In this Delonghi AC150 air purifier review, we are looking at the AC150, which is a mid-range model and one of four air purifiers currently offered by Delonghi. The Delonghi AC150 has four filtration levels: an anti-dust pre-filter, a '2-in-1 HEPA + Active Carbon' filter, a ‘photo-catalyst’ filter with a UV light and an independent ioniser.
Pros:
- Compact & contemporary design
- A broad range of features
- Quiet on settings 1 & 2
Cons:
- X High level of maintenance
- X Vibrates on setting 3
- X Insufficient amount of activated granular carbon
Introduction:
Delonghi is an Italian family company that has been in business for over 100 years. Delonghi sells domestic products such as portable heaters, air conditioners, household cleaning products and ironing products. Delonghi is best known for their series of espresso machines, gelato makers and portable air conditioners.
The Delonghi AC150 air purifier draws air from the front and then releases it from the outflow which is on top of the unit. The AC150 air purifier weighs 5.7kg, and with handles on both sides, the unit is easy to lift up and move around. The measurements of the unit are 45cm x 39cm x 21cm. The Delonghi AC150 air purifier has a touch screen control panel which operates the ioniser, speed settings, filter life monitor, auto setting, and power on and off control. The Delonghi AC150 uses four basic filtration stages: an anti-dust pre-filter, a '2-in-1 HEPA + Active Carbon' filter and a photo-catalyst filter with UV light and ioniser. The Delonghi AC150 pre-filter is washable and reusable. If operating the Delonghi AC150 continuously (for 24 hours) at medium speed in normal conditions (i.e. average amounts of dust/smoke) the HEPA filter, Delonghi writes, "will last about 12 – 18 months and the activated carbon filter about 6 – 12 months" [1]. Delonghi reassured us that the UV light does not require any changing over the lifespan of the product.
The Delonghi AC150 air purifier is available to purchase from Argos, John Lewis and various online sellers such as Amazon and eBay and the price ranges from £200.00 - £249.99 (incl. VAT). The ‘2-in-1 HEPA + Active Carbon’ replacement filter is available from Delonghi, Amazon and John Lewis for £19.99.
Marketed As:
The Delonghi AC150 air purifier is marketed towards allergy sufferers as well as people affected by cigarette smoke. The manufacturer says that the Delonghi AC150 is “laboratory proven for the reduction to house dust mite, cat allergen, dog allergen, fungi (mould), second-hand smoke, polluting organic compounds and common household odours” [2]. The manufacturer also claims that they developed a “state-of-the-art air purifier” which uses an “Air Quality System (AQS)” to analyse and tell you "the quality of the air in your home” [3]. The Delonghi AC150 air purifier is advertised as being suitable for a room size of up to 40m² [4].
Review:
The first thing we noticed was the design of the air purifier. The unit has a modern look in comparison to some of the other popular air purifiers on the market. The AC150 air purifier is fairly small (45cm x 39cm x 21cm) and relatively light (5.7kg). The control panel replaces the traditional buttons and dials with a smartphone-style and intuitive touch screen. When you select an option on the display, it will light up, enabling you to easily see (even at night) which feature has been switched on or off. The design of the control panel also makes it easy to clean, which is always nice.
The front cover of the Delonghi AC150 air purifier is held in place by a magnet. This is convenient as it makes the AC150 air purifier easy to open. More importantly, the front cover is less likely to wear out and break, as is the case with many other mid-range air purifiers.
The manufacturer states that the ‘2-in-1 HEPA + Active Carbon’ filter is effective against “particle pollution down to 0.3 microns in diameter” [5] however, Delonghi does not state how effective (i.e. Delonghi does not provide the air purifier's actual filtration efficiency in removing particles). The air cleaner has an activated carbon filter that uses granular carbon rather than carbon dust or a carbon mash - which is good. The actual amount of carbon used, however, is insignificantly low and how it is arranged in the filter makes us question what effect the filter will have in cleaning gas and odour contamination such as cigarette smoke.
The manufacturer does not give a specific recommendation on how often the pre-filter needs to be cleaned and when it should be replaced altogether. Delonghi only writes in the instruction manual that you should inspect the pre-filter and wash it if it accumulated "a considerable amount of dust and other dirt." If you become forgetful or lazy about maintaining the Delonghi AC150 air purifier and if you do not feel like washing the pre-filter once a month, then this will have a significant impact on the overall performance of the air cleaner.
During the time of writing this review, it was not easy to find replacement filters for the Delonghi AC150. The manufacturer states replacement filters should be available from the retailer you purchased the air purifier from and can also be bought from Delonghi directly. However, at the time of writing the ‘2-in-1 HEPA + Active Carbon’ filter was not available from Delonghi and only on Amazon and John Lewis.
Where the ioniser is placed
The manufacturer states the catalyst and UV light is effective against all air impurities and that the “UV light has the property of destroying the cells of the particles” [6] which is then collected by the photo-catalyst filter. UV light does tend to create ozone as a by-product, but Delonghi does not specify how much ozone might be created. When we contacted the manufacturer to find out, Delonghi said that “there are no exact figures on the ozone generation but it is below the legal limit required for products of this type”. That seems reassuring at first, but if you have severe respiratory problems we suggest opting for an air purifier that is guaranteed 100% ozone-free.
The touch screen features which light up
When the AQS (Air Quality System) is turned on, the Delonghi AC150 will light up in three different colours to indicate the ‘supposed’ air quality in your room. With Orange being poor quality of air, green moderate air quality and blue good air quality. We think the AQS is a bit of a gimmick, as it is too simple of a device to accurately measure pollution in your room. It should, however, react when you blow out a candle or light up a cigarette near to the unit.
If you have the Delonghi AC150 in your bedroom and the AQS is on, the lights may be distracting. So it is good to see that the light can be shut off independently.
Sound Pressure:
When we tested the Delonghi AC150 air purifier we were happy to see that the unit is very quiet on setting 1, and also quiet on setting 2. On setting 3 it is a bit more audible and maybe not suitable for use in the bedroom. What surprised us is that the fan of the unit makes the air purifier vibrate on setting 3. This is obviously a bit of a problem. It seems that the overall construction of Delonghi AC150 air purifier is nice and light - which is great because it makes the unit easy to move around. But maybe the overall housing of the Delonghi AC150 air purifier is too light to handle the fan on the highest setting? We expect that the vibration will increase when the filter gets more loaded and the air resistance is increased – but all of this is very unfortunate and seems to be a bit of a design flaw.
On a more positive note, it is good to see that the air purifier shuts down when you remove the front grill. For health and safety reasons, we would consider that a ‘must have’.
Air Flow:
The air flow for setting 1 of the Delonghi AC150 air purifier is 75m³/h, setting 2 is 110m³/h and setting 3 is 160m³/h. The manufacturer says that the AC150 air purifier is suitable for a room size of 40m². We do not agree as this would mean a) running the unit on setting 3 (which might be too noisy for many customers, and there is also the problem of the slight vibration that we discussed above) and b) the unit would still only achieve 1.6 air exchanges per hour in a room of that size. If you would like to use the unit in your bedroom, we suggest that the unit might be appropriate for rooms up to 22m² (assuming an average ceiling height and running the unit on setting 2).
Summary:
The Delonghi AC150 air purifier is a good mid-range air cleaner. But it is not without flaws. You might not be able to use it on setting 3, especially if the filters are loaded. This air purifier is also not for you if you want or need an air cleaner that is completely ozone free.
The carbon filter of the Delonghi AC150 is weak, but it is better than what you find in many other mid-range air cleaners. It was a bit concerning that the filters were only available from one store when we wrote this review, however, if the unit becomes a success then getting filters should (hopefully) not be a problem. It is only when the unit stops selling well that you need to worry about if you will be able to buy replacement filters in the future. Some manufacturers give you a guarantee that you can continue to purchase replacement filters for 15 years from the date you buy your air cleaner.
Specifications:
| Price: | £200.00 - £249.99 |
| Weight: | 5.7kgs |
| Size: | 45 x 39 x 21 cm |
| Filter type(s): | Pre-filter HEPA filter |
| Frequency of filter change: | HEPA filter - every 18 months Clean/vacuum the air purifier every month |
| Vacuum every month: | Yes |
| Cost of filter: | HEPA filter - £19.99 |
| Theoretical filtration efficiency (according to manufacturer): | 99% |
| Airflow on highest speed setting: | 160 m2/h |
| Adequate room size (according to manufacturer): | 40m2 |
| Country of Manufacture: | China |
| Power consumption: | 40 Watts |
| Warranty: | 2 Years |
[1] http://www.delonghi.com/Global/InstructionManuals/GB/GB-5737000000.pdf
[2] http://www.delonghi.com/en-gb/products/comfort/air-treatment/air-purifiers/ac-150-0137101017
[3] http://www.delonghi.com/en-gb/products/comfort/air-treatment/air-purifiers/ac-150-0137101017?TabSegment=support#support
[4] http://www.delonghi.com/en-gb/products/comfort/air-treatment/air-purifiers/ac-150-0137101017?TabSegment=specifications#specifications
[5, 6] http://www.delonghi.com/en-gb/products/comfort/air-treatment/air-purifiers/ac-150-0137101017?TabSegment=details#details
