Our pick for a medium room
Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max
Light, quiet purifier for rooms up to 439 ft², with $44.99 filters every 6 to 9 months
$229.99
Compare with this one →Our pick for a small bedroom or office
BlueairBlue Pure 511
Low-cost purifier for one room up to about 190 ft², with filters at $48 a year
Source-based analysis, not hands-on testing. Our method
Cofounder of Superhuman Chambers · About the author.
The verdict
The Blue Pure 511 is a $99.99 purifier for a bedroom or office up to 189 ft². It draws 16 W, and filters cost about $48 a year. The catch is that it covers one small room and has no auto mode.
The trade-off
It covers only one small room, and it has three manual speeds with no air sensor or auto mode.
Model reviewed: US model, store item 109994, with one Particle + Carbon filter and an Arctic Trail pre-filter
$99.99
Check price at Blueair US price, checked
No affiliate commission on this link. Check the exact variant before buying.
About this price
List price on Blueair's US page, with no sale price or crossed-out regular price shown. The online store showed it in stock. The box holds the purifier, one Particle + Carbon filter and an Arctic Trail pre-filter. Blueair's store lists it as item 109994 and shows no model number. A separate Blue Pure 511 Bundle is on sale at $169.98, down from $199.98. Its contents weren't checked. A banner on the page offers free shipping on orders over $35. Price is before tax.
A GOOD FIT FOR
A bedroom or office up to about 190 ft² where you want a cheap, simple purifier with low filter costs.
- A bedroom or home office up to about 190 ft²
- You want a simple purifier with three manual speeds and nothing to set up
- You want low running costs: about $48 a year in filters and a 16 W rating
- You're short on space: it's 7.9 in square and weighs 4.2 lb
THINK TWICE IF
- A living room or open-plan space bigger than 189 ft²
- You want an auto mode or an air-quality readout; Blueair lists no air sensor
- You need serious odor or gas removal; Blueair pitches the carbon at light household odors
- You want more than two years of warranty; Blueair's Blue Pure Max models get three with registration
What still needs checking
- Whether it's listed in AHAM's Verifide directory or Energy Star's product finder; neither directory could be read
- Whether CARB has certified it; the part of CARB's list that loaded showed four other Blueair models
- Power draw on low, and which speed the 16 W figure refers to
- Noise at speed 2
- Whether the electrostatic part of HEPASilent gives off any ozone
- Wall clearance and other setup guidance from the manual
The practical details.
| Exact variant | US model, store item 109994, with one Particle + Carbon filter and an Arctic Trail pre-filter |
|---|---|
| CADR (smoke, dust, pollen) | 122, 123 and 123 cfm |
| Room size | 189 ft² at 4.8 air changes an hour (one change every 12.5 minutes) |
| Noise | 24 to 49 dB in the spec table; 22 dB on low and 44 dB on high in the FAQ |
| Power draw | 16 W, a single figure with no low or high |
| Filters | One Particle + Carbon filter behind a washable pre-filter |
| Filter life and price | About 6 months; $23.99 per filter, $6.99 per pre-filter |
| Controls | Three manual fan speeds and a filter-change light; no air sensor |
| Size and weight | 13.4 × 7.9 × 7.9 in; 4.2 lb |
| Dimensions | 13.4 × 7.9 × 7.9 in (height × width × depth). It weighs 4.2 lb. |
| Materials | A single Particle + Carbon filter sits behind a washable pre-filter. Blueair says the filter captures PM2.5, pollen, dust mite allergen and pet dander allergen. The carbon is aimed at light household odors such as smoke and cooking. Blueair calls the system HEPASilent, a mix of electrostatic and mechanical filtration. Pre-filters come in Arctic Trail, Night Waves and Winter Reed. |
Before you buy
InstallationNone
None. Plug it in and it blows clean air out the top. Blueair's page links no manual, so it doesn't say how much wall clearance it needs.
WarrantyOne year from purchase, or two if you register
One year from purchase, or two if you register. Blueair's warranty page gives 60 days to register, in your Blueair account or the app. That page doesn't name the 511, so the two-year term comes from the product page. You need to replace filters on Blueair's schedule and keep proof of purchase. Coverage is for the original owner only, and warranties aren't available through third-party resellers. In the first year a defective unit is exchanged for a new or equivalent one. During the registered extension, the replacement is refurbished. Coverage ends if the unit leaves the continental US or Canada. Filters are covered for 30 days.
Returns30 days from purchase for items bought directly from Blueair…
30 days from purchase for items bought directly from Blueair, sent back with Blueair's prepaid label. Filters and pre-filters that are used or out of their plastic wrap can't be returned. Shipping charges, including the $5 flat rate, aren't refunded. Blueair takes 10 to 14 days to process a return. The refund then reaches your original payment method within 3 to 5 business days.
More about this assessment
The Blue Pure 511 is a $99.99 purifier for one small room. Blueair rates it at 122 cfm for smoke and 123 for dust and pollen. That covers a 189 ft² room at 4.8 air changes an hour. It has three manual speeds, no air sensor and a 16 W power rating. Its single Particle + Carbon filter costs $23.99 and lasts about 6 months, so filters run about $48 a year. Over three years that's about $244 before electricity. The warranty is one year, or two if you register within 60 days. The page gives two different noise ranges and shows no certification marks.
Strengths on paper
- Low $99.99 list price
- Smoke CADR of 122 cfm, enough for a 189 ft² room at 4.8 air changes an hour
- Filters cost $23.99 and last about 6 months, about $48 a year
- Rated at only 16 W
- Quiet on low: 22 to 24 dB by Blueair's figures
- Small and light at 7.9 in square and 4.2 lb, with air out the top
- Washable pre-filter, with $6.99 replacements in three colors
Limitations
- Sized for one small room
- Blueair's noise figures disagree: 24 to 49 dB in the spec table, 22 to 44 dB in the FAQ
- The "413 ft² in 30 minutes" claim works out to about 2.2 air changes an hour, not the 4.8 behind 189 ft²
- Only one power figure, so low-speed draw is unknown
- Three manual speeds and no air sensor, so there's no auto mode
- Base warranty is one year; the second year depends on registering within 60 days
- The warranty requires filter changes on Blueair's schedule and proof of purchase
- Filters out of their wrap can't be returned
What it costs to own.
Adjust the assumptions for your use. Missing costs stay unknown.
PLAN YOUR OWNERSHIP COSTS
What will it cost to own?
Change the assumptions to fit your use. Leave an unknown cost blank. Add water, subscriptions, cleaning, shipping and taxes if they apply. Use average operating power, not the maximum rating.
3-year known subtotal
$243.93Incomplete: energy use. This is not the full ownership cost.
Energy component: Unknown
Purchase + installation + years × (annual consumables + annual other) + watts/1000 × hours/day × 365 × years × $/kWh. Annualized allowances, not an exact replacement schedule. Excludes taxes, shipping, finance and resale unless entered.Replacement parts & cost assumptions
Recorded recurring parts and refills:
- Blue Pure 511 Particle + Carbon filter: $23.99 every 6 months. Blueair recommends a new filter about every 6 months, and a light on the unit turns red when it's due. That's $47.98 a year. A subscription takes 25% off the first filter and 15% off later ones. This filter fits only the Blue Pure 511, not the 511i Max, whose filter costs $29.99.
- Blue Pure 511 fabric pre-filter: $6.99. Washable, so it isn't a scheduled cost. Blueair doesn't say how long one lasts.
- Purchase is the $99.99 list price on blueair.com.
- Filters are two $23.99 Particle + Carbon filters a year at Blueair's 6-month interval: $47.98. With the subscription's 15% repeat discount, two filters come to about $40.78.
- Watts is Blueair's single 16 W figure. Blueair doesn't say which speed it applies to or how many hours a day to run it. For scale, 16 W around the clock is about 0.38 kWh a day, or 140 kWh a year. Energy cost isn't estimated.
- No required fees. The filter subscription is optional.
Evidence & sources.
Do air purifiers work? Our evidence review grades the research as Strong. That grade is about the claim, not about this product.
- Manufacturer claimBlueair rates the Blue Pure 511 at 122 cfm for smoke, 123 for dust and 123 for pollen, for a 189 ft² room at 4.8 air changes an hour.1 Blueair says it updated the CADR and room-size values for new DOE standards and that the website listing is the most accurate. The page names no test lab and shows no AHAM Verifide mark. Its meta description gives 180 ft².
- Manufacturer claimBlueair says HEPASilent removes 99.97% of airborne particles down to 0.1 micron.1 The footnote cites a PM2.5 test of up to 90 minutes, and no test report is linked. Removal in a lab run isn't the same as how fast the unit cleans a room, which is what CADR measures.
- Manufacturer claimBlueair's product page shows no AHAM Verifide, Energy Star or CARB mark for the Blue Pure 511.1 The AHAM and Energy Star directories couldn't be read, so its status there is unknown rather than missing.
- Regulator recordThe part of CARB's list of certified air cleaning devices that loaded showed four Blueair models, all certified on May 18, 2026, and no Blue Pure 511.3 The list runs newest first, and the readable text stopped partway down. The 511 may be listed further on, so its CARB status is unconfirmed rather than missing.
Sources (6)
- Blue Pure 511 Blueair · manufacturer · checked Oct 13, 2026
- Blue Pure 511 Particle + Carbon Filter Blueair · manufacturer · checked Oct 13, 2026
- List of CARB-certified air cleaning devices California Air Resources Board · regulator · checked Oct 13, 2026
- Blueair limited warranty (US) Blueair · manufacturer · checked Oct 13, 2026
- Return policy (US) Blueair · manufacturer · checked Oct 13, 2026
- Blueair store search results for 511 Blueair · manufacturer · data file · checked Oct 13, 2026
Other options.
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Levoit
Levoit Core 300-P
Small-room air purifier for spaces up to 222 ft², with a $29.99 filter
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Compare with this one →About this review. The facts on this page come from manufacturer pages and regulator records, checked Oct 13, 2026. The sources are listed above.
Our editorial policy →