Oreck Proshield PlusAir Purifier Review

By Rich Edwards

Having had severe asthma creating allergies clean air is vital to me.Dog hair, pollen and dust used to cause a lot of problems for me. My hope was that by minimizing the stuff in the air that my health would get better. I now have an air filter (also called an air purifier or air cleaner) in every room as a way to minimize dust and allergens. I was introduced to the Oreck Air PuriferProShield Plus via their infomercial and decided to compare it to the 9-stage Alive Air Purifier which I found online and thorough theirYoutube Videos which rank at the top of searches there.

The OreckProShield Plus is a small air purifier with molded black plastic. It also smells a bit "plasticy", but maybe they all do.It is made in China as almost all air purifiers today are..

4-Stage OreckProShield Plus Specifications:

New Technology - Helios Shield â„¢ (UV light - replace once a year - Oreck store only - $79.00))

Odor Control - Odor Eater filter (Replace once a year @$49)

Filtration - Truman Cell ® (Electrostatic plates)

Application- Cleans a 218 sq. ft. room 12 X 18 ft room twice every hour

Noise Level - Quiet on low. Loud on high

Warranty - 3-year limited warranty, lifetime warranty on the Truman Cell

Dimensions - 10.5" X 4.5" X 18"

www.Oreck.com

Price - $349

It also comes with a remote control (which no one uses). You can stand it up or down.

The Alive Air Purifier is a mid-sized air purifier with brushed -silvery plastic.

9-stage Alive Air Purifier Specifications:

New Technology - Senses Dust, Pollen and Odor automatically and adjusts.

New Technology - Nanotechnology Tio2 kills germs and viruses

Odor Control - Carbon, Electrostatic, and Negative Ions

Filtration - HEPA, Carbon, Electrostatic, Pre-Filter. Also UV, Tio2, and Ions to kill Mold, Mildew, Viruses

Application- Cleans a 864 sq. ft. room every hour

Noise Level - Quiet on low. Quiet on high.

Warranty - 5-year limited warranty

Dimensions - 11" X 12" X 24"

www.AliveAir.com

Price - $299

My Comparison

While there were a lot of noticeable improvements in the Alive Air Purifier over the OreckProShield Plus, and you seemed to get twice as much for less money (over twice the coverage and twice the filters), it was some of the little things that made me like the Alive Air Purifier better.

• The Alive Air Purifier included HEPA - which according to Allergists is the only way to effectively remove allergy and dust.

• The HEPA replacement filters cost less and included the carbon filter for free(The Oreck was twice as much for just the carbon which is 1/3 the size)

• It's much smoother and quieter- probably because of the brushless motor.

• I did like the auto-sensors - which go on whenever I cook or the dog walks by the machine

• I liked that I could change the UV bulb ($20) on the Alive Air once a year myself. The Oreck you have to send it back or bring it to the Dealer or their store ($70).

• The Oreck has complaints about a zapping noise, which I haven't had happen. It's probably dust across the plates it has.

• The Alive Air has 2 washeable filters, just like the Oreck does.

I might assume that the cost of the infomercial is built into the purifier and hence the disparity. In the end the Alive Air Purifier was the winner.