Hamilton Beach TrueAir Review: Is It a Good Investment?

Full Review

In today’s review, I will show you the air purifier of a famous brand, Hamilton Beach. This brand offers various household products, and I believe you have probably come across their products at some point in your life. The Hamilton Beach TrueAir is a small air purifier designed for rooms up to 160 sq. ft., with no advanced options and very simple filtration technology.

The model I tested in this review is the 04383A. This air purifier is characterized by a very affordable price, good maintenance, and a reliable brand. However, you will find out in this air purifier review whether it is all that fantastic and whether the Hamilton Beach air purifier met the parameters of the tests.

I tested its performance and checked whether the HEPA-grade filter, which can capture 99% of airborne particles down to 0.3 microns in size, is sufficient to optimally clean the average home. In addition, I have tested the noise level and operating costs and analyzed this device’s specifications.

In short, read on to determine whether the Hamilton Beach TrueAir is recommended.

Setup and installation

Before you start using the Hamilton Beach TrueAir Air Purifier, you need to do some preparation. The most important thing you need to prepare is the filter, which is built into the unit but is in the package. Once you have removed the air purifier from its packaging, open the front panel from the front by pressing the opening tab at the very top of the device. You will then notice the filter holders on the top and bottom sides, which you need to pull towards you and take out.

The last step is to take the filter out, remove it from the plastic film and then put it back into the device. Then put the filter holders back in place and close the lid. With these steps, the device is ready to go. Place it on a solid surface, move it at least 15 centimeters away from the wall or other objects, plug it in, and slowly enjoy the purified air.

Design

As far as the design is concerned, I have to say that I’m not very impressed, as this air purifier seems a bit old-fashioned. In addition, the build quality is not top-notch, which is, to some extent, expected given the device’s price. However, I do not think better build quality is necessary for this type of device.

The Hamilton Beach TrueAir is available in white and black. In this review, I have shown the device in black because I somehow liked it better, and it goes better with different furniture. I would also point out that the plastic is a bit sensitive and gets greasy very quickly. Hence, the device gets dirty quickly, and fingerprints stay on the device very easily.

What I like about this little air purifier is that it can be placed horizontally and vertically, which makes it much easier to put it on tables, bedside tables, or similar places where there is not much space.

Overall, this is a decent air purifier in terms of design, and I think it will fit into many environments.

Control Knob

The Hamilton Beach has only one control knob located on the top of the device. It is used to switch the operating mode and to turn the machine off. It has only four states: when off, whisper cleaning, medium, and quick cleaning mode.

I usually prefer modern and smart air purifiers to mechanical ones, but the fact that this air purifier is mechanical opens up the possibility of plugging it into a smart plug, which can make it semi-smart.

What I do not like is that there are no other buttons and that there is not at least a filter reset indicator, but the filter change time has to be monitored manually, using a calendar or some other method.

Airflow

The Hamilton Beach TrueAir has an irregular rectangular shape. When viewed vertically, the unit draws air through the openings at the front, which is then filtered and exits through the openings on the left.

If the device is positioned horizontally, everything is the same, with the air coming from the top side.

Size and Dimensions

The air purifier weighs 5.74 lb (2.6 kg). The dimensions of the device are: 6 x 8.5 x 13.54 inches (15.2 x 21.6 x 34.4 cm). The Hamilton Beach TrueAir is a lightweight, compact air purifier that is very practical for carrying from one place to another. In short, I don’t think you’ll have any trouble finding the perfect place for it.

What’s in the box?

When you buy the device, you will receive an air purifier, filter (pre-installed), and user manual.

As the filter that comes with the device is packed in a plastic bag and ready to go, I recommend that you read the installation and setup tips I described at the beginning of this review before using the device for the first time.

Features Overview

I don’t have much to say regarding the features that this air purifier has, as the Hamilton Beach TrueAir doesn’t have a single advanced feature.

The device doesn’t even have a filter cleaning indicator, which is a significant disadvantage in my opinion and which I have so far only encountered in the Hathaspace HSP001 air purifier (which doesn’t have a filter reset indicator). The lack of such a simple indicator is a problem in the age of modern, smart technologies.

The only thing I could mention as an advanced feature is a possibility of connecting the Hamilton Beach air purifier to a smart plug. This is possible because the gear changer uses a mechanical control knob. This is a good option if you want to make the air purifier at least partially automated or at least allow it to have some essential functions such as a timer, start via smartphone, and the like, which would undoubtedly make it easier to use the device daily.

Filtration Technology

Speaking of filtration technology, I have to say that the Hamilton Beach TrueAir uses only one filter, which is HEPA-grade and which captures 99% of airborne particles down to 0.3 microns in size. Comparing this with True HEPA filters, which capture 99.97% of airborne particles down to 0.3 microns, we can conclude that the Hamilton Beach air purifier filter is significantly inferior to the True HEPA filter.

This filter is a paper filter but is much more resistant than conventional HEPA filters, so it is more durable. It does not need to be changed but only maintained according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. However, if you look closely at the filter, you will see a nylon mesh on the front, which is basically a pre-filter.

I would also point out that Hamilton Beach has models that include a zeolite carbon filter, but you can also buy a carbon filter separately to increase filtration quality. All Hamilton Beach air purifier models for pets must include a carbon filter.

In short, I have so far tested much higher quality air purifiers that use durable filters, such as the Airdog X3, which uses innovative filtration technology and simply blows the performance tests.

In conclusion, I would say that the HEPA class filter on the Hamilton Beach air purifier is not very high quality, but it will serve in some less polluted environments very well.

How to Clean the Filter?

The Hamilton Beach filter is durable, and the manufacturer recommends regular maintenance and cleaning of the filter rather than replacement. On the one hand, this is an excellent thing, as you have a practical device for which you do not have to buy filters several times a year.

But also, it’s bad because it’s not possible to make a durable filter of the quality that would replace a True HEPA filter, which means that the Hamilton Beach TrueAir has a lower performance than some competing devices.

The manufacturer advises regularly vacuuming the air purifier’s filter every 3-6 months.

Noise Test

When it comes to testing noise levels, I would first like to point out that this air purifier has 3 fan speeds. I used a noise meter to test how loud the Hamilton Beach TrueAir is at each fan speed individually.

I immediately noticed it is very loud at the first speed, even much louder than similar competing devices. Some optimal loudness at the first speed is around 41.5 dBA, while Hamilton Beach produces as loud a sound as 45.2 dBA.

At other speeds, however, the sound volume produced by this air purifier is much more bearable, especially at top speed, where it is much quieter than some competing devices. At maximum speed, it produces a sound of approximately 54.9 dBA.

In conclusion, I would not recommend the Hamilton Beach TrueAir for specific rooms, such as a bedroom or a quieter office, but I would recommend it for any other smaller room.

Performance Tests

I must admit that I couldn’t wait to test the performance of the Hamilton Beach TrueAir air purifier, mainly because of its specific HEPA-grade filter, which I haven’t had the opportunity to test until now.

I have tried many air purifiers that do not use a True HEPA filter, such as IKEA FÖRNUFTIG, which performed very well, but I have to admit that Hamilton Beach is a shade weaker than some competing devices with better filtration technology.

Given that Hamilton Beach is designed for rooms up to 160 sq. ft., I have tested it in rooms of almost the exact dimensions. Before I get into the testing results, I would like to point out that I received many compliments about this air purifier during the smoke season due to forest fires. I suspect that many users rushed to buy this model precisely because of its price and were surprised how such an affordable air purifier can help with smoke from fires.

Frankly, for the wildfire, I would recommend a more serious air purifier that contains an activated carbon filter, but for the first time, if budget is an issue, the Hamilton Beach TrueAir will do.

120 sq. ft. Room Test

In the first test, we used a 120 sq. ft. room. Hamilton Beach performed well and achieved good test results, much better than I expected. In just 60 minutes, it improved the air quality by about 88%, an excellent result, despite the room being smaller than the recommended dimensions.

Considering that Hamilton Beach does not use a True HEPA filter, this is overall a satisfactory result.

194 sq. ft. Room Test

In a test in a slightly larger room of 194 sq. ft., this air purifier gave slightly poorer results, improving air quality by approximately 82% in 60 minutes of operation at maximum speed. Honestly, I’m not impressed with these results.

However, it’s still not too bad, considering that some air purifiers with True HEPA filters, such as the Honeywell HPA100, have not been drastically better than this model.

Operating Costs

The Hamilton Beach TrueAir is a small air purifier using a 44W motor. However, when I tested the power consumption at each speed, I found that at the first speed, it consumes only 9.1W, while, for example, at the maximum speed it consumes 33.9W.

This means that if you were to use this air purifier at top speed, 24 hours a day, for one month, your electricity bill would increase by about $3. Basically, this is not a huge consumption, but I honestly expected that this air purifier could have an even lower consumption.

The good thing about the Hamilton Beach air purifier is that it uses a permanent filter, which means that there are virtually no maintenance costs other than electricity. Because of this, I can conclude that the Hamilton Beach TrueAir is very affordable for annual maintenance.

FAQ on Hamilton Beach TrueAir