Blueair - Blue Pure 211i Max Air Purifier

Product Notes:

Blueair's 221i Max is powerful enough to filter all the air in a Large room in just 12.5 minutes (for nearly 5 full air changes per hour). Or, in this case, even Extra Large rooms, up to 635 sq. ft. (59 m²) in size: such as an entire studio apartment or unfinished (wall-less) basement, or a large open concept office or "great room" (combined kitchen and living or dining room).

That's an upgrade of nearly 100 square feet in capacity for this new model compared to its three 211 predecessors (which were all in the mid-550 sq. ft. range).

Automation

This new Max version also upgrades the automation and air quality reading features of the 211+ Auto model (which entails a built-in air quality sensor which can automatically trigger changes in the fan speed when significant changes in the incoming air are detected) in two ways: expanding the basis for those readings from just the PM 2.5 particle size range (the 'fine' particles, less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter) to also encompass PM 1 (finer) and PM 10 ('coarse') sizes; and adding 2 more settings to the previous machine's 3 point scale for the LED air quality indicator (as shown here).

Detailed real-time readings for those 3 types of particulate sizes are now also available on the more advanced control and display area on top of the 211+ Max (unlike in the original 211+ Auto). Those details aside, the beauty of the Auto mode, of course, it you likely won't need to do anything more to control your unit on a day to day basis once you leave it at that setting: "Just set it and forget it," as they say.

Wi-Fi Enabled

A third major upgrade in the Blue Pure 211i Max relative to the earlier 211's that's being designated by the 'i' in its model number is in being Wi-Fi enabled so it can connect with most newer mobile devices (either smart phones or tablets) and thereby to the Internet, using a free mobile app (which is available for both Android and Apple devices).

This not only enables you to use your mobile device as a remote control to see its readings or change its settings (either from across the room or off-site altogether), but also opens up a range of other programming options (like scheduling it to ramp up 15 minutes before you return home), and includes a sophisticated new algorithm which calculates the remaining lifespan of your filter (expressed as a percentage) based on your actual usage. This machine can even be voice activated, if you have Alexa or Google voice assistance set up.

Some other refinements and improvements in the 211i Max model include:

• an additional fan speed (for 4, in all), for more options or less of a 'jump' in loudness in the middle setting(s);
• a NIGHT mode setting (so you can quickly set it to both the lowest speed and the fully dimmed light setting, at once);
• a new NOISE SHIELD (an almost literal "cone of silence") to reduce the noise level at the highest speed by 3 dB;
• new hole patterns for the incoming and treated air and a new prefilter material (a technical knitted fabric in muted colours, as shown below; the unit ships with the rightmost 'Stockholm Fog' silver-grey colour) to improve the airflow for even faster purification with less noise and power consumption; and perhaps most significantly,
• a new type of HEPASilent filter at the same price point (as of this writing) that may last up to 50% longer (so average users may only have to replace it every 9 months instead of every 6).

Finally, one other and certainly the most visible change in this model is that it's cylindrical (but slightly tapered) rather than cube shaped, which many will find more aesthetically pleasing.

Of course, some of the most important things haven't changed: rest assured, these new machines still use Blueair's patented 3-Stage HEPASilent technology, which combines the best aspects of both electrostatic and mechanical filtration, to be very efficient (only consuming about as much power as a light bulb), quiet (it, too, has been awarded a "Quiet Mark" designation by the Noise Abatement Society (NAS) as one of the quietest products in its category), and safe, as it captures at least 99.97% of airborne particles down to 0.1 micron in size, including Dust, Pollen, Mold, Pet Dander Bacteria, and Viruses (especially when they're suspended in the much larger water droplets people exhale), and goodly amounts of Smoke, Chemicals, and Cooking and Pet Odours.

In fact, as it says on their boxes, "Every Blue Pure Max air purifier is independently evaluated for performance by the AHAM Verified program, certified for energy efficiency by the Energy Star program, and certified for zero ozone emissions by Intertek" (which Intertek applies to items emitting fewer than 5 parts per billion; the measured Ozone Emissions for this model are well within that, at 2.0 ppb).

Prefilters

And to reduce operating costs, they also feature prefilters, as mentioned, to catch the largest airborne particles such as dust, lint, pollen, and pet hair before they reach the main filters, which extends the life of those filters considerably. These prefilters can be reused for years: you just need to vacuum them every week or two (or whenever you see a substantial accumulation of dust), and they can also be machine washed.

For the MAX series, the prefilters will be offered in five subtle Scandinavian colours (the first of which ('Stockholm Fog') is included with the machine). Although these prefilters have not been released in this country yet as of this writing (in June 2023), that is likely to change fairly soon.

Related Product: Replacement Blue Pure Max Filters