With a house full of builders carrying out renovations and with hay fever season in full swing, it was an instant yes from me when I was asked to review the Daikin Air Purifier MC55VB.
Daikin sells a wide range of heating, ventilation and air conditioning units for both residential and commercial properties and sells an amply collection of air purifiers and dehumidifiers. I tested the Daikin Air Purifier MC55VB over the course of a month, rating it on its design, functionality and effectiveness.
DAIKIN AIR PURIFIER MC55VB REVIEW: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
At time of writing, the Daikin Air Purifier MC55VB is priced at £234 on the Daikin websitee and select retailers, like Amazon.
Just like top-end hair dryers and slim-line TVs, the best quality air purifiers don’t come cheap. While you can find an entry-level air purifier on Amazon for £30 upwards, the best designs with more accurate filtration and smart controls cost over the £200+ mark. I’ve tried a wide range of air purifiers first hand, and have found that the more premium models offer better longevity and quality filters and are quieter to run.
DAIKIN AIR PURIFIER MC55VB REVIEW: SET UP
Getting this air purifier out of the box and set up was straightforward. It doesn’t have wheels, but it does have a grip at the top of the unit and at 6.8kg, it’s not too heavy to pick up and position around the room. I recently tested a large air conditioning unit which can be a challenge to get up the stairs as they’re so heavy. Testing this compact air purifier and fan that didn’t weigh too much made for a refreshing change, quite literally.
I set it up in my living room, which measures around 25 sq m, and it sat securely in place ready to be turned on via remote control. The unit needs to be positioned 100cm away from the ceiling and 30cm away from the wall, and also two metres away from the TV and radio, which is something to bear in mind if the space in your room is tight.
It doesn’t come with a smart app, but it does have its own remote control with a holder that you can attach to the side of the unit so you always know where it is. To get the unit up and running, it was a simple matter of untying the cord stored in the base of the unit and adding the deodorising filter.
(Image credit: Emily Peck)
DAIKIN AIR PURIFIER MC55VB REVIEW: DESIGN
This Daikin air purifier is designed to work in spaces up to 82 sq m, so it would work well at filtering the air around a small apartment or large living area. It measures H50 x W27 x D27cm and has a modest power output of 0.008 kWh.
While its boxy design and uninspiring white plastic finish looks basic, there is plenty of high-tech functionality going on inside this device. One of the main features is that it has patented flash ‘Steamer’ technology that breaks down the allergens and removes odours to provide cleaner air. This means low maintenance as its Electrostatic HEPA filter doesn’t need replacing for up to 10 years, which means less expense down the line.
(Image credit: Emily Peck)
DAIKIN AIR PURIFIER MC55VB REVIEW: PERFORMANCE
The Daikin Air Purifier MC55VB is one of the brand’s mid-range designs for use in the home and comes with patented ‘streamer technology’. This is a plasma air cleaning system that instead of just trapping things in the filter, it breaks them down at a molecular level. This removes things like pollen, fungal allergens and odours from the environment to create cleaner, healthier air in your room.
What’s refreshing about this design is how easy it is to use. Simply turn it on and you can choose from a range of air purifying modes. The auto setting mode adjusts accordingly to the amount of dust and the intensity of odours in the ambient air. In eco mode, the device will switch to the lowest noise and power modes to save energy. I found the specific pollen mode also came in useful when I was suffering from hay fever. When I used the device on fan mode, it worked well to cool the air around me. I wouldn’t say that it’s as powerful as dedicated fans I’ve tried, but it was a definite bonus on hotter days.
There are light indicators on the front of the display that change colour depending on how clean the air is. Each time I first turned on the device the control panel turned multicoloured indicating that the dust, odour and PM2 levels were high. These PM2.5 particles refer to how much particulate matter there is in the air, which are those tiny invisible particles that are suspended in the air and usually come from household dust or smoke from cooking or candles.
Within about half an hour – depending on the pollen count and dust my builders had created that day – the control panel changed from multi-coloured to green to indicate that the air had been cleaned. Without any lab-grade tech to hand, it was hard to quantify just how clean the air had become each time, but I definitely noticed the air felt fresher and lighter and as a result I felt it was easier to breathe freely. The lights on the control panel can also be dimmed in case they’re too bright, which came in handy at night.
What I instantly noticed about this device compared to a lot of air purifiers I’ve tried is that it was relatively quiet to run. When switched on, I measured it at 34.5 dbA on my decibel meter app, which nudged to a slightly louder 54.3 dbA when the streamer technology kicked in. This made all the difference both when I was trying to work and didn’t want too much background noise. It also worked well at night too, as did the dimmable control panel that adjusted the brightness of the lights.
(Image credit: Emily Peck)
DAIKIN AIR PURIFIER MC55VB REVIEW: VERDICT
The Daikin Air Purifier MC55VB comes with clever streamer technology that can combat a range of allergens, dust, odours, pet dander and viruses effectively. Its control panel offers reassuring indicators on the progress of the clean in real time so you can see just how effectively it has cleaned.
If you’re after a reasonably priced air purifier that doubles up as a cooling fan, I think this air purifier makes for a reliable and effective option. While it helped clean the air in my home when I was suffering from hay fever and the aftermath of home renovations, I would recommend it to anyone who just wants their home to feel that bit fresher.
DAIKIN AIR PURIFIER MC55VB REVIEW: ALTERNATIVES TO CONSIDER
Daikin is one of the few air purifiers to include patented streamer technology, but there are other brands you can consider. If you’re not entirely sure on which device to buy you can check out T3’s best air purifier guide, which includes the Blueair HealthProtect 7470i that can be controlled via an app on your smartphone.
The Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde is also a good option to consider as a device that has three functions in one to purify air, humidify and cool.
