Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. – The Best Option for Smoke!

Full Review

The Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. is definitely an air purifier worth checking out. Made in the US, it offers fantastic performance in odor neutralization and is a well-known brand that has been on the market for over 30 years.

When deciding which Austin Air to purchase, we thought it best to start with the smallest series (Junior) and then, if it meets expectations, buy and test the larger models.

There is also another device in the Austin series that was released just a few weeks ago named the Austin “it.” It’s the smallest one but is equipped with the same high-quality filtration technology as all the other Austin devices.

In this article, you will find out how well it performed in our particle removal, smoke, noise, and power use tests, and you will also find a detailed overview of the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr.

How We Tested the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr.?

1. For the filter efficiency testing, we used the Temtop LKC-1000S laser particle meter, which measures PM2.5 (µg/m3), PM10 (µg/m3), Particles (per/L), and HCHO (mg/m3) in the air, and also calculates the AQI.

2. We placed the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. in a 194 sq. ft. (18 m²) room. Then, we recorded the initial air quality values using the Temtop laser particle meter and let the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. run at maximum speed.

3. After 60 minutes, we measured the new values using the Temtop laser particle meter and saved the data.

4. Next, we placed the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. in a glass box, which we then filled with smoke. Then, we measured how much time was needed for the air purifier to remove all the smoke from the box.

5. Using a special noise measurement tool, we tested the air purifier’s noise level at all speeds. We measured the noise level on the dBA scale.

6. Finally, we measured the power usage at all speeds using an energy meter, after which we calculated how much it would cost to use the device at a particular fan speed for one month. For reference, we used an energy price of $0.12 per kWh.

This is a relatively small air purifier; trust me, it’s much smaller than it seems when looking at product images.

The Austin Air HealthMate Plus Junior covers rooms up to 185 sq. ft. (17 m²) with an ACH of 4.8 times, meaning it will clean the air in the recommended room size 4.8 times in one hour.

Although the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. is well known for its smoke and VOC neutralization capabilities, we have tested its performance and efficiency in capturing PM2.5 particulate matter.

I also used it for some time in my place to see how it works in everyday use. Frankly, it was great when used in the kitchen and living room because it could show its full potential in these rooms, mostly due to cooking odors and smoke odors in the living room.

Testing in a 194 sq. ft. (18 m²) Room

In the first test, in a 194 sq. ft. (18 m²) room, we placed the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. and let it run at the max speed (speed 3).

We measured the initial air quality values using the Temtop laser particle meter and then left it to work for 60 minutes.

After that time, we measured the air quality again and recorded the results. This air purifier reduced the PM2.5 particulate matter from 107.3 to 14.7 µg/m³, which is an air quality improvement of about 86%.

As you can see in the chart above, I compared it with some competitive air purifiers but also with some smaller air purifiers that performed similarly or better than the Austin Air.

For example, a much smaller Levoit Vital 100S improved the air quality in this test by 87%. Additionally, the IKEA FÖRNUFTIG improved the air quality by about 86%.

Performance – Smoke Removal Test

When we talk about the smoke test, I need to point out one detail. Although the Austin Air is one of the best air purifiers for neutralizing smoke, I have to say that I’m a bit disappointed with the result in this test.

The slower result compared to the competition was because of lower CADR and the high density of the filter, which lowers the airflow.

This doesn’t mean that Austin Air uses bad filters; on the contrary, it uses very high-quality filters that are dense and contain a lot of carbon pellets.

This small air purifier cleaned all the smoke from the glass box in just 59 seconds. Again, compared to the competition, there are better results than this, but I still stand by the claim that the Austin Air is one of the best air purifiers for smoke.

Among the competition, I would highlight the Winix 5500-2, which removed the smoke from the glass box in just 20 seconds, and the Alen FLEX, which took 32 seconds.

When we talk about noise levels, the first thing to pay attention to is how many fan speeds an air purifier has. When it comes to Austin Air, it only has three fan speeds, which is honestly fewer than I would expect.

The biggest downside, in my opinion, is that Austin Air doesn’t have a sleep mode. However, at the first speed, it is much quieter than some other devices in sleep mode. At this speed, it produces a sound of only 40.6 dBA.

Compared to the competition (see the chart above), only the Levoit Vital 100S is slightly quieter at the lowest speed, by just 0.1 dBA.

Regarding the maximum speed, Austin Air is somewhat louder but still not too loud. It produces a sound of 54.7 dBA at max speed, which is still much quieter than the competition.

Overall, I would prefer if Austin Air had more speeds, but I’m very satisfied with these three speeds and with the fact that Austin Air is one of the quietest air purifiers we have tested.

What positively surprised me is that the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Junior uses only 28W at maximum speed. However, I also think that the engineers could have done a much better job by improving the motor, which would have resulted in a much better power-to-CADR ratio.

All in all, Austin Air is not a significant power consumer. If you were to use it at maximum speed, 24 hours a day, for a month, your electricity bill would increase by about $2.45, which is generally not a huge cost.

Many competing devices consume much more. Even the Levoit Core 300S, which is much smaller and inferior to Austin, uses 23W at maximum speed.

Besides electricity costs, there is also the cost of replacement filters, which aren’t too expensive for the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr., especially considering that they need to be replaced on average every five years.

All in all, the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. is one of the most affordable air purifiers we have tested so far in terms of maintenance.

Filtration Technology

Throughout this review, I mentioned several times that the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. uses a high-quality filter, which is one of the most efficient for odor neutralization among all we tested.

It uses a four-stage filtration technology consisting of two particle filters, an activated carbon filter, and a True HEPA filter.

The Large Particle Pre-filter is the first filtration stage. It’s important because it captures particles such as dust, hair, and pet dander, thereby prolonging the life of the other filters (especially the True HEPA one).

The Medium Particle Pre-filter is the second filtration stage, and it removes small particles like mold, spores, and pet dander. This is also an important filtration stage.

The Activated Carbon and Zeolite filter combination is the third stage, and I believe it is the main advantage of this air purifier. This filter contains about 6.5 lb of activated carbon pellets, which is why it has such outstanding performance in neutralizing smoke, bad odors, and VOCs. However, it also eliminates formaldehyde, chemicals, and other gases.

The True Medical Grade HEPA is the last filtration stage, but it isn’t any less important than the other stages. This filter removes 99.97% of airborne particles larger than 0.3 microns and 95% of particles larger than 0.1 microns.

In general, the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. uses high-quality filtration technology, which is confirmed by our performance tests.

Setup and Installation

This air purifier requires almost no preparation before the first use.

The device comes very well packaged and protected, and all you need to do is unpack it and plug it in.

The filters are already installed in the device, so you don’t need to remove any foils from the filters or do anything else.

Design

At first glance, it is clear that the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. has an industrial design and looks outdated.

However, when it comes to build quality, that’s a different story. The device is entirely metal, very well-made, and durable.

The biggest design flaw of this device is the cover of the replacement filter, which requires you to unscrew several screws to remove it, making the procedure much more difficult and time-consuming. I think they could have at least improved this aspect with the new series of Austin Air.

Controls

Regarding the controls, the Austin Air has only one control wheel on the front, which is used to operate the device.

This wheel has four settings: 0, speed 1, speed 2, and speed 3. This air purifier isn’t smart; it doesn’t have a remote or any other way of control besides the control wheel.

These additional features would raise the Austin Air to a whole new level and allow this device to compete with many smart air purifiers on the market.

Airflow

The Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. has air intake vents on the lower side that take up more than half of the device and spread around the entire unit.

The air is then filtered through a four-stage filtration system and exits from the left side (when viewing the device from the front).

Size and Dimensions

The air purifier weighs 21 lb (9.5 kg) and measures 11 x 11 x 16.5 inches (27.9 x 27.9 x 41.9 cm).

The Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. isn’t too large, but it is quite heavy. Despite its small size, it could be challenging to move it from room to room.

What’s in the Box?

With the purchase of the Austin Air, you will get one air purifier, all filters, a user manual, and a warranty card.

Features Overview

This is a minimalistic air purifier without any advanced features. It doesn’t even have a filter reset indicator or timer features, both of which are included in almost every air purifier we tested.

Warranty

The Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. comes with a five-year warranty, which is very generous and among the longest warranties for the air purifiers we tested.

Although the warranty is five years, it isn’t conditioned by anything else, unlike with some other brands such as Medify or Alen.

FAQ on Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr.