[Product Review] Core 400S Levoit VeSync Smart True HEPA Air Purifier

[RayBee]

I bought a Levoit 400S air purifier for the bedroom in hopes that my, and my wife’s, allergies might find some relief at night. I usually take a Sudafed when allergies get bad, and that always takes care of it within 20 minutes or so. This may be necessary a dozen to two dozen nights annually. But I would like to take any drug less if there is an alternate solution.

While it is too early to prove that the Levoit will circumvent the need for Sudafed, I was thoroughly impressed with the 400S and wanted to share my findings thus far.

First Impressions:
First off, it is very stylish looking, has well thought out controls and functionally quite robust and versatile. My wife liked the looks of it so much so, that she immediately dubbed it “R2” for R2D2. You can name it anything you like. Price as of this review is $219.99 just about anywhere you look. If you are interested in finding out more, just search the internet and/or YouTube for “Levoit”, “Levoit 400S” or “Levoit Air Purifier” for more info, current pricing and availability.

Physically, I would consider this as being fairly big. It is 10.8” did x 20.8” tall.

Basic Controls and Noise:
Let me start by saying that this air purifier is quiet. That was my wife’s first and main criteria. It only emits 24dB of white noise in “Sleep Mode”. We can hear it if we get a cupped ear within a foot of the machine. The 400S also has four levels of regular “On Mode” and an “Auto Mode” that raises through all levels depending on its air quality sensor. Level One and Sleep Modes both generate about the same noise level (they may use the same fan speed), but Sleep Mode also turns off all of its lights after a couple of seconds. On high speed its sound output is 52dB.

Interface and Apps: 
There are at least 4 ways to control all functions. The top panel has a very well laid out set of touch controls, and a simple yet informative display. The center displays air quality “PM2.5”. Mine has always been 5 to 1 so far. And there is a multi-colored ring around the numerical display that changes from Blue “Very Good”, Green “Good”, Yellow “Moderate” to Red “Bad”.

The more frequently used controls on top are “Fan Speed”, “Auto Mode”, “On/Off”, and “Sleep Mode”. Other controls include “Display Off”, “Display Lock”, “Timer”, and indicators “Check Filter” and “Wi-Fi”.

Other methods of control include Alexa, Google Play (Hey Google), and apps for Android and iOS devices. I set up the app on my and my wife’s iPhone 11’s. The app was very simple to set up on two iPhones. And the interface is pretty simple and has the capability to control all functions. It also displays the air quality. When you first set up the device, you are asked to name it. So multiple Levoit air purifiers can be controlled by name through one interface.

I’m not sure if this is controlled by Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi, or either, or both. It has the Wi-Fi indicator on top. During setup, you are asked to pair the device with your smart phone’s bluetooth. And another setup prompt asks for your Wi-Fi network and password. All I care about is that it seems to work reliably. I’ll check my app for connectivity another time when I am away from home.

Air Quality Sensor:
The Levoit 400S and other models has a sensor on the back that has a little airflow drawn into it. So it is constantly sniffing the room air. It seems to be pretty responsive too. I watched a YouTube video where a guy lights up a cigarette and blows a little smoke into the sensor port. The fan quickly increased to level four and the display ring went red. When the smoke dissipated, the fan dropped back down to 1 over a few seconds. Of course this would only be the case in “Auto Mode”.

The Fan Speed:
The speeds up and slows down gradually. This is a nice touch and just reinforces the thought that this is a well designed and well thought out air cleaner. Some people might even like the Weight Noise sound of the fan when they sleep. I would. Well, not level four. The wife, not so much. So Sleep Mode is very welcome on this machine.

The Filter:
The filter is pretty big. It needs to be replaced every six to nine months according to Levoit. It has a triple filter system, and per Levoit’s website:

Pre-Filter - dust, lint, hair, pet fur.
H13 HEPA Filter - bacteria, mold, pollen, viruses, pet dander.
Activated Carbon Filter - smoke, fumes, VOCs, pet odors, cooking smells.

You can easily pop it out of the bottom and vacuum out the pre-filter “stuff”. The filter costs $49.99 everywhere. I think since my air quality numbers are pretty low and our fan speed is pretty slow, it could probably be replaced annually. There is an indicator that turns on for filter replacement prompt that I believe is just a timer. It may be a simple timer that runs whenever it is plugged in, or runs when the unit it turned on and running, or takes in to consideration fan speed and how much air is processed. I don’t really know, but I think an annual replacement will be soon enough for me. For folks who smoke or have pets, six months may be better.

Size:
The 400S is recommended for rooms up to 403 sq-ft. Our bedroom is half that size. Levoit makes smaller versions of this air purifier, but the idea is that on the slowest speed, it should be able to purify more air than a smaller, and be much quieter for the net amount of air purified. The other reason is that we were able to purchase this directly from Levoit with $50 in discounts. (I think the deal may be over already.) This placed the price at $183.16 - including tax. Shipping was included.

Levoit offers many other sizes for whatever room size you have. I have not looked at the other models and sizes. But it appears that all of their products consistently rate very high on Amazon with thousands of reviews.

Recommendation:
Absolutely! I was so impressed with the 400S model that I decided to take the time to write up a proper review for ApneaBoard members. I like their history of thousands of stellar reviews on Amazon on all of their products. That says a lot about the company as well as customer satisfaction.

[RayBee]

Update 8/31/21:

Update On Fan Speeds:
There are actually five fan speeds that I can discern. The lowest fan speed is used in "Sleep Mode". It is very quiet and generally imperceptible once you are a few feet away from the unit. Levels one through four, in manual mode, are actually levels two through five as related to actual number of fan speed levels available. In "Auto Mode" the fan speed is variable all the way down to "Sleep Mode" (inaudible) through its highest speed. It really isn't completely variable in that sense, but slowly increases/decreases to an appropriate level based on its AQI sampled at any moment in time.

Due to numerous fires along the west coast, we have experienced AQI's up to 265. Our house is not sealed that well, so indoors we have seen the machine report 30 when first turned on. In an hour or two it will purify the air down to 1 to 3. And that is in Auto Mode and its slowest fan speed (equivalent of Sleep Mode). This is in a space about 430 sq-ft with vaulted ceiling - bigger than its 403 sq-ft recommendations. So, I would say a pretty good performance.

I still love this Air Purifier.