This year I purchased another Honeywell air cleaner with a HEPA filter (Model 17400) for my bedroom because I had contacted bacterial pneumonia last year and wanted to make sure I did not get it again. Next, I purchased this Honeywell 17000 Air Cleaner (with HEPA filter) for use in a smaller bedroom which has been turned into a home office and library.

These air cleaners really work! This winter I have not had a cold or flu. Also, this Honeywell Air Cleaner with HEPA filter is whisper soft, and I have had no problems with sleeping, working, reading, watching tv, or listening to music when it is running on the low and medium settings. I leave it on all the time, and I've found that it cleans the air best when the door is closed.

It has a convenient handle on the top, so I can move it to another room quite easily. Also, it is light enough that I can take it with me in the car if I want to use it away from home.

The prefilters last about 3-6 months, (and they can be vacuumed often if you have pets who shed). I change my HEPA filter every year, but you can wait 3 years to do so. These filters are easy to change. The Model 17000 is for a smaller room, and the Model 17400 is for a larger space.

Highly recommended for anyone who has pets, who lives with or entertains people who smoke, and who is allergic to dust, molds, or pollens.

209 of 224 found the following review helpful:

Does the job, but rather noisy  May 19, 2005
By Richard J. Mcgrath "RichardMcGrath"
The Honeywell seems quite well made. The pre-filter and filter are easy to change. The carry handle on top is useful when you want to move it from room to room. The HEPA filter seems to work fine, as any other True HEPA model will, but my real concern is the noise level.

If all HEPA purifiers were like this, I would accept it, but I recently purchased the "Kenmore 295 CADR True HEPA Air Cleaner" from Sears. It is described as "America's quietest true HEPA high-efficiency air cleaner technology". The Kenmore is _quieter_ on its _highest_ setting, than the honeywell is on its _lowest_ setting, and if you put the Kenmore on its lowest setting, you can barely hear it. You'll have no problem sleeping or watching TV with it running. Note that even though the Kenmore is much quieter, it has a CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) twice that of the Honeywell, and it handles a room twice the size. I paid $199 for the Kenmore, so yes, a little more expensive than the honeywell, but absolutely worth it.

So, the honeywell is fine, but you won't want to run it continuously or run it while you sleep because of the noise. There are better models out there. Look into the Kenmore.

101 of 108 found the following review helpful:

Why do people expect silence?  Dec 02, 2006
By H. Nelson
If you want a silent, useless air cleaner, go buy an overpriced oreck or sharper image unit. It will reduce things like smoke and tiny, tiny particles, but forget it getting rid of dust. I know, I had one. If you want a unit that actually "Filters" the air, buy this. Sure on Medium or High this unit will add background noise, but on low, it is hardly noticable if it's not right next to you. We noticed an immediate "crisp feel" to the air and huge reduction in dust in the air. My cough of 3 weeks is gone overnight. Coincidence.. I think not.

Don't read into the reviews that bash the noise.. Noise means it's working.

37 of 38 found the following review helpful:

Positive (realistic) review  Feb 14, 2003
By C. Hobbs
I have never had an air cleaner, so I have no basis for comparison. I also have not had it for too long, so i can't advise on it's long term performance. That being said I am very happy so far with it. I recently, and for no aparent reason, developed mild asthma and allergies. I have two cats and, while I am not a pathological neat-freak, don't have small messes around the home, and I vacuum frequently. Both my asthma and allergies have gone away. The air is remarkably more crisp, and my sleep, while it was good to begin with, is better.

As for my experience with the noise level, and with deference to other reviews, I have no problems with the cleaner. This thing has moving parts, i.e., the consequences of thermodynamics and mechanics hold sway: there will be heat, friction, viscous drag over surfaces, etc... it sounds like a fan. On the lowest setting, which still filters a large volume of air (per time), sleeping or reading is very comfy in the same room. While the two higher settings may be too much to relax in the same room with, it will be slightly audible in another (close proximity) room.

The filters are easily accessed. They are concentric with one HEPA and a carbon prefilter, and are, at first glance, sealed.

30 of 32 found the following review helpful:

Strong but not that quiet...  Apr 30, 2005
By Kevin J. Baird "Knowledge"
They call it QuietCare... It's not all that quiet. I mean, it's throwing out a serious amount of air, and like any fan, it makes noise. Don't expect this to be silent, because it's not. Otherwise though, I find it to be quite nice as an air cleaner. Ultimately, it is easy to replace the filter. You simply twist a knob, remove the filter, add the new one, and tighten the knob. Even my grandma could do it.

You can also program the unit to operate at different speeds at different times. Not exactly revolutionary, but it's nice to know that you can set the thing and leave it alone, and it'll shut off, or switch to low speed when you aren't at home.

Overall, if you want a decent HEPA air filter, this is pretty cherry. This isn't some cheap air filter with a weak fan. You could dry your hair to this thing. Safe around kids and pets, easy to move from room to room, and the set and forget system makes it worth the money. The only reason I'd of bought something else is if I had a bigger room and needed even more power.

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