Dyson Air Purifiers Explained – Bladeless Edition

Dyson’s unique bladeless fans and air purifiers are iconic and instantly recognizable. You’ve probably seen them on TV or at a store by now: a futuristic looking but empty circle or oval enclosure sitting atop a small cylindrical base.

All of Dyson’s current offerings in this form factor are classified as air purifiers, not just fans. Some of them have heating or humidifying functionality, as well. Also, some models filter or destroy additional problematic substances, like formaldehyde.

But how exactly do these devices work? How do they generate a breeze, seemingly without any moving parts at all? And how do they purify the air?

Dyson air purifiers don’t have any visible fans or rotating parts, but that aspect is really just sleight of hand (or sleight of cylinder, in this case). These devices do have a brushless motor inside the base, and attached to that motor is something that looks an awful lot like a fan blade array.

The motor spins those blades, which draw in air from the sides and bottom of the unit. That air is then expelled upward into the ring shape above the cylinder.

The next part is pretty complex and really quite cool. Air enters the cylindrical portion of the device and moves upward and eventually outward, using a technique that Dyson calls the Air Multiplier. (They’ve even trademarked the term; that’s how seriously they’ve invested into this technology.)

Really, the Air Multiplier is basically inducement and entrainment. As How Stuff Works expertly explains, “As air flows through the slits in the tube and out through the front of the fan, air behind the fan is drawn through the tube as well.”

That part, where additional air behind the fan gets pulled along by the air coming through the cylinder, is called inducement. Entrainment is a similar principle that pulls even more air into the flow, this time from air surrounding the fan’s edges.

Using these principles and some fancy engineering, Dyson achieves greater airflow with less power. (To be fair, you can achieve the same results with a similar sized — and much cheaper — conventional fan.)

At the center of Dyson air purifiers is a HEPA filtration system, which works pretty much like any other HEPA filter: air must pass through the filter, which removes (in this case) 99.97% of all allergens and pollutants 0.3 microns and larger.

This part alone isn’t particularly stunning. There are plenty of air purifiers out there using HEPA filters.

What sets Dyson apart is how effectively the unit traps those pollutants, as well as the automated sensor technology. Current Dyson air purifiers can automatically sense the presence of pollutants and dynamically begin trapping them. The unit is sealed completely (to HEPA H13 standard), meaning that pollutants won’t leak back out or through.

You can see filtration status and air quality directly on the on-device screen for some models (or in the Dyson Link app for others). This way, you always know what’s going on with your air quality.

Depending on the model you choose, you can get this filtration tech along with heat, humidifying functionality, an oscillating base, and additional formaldehyde filtration.

One thing to watch out for: even within the Dyson lineup, not every purifier is operating at the same level. The ones branded Dyson Purifier have the fully sealed function and operate quieter at the same time. The ones branded simply Dyson Pure still use a HEPA filter, but they aren’t fully sealed.

Knowing how a Dyson air purifier works leads to one all-important question: is buying one worth the money?

It’s certainly convenient to have multiple functions built into a single, well-built unit. Getting a superior amount of coverage in the room is nice, too. And you do get plenty of functionality with these devices.

We find that the question comes down to cost. You can get much cheaper air purifiers that will perform nearly as well (if not as well) as the Dyson. Some of these might even fit better into your design aesthetics. But if you like the all-in-one approach, or are tied to that futuristic design, you won’t be disappointed going with a Dyson.

Whether you decide a Dyson air purifier is worth the money or you go with something more affordable, choosing Upsie for your extended warranty needs is the right choice either way. Upsie’s plans are affordable, scaling based on the purchase price of your fan. And if something goes wrong that the shorter manufacturer’s warranty won’t cover, Upsie has your back.

There’s no reason to risk that expensive new air purifier keeling over. Protect it with Upsie instead.