Friedrich C-90A Air Purifier

Pros: Just about everything.
Cons: Noise, must be cleaned every week, expensive

I have to say that I am stunned that there has only been one review (prior to mine) on this product. The Friedrich C-90A air cleaner has been around for years and has been consistently rated as #1 by just about every consumer magazine out there. And ...

Pros: Fantastic unit, does the job very well.
Cons: Ugly, noisy on high, chore to clean all parts.

I've run two C-90A purifiers in my house for more than two years now. There are a few downsides that you should watch for but I do recommend them. I bought them because we live in an incredibly dusty area and that was becoming intolerable. First, I ...

Pros: Very effective. Cheap to operate. $15 a year for carbon filters.
Cons: Expensive. Other electrostatic precipitator air cleaners are cheaper. They may need carbon filtration added on.

I have had a Friedrich air cleaner for years. Here are some tips. Electrostatic precipitators (EP) produce ozone. Fresh carbon filter material catches it before it leaves the air cleaner. Consumer Reports reported no ozone from a Friedrich air cleaner ...

Pros: When they work they are great.
Cons: Customer service is useless and dismissive.

I purchased two of these units a year ago - an investment of $1,000. I used them over the last winter, and was very happy with them. Of the four people in the house, nobody noticed an ozone problem. I did not use them over the summer, but did clean ...

Pros: Very effective
Cons: Expensive , a little big & also boxy.Could have been a little sleeker looking

I have only had this Purifier for 2 weeks so I can not give too much advice on it. I was in the market for an air purifier (cleaner) and like most people I was intrigued by the sharper image ionic breeze thingy (with the gp). After much research I ...

Pros: Good filtering; low maintenance costs; solid.
Cons: The fan hum bothers my wife (not me).

Rather than most air filters which use disposable (and expensive) HEPA filter units, this Friedrich uses an electrostatic filter element to collect and trap dust particles. This is far superior to the electrostatic filters sold by Sharper Image because the total surface area for collecting dust is MUCH greater. Filtration has 3 stages: 1)outer filter to collect dust, hair, etc. 2) inner filter element and 3) final charcoal filter. Each are removal to clean; #2 can be put in the dishwasher. The unit is well-built, American-made, solid, but fairly large (like a small college-dorm refridgerator). I have no problem with the noise level, (a low hum from the internal fan) but it bothers my wife. Prices vary widely; I've owned mine for 5 years and would consider buying another/the same unit again.

Pros: very effective, will quickly clean a room
Cons: large, little noisy, filter must be cleaned in dishwasher

This is a powerful air cleaner that does a very good job at cleaning the air. My parents bought 2 after consumer reports rated it the best air cleaner. They have lots of dogs and cats, and I have allergies, and it significantly reduced my allergies when I was at their house. I now have 2, and they are very effective at cleaning the air. Because the have a powerful fan, they can clean a room quickly, which is very good if you are a cigar smoker, or otherwise create odors that need to be removed quickly.

On the downside, they are quite large. Also, the built in fan makes noise, and it occasionally makes a loud crackle or pop when it gets dirty. And the collector plates must be cleaned in a dishwasher. The collector plate unit is large, and the plates so close together, that you cannot clean in between them by hand. It will take up almost the whole bottom rack of a dishwasher, so it is unfortunately a waste of water, energy, and time to clean.

Pros: Quiet, moves lots of air, seems to do a great job cleaning the air.
Cons: Frequent cleaning, Causes TV interference

I've had this unit about three weeks. It move a lot of air even on low and medium speeds and is quiet compared to most other units that move large amounts of air. It seems to do a great job cleaning the room. The collection plates do need to be cleaned regularly. Overall I like this unit and actually leave it on most of the time unlike other air cleaners I've used that produce too much noise for my taste. The unit does cause a lot of interference on VHF television stations to the point that we turn it off if we watch TV. Multiple emails sent to Friedrich (from their C-90A site) to ask if this is normal or a problem with my unit have been ignored. As a side note, my Trion Electroninc Air Cleaner does not create interference.

Pros: IT WORKS--unlike the Sharper Image ones. It works, it works.
Cons: None. We're delighted.

My GF and I are both allergic to our cat, dog, dust, feathers... and of course we have some of each. We're used to waking up groggy and sneezy. No more. It really is a life-changer.

Consumer Reports - gotta' love em - they raved about this being THE machine, so we spend the money and are so glad we did. Got a great deal on eBay - bought a spotless used one for $330 and can't rave enough about it.

No expensive filters to replace every couple of months - just inexpensive prefilter... it ROCKS!

IF you're shopping for the best filter, hopefully you'll read this, and the Consumer Reports article/ratings before being duped by the Sharper Image ones that do absolutely nothing and cost almost as much as this.

Good luck!

J

Pros: Good quiet air cleaning
Cons: TV interference

I also have a new C-90A and I emailed Friedrich about the TV interference and they tried to tell me that it was insufficient grounding capability in my house and to get a "White noise filter" from Radio Shack and plug the C-90 into that. Well I ran the C90 from an unplugged UPS power source so there would be no connection to the house, with no improvement. I also used a battery run portable TV, still the same.

Pros: moves lots of air on high
Cons: Smelly ozone. Questionable construction. Unwieldy. Expensive to ship back if you don't keep it.

Ran this for portions of three days and nights before the fan, apparently, began rattling. This noise was less noticeable on high, but on med. and low the noise was troublesome, especially since it didn't make that noise initially. The ozone odors, which may or may not be harmful, are certainly less than pleasant and gave my wife headaches. And BEWARE of shipping costs to return the unit if you are unhappy with it. The cheapest ground rate I could find was over $40 (and you should know the seller will not pay for this, YOU will).

If you can find it locally, it may be worth a try. But $40 for the privilege of smelling it for three days has been a hard lesson.

Pros: Effective, quiet and works well on Medium and low settings. Filter cleans easily.
Cons: Could use wheels, makes occasional popping noise, Ozone smell apparent when cleaning a Musty room.

This is our first Air Purifier and I have been amazed at how effectively it has helped the constant congestion and allergies my wife and I have suffered. We rent an Old San Francisco Victorian. The carpets are old and we have a dog. That combined with what I suspect are some issues with mold have had us wondering why we almost never felt healthy at home. Now the Freidrich has taken care of 99% of our problems.
I went with the Freidrich because I didn't want to fill up the landfills with "disposable" filters and I didn't think I would be on the ball enough to regularly replace any disposable filters. I would recommend this unit to anyone.

Pros: No filters
Cons: May spontaneously start to produce an intolerable odor, which may be hazardous ozone.

Our C-90A worked great for over a year and then it started to produce a very bad odor--like a wet dog.

We cleaned the pre-filter, the main cell and replaced the carbon filter to no avail.

After searching the web, it is clear this is not unusual and if you are going to spend $400-$500 you should know that these units are prone to producing a very bad smell, which may be ozone.