Levoit Vital 200S vs Winix 5500-2

“I had the 200s and 5510. The 200s was definitely better in terms of CADR per noise. However, I didn't like the build quality, particularly with the wobbly fan and factory installed counterweight. I'm sure it would have been fine for a few years, but out of principle, I was not going to accept a brand new product with obvious manufacturing problems. My 5510 had better build quality in general, with a more stable fan and seemingly better parts throughout. However, its noise-to-CADR ratio is far worse. The 5510s sold on Amazon are also made in Thailand, not Korea, which makes Winix appear deceptive since they list "Korea" as the only country of manufacture for the 5510 on its website (apparently, they treat Amazon customers as second class citizens without telling them). Coway might be a bit better, since I recall a teardown revealing that the 1512 used a Nidec BLDC. That's a major step above the junk that Levoit is putting in its purifiers. Although, there's no guarantee that Coway isn't cutting costs and might have stopped using quality parts. The short answer is the 200s will give the best CADR per noise but will likely have the worst build quality.”

“>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.”