I’ve never delved much into air purifiers, but it’s not because of a lack of desire to. While I find them a bit less interesting than air quality monitors, the main limitation has been that I’ve been a digital nomad with no permanent home for the past three years. While this is fine when reviewing small products, it quickly causes logistical issues when reviewing larger products (even if it is a very compact air purifier like the QT3). Now that I’m back home in New Zealand for a while, I can finally review these larger products. What better place to start than with the incredibly popular SmartAir QT3?
I posted the other day on X that I would be producing a QT3 review as soon as I have enough time with the device, and the response was, quite frankly, amazing. As you can see from the post below, it got a ton of responses, and it’s clear that this is a popular device.
While the overall opinion on the device seems to be quite good, there were a few issues that kept being mentioned - namely, the lack of a mesh on the back of the device, which, when coupled with a fragile fan, has led to many broken fans and the gaps around the side of the filter. However, the latter issue appears to have been addressed with new QT3 devices sold after the end of 2022 based on this post: Improving the QT3 Portable Air Purifier for COVID-19 Protection – Smart Air. While some people have said these side guards are easy to break, it’s refreshing to see such changes made based on customer feedback!
With the recent version I received, the only gaps I can see when looking into the device from the front are around the top of the filter. When I get around to testing the device properly, I will definitely check the different results with this gap covered vs. uncovered.
I also found some people’s creative uses of the gap at the top of the device very cool! One person replied with an image showing an Aranet4 Home in the hole, while another showed a portable battery in this section.
Since I just received the device, I haven’t had much of a chance to test it. That said, I tried it on my desk while working, and my AirGradient ONE indoor air quality monitor quickly showed a drop from 5ug/m3 of PM2.5 to 0-1 (fluctuated between the two). This was with the monitor sitting in front of me while I worked and with the QT3 about 50cm away from me on the desk. Considering these are the use cases for which this purifier is designed, it’s a good start!
When looking at an air purifier, I always check the HouseFresh review (which you can find linked below). In it, they said it is a decent device, but again, it’s not an air purifier in the traditional sense and is very underpowered for even a small room. Rather, it’s good in a car or when you want to create a small clean air ‘bubble’ such as at a desk while working. Compared to the other portable options, it performs well and comes in at a lower price.
I will continue to share my thoughts on the device here until my full review is complete. At that point, I will post a link below.
In the meantime, if you have any thoughts or questions about the device I would love to hear them! Have you tried the QT3? How has it performed in your experience?