it comes to actually removing particles.
So depending on the use case from a technological point of view it's either basically useless compared to a HEPA filter, as this test shows for simply removing particles, but potentially far better at neutralizing allergens and smells.
Would be nice to see a test for that.
@@Lolwutfordawin I'm surprised nobody else has used UV light against a TiO2 filter. I'm imagine the most expensive thing in the Mokekule is the filter itself which sells for about $65. Otherwise, there's plenty of UV purifiers out there.
Another fantastic review, Wirecutter! I was looking at the Molekule six months ago. Thanks to your roundup of air purifiers, I bought the Coway instead. It's been a great little machine.
I wish the test included VOCs, though! That's what they claim they are uniquely positioned to fix. I already have a bunch of HEPA filters, so it would be helpful to know if its VOC-reduction claims can be trusted.
Exactly. Burning phosphorous won't produce the organic particles capable of being chemically degraded and destroyed by hydroxyls like viruses and pollen can.
is it legal for them to make these claims? jesus
Possibly. Doesn't it say it performs better than the machines they themselves tested? They might have picked crappy filters on purpose, but since its based on their research it's not technically wrong.
@@eveappleby2211 lol their tests probably included hanging a coffee filter against a fan or sum shit cuz literally nothing ACTUAL NOTHING outperformed them thats fucking hilarious
Depends. The Jews who run our country have worked very hard to promote a very technical, legalistic , fluid base for our laws. I think it's called pilpul.
@@Tridd666 you're a fucking moron lol
Shyan Marie Why the fuck do you exist?
You guys should test dyson's newest air purifier they claim it destroys formaldehyde
if its ozone-emitting it may
The Dyson Pure appears to be more of *a fan with a filter* than a bona fide air purifier. From what I can tell, its performance is likely to be below that of the Winix or Coway given Dyson only has 2 filters (one HEPA, one carbon filter), they are small filters, and here's an article that explains the BS formaldehyde selling point:
www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2019/10/1/20892177/dyson-pure-cryptomic-air-purifier-destroy-formaldehyde
Hmmm a claim the Biochem student in me finds intriguing. Well if the goal is to remove Formaldehyde from the air that's not hard in lab environments we use catalytic filters HEPA filters and carbon filters in series to capture and neutralize all particulates. Even the cadaver lab i worked in which is absolutely swimming in formaldehyde had zero environment concerns since the filter setup ensured none left the room. The majority of formaldehyde will be removed by the activated carbon filters and the rest by the catalytic filters which basically do what the Molekule claims to do but actually work and produce an environment that will tear apart just about everything you wouldn't want in the air. So back to Dyson if their product has an activated carbon filter then it could theoretically take some formaldehyde out of the air but the claims they are making are a bit extreme
@@LordOceanus thanks for the info!
whats your take on ozone-emitters?
@@LordOceanus I use a filter with a carbon filter as the last stage because I develop film and some formaldehyde is used in the later stages and I dont want to have that stuff get airborne and make anyone sick
I've never even heard of this, and I now don't want it.
Thank you Wirecutter & Tim for the great review. There was so much hype from Tech Podcasters, TH-cam reviewers for this thing that I started budgeting for it a while back. I’m glad that your video came it before I was able to save up enough to buy it. I have bad allergies and I’m always on the lookout for something that can provide extra relief. My wallet thanks you as well as many have already said!
Thanks, I wondered about their extreme claims after seeing the ad many times.
This was a great video. I liked the reviewer and the honesty.
If a “social media influencer” is telling you to buy anything, run and research it in depth.
but in a post-truth world, shouldn't I just trust the people who peddle products without evidence to support their worth? ;)
If you want to research “in depth” research ozone on the coway and the molekule. Research how ozone is the worst pollutant.
No CADR rating, Amazon doesn't sell this, the main filter looks like a cheap furnace filter material, there is sponsored videos on TH-cam promoting this thing. It's good that honest reviews like this can still be found.
I had a feeling this purifier was bullshit, I watched their promo for this on TH-cam and just something seemed fake.
We don't know it's bullshit. Their study is clearly flawed having a shorter time period for the machine with a lower filtering capacity per hour. If this wasn't the case they would have stated the machine is well within stated specs to filter that size of room in that time. They never so it's likely either to make the company look bad or incompetence on their part.
@@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep I see, I wonder what their motivation is for making this company look bad then.
@@thedoc8876 Internal politics is the likely guess.
@@thedoc8876 I have to say, this video does come across as a "hit vid". I wondered what his beef was, like maybe someone didn't get a job at Molekule or got fired or broken-up with, or something personal, because it really does seem almost defensive.
@@aintgert exactly lol.
Do a follow up with molekule's response taken in to consideration!
This was very helpful, thank you!! .....My little sister recently nearly died from an asthma attack, I'm researching air purifiers to buy for her.
Thank you. I've been wanting a molekule for awhile now and was about to pull the trigger until I ran into this video. I wanted to love the molekule so bad because it is indeed such a beautiful looking product. Thank you for saving my money.
Subscribed.
Has Molekule responded to your test results? What is their position?
@@PitiphongPhongpattranont Thanks.
Thanks for the link! Sadly, they did not address why they perform badly with particulates, and they lost me at "holistic".
@@sternmg Yeah, that was a little thin. They do market it as a product that purifies against things like VOCs, Mold, Viruses, and allergens. They don't mention anything else. Other products mention things like dust. What types of particles do the tests they conduct measure? Maybe that's the problem. The tests they conduct don't include the things they claim it purifies.
Oneness100 they market it as being better at everything.
Please do a review of Xiaomi air purifiers. Thanks
I never comment on videos. This was super well done and concise. You're the man. Thank you. Also, loved the music.
LMAO it literally contaminates the air on low setting.
No, it just increases air circulation, not allowing particles to settle
@@PixelLabsMinecraft AKA spreads the contaminants, AKA increases contamination. Was a joke...
@@cesarcantua Maintaining contamination is not the same as increasing contamination. If you have a dollar, and you don't spend it, your money doesn't increase. You still just have a dollar.
In that case it effectivly makes it worse. That is if there is bad stuff in the air you don't want to breath in.
@@cesarcantua It deconstructs contaminates before releasing them if they aren't caught by the filter. th-cam.com/video/gdjy1ESmX3E/w-d-xo.html
Would love to hear Wirecutter's response to Molekule's response. Paraphrasing, but they said something along the lines of: "Wirecutter only tested for particulate matter, and that's not the whole picture".
Isn't reducing particulates the main job of an air purifier?
Molekule- Shit
@@GregPolkinghorne Not necessarily but I doubt with those abysmal performance numbers any other IAQ pollutants would be much better.
I don't think they really need to respond since most people will want an air purifier to filter particle from the air - the most basic thing it should be doing. If it can't do that well, it should claim to.
Molekule's claims weren't that it was better than HEPA filters when you looked at the "whole" picture, they claimed they were better in every category. So what about this category?
Sounds like bullshit to me
Thank you so much for making this video. I was about to buy a Molekule but now that I know how it compares to other brands I simply changed my mind.
Thank you for this this review. I've been eying this for a while but never found a solid review, now I know not to waste money on this.
Subscribed after ten seconds. I could immediately feel the quality of your content.
I bought three Blue Pure 411 and they work great. Very quiet on low mode. They are small enough to hide away behind curtains, below a desk or similar places. Put one under my sofa.
The 411 does not have a sensor but if you run them on a timer they remember the last setting. So you can program your timer to run an hour before you normally use the room and you're good. Extends the life of the filters as well if you don't run them continuously.
I work for a company that is developing a photocatalytic air filter. We would never say this replaces HEPA and it really sucks that Molekule is the company paving the way. We have tested their filter against countless VOCs and it really sucks at everything.
im thinking of buying this filter but i see the purified particles will just release back into my room. is there no filter that captures100%? because it sounds like this does that but comes out purfied air. whats so bad about that
why wouldnt this replace it. it literlly kills all the allergens. the hepa still passes by .1% u do know that right?
Just today I saw a TH-cam ad for the Molukle which convinced me to buy an air purifier as I am asthmatic and I think it will help. However, when i saw the price I nearly fainted. I did a little more research and found an air purifier that looks good for less than half the price and ordered it on ebay, now after seeing this TH-cam video I'm glad I did.
This video is both a really clear and concise review, and a powerful reminder to always check the reviews before you get seduced by the Instagram ads.
Great work, really glad you guys are testing claims like that
Thank you 🙏🏾 for this review I was actually hoping you all would review this product
This is proof that pricing your product high makes people assume it’s high quality/performance 😂
Thank you very much for your all supports in my air purifiers choice time. I'm curious about your thoughts on the Mitsubishi Electric MA-E85r. Thank you from now.
Thank you! Just earned my sub! Really enjoy channels that have honest integrity to call out scams like this.
I've got a big Dyson, a little Honeywell HEPA, and the Coway. Unscientifically I like the Dyson the least, it's complexity means more environmentally unfriendly filters and creaky noises after a couple years of use (plus the cost). The Honeywell and Coway are both very simple, with the benefit of the Coway being the surface area of the air inlet, and filters leading to why it's able to clean air as well as it does.
I already have the Coway for 3 or so years (have a parrot so bird dander is an issue) and I've always liked it. I was considering replacing it with the Molekule because of what I've heard on some of the Geek shows advertising it and extolling the virtues of it over other purifiers! Thanks for saving me a ton of money! I'll keep my Coway.
I bought the Blue 411 with some interpretation. We use the commercial Blue Air filters where I work so I figured *maybe* the home ones would be good but it seemed over priced for its simplicity. I am so relieved to see it here receiving decent praise! Also I’ve gone through one filter and onto my second and I can definitely say they come out nearly black (living in the city with the windows open almost all year round)
applec2400 if you keep your windows open then your filter isn’t going to be doing anything for your indoor air.
It's useful to compare the efficiencies of these machines at their different fan speeds but "medium" between makers could be wildly different things. I think also comparing them using settings that produce similar noise levels would be a good metric and one a lot of people would be interested in since noise is one of the bigger trade offs with these machines.
How about testing the Dyson air purifier? I'm curious to know how effective it is
So what air purifier do you recommend for the removal of VOC’s? We just built a new house and our BlueAir’s are detecting a high level of VOC, but are not removing them efficiently.
Thanks for doing what You do !!!
When seeing this "contraption" and how badly it preforms compared to what was claimed in the multitude of "testimonial reviews"" that we for a period were "bombarded" by, I can't help but think of Juicero.... Will people ever learn ??
Man-now this is the channel I need to support! This was as beautiful a take-down as I’ve ever seen! All hype and no substance. There’s an object lesson in there somewhere.
I like how "literally doing nothing" was better then this thing on low
Makes me not trust this "review"
@@Kremithefrog1 It's not that complicated. Circulating the air means particles can't settle, so there are more particles in the air. Without the filter running, the particles have the chance to settle.
@@magmasajerk Yep. Air particles settle over time until disturbed. It's how dust works, to explain it simply. Circulation stirs up dust, among various other particles, including harmful pollutants. Purifiers intentionally cause circulation in order to pull pollutants into the filters. Simple.
@@magmasajerk I completely understand how shit works. But the whole test seemed pretty uncontrolled. There's a way to do these tests and this wasn't it. I only stated that part because it had some effectiveness at other speeds and then none, but again, not a controlled test.
@Eric Miret How was it controlled?
Tsi aero track does NOT “literally test every particle”. It cannot detect grass pollen, the main cause of hayfever in most of the population. Grass pollen & many allergies are 20 microns in size or more. Particle detectors only go up to 10 microns which is useless for many allergies. People love to neglect to mention this fact however
I'm not in the US not interested in buying an air purifier, but I subbed because of the time and energy this video would have taken you guys. Really great work.
Thank you, after watching this I’m going to try and convince my bro in Sydney to get a Coway because of all the bushfire smoke. I’m glad this video came up in my recommended!
If you know anything about chemistry, you'd already smell the bs from the ad
Felipe Pubillones technically it is possible to break down molecular bonds with light - but that clearly isn’t happening with this product - at least not with particulate matter.
Please explain what's the chemistry behind it, it's important to teach people what to recognise for next time they encounter same ads
Body language gave it away
For that money, you're already pretty close to an industrial strength hydroxyl machine, which I use at work on fire/smoke jobs. But the kicker with hydroxyl is that it takes several days to work, it just has the benefit of not having to evacuate living beings like with an ozone machine (which works much faster). Also, we don't use hydroxyl machines for anything else. The free radicals might destroy mold, but you're better off creating negative air pressure with a HEPA filter, which is what I do for Mold Remediation (and what the IICRC Mold Remediation Standard of Care calls for). Also I don't think many people realize, but mold is actually very, very hard to kill. It's much faster, easier, effective, and cheaper to just remove mold.
Mokekule doesn't mention they purify against smoke from lit matches. Hardly a decent test against Viruses, Bacteria, mold which are listed as some of the things Molekule goes after.
No, I don't own a Molekule, but being a consumer, It would be nice if there was a competent independent testing lab that actually tests against everything separately so we know how effective a product is against everything. But the testing is done properly using the best measurement equipment and testing methodology so the consumer has a reliable resource for product comparison.
@@Oneness100 That's kind of my point. I use industrial hydroxyl machines at work, and for none of the reasons this company advertises them for. Why are they selling something for so much money to do something that a professional, licensed mold remediator (such as myself) would not? Again, killing mold is actually very , very difficult. It's very easy to physically filter out. That's why literally everyone in the mold remediation business uses HEPA filtration. Not hydroxyls. If your house catches on fire, that's when we bring hydroxyl machines to the job site.
Further, real HEPA machines DO filter everything, 99.97% at .3 microns. Add a carbon prefilter to catch bad smells (which aren't actually harmful, just a nuisance) and you're set. I've been very happy with the Coway Wirecutter recommends. Again, I'm a certified Mold Remediation technician. I do about 3 or 4 a week. For the consumer, the Coway is a great option. If you really want to spend $1,000+ on very noisy but powerful HEPA machines, I can recommend some for you...
@@beatsandmel0dy Did you know that the Coway uses Electrostatic filters and they produce Ozone and Ozone is harmful to your lungs? California has Proposition 65 and I can't even have Amazon ship me a Coway because apparently most of their models use these filters.
The Austin Air is well made, uses a really nice fan that's 400CFM (and I don't have to always run it at full speed) and I can pick and choose from a variety of filters to suit my needs. The other thing is their filters can last up to 5 years between changing. And even though their filters are expensive, when you have to replace filters every 3 to 6 months, those $50 filters can get more expensive when you cost it out over a 5 to 10 year period. And no, the Austin Air I'm getting is only $500, so I'm not spending $1,000. Unfortunately I can't afford to spend $800+ on an IQAir, but they are VERY nice units.
@@Oneness100 All HEPA units use electrostatic filters, that's how they achieve the 99.97% efficiency. Wirecutter does bring up the ozone issue with the Coway machine so I am aware. That's certainly something to consider. I personally have not noticed any issues. I've passed through fully ozoned areas (ozone chambers, ozoned job sites, etc) and it's quite a jarring and unpleasant experience. I don't experience any of that with the Coway. Again, it's people's personal choice to make. But, you were talking about the average consumer. The average consumer just needs to worry about getting a HEPA rated device. That's all they need. They don't need to ripped off by products like these. I'll check out the Austin Air. I think, for most people, a well rated MERV filter for the HVAC system is probably fine. Unless you have a sensitivity to mold, there's no reason to spend excessive amounts of money on filtration devices. Mold is everywhere. What I'm getting at is that this particular product is a rip off. What exactly are you getting at?
@@Oneness100 Also, I live and work in CA. I had 2 Coways shipped to my house, and my company has many HEPA filters a shipped to the office. Prop 65 is certainly not a hindrance to buying filters, which are made of pleated paper, cardboard, and a tiny bit of soft metal.
I wanted to buy this and thank God I watched this! Thank you for saving me money and recommending something that will work for my family!
Please do an assessment of Atmosphere Sky Treatment system! My family has been using it for years, and we love it. It would be great to see how it works compared to other brands!
Never heard of this channel before and I don't intend to buy an air purifier, but hot diggity damn, I love me some empiric testing. Great video.
'Hot diggity damn' is an expression that I am going to adopt... thank you...
I'm assuming that the 184 people who downvoted this video are Molekule staff members and the social media influencers they paid to advertise their product.
Thank you!
I kept seeing this on my Facebook and I was legitimately interested in it if it was cheaper but not after this video.
I'll stick to my current filter
Got to love this Data Driven review. Your team rocks!!!
Tim: God has a special place reserved for exceptionally kind and honest peoples like you !
I got an ad for them on instagram a few months ago, did 5 mins of research, spammed every post with how much of a scam it was, and then got blocked
All I can say is "thank you"! It's so important for me, and I'm sure others, that need to improve air quality for health reasons to find an air purifier that's actually going to work. And there's NO WAY I can find out this information about the different purifiers and their ability, so I can't thank you enough for the research you have done and shared ❤️
Do a comparison of the Coway AP12 vs the IQAir (the 2nd most advertised, compared to Molekule. Want to see which performs best!
The Daniel Wellington of watches.
yup. of filters
What’s wrong with Daniel Wellington? It’s not exactly a high class watch, but mine is very nice for the price and has lasted a good few years wearing it daily with no issue...
@@rainbowevil These and other similar watches like MVMT or what ever are drop-shipped cheap Chinese watches from Alibaba that are sold for 3-5$ a piece, just with a logo on them. So it's most definitely not nice for it's price lol. There are plenty of TH-cam videos from channels about watches that talk about these.
Evaldas ok.... but it looks good, works well and has lasted several years, so what does that matter to the end product?
Harvey It only matters if you’re okay with the fact that you massively overpaid. If you like it that’s completely fine, I’m happy for you. However. “watch guys” like myself just get annoyed at those brands because (much like this air filter) they claim to be hot shit, but those of us in the know can see they are garbage given the price point, and I’m sad that they can swindle people into spending good money on their products when there’s far better stuff out there for cheaper. Sadly, good marketing prevails.
I knew this thing was just marketing, thank you for confirming my suspicions
Thanks for a very concise and useful comparison.
Thanks for the review. I’m looking into the Coway mighty but I don’t see it for $140 anywhere online like the video shows. It’s much more.
I love mine. I don't know if it's DOING anything, but I literally found it on the sidewalk in SF with a broken plug, which I fixed for $5.
I bought one of these early on... I think I've had mine for two years. I was living in a house that I was allergic to. It had mold in one of the walls and I had really hoped this would help. Right after I got it we had huge wild fires and the area I lived had unsafe air for about two weeks. The molekule did help because my bedroom smelled considerably less like smoke than the rest of the house but based on these tests it looks like something else would have helped more.
I run it only on high... It never seemed like it really helped on auto. Now I see that's true. I have two HEPA filters in other rooms and they do a better job with smells and what not.
I've had constant issues with the app. The convenience factor of being able to control it and see the filter life span, etc, has pretty much never been a thing for me. They haven't been much help.
When I asked them if the filter actually gauges use to figure out the life span or if it's an overpriced timer they didn't answer my question directly. I tried a few times to get a clear answer without success. It was then that I felt I had probably been sucked into wishful thinking.
But I've come to learn that crazy thinking is a normal side effect to coming down with a chronic illness when you have no idea what or why you are sick so I accept the fact that I spent money I didn't have on an idea that ultimately was bullshit as part of that stage.
I only wish there had been something like this review around when I bought mine 2+ years ago. It took me a few months to bite the bullet. I looked for debunking reviews but there weren't any. 🤷
It's a fancy white noise machine until the filters I have on hand are gone and then I'll probably take it apart and turn it into a planter. 🤣
Reading this a year after you wrote it and wanted to comment on where you said "I have two HEPA filters in other rooms and they do a better job with smells and what not." because it can't be accurate because hepa filters do not reduce smell from volatile organic compounds (VOCs), only activated carbon in large quantities will do that. If you want to remove particles and smells you need a hepa filter to physically capture particles and a huge activated carbon filter to adsorb VOC molecules.
@@robroberts2064 I don't know. I can only report my experience. I would have to Google to see what creates VOCs to even feel like I was responding directly to what you just said. I might do that later but I'm not doing it now I'm just waking up.
All of my filters have big charcoal filters that go over the HEPA filter that I change out monthly. I have an extremely sensitive sense of smell so if they were not helping I would notice. They don't help all smells and they don't help chemical smells but they definitely help a fair amount of the regular day-to-day smells. When people come over it's not uncommon for them to comment that my house doesn't really have any smell. And the smells that they bring with them do not linger. Cooking smells do not linger, etc. If I don't run the HEPA filters the amount of smells that bother me goes up. So yeah.
Agreed I love the rigorous and honest review! Any thoughts about why it differs from some other reviews (e.g. Modern Castle's comparison with a Dyson)? Also, any thoughts on if there potential for the PECO tech that it's current model is obviously failing at? They have a new pro model apparently "coming soon." Just a nerdy curious guy who very much appreciates your expert opinion.
Yeah back when I was looking into these I considered the molekule because it looked like the highest quality but it was way too expensive for me. So glad to see this.
Damn, imagine wasting $800 on this.
Maybe it is bought as a piece of art.
I got an ad for this just before the video!!
That was a savagely effective video, and I like that. Thank you.
Thank god I came to TH-cam before pulling the trigger. Grabbed a Coway Airmega 250, highly recommend, especially if you toke indoors
When the marketing said it “Destroyed airborne contaminants”, was anyone else reminded of that one Monk episode where the Vaccuum claimed it destroyed the dust making it so it never need to be empty?
Smh.
Hahah I do, I remember monk dancing to it
Random question, do people buy air purifier to clean the match burned smoke ? Or just normal household pollutants? I really want to know how does this machine cleans mold
Second question first. Air purifiers will not kill any mold unless it has a really good electro and UV system that can trap and incinerate mold. Mold must be killed at the source. On the other hand you can use a air filter to trap mold spoors and throw away the filter.
Now your first question. I personally bought a Honeywell hepa filter. I like it. I bought it with the intent of filtering out dust my central air will not. I am happy my air is cleaner and less dust around the house. I keep it on mostly 24/7 so I change the prefilter every three months and the hepa every 6-8 months. The impressive thing about the well rated air purifiers is it does help reduce smoke and odor. It is significant when you first use it and after that it is hard to tell. Hope this helps let me know if you have more questions.
Great test, thanks for sharing. Constantly getting ads for this thing!
I got a Winix C545 for each room in my apartment for a fraction of 1 Dyson air purifier which is a fraction of 1 Molekule device. Have had it for over a month now and love it. Works with WiFi and Alexa and Google. And came with 4 extra carbon filters.
I got a Molekule ad before this video. Well played, TH-cam
I love how the chart has “Literally Doing Nothing” as a comparison 😂😂😂
I’ve made so many solid purchases because of Wirecutter. Sharing this I’ve saved my old man a ton of money. Thank you.
Man I really wish I would have seen this three months ago, I bought into the hype of the Molekule because my two year old daughter was having sever allergies and they made such bold claims about how well killed mold and allergens. I couldn’t believe the $800 price tag but as a father I wanted to do anything I could to help my child. I’m so infuriated with Molekule and I’m going to try to get my money back.
@@sphericalred You do know you can't just chargeback when you don't want to pay for something right?
I hope some massive company rains hell down on your life one day for your selfrightiousness.
I have two Mokekules, wish I never bought them. The filters alone are $179, I've been washing and reusing them. I was just about to purchase new filters when I saw this video. Now I'm going to buy a Coway.
I don’t know why this is in my recommendations but I do know I’m definitely not buying a molekule now
Thank you so much for being objective and you really saved my WALLET!!!!
Wooo thanks for that, I was wondering if you test some Sharp air putifier like the Sharp FP-J80EV-H with their "special" ionizer?
Where is the Dyson HP06 vids? I wanna know how a top of the line Dyson matches up to the rest of your filters.(specially the Molekule vs dyson vs something better)
kemGkem check out the Vacuum wars channel, he has some extremely comprehensive tests and he’s very thorough!
When are you going to review the Rabit Air, Blueair, and IQ air units?
Yes, review the iqair please.
Great stuff. Can you test the Atmosphere Sky purifier next?!
I read quite a few amazon reviews saying that the Coway Mighty’s fan would explode and start shooting plastic shrapnel everywhere. Is this something to worry about?
Conway all the way I ve had the mighty for almost three years and went through 2 fires and both times it was amazing
Anastacio Rodriguez you gotta stop setting fires you pyro