For an air purifier with such a mousey name, the Rabbit MinusA2 SPA-700a cleans air with a lion’s strength. Featuring superb CADR numbers, a customizable six-stage filter, and ease of operation on top of it all, it’s a real carnivore to dirty air.
Performance and Stats, Fearsome
CADR stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate. It’s an objective measure of how well an air purifier removes pollutants and potential allergens from your environment.
There are often different figures given for different types of problems. The SPA-700a has some impressive stats in all the areas. That is 193 for smoke, 201 for pollen and 200 for dust.
But those numbers can be fudged if they’re given for, say, a very small room. The SPA-700a’s numbers are for a 700 square foot room (with standard ceiling height of eight feet, two air changes per hour). That’s over 26ft by 26ft, very good.
Given the 47-187 CFM (cubic feet per minute) air volume processing stat, that isn’t too surprising. Air is drawn in a full 360 degrees around the front panel and expelled upward at the back of the unit. That ensures the device isn’t simply filtering the air swirling around itself but working on your room air at maximum efficiency.
But there’s more than a powerful fan at work here.
6-stage Customizable Filtration System, Elimination in Depth
The Rabbit Air MinusA2 has a customizable six-stage filtration system that is among the best available at any price.
In stage one the washable silvered pre-filter removes large particles, pet hair, dust, and even mold from the air. The silver also helps kill bacteria.
Next in stage two, there’s a medium filter to remove bacteria, pollen, smaller dust particles, and smaller mold spores.
That’s followed in stage three by Rabbit’s proprietary BioGS HEPA filter that eliminates fungus, more bacteria, dust mites, pollen, and other allergens. It even gets rid of certain household odors. Smaller dust particles don’t survive the journey and tobacco smoke, sulphur dioxide, and animal dander are eliminated.
Then in stage four there’s an additional custom filter that kills common household germs, along with still more mold, pet dander as well as many viruses.
It even tackles some pet odors, along with a range of potential toxins. Gasses from outgassing plastics get absorbed. Tobacco smoke is eliminated. Even VOCs (volatile organic compounds) like Formaldehyde are quashed.
Even better, you get to choose the custom filter that is best for your personal circumstances and environment. You can select either a Germ Defense, Pet Allergy, Toxin Absorber, or Odor Remover. All of them do a little of each, but different ones are designed to focus on your main concern.
The Germ Defense filter, for example, is especially adept at trapping airborne bacteria, mold spores, and particles that carry viruses through the air. For those with low immune resistance – babies, the elderly, or just the genetically unlucky – the ginkgo biloba extract on the surface helps reduce the amount of any influenza virus that might be present.
Next in line in stage five is the Activated Charcoal filter, which goes on to remove any remaining tobacco smoke in the air stream. It goes to work trapping additional household odors, including cooking odors. Make fish in the evening and by bedtime, the smell is gone. Clean your kitchen floor with ammonia-based cleaner in the morning and you won’t smell it by lunchtime.
In the final air-cleansing stage six a safe Ion Generator creates charged particles that are pushed out into the exhaust air. Those tend to attract all sorts of nasty particles in the air, which then fall to the floor or float to wall surfaces.
Behind those filters is that powerful direct current motor, a brushless design to ensure quiet operation and long life.
Maintenance
The pre-filter is a permanent filter and does not need to be replaced. Clean it once every month by running the brush attachment of your vacuum cleaner along the filter or by washing it gently with lukewarm water.
When the filter replacement indicator lights up it’s time to replace the other filters in the MinusA2. Depending on use and the air quality in your indoor environment, the life span of the filters will vary from 1 to 2 years.
Replacement filters can be bought in a handy all-in-one filter replacement kit – about 75 currently. Only make sure you know your custom filter! There’s a kit available for each of the 4 custom filters. The filters are interchangeable, too, so you can order more than one (or all) and swap them out from time to time. It’s ultra easy to do.
Cleaning the particle sensor with a damp cotton swab from time to time is no effort. A simple wipe with a clean cloth of the mood light lens, the air intake and outlet can be done when a visual inspection shows the need, which is not often, only about every 3-6 months. You won’t need more than 15 minutes or so to do everything.
Operation – Quiet, Easy, Low Cost, and Informative
The SPA-700a sips electricity. It consumes 47 watts at high speed, and only 7 watts at silent speed. Even at full blast, that’s less than a 60-watt light bulb. At average utility rates, that represents less than a couple of dollars per month to run the air purifier.
There are five separate speeds and the unit automatically selects the lowest speed needed, based on what it senses. You can set the speed manually, if you prefer, though. The noise levels are very modest for a unit that is so effective. Depending on the fan speed, it ranges from 20.8-45.6 dB. At the low end, you’d have a hard time hearing it operate from across the room. Even at the high end, you can comfortably listen to the TV with the MinusA2 going full tilt.
For all that power, it doesn’t way a ton: 19.4 lbs. That’s light enough to move around the house wherever you want, but hefty enough to prevent it tipping over at the lightest touch. That’s always handy for those who have cats who never tire of finding new things to rub against.
The stylish case with mood light is not huge, but not small either: 20″ high x 21.4″ wide x 7″ deep. It’s a bit on the wide side, but that shallow depth means you can place it near a wall, out of the way and not fear brushing against it or having to move around it. There’s even an optional wall-mount kit, if that’s your preference.
You can see at all times what the unit is doing, thanks to a number of indicator lights on the front panel. The lights are opposite the easy-to-understand buttons. The unit is easy to operate from across the room, too, thanks to the included remote control.
Summary
The Rabbit MinusA2 SPA-700a home air purifier is one of the most efficient and effective models on the market today. That’s chiefly thanks to excellent design and quality manufacture of its filtration system. But its operating characteristics are also highly impressive. It won’t roar when you use it, but you might want to give a joyful shout.