Tools: Plasmacluster Air Purifier

By Michael Moretti

The Plasmacluster air purifier from Sharp has a serious gripe with airborne pollutants. While its sleek, smooth, synthetic facade looks, sounds and acts innocent enough, on the inside it secretly wages a four-pronged attack on smoke or any other atmospheric invader that has entered your domestic air corridor. Smoke that wafts into a room with this air purifier must be prepared to endure a severe beating.

Relaxing with a cigar, you might be unaware of the Plasmacluster’s counterattack. Smoke does not seem to dissipate rapidly; only the slight purr of a fan can be heard. Yet the Plasmacluster is methodically performing a triage of sorts. First, the prefilter tears away large fragments of dust and dirt. Next, a carbon-activated filter absorbs odor-causing gases by grating them against jagged chips of charcoal. A HEPA filter backs it all up, trapping anything that’s managed to escape the first two salvos. And if that’s not enough, the namesake Plasmacluster technology stages an airborne assault in which positive and negative ions shoot into the air, infiltrating and destroying high-flying impurities.

Despite all the carnage, the cleaning is easy. A filter indicator light will go on approximately every two months, telling you it’s time to clean. The carbon filter and the HEPA filter both have a five-year life span.

The Plasmacluster is monitored by a color-coded sensory controlled system, which is designed to reduce smoke, odor and even bacteria. The device is available with automatic or manual settings, each of which can be operated with a remote control. The N40CX model (pictured here and measuring 22 1/2 inches high, 16 3/8 inches across and 7 15/16 inches deep) is good for clearing a 253-square-foot room; the N60CX, which is slightly bigger, can handle a room measuring about 330 square feet. The room should be clear of smoke and odors within an hour after you extinguish your cigar.

The Sharp Plasmacluster air purifiers retail for $449.95 (N40CX) and $549.95 (N60CX).

Call 800-BE-SHARP or visit www. Sharpusa.com.

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