Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

As a board-certified allergist, I'm often asked, "what air filter should I buy?". First of all, do you need a filter at all? If you're allergic to just dust mites, don't bother. Dust mites are carried on large particles (10 micro-meters, or microns), and only stay airborne for 15 minutes after being disturbed (such as making the bed or running a vacuum cleaner). They won't even get to the filter, so no matter what filter you buy, it can't filter something that doesn't STAY airborne. But if you're allergic to something carried on tiny (~ 2 micron) particles, such as cat dander or grass pollen, then by all means consider getting an air filter. My household owns 2 Rabbit Minus A2's. That's the bottom line, but here's the long explanation: 1) I ask my patients who need a filter, 'what is your budget'? If it's $200, get a Honeywell. They're inexpensive and work well. If it's $500, get a Rabbit (details below). If it's $1,000, consider getting an IQ air, Blue-Air, or Austin. If cost is no object, do what we did with our previous home. I bought 3 hospital grade IQ Airs and put 1 of them inline with each HVAC unit in the house (I know, I know, 3 HVAC's must mean a big house, buy hey, I'm a doctor in practice for 25 years, and besides, the financial guy down the street has a house twice as big). We spent about $12,000 on that upgrade. All so we could have our cake and eat it too (not get rid of the cats). Or is it EAT our cake and have it too? The super-fancy filters lowered the airborne allergens to next-to-nothing, but if my daughter still slept with the cat... 2) Why do we own 2 Rabbits? I really like the idea that Rabbits have 4 separate filters, and you can customize the 4th filter (germ, pet, toxin or odor remover). 3) I am totally inept when it comes to mechanical aptitude, but I am able to order the $85 filter pack once a year and make our Rabbit as good as new. All you have to do is unwrap each filter and keep them in the same order. 4) We have one of them in our bedroom and one in the allergic kid's bedroom. ---Other hints about getting any filter -High speed equals better filtration, but the 'turbo' speed on Rabbits is pretty loud. Maybe run it on high speed when you're NOT in the room (especially if the cat goes in the room---Whiskers doesn't mind the noise--trust me on that one), and turn it down to low speed when you're in the room. -Priority #1 is to put one of these in your bedroom--that's where you spend (hopefully) 8 hours a day while you're asleep. -Don't skimp on replacing those filters each year. A clogged up filter is worthless, at best, and aerosolizing last year's allergens, at worst. -Clean the pre-filter every month or two. Hope that helps.