Alen A350 Air Purifier Review
Alen Corporation is a relative newcomer to the air purifier business. In 2005 they pushed their way into an already crowded field with a series of air purifiers designed to meet most consumer’s needs. The Alen A350 is one of the products central to this line. With electronic controls, HEPA filtration, and a lifetime warranty, the A350 has made an immediate impact on the air purifier market.
What I like about the Alen A350
The A350 comes equipped with push-button, digital controls. The interface is user friendly and self explanatory.
Weighing just over 18lbs., this unit is lightweight and compact. The ABS body blends easily into any surrounding décor, and the A350 is one of very few units that can be mounted to the wall.
Though Alen does not use any sort of trademark to signal how quiet this unit is, the A350 is nearly inaudible on the lowest setting. It is so quiet on the first setting that aside from the clean air coming out of the exhaust vent, you wouldn’t know it was running. On the second setting the noise level does pick up, but not so much that it would disturb anything. On the two higher settings the noise levels are similar to comparable models set on high.
Like all models that Alen produces, the A350 is easy to use and maintain. Use is simple and straightforward while maintenance consists of removing the front cover, pulling the filter out and putting a new one in its place. The entire process took me about 30 seconds. The filters are not particularly expensive and come packaged with the HEPA filter and pre-filter together. Additionally, should the pre-filter become clogged with debris before the time to replace it, it is fully washable.
The A350 is energy efficient and easy on the wallet. It is Energy Star rated and uses about as much electricity as a light bulb.
One key component to all Alen air purifiers is the warranty. The A350 comes with Alen’s standard Lifetime Warranty. With proper filter replacement (every six months), Alen ensures that should their product malfunction or ever go on the fritz, you will be covered. This kind of peace of mind is nearly unmatched in the industry.
What I do not like about the Alen A350
Though the Alen does come with a lifetime warranty, keeping your warranty valid is contingent upon replacing the filter every six months. This is reasonable when compared to similar air purifiers. Just remember to keep your receipts!
While its particle filtration may be excellent, the thin layer of activated carbon on the backside of the HEPA filter is hardly enough to adequately handle odors, smoke or VOC’s. Alen attempts to address this by offering a smoke/odor filter which can be purchased separately.
On the top two speed settings the Alen A350 is not particularly quiet. While the lower two settings place it ahead of its competitors, on the higher settings it falls back into the rest of the pack.
This unit, like many others in the series, comes with an optional ionizer. This function can be turned off or on at your discretion. While an ionizer placed before the filter could possibly help by charging the particles in dirty air, I am unsure how Alen’s placement of an ionizer AFTER the filter is helpful.
Overall, the Alen A350 is an excellent unit. For consumers seeking excellent particle filtration results for medium to large rooms this model is an excellent fit. The price, ease of use, convenience, efficiency and lifetime warranty all make this a very attractive product. However, those who need odor, smoke or VOC filtration should consider another model.
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