You’ll be looking for something that can purify most airborne contaminants when searching for the best air purifier, but if you’re looking, specifically, for the best plug-in air purifier, you should also be looking at their filtration system and ease of use. The Winix 5300 can clean your room and take a lot of the guessing out of when filters need replacing.
Why We Like It – Winix 5300
The Winix 5300, for something on the cheaper side of air purifiers, is actually pretty impressive when it comes to cleaning power. It can filter anything from large particles to small particles thanks to its three-stage filtration and can cover a room size almost double the size of other air purifiers in its class.
- Activated Carbon and Pre-Filters
- Great Variety of Contaminant-Destroying Capabilities
- Filter Replacement Indicator
- PlasmaWave Technology Can Irritate Asthma
- Slightly More Power Consumption
- Heavy
Power/Speed
Winix Air Purifiers, like the Winix air purifier C535, employ PlasmaWave technology which emits both positive and negative ions to create hydroxyls and destroy airborne pollutants. But be aware that some people have claimed it irritates their asthma, so make sure to check out the Vornadobaby Purio air purifier if this worries you. But combined with activated carbon filters and carbon pre-filters, which catch larger contaminants in the air, the 5300 is a clean air and odor control machine.
Efficiency
The Winix 5300 Air Cleaner is suitable for a room size of about 360 square feet. While this may not sound like much, most plug-in air filters, such as the Air Innovations Max Clean compact air purifier, are rated for half of that, so it’s actually quite impressive. Unfortunately, at about 58 watts, the Winix 5300 consumes slightly more power than most other plug-in air purifiers. You can also go through our Winix 5500 review and our Winix 5500-2 review if you’d like air purifiers with air quality sensors.
Versatility
With the equipped True HEPA Filter, this three-stage air purifier is capable of destroying dust pollen, pet dander, cigarette smoke, mold spores, and much more. The Winix has five different fan speeds depending on your needs, plus an auto mode that automatically adjusts according to the air quality sensor and a sleep mode for silent, night-time operation. If you are in the market for a personal air purifier then you should check out our Wein Mini-Mate AS180i review.
Durability
At just under 18 pounds the 5300 isn’t exactly the lightest purifier in the world, so consider the Hamilton Beach 04386A Air Purifier for something lighter. A filter change indicator light sensor will shine when replacement filters are needed, eliminating the guesswork, but there’s no air quality indicator. This isn’t too big a deal if you set it in auto mode though.
Value
The noise level, at just under 30dB, is quite impressive and shouldn’t get louder than some rustling leaves outside in the fall. The 5300 doesn’t come with a remote control, but budget air purifiers, and we consider this one because of its price, usually don’t, and that’s okay. You’ll just have to control the settings via the control panel which should be easy enough.
Winix 5300 Wrap Up
The 5300 is a good showing by Winix. It contains powerful air cleaning capabilities, but at the price of higher power consumption. It’s not outrageously high, but it is higher than most of the competition. The PlasmaWave Technology is a nice touch too, but keep your receipt if you have asthma and find that it’s getting irritating.
