Alen BreatheSmart Alen BreatheSmart Fit50
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The original Alen BreatheSmart and the BreatheSmart Fit50 air purifiers have now developed the reputation of being some of the best machines on the market in their classes, and at their respective price points.
They are certainly not cheap, but you get a lot of functionality for you money with both machines.
As HEPA filters, they are both rated as being capable of removing 99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns.
There are lots of other similarities between these 2 air purifiers, but there are also some very important differences that you will have to consider before deciding which one is likely to be the best option for you.
So, what are the similarities and differences between the original Alen BreatheSmart HEPA and the BreatheSmart Fit50 air purifiers?
BreatheSmart vs BreatheSmart Fit50 at a Glance
| Feature | BreatheSmart | BreatheSmart Fit50 |
|---|---|---|
| Filter Types | HEPA | HEPA |
| Filter Options | 4 | 4 |
| Coverage Area (sq. ft.) | 1100 | 900 |
| CADR Rating | 300 | 220 |
| Air Flow Rate | 150 - 286 CFM | 110 - 231 CFM |
| Whisper Max Technology | Yes | Yes |
| Smart Sensor Technology | Yes | Yes |
| Energy Rating | 105W on High Speed | 60W on High Speed |
| Filter Life | up to 9 months | up to 12 months |
| Filter Change Indicator | Use and Environment | Use and Environment |
| Color Panel Options | 14 | 14 |
| Speed Settings | 4 (41.5 - 56 dB) | 4 (32.4 - 48.7 dB) |
| Dimensions | 26.75" x 17.75" x 10" 21 lbs | 22.25" x 16.75" x 10" 16 lbs |
| Warranty | Limited Life | Limited Life |
| Price | Check Latest Price | Check Latest Price |
BreatheSmart vs BreatheSmart Fit50 – The Similarities
The BreatheSmart and BreatheSmart Fit50 air purifiers both come with a lifetime limited warranty, but what else do they have in common?
1. The HEPA Filter Options
Both machines come with exactly the same HEPA filter options to choose from, depending upon your specific needs.
The HEPA-Pure Filter is the standard option for everyday use and comes with 3 layers of filter to remove dust, pet dander, mold spores and pollen from the home. This would probably be the first choice for those who are looking for a general all-purpose air purifier.
The HEPA-Silver Filter is similar to the HEPA-Pure in that it removes dust and mold spores. It is, however, also targeted more towards allergy sufferers and claims to deal with germs too.
The HEPA-Fresh Plus Filter is a more specialised option and is targeted more towards removing smoke, VOCs and heavier chemicals.
VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds – they are potentially harmful very small particles that HEPA filters often fail to deal with.
Finally, the HEPA-Odorcell Filter is designed more for those who are concerned about removing odors from the home, including pet and diaper smells.
If you buy one of these air purifiers, you do not receive all 4 filters, but instead have to chose which one(s) you want. Don’t worry, if you change your mind later on, you can buy a replacement filter of a different type.
If in doubt, I would suggest that you stick with one of the standard options, like the HEPA-Pure or the HEPA Silver filters, unless of course you have very specific needs that would be better addressed by the other 2 filters.
2. Filter Speed Options
Whilst both machines have 4 different speed options, the noise emission levels are different (see below).
3. Smartsensor Technology
Both air purifiers come with Alen’s Smartsensor Technology.
The Smartsensor Technology means that you won’t have to worry about which of the 4 speed options to choose for your room’s specific needs.
Instead, the Smartsensor technology evaluates the air quality in the room and automatically adjusts the speed setting to the most efficient one. This is obviously a very nice convenience feature, but it also ensures that you don’t run the machine on an ineffective setting, and also that you don’t waste money by running it at too high a speed setting.
There is also a warning light system to tell you how polluted the air in the room is, which will help you to understand why the machine is operating on the chosen setting.
Running an air purifier on the top speed setting unnecessarily costs you more in electricity bills and also reduces the lifespan of the filter which, again, will cost you more money.
4. Whisper Quiet Performance
The Whisper Quiet Performance Technology helps to keep the noise emissions from these machines at a more tolerable level. A certain amount of noise is inevitable with any high quality air purifier.
If you look at the noise emission levels of the 2 machines, it doesn’t look like there is much in it – just over 7dB when using the fastest speed setting.
Noise is, however, measured on a logarithmic scale and every 3dB increase equates to a doubling of the noise emission level. That being the case, the Fit50 is noticeably quieter than the original BreatheSmart, which is to be expected because it is required to clean larger rooms.
Everyone has their own personal tolerance levels for noise, but the general consensus amongst those who have reviewed these machines is that they are only noticeably noisy when used on the top speed setting.
There are some other sleep-friendly and child-friendly features on both machines, including a “lights off” mode for night time operation, a locking control panel, and a child-safe vent guard.
5. Optional Ionizer
Both machines come with an ionizer unit.
Personally, I am not a fan of ionizers due to the risk of ozone emissions into the home.
Alen claim that their machines are “ozone-safe”, and they may be right, but I am still a bit cautious about this issue, especially since the HEPA filters ought to be effective enough anyway.
You will have to make you own mind up about the risks and whether or not you want to use them with or without the ionizer unit switched on.
They will still work well removing particles without the ionizer switched on due to the HEPA filters.
6. Lots of Nice Color Options
There is no denying that these are very nice looking machines and you shouldn’t have any difficulty finding one that suits the decor in your room.
You can choose one of the more traditional color panel options, like white or black, but if you are a little more daring, there are lots of other more interesting color options to choose from.
These are some of my favorites …
BreatheSmart vs BreatheSmart Fit50 – The Differences
There are some very important differences between the BreatheSmart and BreatheSmart Fit50 air purifiers.
1. Coverage Area
These 2 machines have different maximum room size limits.
Whilst the Fit50 is suitable for medium-sized rooms measuring up to 900 sq. ft, the original BreatheSmart can handle larger rooms measuring up to 1,100 sq. ft.
So, if your room space is more than 900 sq. ft. you should definitely choose the original BreatheSmart rather than the Fit50 model.
2. Filter Life & Replacement
The lifetime of any filter will depend upon how often and how intensively it is used.
As a rough guide, however, you will need to replace the filter on the Fit50 machine every 10-12 months or so.
The filter on the original BreatheSmart machine will probably need to be replaced every 8-9 months.
3. CADR Rating
What is a CADR Rating?
Put briefly, CADR stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate.
An air purifier’s CADR Rating tells you how well that particular machine performed in scientific tests that are designed to assess their ability to remove smoke, pollen, and dust particles from a standardised room.
The original BreatheSmart has an excellent CADR Rating of 300.
The BreatheSmart Fit50, however, also has a very good CADR Rating of 220.
In addition to scoring well in scientific tests, both machines get excellent user reviews.
BreatheSmart vs BreatheSmart Fit50 – Videos
BreatheSmart vs BreatheSmart Fit50 – My Verdict
Both are excellent high quality air purifiers and your choice will probably just come down to room size. Although it might be tempting to buy the original BreatheSmart for a room that it less than 900 sq ft (due to its higher CADR Rating and air circulation rates), you must bear in mind that it is louder than the Fit50 as a result of its higher power.
If your room is smaller than the 900 sq.ft that the Fit50 can deal with, you could save a little cash and buy the Alen BreatheSmart Flex instead. The Flex model is suitable for room sizes of up to 700 sq ft. although it does not come with the Smartsensor or Whisper Smart technologies.
Check Latest Price of the BreatheSmart
Read User Reviews of the BreatheSmart
Check Latest Price of the BreatheSmart Fit50
Read User Reviews of the BreatheSmart Fit50
Leave a Comment
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Just what I needed. I love the review. I never knew air purifiers were so advanced. The last one I saw was round and plastic. These are like high tech compared to what I’m used to. But the air in our house isn’t as clean as we think it should. So we have been looking for legitimate air purifiers to invest in. After reading this l=it looks like it will be getting one of these two or maybe even both. Great review.