With the news that COVID-19 virus can be quickly killed by ultraviolet light, air purifiers equipped with UV technology could be the next big thing. Launching just in time for this bit of good news is the Clean-tech UVC Air Purifier, which made its debut on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter less than a month ago. I got my hands on a prototype unit to try it out.
Quick specs
- 24W 254nm UVC
- Replaceable HEPA filter
- 45/58 decibel rating
- 43 cm tall
Packed into its compact form factor is a “hospital-grade” 254nm UVC bulb and a design featuring a mirrored vortex air chamber. The chamber helps keep the air coming in from the bottom inside exposed longer to the UV light to kill off germs. While I can't test the claims since I don't have lab-testing gear, Clean-tech does provide lab reports to verify its claims. There's also a replaceable HEPA filter at the bottom to keep out pollutants like pollen and dust that lasts six months to a year.
Because UV light is invisible to the naked eye, I couldn't tell if the prototype unit of my Clean-tech UVC Air Purifier's UV light is turned on. Clean-tech claims to keep all the light inside, and I couldn't find any openings for the light to escape. And you don't want it to escape, because UV light is harmful to living organisms and you don't want your skin or eyes to be exposed to it.
Credit: Aloysius Low/Can Buy or Not
Clean-tech claims one unit is enough to purify a small room of about 200 square feet, and can help remove odours too. I left the Air Purifier inside my store room for a few hours, and it smelled cleaner by quite a bit. I also tried spraying some perfume at the bottom and sniffed mostly clean air. There are no smart functions for this air purifier, so it doesn't kick up into high gear when it detect pollutants like some of the smarter ones That said, you can set two different fan speeds to kick up the rate of clean air coming out, and the normal speed is pretty quiet. The next level kicks it up a notch, and is audibly louder, though not annoying.
The Clean-tech UVC Air Purifier currently has five days left to go before it finishes its campaign. It's already hit its target with about S$470,000 in funds raised. You can get it for US$199 with shipping set for January 2021. It includes an HEPA air filter, and you can top up funds to purchase more. As always with any crowdfunded project, be warned that you are not buying a product, and there may be issues with fulfillment, but my gut feel from dealing with Clean-tech reps is that they should be able to handle this launch.
Note: Prototype unit was provided by Clean-tech.
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