If you’re shopping for an air purifier under $100 the Levoit LV-H132 is definitely worth a look. Not only is it very affordable; this purifier looks great and offers some great features. Plus it’s compact and fits in well with other modern appliance designs. That is definitely rare in the sub 100 dollar price range. That’s why jumped on the opportunity to create a Levoit LV-H132 review.
Housed is a glossy white case and topped with an attractive soft blue light the LV-H132 isn’t going to look out of place on a desk or in a higher end bathroom. And, that’s good news because it’s sized perfectly for small spaces. Levoit recommends that you place the purifier in a space that measures under 90 square feet for best results.
We also appreciate that levoit equipped the purifier with a three stage purification system and some smart features found in much more expensive purifiers.
Best for…
- Small rooms (Office, Laundry Room, Bathroom, Small Bedroom, Closet, etc.)
- Desktops and Counters
- Budget conscious shoppers (Cheap Purifier and Replacement Filters)
- Modern/Contemporary Design Aesthetic
Highlights:
- Low price point
- Compact Size (9.7″ x 9.8″ x 14.6″)
- No Ionizer or UV-C Light (zero harmful Ozone)
- Night light function (2 Levels)
- Quality feel (nice heft at 6.6 lbs)
- Easy to setup and use
- 2 Year Warranty
Quirks:
- Coverage is a little small (86 square feet / 8 square meters)
- Could use a bit more activated carbon (if you’re a smoker)
- Levoit recommends that you place it 15 inches from the wall
Filtration
You won’t find many purifiers at this price point with big purifier filter tech… That’s what really stands out to us in this purifier. It has a pretty solid prefilter, a true HEPA filter, and activated carbon to soak up odor (like smoke, food smells, and pet odor). Plus these filters are very affordable and should last, on average, 6-9 months.
True HEPA filter
You should always look for a HEPA filter in any purifier you purchase. Some of the most dangerous particles you can breathe are smaller than a micron in diameter. For reference; a human hair’s cross section is about 50-70 microns. If you opt for a true HEPA filter, you’ll be able to remove more than 99% of particles down to 0.3 microns. Which you have to admit is pretty impressive. A HEPA filter will not, however, remove VOC’s or odor. But, Levoit has addressed that short coming in the LV-H132.
Activated Carbon
On to the stuff that a HEPA filter cannot trap – odor, gases, and VOCs. While many people buy a purifier to keep fine particles out of the air they breathe, most also want to tackle odor. That’s where activated carbon comes into play.
Through a process called adsorption, activated carbon catches things that are too small to capture in a HEPA filter. Adsorption is kind of like absorbtion; just with gas instead of a liquid. Activated carbon is incredibly porous (like a sponge) so, there’s a lot of surface area to catch odor for quite a long time. You can read more on how much surface area on Wikipedia. It’s such a large number that if we mentioned it here you’d probably think it was a typo.
Pre Filter
As you may know a HEPA filter removes the very smallest particles of any filtration system. But, that means that it can get dirty very, very quickly. High end purifiers use a prefilter to protect the HEPA filter from being clogged with easy to capture particles like dust and pet hair. Kind of like a sacrificial layer to keep the HEPA filter at its best.
Levoit was smart to include a prefilter on the LV-H132. Not many manufactures do on their more affordable purifiers. The only criticism we have is that the prefilter isn’t washable (like higher-end counter parts). But, you can always give it a quick vacuum to increase airflow and remove larger contaminants.
Build Quality and Design
Simply put, you will not find a purifier at this price point that looks better. And, the build quality is pretty impressive as well. Is it on par with larger purifiers in the $500 plus price range? No, but we’d put it up against anything below $200 without hesitation. It’s sleek and feels solid in hand.
Typically purifiers that work well and don’t cost a lot feel cheaply built. Even really good products like those from honeywell look a little cheap next to Levoit’s purifiers. Both work really, really well. But, Levoit just has a bit more in the looks department.
The size is also a great aspect to the purifier’s design. It’s just right. If it were any smaller… it would never move enough air to do anything. And, if it was much larger it wouldn’t be quite as portable. This is small enough to carry in a suitcase. Which is great if you travel for work and have allergies.
The design of the control panel is also pretty impressive. Just a handful of clearly marked easy to comprehend buttons. One that turns the machine on and off. Another that cycles through the beautiful blue night light (off, low, high). A dirty filter sensor reset button is the only one that is a little ambiguous. But, the others… including the button for the 3 speed fan… are very straight forward.
Is it Quiet?
When you have the fan set to its lowest setting you’ll get about 43 dB. That’s not loud by any means, but it is not the quietest purifier on the market. It’s actually a pretty good volume for a low level amount of white noise. We sleep without Honeywell 50250 S running and it cranks out over 50 dB on low.
As you move up in fan speed the levoit does get a little louder, but nothing too significant. It’s well within the noise limits of other purifiers. However, we should point out that when you turn the purifier on it goes to “optimal” fan speed. So don’t be surprised when you plug yours into the wall and fire it up… it gets much quieter.
Coverage and Usability
Coverage is pretty small for this unit. Less than 90 square feet is the recommended room size. That’s just below what an average bedroom measures. And, as we’ve recommended in other reviews it’s always smart to buy a purifier rated for a space larger than the one where you plan to use the purifier. If you live in a large house with an open floor plan or work at a cubicle this might not be your best option.
It’s small coverage also means that it isn’t going to move a lot of air in a room with an odor problem. And, when you have smells to fight… you want to expose that activated carbon to as much smelly air as possible. If you’re worried about off gassing from a new piece of furniture this purifier is probably adequate. However, if you just got new carpet or paint… you’ll need to open a window or get a bigger purifier.
Despite it’s small size the Levoit makes up for any shortcomings by being really easy to operate. Plug it in… hit the power button, and you’re purifying air. Want to make it more quiet or slow down the fan… just hit the single fan speed button a couple times. If you need a little light you can go from no light, to a dim light, to a fairly bright blue light by pressing the light bulb button. And when the filter needs attention you just replace it and hit the button that looks a bit like a sheet of paper. That’s about as simple as it gets… we’re not sure why they even include an instruction manual.
Levoit Product Video
Levoit LV-H132 Review Final Thoughts
It’s a great purifier if you’re on a budget and want something that looks good/works well. Levoit seem to be gaining some market share in the purifier world. So they should be around for a while. Which is good news for purchasing replacement filters.
The LV-H132 also has all of the things we look for in a purifier. Primarily the HEPA filter, Activated Carbon, and a prefilter. Those are just must haves at any price. Good build quality and design are just icing on the cake.
Are there better options? Absolutely. But, expect to pay double if not more for something that looks this good and purifiers better. If you do want to compare something a bit more expensive in the same category check out the Blue Pure 411. It costs a bit more, but we think it trumps the Levoit in pretty much every aspect.