I’m a huge fan of air purifiers, I think mainly because I love gadgets. Or perhaps I’ve been drinking the Dyson Kool-Aid, I’ve tried all of its range. When you’re briefed about one of these things by experts, designers and scientists you do walk away pretty convinced air will kill you.

But in all honesty, I think that 70 to 80 per cent of the time they’re not required, or at least a must have item. At least here in Australia. But over the last week Sydney has been experiencing air pollution so bad from bushfires further north we knocked off Jakarta on the pollution scale. 

As a result, it’s literally only been this week I’ve truly noticed what a marked difference these products can make. For about a month or so I’ve been using a device called TruSens, it’s a brand of air purifier with a twist.

The device itself is appealing from a design perspective, with colourful lights on top to let you know when things are dire, plus a readout that gives you an all-important score. Particulate Matter (PM) is measured in micrograms per cubic metre, parts of Sydney recently exceeded 330 PM2.5. Generally, though air quality is also given a rating via an Air Quality Index (AQI) scale, created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on a scale of 1 – 500. Right now, the closest station to my house is showing 36 which is rated as “Good”, inside my living area the TruSense is showing 05, that’s very clean air indeed.

The TruSens differs from say a Dyson in that it doesn’t act as a fan or even a heater. It blows air upwards after it has been sucked in and processed by what the brand calls DuPont Air Filtration and Ultraviolet Sterilisation.

The system draws in air from a 360-degree angle at the the base then removes microscopic particles, allergens, volatile organic components and odorous gases. Then to further add insult to injury to these nasties it uses an Ultraviolet Sterilisation light to kill germs and viruses that may build up in the filter.

The other major difference is that the on-board air quality sensors are not on board at all. It uses a remote device called a SensorPod Air Quality Monitor.

The powered SensorPod is placed within line of sight of the machine and transmits data to the TruSens. For example, I’ve placed the pod in the kitchen and the machine some 5 metres away in the living room. The kitchen, when I’m cooking can produce a lot of smoke. So, it does make sense to pre-emptively tell the machine I’ve burned toast again.

Although some of the larger Dyson products do have the ability to draw air from across the room anyway, such is their power.

It’s not fair to compare this to any Dyson purifier anyway, because for one, just about all of them are smart connected and two, cost several hundred dollars more in many cases. 

However, the TruSens does its job well simply when left in Auto mode. It also reacts in seconds to the opening of a door on those smokey days I mentioned, a burst of fly spray or even a candle burning.

The bi-directional air flow delivers air up and throughout the room. I’ve taken quite a liking to it as a matter of fact. 

But back to my original comments, do we need these products? Well if you’re an asthmatic most certainly, especially this week. If you don’t have a lung related problem, then I’m sure you’ll get by.

But I always say this about these products, why do we drink purified water, worry so much about our diets and our mind and wellbeing in general then? Average adults inhale around 11,000-litres of air a day, so it may as well be clean right?

There are three TruSens purifiers to suit the size of room you want it in. Pricing and availability are below!

  • TruSens Z-1000 Air Purifier, RRP $229.00
  • TruSens Z-2000 Air Purifier, RRP $399.00
  • TruSens Z-3000 Air Purifier, RRP $549.00

Web: www.jbhifi.com auamazon.com.au

Or www.trusens.com