Honeywell 50150 True-HEPA Air Purifier Review

Honeywell 50150 is the mid-powered member of the 14-inch round, vertically-mounted-filter, 5000-series.

The air purifier market has been contracting since 2005, and the “recession” has accelerated the process.

Kaz, Inc., which builds the Honeywells, once had seven 5000-series Honeywell air purifiers.

Now there are just three, the 50101, 50150, and 50250.

The last three digits of the model number is the Honeywell air purifier’s CADR rating.

50150 is overshadowed by 50250, which does more sales volume.

I have two 14 inch Honeywell purifiers, a 50250 and an old 12500 with the infinitely-adjustable fader switching.

These pre-Kaz models are among my favorite air purifiers. 50250 is pretty loud, but I use 12500 in my office due to the adjustable fan speed.

While quality has slipped since my round Honeywells were built-in-the-USA (the 12500 says “Hagerstown, MD”), 50150 is assembled in Mexico (not China).

CADR

Three manually switched fan speeds pull air in through the 50150’s round filters, up through the center and out around the top circumference.

CADRs for Honeywell 50150 are;

Dust 150,
Pollen 150,
Smoke 150.

AHAM recommended rooms are way too big at 235 sq.ft.

The fine print says “full time high speed operation,” not practical with noisy air cleaners.

To do any real good, I’d put this 14-inch round Honeywell in a small to medium sized room, up to a 150 sq. ft. maximum room size.

50150 Wrap-Around Prefilter

Honeywell 50150 has two filters.

First is the wrap-around non-washable activated carbon pre-filter.

Installed correctly, this prefilter is effective at collecting large debris like leaf bits, pet hair, and insect fragments before they get to the main filter.

The light carbon impregnated into the 50150’s prefilter will adsorb some odors, with a projected life of about 90 days in normal household conditions.

Smoking, cat boxes, or heavy kitchen smells will shorten carbon life considerably.

Round-filtered Honeywells are shipped with the prefilters not installed.

The first thing a new 50150 user must do is learn to install the wrap-around prefilter.

The secret to success with round Honeywells is learning to wrap the prefilter tightly and seal it with the Velcro strips.

Prefilter installation is easier with a helper.

This needs to be done tightly so that air cannot bypass the prefilter.

Notice the red arrow in the photo, it points to a likely loose spot where dirt can pass to the HEPA.

I strongly prefer a washable or more substantial prefilter, users with no-odor environments can easily make their own polyurethane foam prefilters.

See my page The Prefilter Experiments for details of money-saving vacuum-in-place custom filter wraps for the round Honeywells.

The photo on the right shows my 50250 filter wrap, composed of multiple layers of polyurethane foam and carbon-cloth, topped by a sheet of fiberglass window screen. Large rubber bands and packing tape secure and seal the new pre-filter.

With this modification my Honeywell true-HEPAs last indefinitely.

The 50150’s filters are not as high, otherwise the prefilter-building process will be the same.

For many years Honeywell sold the Universal Replacement Carbon Pre-filter, part number 38002, with numerous generics and aftermarket copycats also available.

Recently they have repackaged the Universal Pre-Filter kit as “HRF-AP1” and offer a bit more odor capability in the Honeywell Premium Universal Carbon Pre-filter “HRF-APP1.”

Honeywell True-HEPA

Downsizing in the air purifier market has forced Kaz to eliminate many models, and move toward modular filters which fit multiple air purifiers.

While this imposes some labor on consumers and makes the filter stack a little looser, it guarantees filter availability into the future, a big plus for the Honeywell line.

Honeywell has gone to standardized modular replacement filters for their 14-inch round purifiers, including the 50150.

A standard replacement filter size is stacked one, two, or three high to match the height of the air purifier.

Honeywell 50250s use three, 50150s have two, and 50101 one replacement filter.

Fourteen-inch-round Honeywells use a unique system for sealing the HEPA.

I don’t have lots of respect for most of Kaz marketing, but their “SurroundSeal” trademark legitimately describes the 5000-series clever but simple design.

The heavy-duty plastic case only holds the filter down, there is no need for sealing of the case itself.

The 50150’s filter is sealed shut by a bolt.

Many competing true HEPA installations have leaky plastic cases. Honeywell 50150 is far from zero particle exhaust, but few air purifiers in this price range come anywhere close.

While I don’t have a Honeywell 50150 on test, I have six air purifiers sitting around that still have their original HEPA filters intact, three of which are Honeywells.

My 50250 is a pretty good proxy for 50150.

Let’s run a laser-particle-counter exhaust air test and see how the two 14-inch round Honeywells do.

This is the simple test used to market expensive air purifiers like IQAir and TRACS, as well as testing by vendors like air-purifiers-america.com and allergybuyersclub.com. You can also find guys on youtube.com doing this.

I prefer to test air purifiers in an appropriate room size for at least one hour, but since exhaust testing is common in the industry, I’ll do a 60-second exhaust airstream test, recording the lowest reading during the minute.

My Dylos DC1100 Particle Counter gives two readings, one for .5 micron and above particles and a second number for 2.5 microns and up.

Dylos readings must be multiplied by 100 to get true particle density, but work fine for comparisons.

The vast majority of airborne particles are sub-micron sized, so the first number is always larger.

Here are my results;

Purifier	Reading
IQAir HealthPro Plus	0/0 in seconds
Honeywell 50250	38/9
Sharp Plasmacluster KC-C150U	115/7
Honeywell HHT-011	140/3
Honeywell 12500	154/7
Hoover WH10600	256/17

Well, the $1,000 IQAir, blowing zero/zero with a seven-year old HEPA, is no surprise, but how ’bout that (modified prefilter) Honeywell 50250 coming in second!

I expect the latest Honeywell 50150 to have a bit lower efficiency than my 50250, especially after the stackable replacement filters are installed, but, in my opinion, SurroundSeal HEPA is Honeywell’s best product.

The huge surprise here is the $46 Honeywell HHT-011, pushing a respectable 140 and trashing the $175 Hoover.

This illustrates my point about laser counter tests – while HHT-011 has clean exhaust for a budget-priced 2.0 micron air cleaner, it must be tested in an appropriate room size for proper evaluation.

50150 has a traditional spun glass-fiber HEPA (no polyester/rayon…).

The current product is 50150-N, with the “Lifetime” True HEPA filter whose paper pleats are strong enough to be vacuumed.

In my opinion, there is no such thing as a “permanent true-HEPA” filter.

Honeywell’s Lifetime filter is one of several failed attempts by manufacturers to compete for naive consumers clamoring for “no filters to buy.”

Vacuuming does extend the life of the filter, but most users will clog it in a couple years anyway.

The original lifetime filter is a single piece, but the only available replacement is two of the Honeywell Universal True HEPA Replacement Filter (HRF-F1) stacking filters and one spacer gasket.

The current (spring 2012) model is 50150-N.

The “N” in the model number indicates the “Lifetime” filter.

We have gone through this with the better-selling 50250, where the current model is the 50250-S.

So 50250-N carried the Lifetime semi-permanent filter.

First, the new 50250-N was advertised and released, but many older models sat in inventory and were sold under the new banner. Many buyers cried foul when they got the older model.

The “new N” version stayed around until enough buyers got wind that Lifetime is a trademark, not a warranty.

When the permanent filter fantasy fell through, the even newer “S” model, with a “long-lasting” HEPA filter, began appearing.

Then there were howls from folks who felt ripped-off because ads still promised the “Lifetime” version.

Honeywell 50150, with its slower sales, may be working through inventory by the same process.

This may explain why there are no one-piece replacement filters.

Official Honeywell sites list the 50150-N.

I’m guessing we’ll see a model revision, maybe 50150-S, when the inventory of Lifetime-filtered 50150Ns runs out.

This re-filtering process has some other flaws. Some user reviews complain of new 50150s shaking and vibrating. Others note that their 50150 delivered with a too-tall HEPA, which installed with a gap below the lower grill.

Some user reviews report the newer #21500 filters do not fit the current 50150, despite references in the old owner’s manual.

The Intelli-Check electronic filter monitors show remaining time to filter change as a series of flashing lights for the HEPA filter and prefilter.

A prefilter is used up when it no longer suppresses odors, and a HEPA when airflow is restricted or odors develop – NOT when a specific time period has elapsed.

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Honeywell 50150 Noise

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The weak point of the 50150 is noise;

Low 35 dB,
Medium 45 dB,
High 57 dB.

50150’s high fan speed is just too loud for most users.

There are a few reviews by folks who live in noisy urban environments and actually like the “white noise.”

Others use earplugs because they need the 50150 for their allergies and consider the noise the lesser of two evils.

I never use my 50250 for sleeping, it is too loud.

I would love to see Kaz, recently acquired by Helen of Troy, Ltd., try installing Brushless Direct Current (BLDC) motors in the old 14-inch 5000-series Honeywell line. If the noise was fixed, these products could sell for another 20 years.

Honeywell 50150s are ARB-Certified for ozone emissions below 50 parts per billion. The standards are set so high that many former offenders are now certified.

But 50150 has near zero ozone, it won’t bother asthma and allergy sufferers.

A break-in odor period is possible with every inexpensive air purifier – Honeywell 50150 may need to run on the porch for a few days when new – luck of the draw on this issue.

It seems like every air purifier’s gotta have a too-bright blue light to keep folks awake all night, and Honeywell can’t let Blueair outshine them.

Be sure to have a roll of black electrician’s tape handy when your Honeywell 50150 arrives.

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Practicalities

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Honeywell 50150 measures 18 x 18 x 13 inches, it’s two inches shorter than 50250.

Weighing 11 pounds with the handle on top, 50150 is easy to carry, though awkward when going up stairs or through doors.

The round Honeywell 50150 is bigger than many buyers expect, sometimes creating installation issues after delivery.

The 360 degree intake and exhaust make a central location most effective, and 50150’s size may block walkways in smaller bedrooms.

The User Manual says “three feet clearance” from objects, but I ignore this, putting the round air cleaner against a wall while on low and yank it out a bit if I need higher speeds.

Power consumption is 56 watts on low, 90 watts on medium, and 130 watts on high, NOT energy star performance.

Honeywell 50150 is covered by a Five-Year Limited Warranty.

Users with warranty claims must pay shipping plus the $10 Kaz return fee to:

Honeywell
Returns Department
4755 Southpoint Drive
Memphis, TN 38118 U.S.A.

Conclusions

Honeywell 50150 is a good air purifier, a value in power for the price.

Recent harsh realities in the air purifier market have every manufacturer cutting corners, there are no exceptions.

Mexico assembly has slightly better quality control than China, but we aren’t going back to the Made-In-USA quality in my 10-year-old 50250 and 12500, tested above.

Noise is THE major issue, buyers should not be surprised to discover this after purchase.

For those who don’t mind manually adjusting the fan speed to circumstances, or who need white noise, you can’t beat the value in Honeywell 50150.

Honeywell 50150 true HEPA  is available at Amazon.com.

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50150 Review Rating Scores

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Each of ten factors gets up to 10 points, 100 is perfect and very unlikely.

1. First do no harm; minimal out gassing, no ozone.

Score: 8 of 10, Some 50150 break-in odors reported.

2. Serious gas and odor removal is a requirement if health benefits are expected: Units with real carbon VOC capability rank higher.

Score: 5 of 10, Odor control in 50150 depends on frequent carbon prefilter purchases.

3. Quality construction; case, gaskets, seals, and precision fitting eliminate bypassing and assure high efficiency at filtering sub-micron particles.

Score: 8 of 10, SurroundSeal still pretty good, less well sealed with stacked filters/spacer gasket.

4. The design maximizes the lifespan of each filter stage by allowing independent filter replacement. Ideally this is combined with electronic filter monitoring.

Score: 9 of 10.

5. Unit has long filter life, low maintenance requirements, and reasonable operating costs.

Score: 10 of 10, Current 50250S has “long lasting” HEPA, expect this from 50150 soon, but these HEPAs will last a long time if users learn to secure prefilters properly.

6. Purifier produces low noise levels and meaningful air flow rates relative to noise.

Score: 5 of 10, Noise is biggest reason for Honeywell true-HEPA returns.

7. Manufacturer has a track record, with many units in the field and a reputation for supporting what they sell. Warranty period and average service life are long.

Score: 7 of 10, Shipping costs deter warranty claims.

8. Purifier is a value in terms of price/performance ratio.

Score: 8 of 10, Good value at just above $100.

9. No dirt; unit and manufacturer should be devoid of class-action suits, high returns, recalls, consumer complaints, and legitimate negative consumer reviews.

Score: 7 of 10, Kaz.

10. Unit is stylish, portable, comfortable, and convenient for consumer use.

Score: 9 of 10, 50150 is light enough to carry room-to-room.