Winix Air Purifiers

Winix Air Purifiers are manufactured and sold by the Winix Corporation. Started in 1973 and settling on the Winix name in 2000, their head office is located in Shiheung City, a suburb of Seoul, South Korea. The company owns manufacturing factories in Korea, Thailand and China. Winix produces a wide range of home environmental appliances, including air purifiers, air coolers and cleaners, dehumidifiers, fan heaters, cold and hot water purifiers, water dispensers, air conditioner components, evaporators, condensers, bidets and others; however their air purifiers are the only products exported to the United States. Some of their products are also exported to Japan.

Winix’s United States offices are located in East Dundee, Illinois which is about an hour from downtown Chicago, which handles all North American sales and warranties. They are partnered with a large number of US retailers, including The Home Depot, Sears, Walgreen’s, Target, Best Buy, Costco, Fry’s, and Hammacher Schlemmer, among others.

Air Purifier History

Winix has been making air purifiers since at least 2003 and exporting them to the US from around 2006. They have built up the reputation of their air purifiers to the point that they are highly regarded by many reviewers. Although not excellent, more than one reviewer of their PlasmaWave line of air purifiers have commented that, comparing the features to the price, Winix offers a good value in their product, especially their higher end products.

Awards and Recognition

According to the English language version of their Korean corporate website, Winix has been awarded with a number of awards in Korea, although it is a little unclear what products those awards are for. Some of the awards are for simply being a large successful company while the majority of their company history discusses their growth in foreign markets.

Purifier Price Range

The air purifiers that Winix has available in the United States range in price from 230 dollars up to 550 dollars, although the street price is much less, ranging from as low as 160 for their least expensive model to as low as 240 for their most expensive model. It pays to shop around because their most expensive model, the 9000, is listed anywhere between 240 to 500 dollars on different internet search engines.

Winix Air Purifier Technology

For their top three models, Winix uses a 5 stage cleaning method, while their base model, the 5000B uses a 3 stage cleaning method. Their claimed cleaning efficiency is 99% for the 5000B and 99.7% for their lowest level 5-stage air purifier or 99.9% for their two top models. The 5 stage models use the following steps: washable anti-bacterial pre-filter, true HEPA filter, nano-silver mesh, washable carbon filter, followed by their final step, the PlasmaWave Technology, which is their biggest selling point and the namesake of their product line. It claims to generate both negatively and positively charged ions that, combining with water vapor in the air and form Hydroxyls.

These Hydroxyls, according to Winix literature, instantly neutralize viruses, bacteria, chemical vapors, odors and gasses in the air. This technology is the basis for Winix’s claims to silently remove from the air pollen, mold, smoke, dust and pet dander, while at the same time, neutralizing flu viruses, odors and bacteria. Their lower end model, the 5000B 3-stage air purifier, has only the carbon pre-filter, true HEPA filter and the PlasmaWave Technology.

Replacement Filters

While few of these claims have yet to be verified, such as the neutralization of flu viruses, Winix air purifiers do consistently receive high praise from reviewers and customers. The one point of contention seems to be the price of the replaceable filter. They typically run around 100 bucks and Winix recommends they be replaced every year or so with regular use.

Winix Air Purifier Models

• PlasmaWave 9000: 5-stage air purifier which has Anti-Bacterial Pre-Filter, True HEPA Filter, Nano-Silver Mesh, Washable Carbon Filter and PlasmaWave Technology as the final step. Suitable for a 284 square foot room and weighs just under 19 pounds. White and blue finish
• PlasmaWave 9000S: Identical to the 9000, simply smaller. Suitable for a 213 sq. ft. room with a unit weight of just under 14 pounds.
• PlasmaWave 5000: Same specs as the 9000, yet loses .03% efficiency to the 9000 series; the 5000 has a different design and comes in dark silver and grey color combination. Suitable for a 270 sq. ft room.
• PlasmaWave 5000B: Same design as the 5000 but with an all black color scheme and the 3-stage air cleaning system as opposed to the 5-stage system. The 5000B utilizes a Carbon Pre-Filter, a True HEPA Filter and then finishes things off with Winix’s PlasmaWave Technology.