Overview:
Pros: High airflow, Moderate purchase price
Cons: Unpleasant noise, Short Warranty, Mediocre filtration
Great for: Allergies, Dust
Not Recommended for: Chemicals, Odors, Smoke
Summary:
Holmes is one of the most widespread budget brands in the air purifier category. Most Holmes units are below $89, but the HAP756-U is much larger and more powerful and comes in $149, making it the most expensive Holmes unit.
The Holmes HAP756-U air purifier is definitely affordable, but it has a number of drawbacks for the price. While it delivers high airflow and coverage area, it does so with a rather unpleasant fan sound which is very choppy. It also does not deliver the filtration rates claimed on the box.
If you need a cheap way to cover a large area, the HAP756-U will do it, but there are a number of other options within $50-100 that offer significant performance increases.
Review Outline & Key Findings (Click to Skip Ahead)
1. Unboxing the Unit
Big Unit
Tiny Fan
Unpleasant Noise
2. Key Technologies
Not Much Here
3. Available Filter Options
HEPA
Charcoal Pre-Filters
4. Product Specs
418 SqFt
85.2% Efficiency
97 Watts
5. Our Testing
Power Consumption
Noise Levels (dB)
Efficiency Tests
6. Cost to Operate
Power: $10.58
Filters: $8.17
Total: $18.75
7. Similar Units
Winix P300
Whispure 450
8. The Bad
Limited Concerns
Poor Noise
Mediocre Efficiency
9. The Good
Low Purchase Price
10. Why Buy Here?
Advice
Expertise
Long Term Support
Full Review of Holmes HAP756-U HEPA Air Purifier
Unboxing the Unit
Big Unit
I was surprised at how big the Holmes HAP756-U was coming out of the box. I am used to seeing tiny little units produced by Holmes, but this one definitely looks big and powerful.
Tiny Fan
Looking down at the unit something immediately stood out. Given how large this unit is, the fan looks incredibly small. This may suggest that the unit is going to be underpowered for the size. I’ve seen other units take up the same amount of floor space but use a fan 2-3 times larger and deliver great airflow. We’ll have to see below how this one performs.
Unpleasant Fan Noise
When turning the unit on the first thing that was apparent was that the airflow noise was very poor. There is a uneven choppiness to the airflow that makes it unpleasant to listen to. This is a problem I do not observe very often.
If you plan to run this in the corner of a living room and not be around it much, you may be ok. But you are not going to want to sleep with this next to your bed.
Turning It On/Off
The controls are simple and easy to use. An LCD screen shows which speed you are on and you can adjust it with the + or – buttons.
Rubber Feet On Multiple Sides
One thing that I thought was interesting was that this purifier has rubber feet on two sides. Also the placement of the control panel is on the corner of the unit. This allows you to set the unit on two different edges and direct the airflow either up to the ceiling, or outward across the room.
Opening the Unit
When popping of the front panel, I expected to find a huge filter to fit the large size of the unit. I was surprised to find 3 small filters instead. One of the ways Holmes builds low cost air purifiers is by using similar parts and producing them in high volume. These small filters are the same ones that would work in a smaller unit.
One thing I noticed was that the filters fell off of the clicps the second I opened the door. To avoid this you want to lay the unit on its back before changing the filter.
Construction Quality: Solid Plastic, But Cheap Feel
When using the unit and opening it, many things stood out as being cheap. From the way the 3 filters were utilized, to the lack of the door hinge on the front panel, and most importantly the low quality of sound produced by the unit.
Key Technologies
Not much to highlight here. I mentioned that the rubber feet on two sides was unique, but probably not what would be considered a key technology. This is a low cost allergen removal unit and is ok for large rooms.
Basic Allergen Unit
Here is a picture of the box that shows the unit next to a chair so that you can get a feel for the size. It is a rather large unit.
Available Filter Options
Small HEPA Filters
The HAP756-U Air Purifier comes with 3 smaller HEPA filters.
Charcoal Pre-Filters
The unit also has small charcoal pre-filters that attaches to each of the 3 filters. These are extremely thin and have almost no carbon on them at all. So we don’t expect them to be much good against odors, but they are still worth using as a pre-filter to capture large dust particles and hair.
Product Specs
| Coverage Area | 418 sq ft |
| Efficiency | 99.97% (Manufacturer’s Claim) |
| Noise Levels | Not Provided by Manufacturer |
| Power Consumption | Not Provided by Manufacturer |
| Energy Star Rated | Yes |
Performance Testing
The following performance specs are what we measured in our performance testing.
| Speed | Power Consumption (Watts) | Noise (dB) | Efficiency (0.3 Microns) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 97 | 66 | 85.2% |
| 3 | 73 | 59 | 86.5% |
| 2 | 64 | 55.5 | 81.2% |
| 1 | 53 | 47 | 73.5% |
The watts were reasonable for a unit of this size/airflow. However, the noise was a bit higher than we like to see, and the sound of the noise was not pleasant as we have mentioned.
The filtration results measured were quite a bit lower than the 99.97% efficiency claimed on the box. This leads us to wonder if the filter is a really a true HEPA filter, or if the unit has poor seals and lots of air bypass issues where dust/particles can get past the filter.
Cost to Operate
Cost to Operate: Good
Monthly Power Cost: $10.58
Monthly Filter Cost: $8.17
Maximum Operating Cost: $18.75/month
Typical Operating Cost: $9.38/month (We divide max operating cost in half since we don’t expect everyone will run it on high 24/7)
When it comes to low cost units, most draw you in with a cheap purchase price only to gouge you in the long run with high power consumption and unreasonable filter costs. However, the the Holmes HAP756U is pretty cheap across the board. There are definitely cheaper to run units out there, but many come with an initial purchase price 3-4 times higher than the HAP756.
See how the costs add up:
Power Consumption Cost
| Unit Power on High: | 104 watts |
| Cost of Electricity from Utility: | 15 cents/kWh |
| Your Daily Power Cost on High: | 35 cents per day |
| Your Monthly Power Cost on High: | $10.58/month on high |
Filter Replacement Cost
| Filter | Cost | Change Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| HEPA Filter | $49.99 | every 12 months |
| Charcoal Pre-Filters | $4 per pre-filter | 3 needed every 3 months |
Power Cost:
Running the HAP756-U on high speed, 24 hours a day will result in a power cost of $10.58/month.
Filter Cost:
Changing the HEPA filter on schedule every 12 months and also the pre-filters every 3 months will cost about $98/year, which averages out to $8.17/month.
The maximum cost of ownership means running the unit on high speed, 24/7 and changing the filters at the recommended change frequency. While we recommend that you run your unit 24/7, we don’t expect that everyone will. Therefore, we divide the maximum operating cost ($18.75/mo) in half to give a more typical operating cost of $9.38/mo.
Most Comparable Units
Holmes HAP756-U |
 Winix P450 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Price | $149 | $179 |
| Coverage (2 air changes) | 1045 | 750 |
| Coverage (5 air changes) | 418 | 300 |
| Efficiency (0.3 Microns) | 85.5% | Not Yet Tested |
| Noise on High (dB) | 66 | Not Yet Tested |
| Power on High | 97 | Not Yet Tested |
| Warranty | 3 Year | 1 Year |
| Max Cost to Operate | $18.75/mo | Not Yet Tested |
| Typical Cost to Operate | $9.38/mo | Not Yet Tested |
| Full Expert Review | Not Yet Reviewed | |
| View Product Page | View Product Page |
The HAP756-U is definitely a budget air purifier that delivers high airflow/coverage area. However, the efficiency is lacking and the noise is higher than the comparable units.
Winix P300
This is one of the lower priced winix units that starts to introduce better aesthetics with decent performance.
Areas for Improvement (The Bad)
This Holmes unit has high airflow for a low cost, but it is lacking in a few other areas:
Poor Noise
The sound of airflow coming from this unit is very choppy and uneven. It is not a relaxing noise to listen to. And it’s a little louder than many comparable units. The choppy noise could definitely use improvement.
Mediocre Efficiency
This purifier is advertised as True HEPA with 99.97% efficiency but it did not deliver that in our tests. This indicates that either the filter is less efficienct than they claim, or that the unit has an airbypass problem where dust/allergens can get around the filter. Neither of these issues is ideal, but they won’t prevent you from getting at least some benefit from this unit if your budget is a big concern.
Reasons to Buy (The Good)
Low cost with reasonable airflow/coverage area make this a popular unit. The cost to operate the unit is also reasonable as Holmes doesn’t gouge you on replacement filter costs like some other low cost air purifier brands.
Why Buy With Air Purifiers America
With a hundred places you could buy this same product, why choose Air Purifiers America?
With Air Purifiers America, you always have someone to call if you run into a problem.
We can give you advice over the phone or online chat. Help you determine where and how often to run your unit. If you need to send the unit back in 45 days, we’ve got you covered. If your unit has an issue in a year, we can walk you through the warranty process.
Amazon may ship it to you 1 day faster, but after that, you’re on your own! When you buy from Air Purifiers America, we are always available to help you resolve any issues you may have.
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