All Idylis models are made by the Woongjin Coway Co. Coway is a big company which controls most of the air purifier and water filtration business in Korea. Their operation in Los Angeles is on Wilshire over near Griffith Park – to support their Lowes distribution strategy. Their Korean headquarters is over near seosomon crossroads if you know Seoul at all.
They also make the Rabbit Air Minusa2 air purifier (my video review of it is here – Rabbit Air Minus A2……!) which is really the Coway Ace AP-1004AH.
But probably more of the story than you wanted. On with my Idylis air purifier 280 review.
Stages of Purification
Now let’s take a look at the filters and technology for cleaning the air. As seen in the picture below the Idylis air purifier (model #280) has only 3 stages:
Stage 1 Hepa – removes dust and pollen.
Stage 2 Carbon – removes smoke and gases.
Stage 3 UVC – ultraviolet – kills germs and viruses. Although it is very small.
I wish they would have added negative ions and a pre-filter. Inexpensive to add a washable prefilter would extend the filter life and negative ions would help with odor, mold killing and make the indoor air healthier.
The HEPA and Carbon filter is rated for the following CADR numbers, although the AHAM CADR numbers are something I am not a proponent of using. AHAM is a political lobby and the CADR numbers can be artificially manipulated by making the fan stronger while reducing the HEPA effectiveness.
Dust – 290
Tobacco Smoke – 280
Pollen – 285
More about the specs further down the review…
Pros and Cons
Pros
1 – Convenience of replacement filters and returns at Lowes
2 – Korean Design
3 – HEPA to remove dust and pollen
Cons
1 – Expensive at $299 for an air purifier only covering 400 sq. ft. model
2 – Loud on high
3 – Only 2 filters
4 – No prefilter to extend HEPA life
Specifications and Technologies
Purification Technologies: 2
Square Footage: 434 SQ. Ft.
Replacement Filter Costs: $30-40
Yearly Costs: $100
Decibel Level: 43.5 (which would be great but mine tested higher on a dB meter??)
Warranty – 5 year Limited
Number of Speeds – 3
Filters – 2
Other Points & Features I liked:
Small remote control
A night light you can turn off (fortunately!)
A indicator light to change filters
A 2,4,8 hour timer
Conclusion
I didn’t find it a great value for $299 because it was limited in both technology and square footage. I brought back theone I found at Lowes.
The 18 month filter life claim (see the label above) is not going to happen if you run it 24/7 the way I did. I’m not sure what their basing that on.
Buying an Air Purifier from a retail store is always a situation where you’re paying too much money. The cheapest, most marked up models are sold in stores where you’re paying for shipping and high profit margins. Use the comparison video below to find better values.
Breathe Well,
Mark
by David Nelder
(Fort Myers Florida USA)
How do you rate the Idylis 280 Air Purifier. My online research seems to confirm the most satisfied air purifier buyers are owners of this Make and Model. I am particulaily interested in a Unit with good Mould killing and Pollen elimination in a $200. to $300. dollar range. Thanks My e-mail address is …
A: Hi David,
The Idylis 280, an exclusive Lowe’s store product I believe, is good for Dust and Pollen, but has little for mold killing. Hepa will grab pollen, dust and mold spores, but to kill mold out in a room you need either negative ions or Ozone.
While I like the 5 year limited warranty (I haven’t read the warranty details however which are important to do) The coverage of 434 sq. ft. is low for the price of this machine. The loud volume on High may also be an issue. Filters will run you about $100 a year.
I’d suggest you find something similar with negative ions, lower filter costs and better specs.
Breathe Well,
Mark
True HEPA filter
434 sq. ft.
Filter change indicator & Time programmable setting & Air quality indicator & Remote control
Dimension: 10.8 ¼ (D) 20.0 ⅜(W) 27.9 ⅜(H) in.
HEPA Filter: IAF-H-100C + IAF-H-100D