Air purifiers are not something I always wanted. To have an air purifier in my room seems like surrender to nature, admitting that I can’t deal with those invisible little things in the air. However, it seems that I have acquired a severe allergy to our cat Oliver. It’s severe enough to make me suffer from coughing and snorting every day and night but it seems still not enough for my wife to consider throwing the cat out for my sake.
How I know about the Mooka GL-FS32?
So I stumble across this Mooka True HEPA+ Air Purifier on Amazon when trying to save my own life. The price is reasonable for a unit suggested to be used in the large space (540ft²) and I really dig the sleek look of it. It also claims that it can deal with more air pollutants than other standard HEPA air purifiers and has some posh features that I may or may not need. They are for deeper cleaning while the main issue here is cat hair. I guess it won’t hurt anyway.
What actually sold me on this air purifier were the rave reviews. It’s rated better than most of the other air purifiers (4.7 out of 5 as the time I wrote this). And I made the decision when I read the top review and see how effectively it sucks dog hair and dust. I’m going to put it this way: that photo looks disgusting yet oddly satisfying.
How well does it work?
Awesome. I know, it’s a low-effort word, but it’s accurate in this case. The air purifier seems well built and sturdy, not some cheap plastic you may find in an inferior unit. The metal grid with LED light underneath can easily blend in a sci-fi movie, which is meant as a compliment. I use it in our living room where Oliver usually occupies. By the way, Oliver seems to be unbothered by the unit when it’s in low or medium mode, while highly alerted by it in high fan speed.
I usually put it in ‘auto’ mode. It will detect the air quality and change the nice LED atmosphere light and fan speed accordingly. I do notice that it happened several times during the time of the day. I’m not sure whether it’s better than to just keep it in medium speed but the auto mode is satisfying indeed. I feel at ease in the same room with Oliver now. I also notice the air smells fresher. This came strange at first because I was so used to the odor in my house.
The noise hasn’t been an issue since it is always quiet enough at low or even medium fan speed. When it speeds up to high, it can be disturbing if you sit pretty close to the unit. Usually, it will only last like minutes though. I sometimes leave it in high with the timer set to 8 hours when I’m away for work, so I’ll be greeted with fresh air when I come home.
This air purifier also has a built-in ionizer and UV-C sterilizer to help purifier the air, which standard HEPA air purifiers do not have. I cannot say for sure how these work but it is generally believed that negative ion is beneficial to the human body, and UV-C can kill bacteria and viruses. Sweet bonus. And Mooka is thoughtful enough to have independent buttons to switch off ionizer and UV light if you don’t want them.
How much a replacement filter costs?
The replacement filter for this unit is not hard to find on Amazon. It actually seems to be another selling point: it only costs $29.99 at this time. Compared to other mid-end and high-end units, this is a very reasonably low price. Others’ filter may consist of 3 pieces sold separately for about $20-30 each, or a composite filter for over $70. According to Mooka, a filter lasts 6-8 months if I only have it on 8 hours a day. So the cost of this unit will be $45-$60 per year after the first filter runs out.
Overall, is it worth $189.99?
Absolutely yes. I will always be grateful for the peace and ease this air purifier has brought into my life. If you are looking for something that can purify a large living room, bedroom or whole house for real with a limited budget, I highly recommend this Mooka GL-FS32 air purifier.