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Best praise vs top criticism for Levoit EverestAir
“It will be better if they run the purifier while the kids are there, because you want the air to be clean while the children are present. It will also cut down on the transmission of viruses and air cleaning has been shown to improve cognitive function in schools. I would buy several smaller purifiers if possible. Trying to get coverage on a space that large from one purifier is going to be difficult. Also, keep in mind that smells are not the same as particulate pollution. Smell particles are much smaller and harder to get rid of, so it doesn’t automatically mean VOC exposure just because there is a smell. Noise is going to be an issue, so I’d look at the SA600 or Smart Air Blast Mini from SmartAir because they are powerful and quiet. Models from Levoit tend to be quieter than others, so you could opt for 2-3 Vital 200s for that budget or an Everest Another option would be the AirFanta 3. It’s very quiet and insanely powerful, but it doesn’t look great. Could sit on a table off the floor, so that’s a plus. If they don’t want to run the purifiers, that sucks, but another really effective way to deal with smells is ventilation, so if the windows open, that’s a good step as well at least during the warmer months.”
“I'll just say I'm not an expert but I recently went through this and feel your pain. It also doesn't help that pretty much every review site has a different top pick. But here are some notes on my research: The most frequently recommended brands are Winix, Levoit, Coway, BlueAir, Alen, Airdoctor, and Rabbit (there's also Austin which I didn't look at). Coway, Alen, Airdoctor, and Rabbit all seemed overpriced vs. their CADR (cleaning rate) or had expensive filter replacements, leaving Winix, Levoit, and BlueAir. In terms of bang for your buck, the Winix C909 at Costco is probably your best bet, but Winix and BlueAir both use ionizers as part of their filtration process, which some people complain about. Personally I'd be fine with it but the rest of my family tends to be more sensitive to these things so I went with the Levoit. We have big open spaces so I got the EverestAir, but for your size maybe consider the Vital 200s? We already have a few smaller Levoit Core models which you could consider as well, but for some reason they don't seem as popular here or on the review sites.”
179 Reddit opinions analyzed • Last updated 2/24/2026