Dyson Pure Cool – The ultimate air purifier?

Often when I look at a new product I ponder this. Are the people behind it simply creating a market for something that’s otherwise unnecessary? But on the other hand, you’re reading the words of someone who can boil the kettle via Google Home, turn 21 lights on from 39,000 feet or shout at my dog via an Arlo Pro camera anywhere in the world.

Dyson has been doing air purifying fans since 2015. I’ve been lucky enough to try out two Pure Hot and Cool link units, one that sits in my 15-month year-old boys’ room the other in our main bedroom. Now the innovative folk at Dyson has released the new Dyson Pure Cool, a major update for a product sitting in an increasingly popular segment.

This launch coincides with the arrival of Spring, a time when many of us sneeze our way through a haze of pollen, bushfire smoke and other unpleasantries in the air. If you live in a modern house, which I do, you probably know just how well sealed today’s dwellings are. Due to energy efficiency regulations there’s a requirement for insulation in the walls and roof for starters. Most new homes also feature ducted air conditioning throughout, which makes it easy to exist in a climate-controlled bubble all day.

But think of all the rubbish that’s actually being circulated around the place. Cleaning products, cooking fumes and even particles from scented candles are simply not all that good for you. Then there’s pet dander or hair and the aforementioned outside air that becomes trapped inside. Sure, it’s easy to become hysterical about all this but for those sensitive to such irritants, perhaps Dyson has produced a genuinely useful product for you.

The new Dyson Pure Cool fans come in two styles, a tall tower style version and one for desk tops and floors. There’s a number of key differences over the first generation of Dyson purifiers.

A new LCD display gives you a real time graph and readouts of what exactly is being removed from the air. Lasers are used to detect and recognise the size of ultrafine particles. Another sensor detects the amount of Volatile Organic Compounds, VOC’s for those in the know. VOC’s can seep from paint, candles and even the foam found in your loungeroom chair. It can also sense Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) the kind of stuff produced by vehicle emissions while a third sensor measures humidity and temperature.

To remove all of this offending material a new glass HEPA filter now has 60% more surface area and is taller and deeper. There’s also three times more activated carbon, that rids your home of gases, odours, fumes and those nasty VOC’s. You could go on and on about the filtration process, but you really only need to know it can capture 99.95% of anything harmful.

The Dyson Pure Cool now projects the air around the room far more effectively. The seemingly magical bladeless or Air Multiplier technology now features 350⁰ degree oscillation. Plus, to avoid a cooling draft in Winter there’s a diffuser option that blows air out the back of the loop at a 45⁰ angle.

I love the connectivity of these products. The Dyson Link app for iOS and Android allows you to remotely control the machine, see tracking data and monitor filter life. There’s also the potential for over the air updates that can enhance software as Dyson see fit. The app however does suffer the odd glitch and connectivity issue, so some more work needs to be done there.

The purifying algorithms used have been honed in places like Beijing and London, so it’s fair to say the enormous amount of data collected over six-months is pretty spot on. The machine I’ve reviewed is able to swing into action mere seconds after my wife applies her first four-litres of hairspray each morning. What’s most interesting is that particular routine is performed in an ensuite, somewhat separated from the main bedroom where the unit is.

I’ve also used the machine in our loungeroom. It quickly reacts when the gas stovetop is turned on at dinner time and even responds to a burst of bug repellent from an automatic dispenser across the room.

 

The machine is designed to be left on for extended periods for whole room purification. I mostly use it in auto mode, although you can manually adjust the fan speed and angle of oscillation as you see fit. There’s also a night mode that dims the LED display and limits how fast the fan will blow, to reduce noise. The filter will eventually need to be replaced, it should last between six to twelve months depending on usage. Keep in mind that will cost around $100.

The new tower and desktop fans are available in white/silver or Black/Nickle combinations and will set you back a typically Dyson premium of $649 and $799 respectively.