The Singapore sweltering heat is getting into you but stuck at home yearning for some clean air? Maybe you can consider Dyson’s latest Purifier Cool Formaldehyde (PCF) TP09.
It is a blade-less fan and air purifier rolled into one device. The PCF features Dyson’s Air Multiplier technology, which directs air through its sides to create a stream of air.
SPECS
PRICE: $999, available on Dyson Store
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
WEIGHT: 4.85kg
Equipped air filters and and a 350-degree oscillation capability, the PCF is said to be able to circulate purified air to all corners of a 81 sq m room, or roughly the size of a 3-room HDB flat.
As its name implies, the PCF represents a notch above its predecessor with its ability to sense and filter out formaldehyde. This chemical is a colourless gas pollutant, released by furniture and wooden products that contain formaldehyde-based resins. Long term exposure to formaldehyde can cause cancer.
Dyson also claims that this device is effective in getting rid of the influenza virus in its lab test. Its integrated sensors are said to constantly analyse the air quality and the amount of pollutants in your room.
FOR
+ Purifies and cools at the same time
+ Sleek design
+ New formaldehyde sensor
+ Allows constant monitoring of your house’s air quality
AGAINST
– Expensive
– Fan is quite weak
– Still quite loud
DESIGN
The PCF comes in two colour combos of nickel/gold and white/gold, which we reviewed.
Design-wise, it looks like the sleek blade-less fans that Dyson is famous for. However, it has a thick cylindrical base that houses the air filters. Both variants look fantastic and will add plenty of brownie points to whichever room you are placing it.
In front of the base, you will find a small LCD screen that shows the fan speed and the amount of air pollutants in real time with a simple graph. Above the display is the power button.
It comes with a remote control that lets you power it up and control functions such as degree of oscillation, fan speed, night mode and timer. This magnetised remote control can be securely attached at the top of the device.
PERFORMANCE
The device might be a tad bulky and looks intimidating. But it is actually very simple to install. Just pull the device out from the box, install the filters into the base, plug in the power cord and it is ready to go.
The filters come in two semi-circular parts that clip into either side of the cylindrical base. Each part consists of an inner carbon filter and an outer high-efficiency particulate air (or HEPA) filter. Do not force the part into the base. Instead, insert carefully until you hear a click sound. Before finally, installing the gold covers.
Apart from the remote control, you can also use the Dyson Link app (available on Android and iOS) to control the PCF. Once paired with the app via Bluetooth and the device connected to your home Wi-Fi, you can remotely control the device even when you are outside.
The app lets you monitor the temperature, humidity and air quality of your room. You can also get the external temperature, humidity and air quality for comparison if you key in your location information into the app.
You can also see the levels of PM2.5, PM10, volatile organic compound (VOC), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), formaldehyde (HCHO) with the app. PM2.5 are fine air pollutant particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, while PM10 are particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less.
For this review, I placed the PCF into a bedroom, where some new wooden furniture were recently installed.
When I moved the PCF into the bedroom after installing it in the living room, I could see a spike in the formaldehyde level readings on the app. But the level gradually dropped within hours.
As a test, I sprayed some insecticide in the room. The app showed increases in PM2.5 and PM10 levels. The device seems to do its job as the readings went back to the “green” levels in about 30 minutes.
On the downside, the PCF’s fan is not as powerful as conventional fans. The wind it generated at the highest setting (level 10) felt like it was produced by the lowest setting of my $30-plus bladed desktop fan.
Not to mention, while the PCF is said to be 20 per cent quieter than its predecessor, I still find it to be pretty loud. At least loud enough that I would not put it at the highest setting when I sleep.
But yet, when I set it to Night mode (level 4), the wind it generated was too weak. I woke up in a puddle of sweat on that setting. As such, this device is probably best used when you are working from home.
VERDICT
Priced a little under $1,000, the Dyson Purifier Cool Formaldehyde is really expensive. But if you are looking for a sleek air purifier fan that can be controlled remotely, this might be what you are looking for. Just don’t expect it to cool you much in Singapore’s sweltering heat.
RATINGS
FEATURES: 8/10
DESIGN: 9/10
PERFORMANCE: 7/10
VALUE FOR MONEY: 7/10
OVERALL: 7/10
