Bionaire BAP1500 Permatech Air Purifier Review

Bionaire BAP1500 Permatech

Bionaire BAP1500 Permatech Air Purifier Review

The Bionaire BAP1500 Permatech is a HEPA type air purifier that uses a permanent HEPA type air filter to remove airborne particles. The filter assembly is made up of a washable pre-filter and the permanent HEPA type media. The foam pre-filter can be washed with water to clean and the permanent HEPA type filter can be vacuumed to remove the captured particles.

This Bionaire air purifier is designed to remove dust from a smaller sized bedroom. Consumer Reports rated this air purifier in the bottom 25% of the filtered air purifier models.

See price at Amazon

Approximate Price: $199

REVIEW STATS

Ease of Use Rating

1.5 out of 2

The Bionaire BAP1500 is very simple to set up and operate. The power controls are very intuitive and there is easy access to the filters. The filters require frequent cleaning in order for the air purifier to operate at its peak efficiency and this can become a chore compared to a maintenance free air purifier.

Air Flow

1.3 out of 2

The Bionaire BAP1500 has an air flow of 110 cfm (cubic feet per minute) on the high fan speed. This translates into coverage for a 150 sq foot room. In our experience, it is difficult to get a high air flow with a tower design and this Bionaire air purifier does relatively well when compared to other tower air purifiers.

Filter Efficiency

1.5 out of 3

The Bionaire BAP1500 removed 50% of the particles at the 0.3 micron size which places the air purifier in the lower quartile for performance. To their defense, this air purifier is marketed at performing at 1 micron however for those suffering from allergies or asthma or opinion is that an air purifier needs to perform against the HEPA standard of 0.3 microns.

Consumer Feedback

1.5 out of 3

Due to a strong presence in retail stores the Bionaire Permatech has received several reviews on sites such as Amazon and Epinions. The average review is a 3 out of 5 stars and that is below average for the air purifier category. Roughly 1/3 of the reviewers gave it 5 stars and were impressed with the Bionaire’s ability to remove dust. An equal number of users rated the Bionaire from 1 to 4 stars which many citing quality issues such as clicking sounds, the motor humming or the air purifier just not working.