Tests and certificates should help customers compare different brands and models of air purifiers and ensure that they get the best and most suitable air purifier for their budget. Unfortunately this is not the case because most so-called “independent institutes“ are in fact profit based organizations and their main interest is to ensure the satisfaction of their customers, namely the air purifier manufacturers, and not the end user. They always test in a matter that is favorable to the air purifier manufacturer which results in good ratings, even for lower quality products. Understandably, because a manufacturer will not pay thousands of dollars for a bad rating.
____________________
AHAM (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers)
AHAM is a profit-oriented institution which was founded in the US in 1967. AHAM uses the ANSI/AHAM Standard AC-1 testing method, which was developed in 1988. It defines the CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) value for three substances (smoke, dust and pollen) and suggests a maximum room size for the tested air purifier. The purifiers are always tested in the same 28.5 m3 testing environment, for 20 minutes in the highest fan speed.
They do not test long-term efficiency, noise level, power consumption, remote control options, air quality sensors nor HEPA Classification of the tested air purifier.
_____
ECARF (European Center for Allergy Research Foundation)
The ECARF awards a Quality Seal to allergy-friendly products and services. They do not test purifiers in any way and award the Quality Seal for products based mainly on the information obtained from the manufacturer. There is no gradation on results on the products according to their efficiency, and all purifiers are granted 5 STARS. Although the ECARF is a non-profit organization there is an annually based fee for using the Quality Seal as a manufacturer.
_____
ALLERGY UK
ALLERGY UK is a British based charity that offers information for people with allergies and food intolerance. They offer a Seal of Approval for products which significantly lower the suffering of people with allergies. The lack of concrete technical specifications on efficiency, filter classification and explanation of the testing methods, gives their statements on the approved air purifier more of a sales character rather than presenting professional information which will help customers make a decision on which air purifier would be the most suitable for them.
__________
The above mentioned certificates are a good attempt to help customers purchase the best purifier for their needs. Considering their lack technical know-how and no adaptation of there test methods according to the fast-evolving subject of air purification, their statements on the efficiency of the tested air purifier are often more misleading then helpful for the customers.
_______________
Please read and excerpt of an interesting buyer's guide “HEPA Air Filters and Why You Need One“ written by Chris from 120 studio
“Some manufacturers don't like to use CADR. This is debatable, and we're not going to spend pages and pages detailing it, because in the end it doesn't really matter as much as anyone says it does. ....... There are a couple big makers that don't use CADR, and their products are still reputable. Maybe more so. The one thing you should know, if you can't get a CADR, is how many air exchanges per hour the machine does. ...... My experience is that if a unit will do four, it's usable. ...... “
source: 120studio.com/hepafilter
____________________
VAURON'S IN HOUSE PRODUCT TESTING
We at VAURON do not believe in the meaningfulness of the above-mentioned certificates and we share this opinion with some of the most reputable air purifier manufacturers in the world such as IQAir – Switzerland.
We collaborate with experienced partners from GERMANY and MACEDONIA in order to develop a new and appropriate testing method for air purifiers which will deliver more significant and precise information on the efficiency of air purifiers. The new testing method will contain information on ADR values, energy consumption and noise level for every fan speed, quality and grade of the used HEPA FILTER, time needed to purify a 20 m2 room, and detailed information on air quality sensors, as well as remote control options. We are not afraid of competition. On the contrary, we believe that honest competition is essential to all progress.
To ensure our high-quality standards, we at VAURON test the efficiency of every single air purifier before shipping it to our customers. We use a German made TESTO volume flow instrument to test the ADR (Air Delivery Rate) of our air purifiers and high precision particle counter to test the efficiency of our HEPA FILTERS.
____________________
VAURON'S REAL ENVIRONMENT PRODUCT TESTING
During the last winter season of extreme bad air conditions in Skopje, Macedonia we collected valuable information on the efficiency of our air purifiers in various households, classrooms, kindergartens, offices, bars, restaurants, fitness centers and hotels. We use this data to improve our purifiers and develop different MULTYLAYER HEPA FILTERS for different environments to insure the best filter for every purpose.
The information gathered from our real environment tests helps us provide more honest and precise answers to our customers questions regarding efficiency, long- term use, maintenance and capacity of our air purifiers.