I don't want to be one of those giddy-with-first-impressions folks in not testing a product thoroughly for months before posting a review... but this thing makes me wanna do just that. It arrived simple & understated.. and by that I mean, unpacking was easy and it did not take brute force or cleaning stray pieces of styrofoam for 30 minutes after unboxing. It slid out, I removed two pieces of protective styro caps, and unwrapped the shrink wrap. I took off the plastic wrap from the filters (which were already in place so I didn't have to read a book of instructions first to figure out where to put them). Then I simply plugged this sucker in, and it worked on auto right out of the box. It was like unboxing an Apple product -- so intuitive, so seamless, so simple. Kudos to manufacturers. And of course, as first impressions go... it looks good. So I love it even more because it's pretty. Aesthetics aside, it is also built well... and perfectly sized. I attached photos to show that it's not too tall, nor is it too deep. It is a bit shorter than my nightstand, which is of an average height. It's a bit on the wide-side, but you can position it however you see fit. It does need about a foot on the right side to allow for proper air flow, and probably a good idea to keep the front end free & clear since the "circle" is from where it pulls in air... but I found this guy could be positioned in many places throughout my home without being an eyesore. I have it in my bedroom currently, but I plan to buy one for my family room as well, and maybe the basement also. It really does work. My bedroom is often very stuffy, especially in the winter when we have the heat temperature set to 73 degrees -- I like it warm & toasty, but my nasal passages feel otherwise. I do suffer from pollen allergies, as well as mild allergies to dust mites, grass, ragweed, mold spores, and pet dander (although I still have 2 shed-heavy fur-babies.) But my allergies are never bad enough to warrant any real attention, I just suffer through it since they're pretty mild. HOWEVER, I keep saying mild when in all reality, I didn't know the difference between no allergy and mild allergy until sleeping one night with this purifier running. Man what a difference. My nose was not all dry and cracked up feeling on the inside. It also was not runny or scratchy, which is how it often feels after running my humidifier all night (which I run to keep my nose from feeling so dry!) This machine does not mask the issue, or dampen it, or freeze/cold draft it away.... it CLEANS THE AIR. I know, I know... it's hard to imagine, but boy is it easy to feel. I slept for the last 2 nights like a newborn baby. Granted, I've only had it for 2 days but the difference from walking into my bedroom vs the other rooms of my home, cannot be ignored. My home isn't particularly old, or stuffy, or dirty, or dusty. Yes we have pets, but I am a Dyson maniac and we have a brand new HEPA HVAC filtration system; we have our ducts cleaned regularly; and, there are no smokers or other reasons for contaminated air (at least that I can find.) However, when plugging this thing in... it ran a blue and then purple light for a bit on auto, but then changed to RED (which freaked me out a bit as it sounds rather aggressive). And it ran that way for about 10 minutes. I left it to its job, and when I returned a little while later, it was back to a blue light and I could barely hear it running anymore... but the air did in fact feel lighter, crisper, and easier to breathe. It felt much like the very first time I walked onto my hotel balcony in Vancouver, Canada and took in a giant breath. It just felt... clean. Air quality is a legitimate thing, and having poor air to breathe makes life a less tolerable for people with allergies or lung issues. Again, not something I suffer from necessarily, but I appreciate the cleaner air this provides nonetheless. So I cannot imagine how much better breathing could be for someone that does have serious allergies, asthma, or other breathing troubles. I would say this gem is a no brainer, if you do. But even if you don't, you'll still notice the difference after plugging this guy in and letting it run for about the first hour. I do think the auto feature could become a bit of a power monger as I have never witnessed it turn off after being on auto as if to say "okay, I'm done. All clean." So I do set the timer feature when I'm not going to be upstairs and I shut it off when I'm leaving the house for awhile. Another thing to note is that there are studies about potential harmful effects to lungs when using the UV and ion cleaning features. It is recommended that you only use these settings when not in the house as breathing in UV treated air is said to be harmful as a result of O3 air, similar to breathing in air high in ozone levels. So I only set my purifier with these features when not in the room. I can't yet speak to durability or filter tolerance, but they are priced reasonably enough that changing once or twice a year would be totally acceptable. I will update if I find that longevity or level of purifying impact worsens, or if cleaning/upkeep isn't as great with this machine moving forward, but for now... I am a Coway air purifier believer. ** UPDATE - after 7 months of constant use, I will say that my initial reactions were still pretty accurate in that this purifier does do what it claims to do. I notice that it is reactive to smells, smoke and other air-purity issues when they are occurring, even when I am simply cooking sausage or something extra smokey or fragrant in the kitchen -- while I have this unit upstairs in my bedroom, which is a considerable distance from the kitchen (bedroom in front of the house on 2nd floor, kitchen in the back of the house on the 1st floor.) So I know that it indeed works because I can hear it begin to run rapidly when I accidentally burn something or even when making bacon or something that has a smell or odor. I also know that it is filtering dust and pet hair, because both of my Coway purifiers (I have one upstairs and the tower unit downstairs) needed HEPA filter replacements at 6 months. The manufacturers suggestion is 6 months for the carbon odor filter, and 1 year for the thick, HEPA filter.. but my HEPA filter was so dirty at 6 months that the "change filter" light came on for the tower unit, so I figured I would change this 1512HH unit at the same time, and it definitely needed it. The filters were both clogged with so much dirt, dust and pet hair.. I couldn't believe this stuff was floating around my house for it to grab. In fact, even strands of my hair were in the filter! And my hair is pretty long, well below shoulder-length. I figure it must have sucked it in from the floor. Pretty cool purifier... I still give it 5 stars and 2 thumbs up after 7 months of use.
