At last, an honest Levoit LV-PUR131 review that reveals the whole truth about this powerful Levoit air purifier. You hate buying pricey products that turn out to be nothing but complete junk. Everyone does. And you want to be sure that the Levoit air purifier you pick is the best deal that can be had with your budget. I’m committed to helping you decide if the LV-PUR131 is the best bet.
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Overview
The LV-PUR series comprises of 2 air purifiers, the LV-PUR131 and its smart version, the Levoit LV-PUR131s. They’re mid-range air purifiers, costing double what some Levoit air purifiers do. But what more benefits do these two devices offer? And do those additional advantages justify the price difference?
Let’s review the LV-PUR131 first and then do the intelligent version in the following section.
Design
The PUR131 features a rectangular shape. However, unlike the LV-H126, this machine looks a whole lot nicer. Polluted air gets in via 2 vents, one on the right and the other on the left side. And clean air rockets into the room via the top. It’s a thoughtful design, one that takes into account the needs of people without much space.
Waking Up With a stuffy Nose Sucks
Do you wake up with a stuffy nose every morning and wonder whether your life will ever improve? The PUR131 makes a huge difference when it comes to bettering indoor air quality. It’s 3-stage filtration system that includes powerful True HEPA filtration.
This filtration mechanism bludgeons potentially harmful air pollutants, removing up to 99.97% of those in the 0.3-micron range. Bring together the main filter’s air cleaning efforts and those of the prefilter and odor filter. What’s the result? You get indoor air that carries almost zero PM2.5 particles.
Does the LV-PUR131 Clean 300 sq. ft. Rooms as Advertised ?
The manufacturer says the device is suitable for areas as large as 300 square feet. But I think something is a little off about that claim.
Look, the company also says the LV-PUR131 offers a CFM of just 135. And that the Core 300 and Core P350 have a CFM of 135, yet their coverage is only 215 sq. ft. Why would a CFM of 135 clean 215 square feet with one product and 300 sq. ft. in a different option from the same company? Logic must apply equally in all similar situations, don’t you think so?
You know what? You can use this product to purify a room with a square footage of 300. But tell you what? You won’t get an ACH of more than 3.3, assuming the room’s ceiling height is 8 feet.
If you have asthma and need clean air pumped out as fast as possible, place the device in a smaller space. You need an ACH of at least 4, and the room shouldn’t be any bigger than 250 square feet.
Honestly, the manufacturer’s claim about this machine’s cleaning ability is questionable. Maybe the hefty price difference between this air purifier and cheaper Levoits isn’t completely justifiable. At least, it’s hard to justify the price difference on the basis of purification coverage alone.
Air Circulation
Quite a few Levoit purifiers that suck in contaminated air via a 360-degree air inlet. By comparison, the LV-PUR131 uses 2 side vents to draw in dirty air.
Purified air shoots out via the top, giving the room an airpurifierful of crisp clean air. I like its air circulation design as it allows one to place the device against an obstacle such as a wall. If you don’t have much space, that’s the design to choose.
LED Display
The LV-PUR131 has a nice LED display that contains 7 important features. Levoit has assembled these features into a fine touch control panel. They include the power button, a 12-hour timer, and a filter-change icon. There’s also the auto mode, air quality sensor, sleep mode, and 3 fan speed buttons. Should I really repeat what each of them helps the machine do?
The Dust Sensor
The dust sensor only works when the unit operates on auto mode. On sleep mode, the LV-PUR131 lurches into low and the display dims. Note: you can’t adjust fan speed when the unit is in either sleep or auto mode.
The Dust Sensor Changes Color When Air Quality Improves
If the room’s air quality situation gets terribly bad, the dust sensor goes Red. Automatically, the thing shifts to the fastest fan speed, packing its heftiest filtration punch.
Once the air quality improves to “ok,” the sensor illuminates Yellow, and the fan speed switches to Medium. And when the air quality gets even better, the sensor turns GREEN. The machine keeps running at that fan speed until the air gets squeaky clean. And that’s when the sensor lights up Blue. At that point, the device automatically starts operating on Sleep Mode.
Memory Function
Like the Levoit Vista 200, the PUR131 remembers the settings it was on before it powered off. That’s a really nice feature, and it means more convenience. Note: the air purifier needs to remain plugged in if it’s to remember its settings.
Energy Consumption
The PUR131 comes rated 40W. I’d have expected it to need more power than that, though. I mean, take the Vista 200 for example. It has a wattage of 60W, significantly more than the PUR131, but it cleans a much smaller area — just 161 square feet.
Maybe the PUR131 has an undisclosed air cleaning technology that tremendously boosts the product’s energy efficiency? But if that were true, why would Levoit’s marketing department stay mum about it?
Filter Replacement
A check-filter icon lights up after 6-8 months. However, that doesn’t mean the filters have expired and need replacement real bad. It just means check if the filters really need to be changed. When shopping for replacement filters, search for the LV-PUR131-RF on Amazon or wherever.
Noise Levels of the PUR131
Just like the LV-H126, this air purifier isn’t too noisy. I’ve reviewed tons of overly noisy options elsewhere on this air purifier reviews site. The highest noise level produced is 52 dB. You’d not have any trouble sleeping with this air cleaner on sleep mode.
Certifications
The PUR131 is CARB, FCC, CE, and Energy star rated.
Pros
- Air quality sensor/Dust sensor
- Filter-check feature
- Low energy consumption
- Air enters via 2 side vents and leaves via the top
- An affordable mid-range air cleaner
- A memory function that remembers previous settings
Cons
- A little expensive
- Coverage information seems misleading
- Not Wi-Fi enabled despite being relatively expensive
- No child-lock
The price for this product could be lower. While the unit offers an auto mode and a dust sensor, the price still seems a bit steep. I bet you could get cheaper deals that offer more or less of the features this purifier provides.
Also, the option doesn’t let you control it via mobile. I also find it surprising that a unit that expensive shouldn’t have the child-lock feature.
Levoit LV-PUR131 Review: Conclusion
Aside from these small shortcomings, the Levoit LV-PUR131 is a serious performer. With this appliance, you should face all those nasty allergens and allergy triggers with increased confidence. It’s like the most affordable True HEPA air filtration system ever made, but it’s worth all of its price-point.
