IQAir Reviews

In this installment of Air Purifier Wars, we are comparing two of the best home air purifiers on the market today: the IQAir HealthProPlus vs IQAir GC MultiGas. In Vacuum Wars' 32-point testing system, the HealthPro Plus has enjoyed a leading position when compared to the other air purifiers that we have reviewed so far. Our matchup: IQAir HealthPro Plus vs IQAir GC MultigGs. © Vacuum Wars In this head-to-head test and comparison, we wanted to find out if the newer, more expensive GC MultiGas is significantly better than the original HealthPro Plus, and therefore, the new Air Purifier Wars champion. IQAir Air Purifiers The Swiss made HealthPro Plus and GC MultiGas are both top-tier air purifiers which have the same dimensions, airflow, controls and features. Beyond minor cosmetics, what makes them different in the filters that each model ships with. PREMIUM IQAir HealthPro Plus Amazon PREMIUM PLUS IQAir GC MultiGas Amazon About the IQAir HealthPro Plus The HealthPro plus is a premium air purifier. According to the IQAir, it is "1 Rated medical-grade air purifier for medium size to large rooms..." as well as "IQAir's most popular, best-selling air purifier." About the IQAir GC MultiGas The GC MultiGas is also a premium air purifier, but it carries a significantly higher price tag due to its ability to handle a broader range of irritants. IQAir states it is "...#1 for multiple chemical sensitivity and smoke. For control of a wide range of gaseous organic and inorganic chemicals." IQAir HealthPro Plus and GC MultiGas IQAir, a prominent air purifier manufacturer, regularly finds its place on various best air purifier lists and has received numerous awards in the industry. The GC MultiGas, their latest offering, boasts an amazing 12 pounds of activated carbon for reducing a wide range of both organic and inorganic gaseous chemicals, making it suitable for those with multiple chemical sensitivities. The original IQAir HealthPro Plus also has a huge amount of carbon, much more than any of its competitors, but not nearly as much as the MultiGas. So, it'll be interesting to see how the differences in carbon amounts affect the performance in our VOC tests later on. IQAir uses more carbon than any manufacturer we are aware of. © Vacuum Wars Both the IQAir HealthPro Plus and the GC MultiGas are recommended for spaces up to 1,125 square feet and come with 10-year warranties. Both have six fan speeds and can be programmed to a daily or even weekly schedule to run at different speeds and times. Both models are also equipped with filter life monitors which are based on both time and fan speed, and both come with a remote control. While these are much larger and heavier than most air purifiers, we found them easy to move from room to room as they have four bottom-mounted casters (wheels). A display atop both IQAir models displays remaining filter life. © Vacuum Wars Test Results The results of all the measurements and tests we performed are below. Health Pro PlusGC MultigasAirflow/Noise 144db @ 24 CFM46db @ 28 CFMAirflow/Noise 250db @ 42 CFM48db @ 47 CFMAirflow/Noise 357db @ 70 CFM54db @ 74 CFMAirflow/Noise 462db @ 84 CFM57db @ 82 CFMAirflow/Noise 567db @ 101 CFM62db @ 98 CFMAirflow/Noise 673db @ 127 CFM67db @ 126 CFMMax Airflow127 CFM126 CFMAverage CFM to db1.041.28HEPA Rating0.003 microns0.003 micronsFog Test (to Baseline)51 min33 minTVOC Reduction100%100%TVOC Time to 0%51 seconds19 secondsWhere to Buy AmazonAmazonTests performed by Vacuum Wars' independently. Airflow Starting with the bench tests, this is where we test things like airflow and noise level. We measured airflow at all settings and, though we did not find a significant difference between them, they both were incredibly good. Recording airflow results from the IQAir GC MultiGas. © Vacuum Wars For example, the airflow at max power was just over twice the average speed of all the air purifiers we've tested so far. In both models, the motors are encased within a double-walled housing and seated on rubber suspension pads that isolate motor vibration. They both had the best CFM to noise ratings of any we've tested, meaning that they put out a lot of air without being too loud, though the MultiGas was slightly better at this. Air Purifier Resources Air Purifier Reviews - View recent air purifier reviews and comparisons. Best Air Purifier - We put 30+ air purifiers to the test to find the best! Filter Quality Now let's examine their filter quality. The HealthPro Plus and GC MultiGas both use IQAir's patented Hyper HEPA filter technology, which they say can filter the smallest airborne particles that exist. The Hyper HEPA filters capture ultra-fine particles down to .003 microns, which is 100 times smaller than the conventional HEPA industry standard of 0.3 microns. Basically, it's an extremely high-quality HEPA filter. One of the IQAir GC MultiGas's cartridges. © Vacuum Wars The HealthPro Plus has three filters: a pre-filter to capture coarse and fine particulate matter, a V5 cell containing 5 pounds of granular activated carbon and a chemical sorbent to trap volatile organic compounds or VOCs, and other harmful chemicals, and a HEPA filter. Five pounds of carbon is a lot; it was by far the most we've seen on an air purifier before this review. The GC MultiGas has a pre-filter incorporating IQAir's Hyper HEPA technology, setting it apart from the HealthPro Plus where the pre-filter and the HEPA filter are separate products. The IQAir HealthPro Plus and IQAir GC MultiGas side-by-side. © Vacuum Wars The GC MultiGas also features cartridges that contain three pounds each, so 12 pounds total, of granular activated carbon and impregnated alumina, which is by far the largest amount of carbon in any consumer air purifier that we know of. Finally, the GC MultiGas has filter sleeves that wrap around its cartridges. Filter Life The advanced filters used in both air purifiers do last longer than those we've seen regardless of price. Estimates below are from IQAir's website. HealthPro Plus filter lifespan PreMax Filter: 18 months V5 Cell: 2 years HyperHEPA: 4 years and 2 months GC MultiGas filter lifespan GC HyperHEPA Pre-Filter H11 (S): 1 year GC MultiGas Cartridges: 2 years and 5 months GC Post-Filter Sleeve Set: 2 years and 4 months Filtration Tests Moving on to our filtration tests, our first being the fog test. In this test we release 12 seconds of fog into a ventless room and run the air purifiers on max power, measuring each air purifier's ability to return the air to our baseline. IQAir HealthPro Plus performing our fog test. © Vacuum Wars Both air purifiers successfully cleared the fog back down to baseline measurements. The MultiGas was significantly quicker, clearing the fog in 33 minutes, a new Air Purifier Wars record, compared to the HealthPro Plus's still admirable 51 minutes. Both scores were much better than average. For examining the reduction of VOCs, we pump exact amounts of incense smoke into a sealed refrigerator and measure how much and how quickly each air purifier can reduce VOCs in a 5-minute test on max power. Tip: The GC MultiGas's filters do fit in the HealthPro Plus. So, if you purchase a HealthPro Plus, you can upgrade. IQAir says the performance is identical as all other aspects of the air purifier are the same! The MultiGas's 12 pounds of carbon was truly noticeable here. It reduced the VOCs 100 percent in just 19 seconds, by far the fastest we've ever seen, with the next best being the HealthPro Plus at just 51 seconds. IQAir HealthPro Plus taking our VOC reduction test. © Vacuum Wars Just so you can get a sense of how good that is, the average score is a reduction of 66 percent in 4.3 minutes. So, to reduce it 100 percent in 19 seconds is truly amazing, and it proves that at least with IQAir, you can really trust their claims of reducing smells, gases, and VOCs. Our Conclusion So, as we bring this review to a close, we can see that both the IQAir HealthPro Plus and the GC MultiGas are in a league of their own. Their design, power, and unique high-quality filters set them apart from most other air purifiers on the market. Excellent IQAir HealthPro Plus Amazon Best Overall IQAir GC MultiGas Amazon However, when faced with the choice between the two, the IQAir GC MultiGas is clearly the better choice. The question is, is it worth the extra money compared to the previous IQAir? If you're more concerned with odors and gases and you want the best of the best, the MultiGas is the clear choice and is worth the extra cost. But if you want the second-best air purifier on the market for a significantly reduced cost, you would want the IQAir HealthPro Plus. Specs IQAir Health Pro PlusIQAir GC MultigasMaximum Coverage1,125 sq. ft.1,125 sq. ft.Purification TechnologyPre-filter, Gas & odor filter, HyperHEPA filter H12/13HEPA Pre-filter H11, Gas & odor filter, Post filterDimensions15” x 16” x 28”15” x 16” x 28”ColorWhiteWhiteWeight (with filters)35 lbs.44 lbs.Warranty10 years10 yearsWhere to BuyAmazonAmazonSpecifications are from the manufacturer’s website and product manuals.

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