Coway Airmega 150 vs Winix 5500-2

“>The combination of those spaces is definitely less than 1,740 sq ft, which it says i can clean in an hour, 1,740 sq ft is marketing nonsense. Usually it means 1 or 2 air changes per hour (ACH)--far below the recommended 4.8 ACH (and even 4.8 ACH is too low according to many air quality scientists). 1 or 2 ACH will do nothing for you. Yes, all manufacturers' CADR claims and AHAM certified CADRs are based on the air purifier's highest setting. Winix says its 5500-2 is AHAM Verifide^(®) at 360 sq ft. For any room larger than 360 sq ft, you'll need more than one 5500-2. It's *usually* better to get a couple or a few smaller, cost effective air purifiers and place them in various areas, than getting 1 big one--mostly because of air dynamics. I would get a couple or a few of the 5500-2 (I have the 5500-2) or mix and match with another similar quality brand. >I will give props to medify, because they show the CADR for each setting, so maybe the thing to do is bail on winix all together and only go with a company that actually shows realistic CADR?? Yep, Medify is rare for showing CADR at different settings (AirFanta does also), but I wouldn't pick a Medify over the Winix 5500-2 just because it discloses CADR at each setting. E.g., the Medify MA-40's top CADR is the same as the 5500-2's, but the MA-40 is $100 more expensive and is known to be loud. If money is no object, the MA-50 and MA-112 are decent choices.”

“So the bad news here is that the AirMega 150 moves around half the air of the other two. It has no onboard ionizer (which many consider a good thing), and it has green-HEPA medical grade filter with antimicrobial properties, so that's a plus, but it DOES move less air. It's quieter and looks nicer, but the CADR doesn't lie. In this case I'd advise to get the Levoit. I'm NOT a Levoit fan - in fact, I think they're generally a garbage company. But in this case it's CHEAPER, moves more air, has quite a good HEPA filter, and a carbon grid (which neither of the Coway models here do). HOWEVER, turn off the stupid smart features and cover the light when you get it. The air quality meter is a lie, the smart features just make it work worse. Turn it on, leave it on, and it'll be fine.”