Medify Air MA-15 Vs GermGuardian AC4825 – Comparison

For today’s comparison, my choices were GermGuardian AC4825 and Medify Air MA-15. If you’re wondering why the answer would be my desire to confront the old school and the new age air purifiers. If you can portray one of the top-selling products on one side and a newbie aiming for a better market position on the other side, then you will understand my curiosity. 

With its out-of-this-world looks, the GermGuardian has established a relationship with customers all over the world. Mostly thanks to its reliability and efficiency. Still, I must say that the lack of product improvement is quite noticeable at this moment. Even so, it’s an interesting 22-inch air purifier with a UV Light sanitizer, promising to eliminate many known allergens, germs, and odors and leave your private space impeccable. 

Standing in the opposite corner, enriched with numerous advanced options that Medify Air claims to have had provenly helped many institutions and households while confronting widely spread allergens and odors. This air purifier’s manufacturer proudly persists in the fact that 99.9% of allergens, such as dust or pet dander, can be removed with the consistent usage of the Medify Air purifier.

Now let’s see what got me so engaged while comparing these two promising air purifiers.  

Specs: Medify MA-15 Vs GermGuardian AC4825

Medify Air Vs GermGuardian Features

Sometimes, making a comparison like this one can be really demanding and tricky. The reason lies within the generation gap and, even more so, within the way they are the subject of investments. In many cases, manufacturers disregard any chance of upgrades once their product meets their customers’ expectations. 

In this particular case, we have an example of GermGuardian AC4825 which was more than welcomed by many market participants, by following their needs and giving them a healthier life. Up til now its level of performance has been outstanding but also very basic. Nonetheless, with the usage of its mechanical wheel, on the upper side, you can shift between gears and connect the air purifier to a smart plug. 

Following the new age technology, Medify Air MA-15 can offer some of the features that GermGuardian does not come with. One of the common features that I would like to point out, and that I like, is the Filter Reset Indicator. By now, I am sure you can guess why. 

Now let’s see what got me so engaged while comparing these two promising air purifiers.  

Child Lock

The Child Lock is one of the features that the GermGuardian AC4825 comes without. However, Medify Air MA-15 has this option, which makes it perfectly safe for many households. 

If you wish to activate or deactivate the Child Lock, all you have to do is to press and hold your finger for three seconds. This feature is sometimes a must-have for parents who wish to keep their toddlers and their electric devices safe.  

Dimmer

One of the best pieces of advice given to those who suffer from sleep deprivation is to eliminate all the lights that could possibly provoke and distract you from having a good night’s sleep. That is why the Dimmer button is so cool. 

Medify Air MA-15 has this button installed, and it allows you to control all the LED indicators on the appliance. You can set it in 4 levels and control every indicator’s brightness. If you prefer darkness, simply press the button for as long as the light appears. This feature is a useful tool for those of you who plan to have an air purifier placed in your bedroom. 

GermGuardian AC-4825 doesn’t have this button. But, besides the UV-C light, GermGuardian doesn’t have any other indicator that could distress you from your activities. This is a good enough reason for me to think that not having the Dimmer button is not a disadvantage at all. 

Filter Reset Indicator

Like I previously mentioned in the intro, the Filter Reset Indicator is one of the common features for Medify Air MA-15 and GermGuardian AC-4825.

A very convenient option for the users since it controls the time when filters need to be replaced. That way, you won’t have to memorize the calendar date or count the days to replace the filters. 

Timer

It would be nice to have a Timer option in the GermGuardian features, but that’s not going to happen. On the other hand, Medify Air MA-15 has this option, so you can easily set the time of your air purifiers to do the job. Feel free to pick between 1h, 2h, 4h, or even 8h of continuous in-house air quality improvement. 

Airflow

Like in many other rectangularly shaped air purifiers, Medify Air MA-15 has holes spread on each side, where the air comes in. After it passes through the filtration process, it spreads all over the room. 

Opposed to the Medify Air, the GermGuardian AC4825 is a tower-shaped air purifier with a whole lot different airflow. The air comes in on the backside, follows the filter line, and comes out frontally. That way, if you stand in front of this air purifier, get ready to be blown at. Don’t worry, it’s only clean air.

Warranty

If you decide to buy the GermGuardian AC4825, you will get a 3-year warranty for your product. With products like this one, you may not even need it, but one can never tell for sure. 

But, if you choose the Medify Air MA-15, you will get a lifetime warranty. Pretty awesome, right?

Now, I can tell how many of you already have second doubts about it, and you are absolutely right. There is one important catch. 

To be able to have a lifetime warranty, you will have to subscribe to a filter replacement plan on Medify’s website. This subscription means you will have to follow up on the filter replacement instructions every four months, which is quite conditional if you ask me. Personally, I don’t like to be forced into something once I voluntarily purchase the product. I am not sure if I would agree to this kind of plan. 

Filtration

Filtration is the most important function of all. It is the core of every air purifier. As I have previously written, in Medify Air MA-15, filters are placed on both sides of the device. That is the reason why this air purifier has a double 3-stage filtration process with a pre-filter, True HEPA, and a Carbon filter. On the other side, GermGuardian AC4825 uses a combination of the charcoal carbon filter and a pre-filter, along with the True HEPA filter. Another interesting thing is that you can use a UV button to activate the UV-C light, as an additional filtration stage. 

If I had to pick one of these two air purifiers that do a better job in neutralizing odors, I wouldn’t pick any. The reason is that I am not satisfied with how they perform. Medify Air’s carbon filter uses carbon pellets, but there is not enough quantity of pellets to provide the ensured air quality. On the other hand, the GermGuardian charcoal filter is less efficient than the activated carbon filter. I just can’t pass the fact that both devices have what it takes to be outstanding, but still not using it properly. 

In addition to my previous discontent is the fact that none of the pre-filter is washable. Still, I have to praise the True HEPA filter’s existence in each air purifier. I honestly believe it is the crucial filter amongst others. 

How To Replace Filter On Both These Devices?

While comparing the warranty issues, I mentioned the necessity of filter replacement at least three times a year in Medify Air MA-15 model, and it’s more than filters of the GermGuardian AC4825 need to be replaced, which is every six months. Also, you might probably need to replace the UV light in GermGuardian every two years. This process might need some extra effort and skills, because of the metal cover that needs to be taken off. But with all the filters in each air purifier, you shouldn’t have any issues.  

Another important thing is to clean your filters as much as you can. Even if the Indicator shows no sign to you. Don’t forget to look every once in a while at pre-filters, just in case there is dirt that needs and could be removed. Since the pre-filters are not washable, this is a must-do. Use your vacuum cleaner or a cloth, it can’t get easier than that. Plus, you’re doing a long-term favor to both yourself and your air purifier. 

Noise

When it comes to noise that any air purifier produces, it is mostly related to the number of speeds it has and how well the motor works at each speed. Both Medify Air and GermGuardian have three fan speeds and no sleep mode. 

I simply loved how quiet the Medify Air MA-15 is while on first speed. No disruptive sounds, almost unnoticeable. Although it is slightly louder than the GermGuardian on max speed, it still does not produce the level of noise that GermGuardian AC4825 does. 

How surprising it was to hear the GermGuardian so loud on speed one. It could be pretty annoying and distracting if you leave it in your bedroom or working space. And, as far as the max speed, the noise starts to feel more like buzzing, even though it’s within the limits. 

Performance

Even though every comparison has its own storyline, testing performances was never a dull thing to do. But, this one had me almost amazed. 

The first thing, which is well known, is that the intended room sizes are completely different. Medify Air is designed to purify up to 167 sq. ft. space, while GermGuardian is twice the bigger room size, up to 330 sq. ft. 

The second thing, the performance was practically identical for both Medify Air MA-15 and GermGuardian AC4825. 

Why am I mentioning all of this? Well, mostly because these two air purifiers have adverse filtration systems. In my opinion, it has to do with the Medify Air having two filters and the GermGuardian having UV-light. 

194 sq. ft. Room Test

Having the need to make a double test, my first one was in a 194 sq. ft. room size. By the end of the 60-minute test, both air purifiers had the air quality improved by almost 92%. 

320 sq. ft. Room Test

In the second room test, my choice was a 320 sq. ft space, more likely adequate to the GermGuardian than to the Medify Air. After working with a maximum capacity for a whole hour, the result came up with approximately 90% cleaned air. 

Operating Costs

If putting on scales would be an adequate example, then the scales would ‘’overrule’’ in the favor of the GermGuardian AC4825. With its 55W motor and a 5W of power used by its UV-light, this air purifier is quite an electricity consumer as opposed to the Medify Air MA-15, with its 25W motor. 

Once both air purifiers are left working for a whole month, 24/7 at max speed, the result shows 2$ bill for Medify Air and a 3.8$ bill for the GermGuardian. 

At first look, it may seem that the cost of a filter replacement is pretty much the same for both air purifiers. However, if you consider that Medify Air’s filters need to be more often replaced than the GermGuardian’s, I am sure you would come to the same conclusion. It’s a draw.