Honeywell 50150 Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier

I placed an order for this item based on the good reviews and the new permanent HEPA filter. When I received it, it was indeed the 50150, but obviously an older model, as the product did not match the photo, and the HEPA filter required replacement (the specifications on this page list a permanent HEPA). Customer service immediately sent me a new one, and once again, I received the same older model. While the product seems to work fairly well, buyers should be cautious that Amazon may not be sending you this newest model.

First off, I don't believe everyone needs an air purifier. If you are in a suburban area and can open your windows from time to time, and if you vacuum your home regularly there is only a need unless you have special contaminants (like pet hair) and specific allergies (like dust -- mold should probably be removed from home, not "filtered" as that's like masking an odor instead of cleaning what's causing it).

Personally I live in NYC which means:
- I have a small apartment with horrible air quality
- There is outdoor (and indoor) noise and commotion almost constantly
- I don't feel like paying $400+ for a HEPA filter because I pay enough for rent
Not related to NYC in particular:
- I have a cat

This filter, for someone in a similar situation, is FANTASTIC.
- The circular design really moves air well (you can feel a subtle breeze when it's on "turbo" speed
- HEPA means allergens and that evil "black dust" will be...Read more

I bought two units of this model around New Year. One for the bedroom (16 x 16) and one for the living room 19 x 20). My husband and I both love it. It is really noisy when you set the fan to high (level 3). So, we set the fan to low while we are in the house, and set it back to high before we leave the house for work (but mostly we forgot). It is still working great on the low fan! I used to cough a lot between Winter and Spring, we have been using these air purifiers for months now and I have not cough since. I will highly recommend this.

Update: 10/4/2010
After almost 5 years of use, the two purifiers we got are still going strong. We purchased these purifiers from Amazon. I am now looking at the HEPA filter replacement.