The number of visits to pediatricians by children with asthma never seems to decline, much of it is due to raised air pollution, which, of course, is something that affects everyone across all big cities, only the degree varies but it certainly brings down the quality of life. And then there are people like me who get sniffy because of an ever-blooming garden.

Usually unattractive and boxy, air purifiers are usually found in a corner because nobody wants to put an eyesore in the middle of a living room while constantly tripping over the wire. That’s not the case with the machine we have for review.

Dyson Purifier Cool (TP07), which as the name suggests, purifies the air and cools the room. And it is not a replacement for an air conditioner. All the Dyson-y things are here — clean design, ease of assembling and hassle-free usage.

Up and running in minutes

Let’s get through the quick set-up. Though the box may look big but it’s not extremely heavy and it can be easily assembled by anyone. Take out the main unit from the box and also the two HEPA filters inside. Push the filters into the two bottom compartments of the cylinder and close. Plug in the machine and turn it on. Things can’t get any simpler than this. There is a mini remote control which can be kept on top of the machine that comes with a magnet to keep the remote in place.

On the cylinder is a small colour LED display which shows the quality of air, level at which the fan is working at, humidity and so on. Nothing complicated. You can also download the Dyson Link app and connect the machine to the Wi-Fi; this will help you keep track of all the metrics, plus you can control the device easily. The entire process took exactly seven minutes, of which two were spent opening the box.

The air purifier is easy to install and it is all about clicking segments into the right places

Smooth operator

There are two components to the Dyson Purifier Cool — the purifier and fan. In terms of functionality, it takes up less space and at the same you have an aesthetically-pleasing device. The base of the cylinder contains two units of HEPA filter and activated carbon layer. Unlike before the HEPA filter and a layer of activated carbon form one unit, which makes the installation and upkeep process easier.

The HEPA filter can capture pollutants, bacteria and viruses while the layer of activated carbon removes odours and gases including VOCs. Whenever the filter detects something in the air it notifies you on the small LCD panel.

To test, we tried lighting a couple of incense sticks near the purifier and at once the machine got into action. Or you can try spraying a deodorant near the machine. What was equally impressive is the way it removes odour. My workspace is next to an open kitchen and while preparing dinner all kinds of smells and smoke fill my room. Keeping the machine on at full speed for around 40-odd minutes took care of all the smell.

The colour LED display has all the information you need or get the same via an app

Air Purifiers that meet either HEPA H13 or HEPA H14 standard is the best in class. Here, it’s HEPA H13. Not just the filter, the entire machine meets the HEPA H13 standard, meaning whatever is sucked in, remains inside. The machine is able to remove 99.95 per cent of pollutants as small as 0.1 microns.

The only addition I would have liked is a pre-filter, which is not a must for air purifiers but it may help to extend the life of an air purifier because a pre-filter can stop larger particles and are easily washable.

The other component is the fan or the Cool feature. Winter will soon be gone and hello sweltering days. In case your room is huge or doesn’t have an air conditioner, this machine can be a great companion. In warmer weather, a powerful stream of purified airflow can cool you down.

Unlike standing fans, there are no blades here, which means it’s safer around children and pets. The mechanism Dyson uses is unique, resulting in air flow that cools gently. Unlike a regular desk or standing fan, wind doesn’t blow directly on your body. Usually, regular fans come with around 90-degree movement, which is not ideal for covering groups of people. Here you get 350 degrees, meaning the top part of the device can be made to swivel. The air from a traditional fan is hardly felt as you move away but Dyson does it differently. You can sit at some distance but still feel an airflow. You can run Dyson at lower speeds, yet you will feel a breeze going through the room.

Is it noisy? Frankly, if you turn the fan up to 10, you will hear some humming, which is bearable and very different from that of a standing fan. I would choose the bladeless technology any day because of the way the breeze fills the room

Should you buy it?

Pollution is something that’s not going to leave us and with summer around the corner, it’s time to get cooling devices in place. Dyson is not talking about Purifier Cool in way of replacing air conditions, instead it can deliver in rooms where the AC is not enough or maybe the room doesn’t have an AC. If you are using the machine for 10-odd hours a day, you will probably get at least one year out of the filter but it all depends on your environment. The Dyson app will notify you when filters need to be replaced. Working in Dyson’s favour is the fact that you can keep the machine almost anywhere in the room and rest assured, it will work well. For a few days, I had moved the machine to my bedroom and the quality of sleep certainly improved.

There will always be the element of pricing but Dyson has a reputation for making premium products and it has earned enough respect when it comes to technology. So, it’s not surprising that the Dyson Purifier Cool is effective, boundary-pushing and lets you breathe easy even in the toughest of conditions.

At a glance

The remote control attaches magnetically to the top of the air purifier

Device: Dyson Purifier Cool (TP07)

Price: 41,310 (Dyson.in)

High notes

• Innovative and effective design

• Long-lasting filters

• Easy to assemble

• Purifies the air in a very short time

• Effective irrespective of where you place the machine in the room

• Cool feature is perfect for summer

Muffled note

• A pre-filter would have been a nice addition to increase the life of the filters