LG PuriCare Air Purifier
RM849
Pros | Cons |
+ Fresher and cleaner air | - Put tension on ears without strap extender |
+ VoiceON technology | - Pricey |
+ Strap extender included | |
+ Easy setup & user friendly | |
+ Eco-friendly packaging | |
As we go through this pandemic with multiple Covid-19 variants from Alpha to Delta, each coming stronger than the other, wearing masks has become a part of our daily lives. Every time you go outside of your house, your masks must be on but they can sometimes be frustrating like when your voice is muffled and you will experience breathing difficulties after wearing it for some time, and yet it's too dangerous to remove your mask outdoors. So today, we'll be looking at a cool-looking Star Wars-ish wearable air purifier to help improve your breathing.
Unboxing and First Impressions
The LG PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier comes in a simple eco-friendly packaging, which is made from unbleached paper and recyclable materials. As LG emphasizes the importance of saving the earth, the packaging box isn’t glued for recycling as well as easier unboxing.
Inside the box is the wearable air purifier itself sitting nicely on a plastic pack, which can be used as a charging stand. Included in the box are some paperwork, a face guard, two pieces of PuriCare filters, 15 pieces of inner covers, a portable pouch, a strap extender, and a USB-C charging cable.
The unit that we received comes in white colour with a smooth plastic exterior. On the bottom, you’ll get a speaker. Turning over to the interior, there’s a filter case on the left and right, each for you to fit in the PuriCare filters. Inside each slot, you’ll see a suction fan. The power button, light indicator, and USB-C charging port are located at the bottom.
Overall, I feel like I’m going to look like a StormTrooper when I put it on as it’s definitely bigger than a normal mask and I expect it to cover the whole lower half of my face.
Setup
When LG included so many things in the packaging box, I was concerned about whether the wearable air purifier will be user-friendly or not in terms of installation. Turns out, it’s pretty easy if you follow the steps accordingly in the owner’s manual.
Before you get to breathe fresher and cleaner air, you’ll have to slot in each PuriCare filter into the filter case, pushing it inward until it clicks into place. According to LG, these HEPA H13 filters are able to efficiently remove harmful particles like dust, virus, bacteria, and allergen up to 99.95%. When you’re done with the filters, you need to put an inner cover by simply sliding the holes on the cover over the guide tabs on the air purifier. Then, you can layer the face guard on top of it, which can click into place magnetically.
Once everything is in place, you can press and hold the power button for at least 2 seconds and it will turn on. The light indicator will turn green, indicating that it is working now. You can just put it on like a normal mask, hanging the straps around your ears. You can adjust the straps according to the sizes of your ears. If the straps are not long enough or you feel any discomfort with the ear straps, you can use the included strap extender to reduce tension around your ears.
VoiceON
As this unit is thicker than a normal mask, your voice would be more concealed and trapped. The VoiceON technology, which comes with a built-in microphone and speaker, functions as a voice amplifier. To activate it, simply press the power button when the air purifier is on. When enabled, it will beep twice and thrice when you disable it by pressing the power button again.
When the feature was not enabled, my dad had a hard time trying to hear what I was saying so I had to scream a little. The VoiceON definitely improves the volume of the output sound as my dad was able to catch on immediately. Unfortunately, there aren't any physical buttons for you to adjust the volume, something which you can only do via the LG PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier app, which connects via Bluetooth, but it’s still not available at the time of writing this review.
User Experience
Putting on the wearable air purifier, I felt a gush of fresh air circulating from within as the suction fans started working. The fans will only work when the respiratory sensor senses your breathing so it can save battery life. I’ve worn it for around 5 hours and I didn’t experience any stuffiness whether I’m carrying out daily routines indoors or walking outdoors. As someone who wears glasses, my favourite thing about it is I don’t experience any fogging on the glasses when exhaling. It’s been a very disturbing issue for me ever since we have to start wearing masks whenever we’re outdoors.
The dual fans inside are so silent that you won’t even notice the slight motor sound unless you’re in a very quiet environment. The silicone face guard makes it easier for the air purifier to hang and stick onto your nose so you won’t feel it moving around your face anytime soon. The face guard that comes with the package is in L size. If you have a smaller face, there's also an M size option, which you can purchase separately.
While this unit weighs 25% less than the first generation wearable air purifier, at only 94 g, I had a rather painful time after wearing it for some time. I actually felt the weight and tension around my ears. Then I added the strap extender and it definitely felt much better as the weight wasn’t focused on my ears only.
According to LG, you should replace the PuriCare filter every month if you’re using the air purifier for 8 hours every day. Meanwhile, the inner cover should be replaced every day as it’s where all your saliva will go to and accumulate at the end of the day. The face guard can also be easily removed for cleaning. If you’re using it every day, you can wash it with clean water daily. If it gets oily or smudged with makeup after spending hours sticking to your face, you can clean it with a neutral detergent.
Battery-wise, it packs a 1000 mAh battery, which can last for up to 8 hours of use. It managed to last me through my working hours albeit using it intermittently. When the battery level is going low, the green light indicator will turn orange. Leaving it for charging on your working desk seems wrong especially if yours is messy with papers and drinks, and on the floor next to a wall is even a worse choice. LG has thought of a better way for you to place the wearable air purifier in place while letting it charge, that is on the plastic pack. Besides packaging purposes, it also doubles as a charging stand with a dent for your cable to plug into the charging port. Genius!
Buy or no buy?
The LG PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier is definitely an effective solution to provide a better breathing experience especially at times like these. Not to mention it looks so cool! But maybe you’ll have some awkward glances once or twice because you don’t usually see people wearing it walking on the streets.
Anyway, it’s still a good item as you can speak louder with its built-in microphone and it doesn’t annoyingly fog up your glasses. Also, it’s said that with the app you’ll be able to track your breathing, control airflow, and volume. However, the app will only be released in Q4 this year so we didn’t manage to try its features.
The only downside of this cool air purifier is that it could be heavy for certain people even though it’s built lighter than the previous model. But it’s not a big problem thanks to the strap extender and it can last you till the end of the day without any pain. It will also be useful especially for those who wear a tudung.
At RM849, it can be pretty pricey for many especially when the pre-order period is over now. It’s more expensive when you have to replace the HEPA filters and inner covers frequently which can be quite costly at RM53 for each box. If you’re someone who’s willing to spend a lot on your personal health and hygiene, you wouldn’t mind this money. Otherwise, you might think twice before buying considering the money you need to spend every month.
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