TruSens Z-3000 is a germ-killing (air purifier review)

The TruSens Z-3000, with a UV light and its companion SensorPod is an elegant, cylindrical, air-purifying solution. No, UV does not kill COVID, but the filter can trap it when part of larger airborne particles.

The Z-3000 is part of a wider TruSens range – the Z-1000 (25m2), Z-2000 (35m2) and this is good for 70m2.

The Unique Selling Proposition of the Z-2000 and Z-3000 is the Standard IR SensorPod that can be up to 15 meters away (requires power) to measure down to particulate matter (PM) 2.5. The Enhanced Laser SensorPod for the Wi-Fi models measures down to PM 1.0 and VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds – Formaldehyde and paint fumes).

Most HEPA air purifiers can remove 99.97% of 3um (hair is about 70um) so we use Breathe easy this spring (air purifier guide) to review them.

Australian Review – TruSens Z-3000 air purifer

Website	Australian website and product page
Price	Z-1000/Z-2000/Z-3000 $179/249/349 Filters 1000/2000/3000 $44/79/99 Lamp replacement 1000/2000/3000 $24/39/54 Accessories
From	Amazon AU Company Shop, Bing Lee,  JB Hi-Fi
Rating	up to 23/35/70m2
Warranty	Warranty: 2-year ACL
Country of origin	China
	ACCO Brands is behind TruSens. It is best known for stationery products like Artline, Derwent, Esselte, GBC, Kensington, Maped, Marbig, Quartet, Rapid, Rexel, Spirax, Stabilo, and Xstamper. ACCO Brands are all about quality at reasonable prices in highly competitive markets.
More	More CyberShack air purifier news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed.

You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First impression – Pass+

The TruSens Z-3000 is a 263 (round) x 726 mm (high) cylinder with an oblique angled top that forms a handle. I like it – a certain elegance missing from some brands. It is also a 360° purifier meaning it sucks air in from all around. The angled top is not only a convenient handle – it splits the outflow into up (30%) and forward (70%) for better room coverage.

The 360° Dupont HEPA and activated carbon filter (all-in-one) fits around a switchable UV light and traps down to PM 3um with 99.97% efficiency. It does not kill COVID but will kill larger Staphylococcus aureus (0.7-1.2um) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1.5-3um pneumonia).  But don’t rely on it as the bacteria needs to be on larger particles. So, UV is not a reason to buy – it is nice to have.

Control Panel – Pass+

A convenient bar houses fan speed (Whisper, 1, 2, 3, and Turbo), night mode (dims control panel LEDs), timer (2, 4, 8, 12 hours), UVswitch and space for a filter clean/change indicators. Under that is the Air Quality that displays the 1-500-point EPA Air Quality Index (AQI) – blue for normal, orange for elevated and red for dead. Noise ranges from 30-66dB.

SensorPod – Pass+

I like the idea of a separate SensorPod as it can gather air quality information up to 14m from the air purifier. It requires 240V power.

Energy – Pass+

On Auto, it sits between 11-15W. On fan speed 5, it jumps to 65W. The UV Lamp accounts for about 4W of that. Australian electricity costs 30 cents per kWh (1000 watts) so running costs are negligible.

CADR (clean air delivery rate) – PAss+

TruSens prefers to state the typical m2 room size. But there is a lot more to that. It combines CADR, room cubic metres (ceiling height – we use 2.4m), ACH (air changes per hour), fan speed and whether the area is closed or open (amount of outside air coming in). In some brands like Dyson, it is also the Coandă effect (air multiplier).

CADR standards recommend the number of ACH.

• Smoke and visible air contaminations – 8 ACH
• Allergies (pollen etc.) – 5 ACH
• Normal – 2 ACH

We found some TruSens data stating maximum CADR at 2 ACH on fan speed 5 for smoke is 5.4 cubic meters per minute (cmm), dust is 5.6, and pollen is 5.9.

What does that mean to a typical room at 2 ACH at 5x fan speed and 5.5 cmm?

• Small bedroom 3 x 3 = 21.96m3 – cleans every eight minutes
• Larger bedroom or small lounge room 5 x 5 = 61m3 – cleans every 22 minutes
• Open plan living, kitchen, dining 10 x 5 = 122m3 – cleans every 44 minutes

TruSens claims the unit suits up to 70m2 (171m3) which cleans the room once every 31 minutes – claim correct. That is true on the normal CARD standard, but if your air quality is worse than normal, then it is not enough.

The other wild card is the fan speed. If we assume that fan speed 5 is 5x times faster than fan speed 1, it increases the room cleaning rate accordingly. We are only guessing, but on Auto, you may achieve 20-30% of the room clean rate.

If you have a large open space with lots of external air coming in, you need to look at CADR several times the recommended coverage.

We are not having a go at TruSens in any way. Most manufacturers quote ‘up to’ when the practicality may be 20% of that. All that means is that it is going to take a lot longer to clean the air.

Maintenance – Pass+

It comes with a standard filter. Filter replacement LED indicators show when it is time. We are a little concerned that TruSens does not reveal the hours that the LED indicators use. Most air purifiers have around 4000 hours of use which is about 10 hours a day for a year. If left on 24/7, the filter would expire in about six months. Again, this is not just TruSens, but it could earn better ratings by providing more information.

Prices are approximate only.

• Washable pre-filter – not a consumable, monthly wash or vacuum
• HEPA: 12 – 15 months (down to .3um to 99.97%) $99
• Carbon: 3 – 4 months (a carbon-impregnated sheet  – not as good as activated carbon pellets) $49 for three sheets
• UV-C bulb: 1 – 3 years $54
• SensorPod – not a consumable, monthly lens clean

But here is the trick – there are four types of filters that all require the HEPA core

1. Standard Filter (washable pre-filter + impregnated carbon sheet + HEPA) $99
2. Pet Filter (different washable pre-filter and carbon pellets) $68.50
3. Odor & VOC Filter ( deep bed carbon pellets). $68.50
4. Allergy & Flu Filter (carbon pellets) $44.15

Child safety – Pass(able)

The unit weighs 5.5kg and sits on a 263 (round) x 726 mm (high) cylinder. It has a top carry handle and is easy to move.

However, the handle is within reach of toddlers who may use it to stand up. It is easy to tip over and should not be used around small children. That said, it is not heavy enough to do much damage should it fall on them.

CyberShack’s view – TruSens Z-3000 is a germ-killing air purifier

As most air purifier makers are wont to do, they quote ‘up to’ figures that Joe and Jan Average believe but can never measure. Using an underspecified air purifier is not a crime – it is just going to take a lot longer, if at all, to purify the room.

TruSens Z-3000 is a well-made, reasonable-cost air purifier that will do up to 70m2 on fan speed 5. But it is best for a closed room up to 60m2, especially if you use the auto setting.

Like most air purifiers, it only filters down to .3um. If you want hospital-grade air purification, you want it to go down to 1um. Similarly, the standard carbon sheet filter is not as effective as activated carbon pellets, so either get a different TruSens filter or look for one that meets your specific needs.

• Features: 85 as it has a UV Light and sensor pod
• Value: 90 and excellent purchase price but running costs may be higher with specialist filters
• Performance: 80 as all HEPA 13 filters work the same
• Ease of Use: 85 as its portable and a 360° filter
• Design” 90 as it looks good, different.