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Medify Air has steadily grown to be a reputable contender in the world of medical-grade air purifiers. This American company takes pride in high-quality filters that capture air contaminants that are hard for most average purifiers to remove.
This could partly explain why most of its products are marketed towards people with asthma, allergies, and sinus problems.
In this Medify MA-40 review, we’ll be exploring the performance, strengths, and weaknesses of one of Medify Air’s popular products.
Medify MA-40 is Best For:
- People with respiratory problems (asthma, allergies, and sinus) – this air purifier uses a 4-stage H13 True-HEPA filtration system to remove air pollutants. A True HEPA is a filter that has been certified to remove 99.97% of air pollutants 0.3 microns small. Medify Air claims to push these limits with its H13 filter that also removes 99.95% of air contaminants down to 0.1 microns.
H13 is one of the 5 standard ratings used to classify True HEPA filters further according to their ability to remove pollutants measuring 0.1 microns. This rating starts from H10 to H14. The higher the number, the higher its efficiency. - Smokers– this filter has a thick Activated Charcoal bed that most previous buyers affirm that it has incredible smoke removal capabilities.
- Pet owners– the Activated Charcoal filter works not only for smoke, but strong smells, including pet odors too.
- People who want a purifier for large spaces– the MA-40 is powerful enough to cover areas of up to 800 sq.ft.
Check MA-40 on Amazon (Link Opens in a New Tab)
Assembly and Set up
This air purifier has been designed to allow ease of use right out of the box. It comes almost fully assembled and with the air filter kit already installed. This certainly gives the Medify MA-40 so positive points in our review.
However, the filter is wrapped in plastic to prevent it from collecting dust during storage and shipment. As such, you’ll need to open the back panel and remove the wrapper on the filter first before plugging it in.
Construction design
The Medify MA-40 is a nicely built air purifier with a body made of high-quality plastics. Its outer shell has a glossy finish that not only adds to its appeal but also gives it a premium look and feel.
Its front panel is the vent through which purified air comes out. This panel also houses the air quality indicator. These are 3 lights- red, green, and blue- that give you real-time reports of the quality of air in your room.
The fact that Medify cared to put these indicators at the front is quite impressive. Unlike other models that have the air quality indicator at the top, you won’t need to walk to the air purifier to read the air quality reports. This makes more sense considering that this unit does not support a mobile phone App.
The back panel opens to reveal the air-in vent, the filtration kit, and the air quality sensor. There is also a handle towards the top to aid in moving this purifier from spot to spot.
All the 5 touch-control buttons are on a tempered glass panel at the top. We appreciate how Medify gives the control interface a clean look without making it appear cheaply made.
Measurements and Placement Review
The Medify MA-40 measures 9.9’’ (width) by 10.9’’ (depth) by 22’’ (height). Considering its size, we wouldn’t say that this is a compact air purifier. On the other hand, it’s not annoyingly bulky and, therefore, won’t be an eyesore credit to its clean look.
This purifier is best placed on the floor. We often recommend setting less powerful air purifiers on an elevated position, especially when the main target is cigarette smoke. However, this might not be necessary thanks to the MA 40’s powerful motor and highly-effective filtration kit.
Lastly, this purifier weighs 15.5 lbs. We have to admit that it is a little bit on the heavier side. If you don’t intend to move it often, though, it shouldn’t be a bother. If anything, this weight adds to its overall stability so that it won’t be tipped over easily by kids and pets.
How the Medify MA-40 works
This air purifier uses a back-to-front air-in, air-out concept. When the air is sucked in through the back panel, it is pulled through a True HEPA H13 filtration kit with the following stages;
- Pre-filter– this is a preliminary screen that traps large air contaminants, including pet fur and hair hanging loose in the air, and fibers.
- True HEPA H13 – HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air and refers to a device that can capture 99.95% of air contaminants 0.2 microns small. A True HEPA, on the other hand, is a filter that has been certified to remove 99.97% of air pollutants 0.3 microns small.
What about H13?
Now, besides being rated as True HEPA, these filters can further be ranked according to their level of efficiency in trapping 0.1 microns small. The current standard ratings are H10, H11, H12, H13, and H14. The higher the number following ‘‘H’’, the higher the level of efficiency.
As an illustration, a HEPA H10 will let more than 15% of 0.1-micron air pollutants per liter of air to pass through. On the other hand, a HEPA H13, which is more efficient, will allow only 0.05% of these pollutants in the same volume of air.
So, put in simpler terms, this air purifier’s filter surpasses the general standards of a True HEPA filter. This HEPA H13 filter will remove dust and dust mites, mold spores, pet dander, pollen, and mildew.
- Activated Charcoal– this filter removes toxic odors, cigarette smoke, formaldehyde, pet odors, and kitchen smells.
- Ion generator– lastly, negatively charged ions are introduced to the purified air, thereby trapping bacteria in the atmosphere. These are trapped inside the unit as the cleaned air is circulated in the room.
Good news, if you are worried about the ion generator creating ozone, you can turn it OFF.
Controls and Operation Modes
The Medify MA-40 features a straightforward control panel for fuss-free operations. A feature that we find very convenient for parents here is the Child Lock. It locks your current settings, thereby preventing unwanted adjustments by your kids as they explore the unit.
Other functions include a timer and a sleep mode for peaceful nights. There’s also an automatic mode that senses the air quality to adjust the fan speed (1-4) accordingly.
Performance
How much space does it cover?
Medify Air says that this unit has a CADR of 330 and an ACH rating of 2X. It also claims that this model can handle rooms up to 800 ft. sq. large in 30 minutes, and 1,300 ft. sq. in 1 hour. Is this true?
- CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) refers to how fast a purifier can remove pollen, smoke, and dust from a given room. It is calculated in cubic feet per minute (cfm).
- ACH (Air Changes per Hour) shows how many times the purifier will exchange the air in a given room every hour.
In 1 hour, the MA 40 has a cleaning capacity of 330 cfmx60= 19800 cfm. Assuming that we’re using it in a room with a ceiling height of 8ft, this will be 19,800 cfm/8ft= 2475cf2h.
Lastly, divide this by ACH to get CADR: 2475/2= 1237 ft2.
So, in 1 hour, the MA 40 can clean an area of 1237 ft2. This is slightly lower than the claimed spaced but still very close, and high for an air purifier at this price range.
Is it noisy?
At 66 dB at its highest fan speed, and 50 dB at the lowest fan level, this isn’t a very quiet unit. Keep in mind, however, that quiet operations often compromise motor power and airflow (CADR). For an air purifier that is capable of cleaning rooms of around 1237 ft2 in an hour, this noise level doesn’t come as a surprise.
The MA-40 doesn’t sound like a jet engine, though. For reference, an air conditioner is around 60 dB loud, while a refrigerator is rated at 50 dB.
Power Consumption Review
This air purifier has a power rating of 68 W. Admittedly, this power rating is slightly higher than that of most competitors within this price range. However, it’s implausible that you are going to detect a significant spike in your power bills.
Assuming that you run this unit for 12 hours daily for a whole year, it would cost you;
68w x 12 hours=816 watts
Convert to kWh: 816/1000 = 0.816kWh per day
Multiply by $0.12 (rate per kWh of electricity) = $0.098
Multiply by 365 (days per year) = $36
Maintenance Review
The only maintenance that this air purifier calls for is filter replacement. The manufacturer suggests doing this after every 6 months or 3000 hours (whichever comes first). It’s also essential to use the genuine replacement filter (B07MTQFFNT). This cartridge consists of all the 3 filters and is reasonably expensive when considering the annual cost.
Other maintenance requirements include wiping the shell when dust falls on it. Remember to use a clean and dry cloth.
Warranty
The unit comes with a lifetime warranty on parts and service from the manufacturer. There’s one condition, though: you need to replace the filters every 6 months using genuine Medify Air filters.
Pros:
- Powerful filter
- Covers a wide area
- Uses a True HEPA
- Ion generator can be turned OFF
- Has child lock feature
- Lifetime warranty
Cons:
- No remote/App control
- Loud at high-speed settings
- Filter replacements are relatively pricier
- Air Quality display lights remain ON even in sleep mode
Medify MA-40: Buy or Bye?
We can’t deny that this air purifier’s replacement air filters are slightly on the higher side of the price spectrum. If you look at this air purifier’s performance, though, this will be money well spent.
The Medify MA 40 is one of the most powerful mid-range budget air purifiers that we can recommend today. If you have respiratory problems, or you live in an area with high rates of air pollution, this unit could make an excellent investment.
FAQ:
A True HEPA filter is a device that has been certified to remove 99.97% of air pollutants 0.3 microns small. H13 is a rating used to show the level of efficiency in a True HEPA filter. The most efficient True HEPA filters are rated H14 while the least efficient are rated H10.
Yes, it does- but at insignificant levels (as experts say). On the upside, you can turn the ion generator OFF.
Yes. This purifier has a thick bed of Activated Charcoal that is very effective at smoke and odor removal.
Top Expert Tips
- Allow some clearance around the unit for effective performance.
- Connect it to a wall socket.
- Clean the air quality sensor with a dry cotton swab frequently for optimum results.
- Replace the filters on time to qualify for the lifetime warranty.
- Consider placing it at least 3 feet from the TV to prevent interference.
