Honeywell HPA160 Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

The Honeywell HPA160 is aging, and for both the price and the performance, the Honeywell HPA200 is a lot better than this classic air purifier from Honeywell. Though it’s not a staple pick today, it is still a decent air purifier with one of the best True HEPA filters in the world. Okay, time for our Honeywell HPA160 Review.

Update: The Honeywell HPA175 and Honeywell HPA180 have been released, with the latter featuring a Smart Sensor for the same price as our today unit.

Honeywell HPA160 ranks C+ in our air purifier ranking list. We give the biggest and most thorough database of air purifier reviews in the world.

In Breathe Quality, we have reviewed all air purifiers under these sections. Also, we guarantee that:

• We provide honest reviews (both pros and cons) so that everyone can make the best decisions.
• We do not (and never will) exaggerate one product just to let you click the links and buy that product blindly.

Sections

Honeywell is a great North American brand in the air purifier industry. The company is known for its iconic HPA Model air purifiers, ranging from the manual Honeywell HPA060 to the latest flagship, the HPA600B. The Honeywell HPA160 is a taller and more powerful version of the previous HPA060, keeping the same air filtration. Okay, so let’s discuss this in the Honeywell HPA160 Review.

Other Honeywell’s Air Purifier Reviews:

Honeywell HPA160 Price

We’re late to the game on this Honeywell HPA160 review. At the moment, the Honeywell HPA160 is a very old device that is currently unavailable at many retailers.

With only one black edition (normally HPA models come with two editions), the Honeywell HPA160 costs you $149, which is easily replaced by the more powerful Honeywell HPA200. The Honeywell HFD300 is also a great device for the price, providing a modern appearance and better room coverage. But the best tower air purifier you could get with a true HEPA filter in the low range from this brand is actually the Honeywell HPA030B. It has a better design and a good plan to last for a longer time. Weirdly, the HPA030B has a scarce availability and higher price tag on Amazon, so I’m not too sure that you can get a proper Honeywell True HEPA Tower air purifier anymore.

You can find more alternatives from other brands to replace this Honeywell HPA160. The Blueair Classic 203 Slim is an old machine from the Swedish brand Blueair, with a brilliant power fan and air filtration system. Or you can buy the GermGuardian CDAP4500BCA, with the latest smart features and a much better price.

Again, it is your call. It is hard to buy Honeywell HPA160 at the moment, but you can grab this deal (if you are lucky).

Related post: Best air purifier 2023.

Honeywell HPA160 Design and Size

The Honeywell HPA160 is a great successor to the already successful HPA060, with lots of things to come.

Using the same classic design as its predecessor, this tower air purifier is made of mostly metal and plastic. As a result, Honeywell HPA160 is exactly the same size as HPA060, with nearly the same 11 inches in depth but only 26 inches in height.

You will recognize a Honeywell air purifier when you see the typical 360-degree air intake grill. This design language is repeated from version to version of the American brand. Standing at 26 inches, I generally prefer the 24-inch GermGuardian CDAP4500BCA, with a much better size for my side table.

On top of this air purifier, again, you will have the manual controller to help change the fan speed. There is one switch and two buttons, just like the HPA060 model.

Source: Amazon.com

This Honeywell HPA160 is 10 pounds in weight, which is smaller than both the Honeywell HPA200 and the Honeywell HFD300. However, a difference of 2 to 3 pounds can easily be ignored, especially when the old model is too hard to buy.

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

Honeywell HPA160 Filters

Though the price tag is double that of the previous HPA060, the Honeywell HPA160 still runs exactly the same air filters with a not-so-new 2-stage air cleaning system.

1. Pre-filter – The pre-filter contains Activated Carbon filter. This will both help adsorb VOCs, gases, and odors and trap larger particles. You will need to replace this filter after 3 months of usage.
2. True HEPA filter – The Honeywell HPA160 uses a True HEPA filter to capture up to 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns, like pet dander, mold, viruses, bacteria, and pollen. Note that the HEPA filter is model HRF-H2, which is not as good as the model HRF-R2 or HRF-R3 of the latest air purifiers.

Honeywell really commits to making good paper True HEPA filters. In standard conditions, the Honeywell HPA160 is capable of removing 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. This efficiency is a lot better than the normal “HEPA-type” or “HEPA-like” filter from low-end devices.

Source: Amazon.com

It is not difficult to set up a test for this Honeywell HPA160, and the testing samples were the Honeywell HPA030B and Blueair Classic 203. I ran all three in the same 100-square-foot room in one hour. The result is that the Honeywell HPA160 and Honeywell HPA030B score a high efficiency of 99.92% for any particles with a size of 0.3 microns or larger. The True HEPA filter is not only great in theory; it is a trusted filter in real-world use.

For such a great True HEPA filter, the filter replacement cost of Honeywell HPA160 is only $32, which is a lot more affordable than the $49 filter replacement cost of HPA200. Also, you need to change the air filter after 1 year.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

Honeywell HPA160 Room Coverage

The Honeywell HPA160, as a larger model of the HPA060, can cover twice as much space as its predecessor. The standard room coverage of this air purifier is 170 square feet. For the price, both the Honeywell HPA200 and Honeywell HFD300 can clean a larger room easily.

The ACH of Honeywell HPA160 is 5x. Even for a small room air purifier, Honeywell still aims for a high ACH rating (air changes per hour). With that high ACH rating, the Honeywell HPA160 can clean your room five times per hour.

The CADR of Honeywell HPA160 is 120 Dust/ 110 Smoke/ 130 Pollen (cfm). This CADR rating fits well with the room coverage of 170 square feet. The CADR rating shows how quickly the unit filters the air. Again, for the price, you should buy Honeywell HPA200 or Honeywell HFD300.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

Honeywell HPA160 Sound

The fan is not designed to handle noise because it is an older Honeywell device. The noise level is unacceptable even with a low fan power like the Honeywell HPA160.

The best suggestion is that you switch the fan speed to the lowest setting to prevent any annoying sounds when you sleep. Also, you should clean the air filters regularly to further reduce the noise.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

Honeywell HPA160 Power Consumption

One of our most FAQs is “Do air purifiers use a lot of energy?” In fact, we need to run an air purifier for a long time to be efficient.

The power consumption of the Honeywell HPA160 is around 54 watts, which is better than the Honeywell HPA200 but nowhere near the level of energy-saving air purifiers like the Levoit LV-H132 or Blue Pure 411. It is still an air purifier with an Energy Star rating, since Honeywell has been a long-time partner of this testing organization.

For using a Honeywell HPA160 for 8 hours per day, it would cost you up to $19 per year, which is only about $2 per month. Actually, air purifiers are great devices to use for a long time without any worry, so you shouldn’t be surprised by this Honeywell HPA160’s energy consumption.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

Honeywell HPA160 Additional Features

For a $180 air purifier, the Honeywell HPA160 is really poor, with only one timer and an auto dimmer setting. If you are looking for smart features, you should go for the $149 GermGuardian CDAP4500BCA right now.

Luckily, we still have the handy LED indicator for filter replacement, so you won’t need to remember when to change your air filters. It is good, right?

If you are looking for a smart air purifier from Honeywell, you can look for the Honeywell HPA180 or Honeywell HPA5200.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

Honeywell HPA160 Customer Service

Honeywell is a market leader in air purifiers, but its customer service is not as friendly as that of competitors. You can reach customer service via the mailbox at the Honeywell Store at 407 N. Quentin Road, Palatine, Illinois. But I suggest you call 847-701-3038 for any support questions. Or you can email sales@honeywellstore.com for any problems you experience while on the site or after buying a product. Honeywell is available from Monday to Friday.

It doesn’t have free shipping like Rabbit Air or Alen, and you must notify customer service within one business day of any problems with a third-party shipping service like USPS or FedEx. Otherwise, it will not accept liability for any merchandise damage during transit. Also, the shipment can take up to 10 business days from the date that the order is shipped.

The hardest part is when you want to return one Honeywell air purifier, as you only have 30 days from the date you receive your item to process your return. If there is no transit damage or workmanship defects, you won’t receive the shipping charge (on both the original shipping charge and the return shipping charge) and will have to pay a 10–30% re-stocking fee.

Honeywell’s warranty policy is also among the longest in the industry, with up to 5 years of coverage.

Source: Amazon.com

Our verdict

Now, the Honeywell HPA160 is not the best device from this manufacturer. For better performance, Honeywell HPA5200 and HPA180 are more viable options for you. However, if you need an air purifier with a small footprint, perhaps the Honeywell HPA160 is a good option.