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Tim Heffernan is a writer who covers air and water quality and sustainable-energy technology. He prefers Flare-brand match smoke for purifier testing. advanced co2 laser cutting machine
The Coway Mighty’s compact size and quiet operation set it apart from the competition.
If Wirecutter had a Hall of Fame, the Coway AP-1512HH Mighty air purifier would be a first-ballot lock. It’s been our top pick since 2015, and in that time we’ve pitted it against more than 50 competitors in our rigorous testing. We also love its sibling, the Coway Airmega 200M, which has a different look but near-identical performance.
Perfect for bedrooms, playrooms, and living rooms, the Mighty is one of the best-performing, most durable, and most economical purifiers we’ve tested.
The 200M and the AP-1512HH are virtually identical in performance, but the 200M has an appearance that you may prefer, and it’s a great alternative if you find it at a lower price.
May be out of stock
Perfect for bedrooms, playrooms, and living rooms, the Mighty is one of the best-performing, most durable, and most economical purifiers we’ve tested.
The 200M and the AP-1512HH are virtually identical in performance, but the 200M has an appearance that you may prefer, and it’s a great alternative if you find it at a lower price.
May be out of stock
In this throwaway age, I have a special love for stuff that’s made to last. I ran our 2017 Mighty test unit virtually 24/7 for four years, during which time it survived a minor flood, and was still performing like new when we finally retired it for a 2021 model.
Dare I get emotional about a machine? I do, and I’m not the only one. “She is beauty, she is grace. She is well built, runs quiet, filters beautifully, looks pretty—and I know she is doing her job,” said Wirecutter senior photo editor Michael Murtaugh.
Less poetic but equally reassuring, Coway air purifiers are exceptionally effective at capturing pollen, dust, smoke from wildfires, and airborne viruses and bacteria.
Coway initially got into air purifiers by producing ODM (original design manufacturing) purifiers for other companies, in the early 2010s. As the company began exploring its own designs, it spoke with customers of its ODM machines. “People wanted a smaller unit, so we focused on making the filter size and the product size about the same,” Jay Kim, Coway’s former US sales manager, said in a phone five years ago.
Many air purifiers are tower-like, with a rectangular or cylindrical filter below and a bulky fan unit on top. By contrast, the Coway’s fan is mounted at the rear, and its filter is a flat square, resulting in a low-profile machine that takes up significantly less visual space than tower designs.
Coway also altered the way air flows through the it. “A lot of air purifiers back then were acting as a fan as well,” blowing the purifier air horizontally, Kim explained. “What we wanted was to blow the air upwards, for better circulation, and also to not blow the air toward people. Many customers were older, and they didn’t like the colder feel of the fan.”
Once you set them up, air purifiers are generally “set it and forget it” appliances. But a little routine maintenance will help them perform better and last longer.
HEPA filter for Coway Airmega air purifiers
Simply clean the prefilter monthly, either by vacuuming it, brushing it off, or giving it a rinse under the tap. The prefilter captures large airborne pollutants, such as hair (human as well as pet) and lint, keeping the HEPA filter free to focus on microscopic pollutants. A clean prefilter also lowers stress on the fan motor, helping it last longer.
This post was originally published as part of our 2020 “52 Things We Love” series, an ode to Wirecutter picks that have withstood the test of time. Read the entire series. The current version was edited by Annemarie Conte.
Since I joined Wirecutter in 2015, indoor air and water quality have gone from being somewhat fringe concerns to central worries for many people. First wildfires, then the Flint and Newark lead crises, then COVID-19, and most recently PFAS drove the shift, and it has been a career-defining—and extremely satisfying—challenge to stay on top of the ever-multiplying products used to clean the air and water in homes and to counter the landslides of misinformation and fearmongering that can accompany them.
Since 2021 I’ve developed a third beat covering residential solar and other energy-saving technology and techniques. It’s great fun, not just because it’s an extremely complex topic, but also because the best approach for many people is also the simplest and cheapest: weatherizing their homes. Guiding readers toward solutions that don’t involve buying shiny new toys is the most edifying thing I get to do here.
compact co2 laser cutter Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).