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Good air purifier to an allergy sufferer is like good armour shield to a soldier on the battleground. Often times, there is simply no way to predict where and when the next attack from the enemy is going to come from.

The same goes for air purifier. It is inevitable that there has been questions about the true effectiveness of air purifier. After all, that’s what democracy is all about, isn’t it?

But to me, as an asthma and allergy sufferer myself, I’ve tried to keep my measure of air purifier effectiveness simple. I just need to tally up the medical bills and the frequency that I have to see my physician.

If my total bill is less when I have my air purifier active, then I know it has been doing a good job. I know that it’s been getting rid of all the germs and dusts invisible to the naked eyes. And that’s all I’m asking for. That alone is good enough proof for me.

Any search for the best air purifier will definitely lead you to Five Star FS8088 Ionic air purifier. It is one model that’s been receiving dozens of positive rating in a number of air purifier reviews. So does it make a truly great investment in order to reduce your suffering and medical cost? Read on and you’ll have a better idea on what to expect.

What Can Star FS8088 Ionic Air Purifier Do for You?

Air purifiers only have one main job. They remove allergenic substances and other unwanted particles from the air inside a house so that you end up with better indoor air quality.

UV light in FIVE STAR FS8088 Ionic Air PurifierFive star FS8088 Electrostatic plate cleaning

The most basic models do just that. A few offer extra features, like programmable on/off timings or different settings. Different purifiers are appropriate for different environments.

For example, a purifier for use in a small bedroom needs to be quiet and effective overnight, and should also be energy efficient to avoid running up a large electricity bill. A larger space demands a more powerful purifier, and if it will be used during the daytime, the necessity for quiet operation is not as strong.

So, how does Five Star FS8088 fare in these aspects?

It’s Small. Good Enough for Bedroom but not Larger Rooms

First, let’s talk about size. The Five Star FS8088 is on the smaller side for air purifiers. It is less than two feet tall and weighs 3.4 pounds.

What does this mean to us? Its small dimension simply tells us that while you can expect it to work well for smaller rooms, don’t expect it to do wonder in larger rooms.

It all goes down to fundamental law of physics and mechanics. Given the small build of the FS8088, there is just no way for it to have enough power to clean your entire living room (not the apartment living room though). But it is reasonable to expect it to clean the air in your bedroom. That’s just about right.

Quiet, Please!

The FS8088 is also a particularly quiet machine. It has two settings – a high-power one and a low-power setting, designed for nighttime use. Both settings are pretty quiet, with the low-power setting being almost noiseless.

The “power” refers to the internal fan that circulates the particles it takes in, sending them to the electrostatic rod inside the machine. This rod collects all the dust, pollen, and other particles that the machine takes in.

Fan speed setting in FIVE STAR FS8088 Ionic Air PurifierCharcoal filter in FIVE STAR FS8088 ionizer Air cleaner

Easy Cleaning & Maintenance

Cleaning out the machine is pretty simple- just take out the rod and wipe it off. Being an ionic air purifier it is, there are no filters – just the rod. The FS8088 also has an internal ultraviolet light that kills germs that enter the machine, which can also double as a night light.

A Five-Star If Not for These

It’s Cheap. Make Sure You Set Your Expectation Right

In terms of build quality, the FS8088 is a mixed bag. Some users report that the machine broke not too long after purchasing it.

Every purchase of a brand new unit comes with 30-day satisfaction guarantee warranty and a 3-year factory warranty. But, there is one caveat to the warranty rule. The warranty doesn’t cover the cost of a broken unit.

Should your FS8088 ionic air purifier be broken and need repair or replacement, you have to bear the shipping cost yourself. Heck it! Given the price, the more sensible option will be to discard the broken unit and get a brand new unit.

Would I Buy It?

Let’s face it straight. Do you really expect to spend few tens of dollars thinking that you can get the best air purifier and shrink your monthly hundreds of dollars bill into half? Personally, I don’t generally recommend anyone going for low cost air purifiers.

You may also want to take note that Five Star FS8088 is an ionic air purifier. It doesn’t come with advanced filtration system and cannot be compared to the best HEPA-type of air purifiers.

The key takeaway is down to one simple consideration. If you already have an air purifier unit, getting this ionic air purifier might bring further improvement to the indoor air quality of your home.

But if you expect it to work on its own and expect to cut your monthly medical bill by hundreds, it’s a little far-fetched (IMHO).

Image courtesy of Shuji Moriwaki