It is that time of the year. That time of the year when we choose to fumigate our cities so badly that the after effects linger on for weeks. The post-Diwali smog has not been as bad as last year thanks to some intervention from the judiciary, but it is still way above what most countries would consider safe for its people. But then we as a nation don’t really have public health or quality of life high up in our priority list.
I have had a Honeywell AirTouch S8 air purifier in my house for a couple of weeks, waiting to be reviewed. I could not do this earlier as the air was quite clean, even inside my house. Also, I am a bit wary about reviewing air purifiers because even the best of them don’t show any tangible results. It is not as if you can smell the air getting better; you have to take their word for it. In fact, with a small child in the house, I invested in a Xiaomi air purifier for the bedroom. A year later I am happy that I made that investment in a city like Delhi, but I can only keep my fingers crossed that it actually works for the before and after numbers are all what the company tells me.
Honeywell Air Touch S8
This is a large air purifier, but stylish enough not to look awkward in your living room. It comes with three filters and you have to set it up before it can be switched on. The S8 has a control panel on top which can be used to power on the machine and change modes to auto or sleep. But the only indication of air quality on the device are the LEDs which turn from blue to orange and yellow depending on the quality of air in the house. To monitor this better, you have to download the H Plus app. I had a really tough time getting the app to link the device and this I think should be an area for improvement.
the only indication of air quality on Honeywell Air Touch S8 are the LEDs which turn from blue to orange and yellow depending on the quality of air in the house.
Today is two days after Diwali and the air in Delhi is still really bad. I switch on the Honeywell Air Touch S8 around 9.15 AM and the PM2.5 levels are at a scary 308. The S8 is quite noisy as it is working at full force to clean the air in the room. In 5 minutes the level is down to 243. In 15 minutes it is down further to 144 where it stays for most of the time, going up at times as activity in the kitchen goes up with some omelette being made. But, at least with the numbers visible on the H Plus app, it seems the Honeywell Air Touch S8 can bring down the levels by half. But you have to understand that PM2.5 should ideally be under 55, and anything above can be harmful for humans in the long run.
But given the quick action, the Honeywell Air Touch S8 appears like a good product. It has a sleep mode where the purifier is quieter. Also, there are seven fan speeds to select from manually if you don’t want to leave it on auto, though I recommend the latter for any air purifier. On the app, you can control the fan speed, set a pre-determined time for cleaning the air and also monitor the health of each filter.
At the moment, the Honeywell Air Touch S8 is one of the best options in the segment, though it is a bit on the steeper side when it comes to pricing.
Honeywell Air Touch S8 price in India: Rs 33,990
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