Alps+ review: A simple, effective Kent air purifier

The Kent Alps+ Air Purifier looks more like a water purifier kept at ground level. The appliance is a tad bulky- looking unit which is wide and short, resembling a mid- sized travel suitcase form factor, and is built entirely of rugged plastic. The front door has openings on the bottom to let in impure air that is sucked in using a large fan behind two large air filters — a HEPA and an active carbon. An LCD display upfront ( Air Purity Monitor) notifies of the air quality in the room in real time. The air exit vents are angular and blow air at an angle towards the ceiling. This air is then circulated to the entire room.

The top has the control panel with a total of five buttons for power, fan speed, timer and for turning on the ionizer, apart from resetting the filter. The rear panel has a small vent on the left for the air quality sensors.

The purifier is a simple, no- brainer air purifier that is very simple to install and use. The two air filters need to be installed before you switch on the air purifier. All you need to do is switch the unit to auto operation mode and the unit will take care of your air quality on its own. If you think that your indoors is heavily polluted, then you may need to manually operate the unit at full power.

And yes, the unit does get noisy at full power. Though the maximum noise levels are rated at < 54dB, it is pretty audible, but not as disturbing. We found the unit pretty much doing its job during

our time with it. We left it at auto mode and whenever it sensed the air quality difference, it automatically took charge. This was noted especially when the doors/ windows were opened or during the occasional kitchen routines at home.

If you are looking for an air purifier for your home or office, the Kent Alps+ could be shortlisted. For the price of ` 25,000 this one does sound a little pricey, especially when considering the aesthetics in comparison to other brand offerings. As for the yearly maintenance, you will need to replace the filters once every 12 months. The two filter units come as a single package and will cost you ` 3,500.