At the turn of autumn and winter, in addition to waves of wet and cold weather, what most people feel most is the rapid changes in air quality. At this time, air purifiers have always been an indispensable home appliance product for the indoor environment. When purchasing a purifier, you should not only pay attention to the basic purification ability, but also the appearance, applicable space, operating volume, power consumption and sensing function are all important elements of the purifier. What I want to introduce to you today is the FA-E180 air purifier, which is launched by 3M in the United States. It is not only equipped with the brand’s classic long-term electrostatic filtration technology, but also has a powerful air purifier that can filter up to 14 pings. With the addition of a slender body that is easy to place and a basic perception display, it is hoped that the comprehensive design will bring satisfactory clean performance to users.

●Introduction to the appearance of the host

front of main unit

Front air quality light

FA-E180 is mainly designed with simple design. Except for the brand logo printed in the center, the whole body is covered by a clean pure white shell. The environment is a classic design style for the purifier. The appearance of the main unit tends to be slender and long, so the volume is not too large. The size is 257 X 250 X 634 mm (width X depth X height), and the CADR value is 280 m3/h. The recommended space size ranges from 6 to 14 pings. From the study to the living room can be easily dealt with.

Host top control panel

touch design

The top of the main unit contains two key structures, the air outlet and the control panel. The air outlet is designed in a circular arc to increase the air flow of the main unit during operation. Adjustment of timing settings, of course, if the filter needs to be cleaned or replaced, there is also a replacement light on the panel to prompt.

filter installation

Press to open

Take out the filter

FA-E180 does not use the usual front cover type or bottom cover type in the design of the filter installation part, but the filter installation place is set above the control panel. The user has to press the filter cover above the control panel to remove the filter, but the brand has carefully inclined the filter installation slot at a slight angle, so it can be easily operated when removing or installing.

Back of the main unit

Carrying handle

The FA-E180 also adopts a simple design style on the back of the main unit, with a clean and pure white shell as the main body, and there is a grip groove in the center that is convenient for users to carry and move, although the weight of the FA-E180 is not particularly light (5.8 kg). ), but because the grip groove is set in the center of the main unit, the center of gravity when taking it is better, and people with greater strength can even carry the main unit with one hand.

Pre-filter slot

Pull out the pre-filter

The FA-E180 is special in the design of the pre-filter. In order to ensure that the air inhaled on both sides can be filtered, the R&D team specially adopts the dual design of the pre-filter configuration at the air inlet, and the front The filter is not arranged in the same position as the HEPA filter, but must be installed from the back of the host. According to the use of the editor during this period, the pre-filter can be easily removed. The filter faces slightly outwards, which makes it easier to install the pre-filter into the filter slot.

right side of main unit

left side of main unit

air quality sensor

In terms of air intake, the FA-E180 adopts the design of air intake on both sides. The air intake of the host can be seen at the bottom of both sides of the fuselage. In order to improve the efficiency of air purification, the holes of the air intake have also been enlarged and pulled. longer, allowing the main unit to inhale a larger amount of air at a time when it is running. The FA-E180 also has the air quality sensing capability common in current purifiers. The ADS1286UC sensor is located on the right side of the main unit and can sense the concentration of PM2.5 in the space, but it is speculated that it may be to avoid affecting the accuracy of the sensor. The sensor cover does not use a tenon structure that can be easily opened, but is fixed with screws, which slightly increases the difficulty for users to clean the sensor.

Finally, we can see that the base of the mainframe maintains the overall simple style of the mainframe. The specification label of FA-E180 is affixed in the center, and there are anti-slip rubber feet around the base to maintain the stability of the mainframe during operation.

●Introduction to accessories

HEPA filter

Applicable models and installation directions

The HEPA filter of FA-E180 is also equipped with the long-term electrostatic filtration technology developed by 3M. The main principle of this technology is to apply positive and negative charges to the fibers of the ultra-fine filter, so that the filter forms a strong electrostatic field to intercept the air. All kinds of dirt. According to official tests, the filter using long-acting electrostatic filtration technology can filter up to 99.9% of allergens such as dust, pollen, dust mites, pet dander and other allergens in the air, and even filter dirt particles as small as PM0.003 .

The filter screen of FA-E180 is made of extremely fine filter screen fibers and is matched with BMF micro-woven melt-blown process, thereby increasing the weaving amount and surface area of filter screen fibers, thereby achieving high circulation efficiency, low pressure resistance and high pollutant load. The filter is also covered with black foam, so that the filter and the host can fit more closely to achieve a better filtering effect. In addition, on the side of the filter, there are also reminders of the filter model, applicable model and installation direction, so as to avoid user installation errors and affect the filtering effect of the host.

In addition to the HEPA filter introduced above, the FA-E180 is also equipped with a pre-filter that can perform preliminary filtration on each of the air outlets on both sides, which is used to filter the hair in the air or the dirt with larger particles, which has a similar effect. The air-conditioning disposal filter is different from the HEPA filter. The two filters are not only reusable, but also can be directly washed with water. As long as the filter is dry, it can be placed in the host for continued use.

●Real machine test

Recently, people's requirements for the integration of home appliances into the home environment have been increasing day by day. Not only the basic host performance, but also the appearance of the body and the volume performance are all aspects that people will consider before purchasing a host, in order to clean For air-conditioning appliances such as air conditioners, the volume performance has always been a major consideration for tippers when purchasing models, but generally in a crowded store, the performance of the main unit volume at that time may be unrealistic. Taking this into account, the host was placed in a quiet confined space for volume testing, and the initial volume measured in the space was 41.8 decibels.

low speed volume

medium volume

high speed volume

sleep mode volume

In addition to the automatic mode that adjusts the wind speed according to the ambient air state, the FA-E180 has a total of four wind speed modes: low, medium, high and sleep. According to the actual measurement of the editor, except for the most powerful high-speed state of the host, the other three wind speed modes can be maintained below 60 decibels, and the volume performance of low speed and sleep mode can be controlled at close to the initial volume of the environment. , even if you or your family members are relatively sensitive to subtle sounds or light sleepers, it should not have much impact. As for the volume of the high-speed mode, although it has reached 62.4 decibels, it is still below 65 decibels, where the volume is not obvious, and the control of the volume performance is very good.

For the test of filtration efficiency and effect, the editor chose to place the host in a closed space of about 6 pings, and light the incense for 10 to 15 minutes before starting the machine, so that the incense can spread throughout the test space and wait for it to go out. Then carry out the actual measurement of the cleaning machine. The whole process of the purification test allows the host to run in the most efficient high-speed mode, so as to obtain the strongest cleaning effect of the host.

very poor air quality

Average air quality

good air quality

In order to make it easier for users to grasp the air quality of the environment, having the corresponding detection capability can be said to be an essential key function of air purifiers today. In terms of detection capability, PM2.5 and volatile gas odors are also used. The detection of FA-E180 is more common, and the FA-E180 is positioned as the basic model of the brand, so it is only equipped with PM2.5 sensor. The PM2.5 sensor of the FA-E180 is set on the right side of the fuselage. During the test, it can be found that the display light bars representing different levels of dirt can respond in time. When the host is in automatic mode, it will automatically adjust the wind speed according to different states, but Perhaps it is because the range of dirt is relatively high, and the red light bar, which represents extremely poor air quality, is difficult to display quickly. (The official detection light display range (unit? g/m3): green - 0~35, orange, red - including 75 or more).

To test the filtering effect, the editor chose to use a PM2.5 detector to detect the changes in the value of space pollution. By virtue of the electrostatically treated filter screen and the activated carbon particles blended in the filter screen fibers, it is also matched with the FA-E180. Under the air circulation, the value of the PM2.5 detector has dropped to half of the initial value after the host runs for 1 hour, and is close to the value before the editor burns the incense after 2 hours. There are a certain number of activated carbon particles blended in the net, and the deodorization effect is slightly slower than that of the model with an independent activated carbon filter.

Therefore, the scent of the thread in the test space has a relatively obvious lightening effect after about 1.5 hours of operation of the main unit, and the scent of thread is almost completely removed after about 3 hours of operation. In addition, the FA-E180 itself has no peculiar smell or volatile matter. The sensor, the PM2.5 sensor display light does not have a more detailed value display, which may slightly reduce the user's sensitivity to changes in the air state, but overall, the filter system only includes pre-filters and HEPA filters. As far as the model line composed of two nets is concerned, the editor thinks that its performance in the cleaning effect is good, and users can rest assured that the filtering task of the room is handed over to it.

Air purifiers are one of the household appliances that generally run for a long time. Power consumption has naturally become an important consideration for the public when purchasing models. Therefore, the editor finally conducted an analysis of the FA-E180 equipped with a DC inverter motor. Power consumption record test. The main goal of this test is to measure the maximum power consumption of the host, so during the whole test process, the host continues to operate at a high-speed state with maximum intensity, and the power consumption of the host in the last 1 to 3 hours The amounts are: 0.04, 0.11, and 0.18. In terms of the measured results, the power consumption can be said to be quite small. If the cleaning machine is used to the type that runs all day, you can rest assured and let the host continue to run.

●Overall review

After this period of evaluation, the filtering performance of the FA-E180 can be said to be quite good, although it does not have an independent deodorizing filter and the air quality indicator light bar will not be obvious in bright places. This part is the comparison of the machine It's a pity, but in general, the FA-E180 itself can easily satisfy different types of users in terms of filter effect, body design, volume control and power consumption, and the brand is also targeting this model. And people who have higher deodorization needs, provide the option of additional purchase of deodorization enhanced filters, and consider that it can cover the use range of common household spaces. If you are looking for a medium-sized cleaner that can be used in the room or living room I believe that 3M's FA-E180 air purifier will not let you down!