LG Signature AM501YWM1 Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

The LG Signature AM501YWM1 is a unique take on watering air purification systems, swiveling out the common concept of things like Boneco or Sharp, to reveal another underneath. Powerful as it is, do you really need such high-end watering air purifier? Let’s find out in our today LG Signature AM501YWM1 Review.

LG Signature AM501YWM1 ranks B+ in our air purifier ranking list. We give the biggest and most thorough database of air purifier reviews in the world.

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LG adds another high-end product to its line-up, along with the famous air purifier LG PuriCare AS560DWR0. Not like the pure air purifier flagship, the new LG Signature AM501YWM1 tackles on a permanent build for reducing airborne contaminants, as well as keeping your environment humid. Yes, this combination of humidifier and air purifier isn’t new, but the LG Signature AM501YWM1 is certainly the best. Okay, find out why in our LG Signature AM501YWM1 Review.

Other LG’s Air Purifier Reviews:

LG Signature AM501YWM1 Price

The LG Signature AM501YWM1 is a novelty in the air purifier world, a bold design to get high-end air purification without the need to replace the air filters as often as traditional method. That means, this watering air purification system LG Signature AM501YWM1 is truly signature, defeats any top-end products like Airpura UV600 or Austin Air HealthMate Plus with their 5-years HEPA filters.

For the most part, it’s a good trade-off, giving up some fan capabilities and power in order to keep top-notch performance without the change of mechanical filters. Somehow the Airdog X5 and Airdog X8 do it very good at such a lower price, but the ionizer‘s obvious cons like ozone emission, interference with electronic products and inevitable crackling noise make you love the LG Signature AM501YWM1 more.

So, I expect this air purifier to revolutionize air purifiers, though of course this LG Signature AM501YWM1 isn’t the first and only air purifier with humidifier function. The Boneco H680 is still one of the best air purifiers that I’ve tested, and various Sharp models like Sharp KC-850U and Sharp KC-860U are very good for only 1/5 of the LG Signature AM501YWM1’s asking cost.

Yes, the LG Signature AM501YWM1 costs around $1699. Even if you can buy it from our deal with many benefits like lowest price guarantee, paying as low as $71 per month, free shipping and free return, it is still a bit too much to buy one. Paying for this air purifier over any high-end machines like IQAir GC MultiGas or Oransi Erik 650A is worth? Short answer: yes. Long answer: read this review.

Related post: Best air purifier 2023.

LG Signature AM5011YWM1 Design and Size

Outside of expensive 360° air distribution from pure mechanical air purifiers, the air purifier design has stagnated in the last few years, and most coming out these days rarely varying from that specialized design. LG did great with the LG PuriCare AS560DWR0 and cheaper LG PuriCare AS330DWR0 to have a tilt on top. Dyson also did numerous with their Dyson HP07, Dyson TP07 and latest Dyson HP09, covering more space at once.

The design of LG Signature AM501YWM1 doesn’t need to be distinctive from any air purifiers you can find on the market, given its usual bottom-to-top air flow system concept. Though it looks pretty much like any other air purifier out there at first glance, it nails a crucial watering system inside. The watering system can rotate at very high speed to spray 4.8 gallons of water (atomized water) in an hour, however its actual capacity is only 0.8 gallon. In comparison, the Boneco H680 can hold up to 2.6 gallons, and the Sharp KC-860U adds 1.14 gallons.

As an air purifier with humidifying function, the LG Signature AM501YWM1 is not really huge on size, about 28.5 inches in height and 16 inches in both width and depth. In fact, it feels a bit more compact than the top-tier PuriCare air purifiers of the line-up.

We must remind that this is a watering air purifier, so the spectacular design highlight of this LG Signature AM501YWM1 is obviously its water system. It has an easy-to-install bucket, that you can easily clean it to prevent mold accumulation. Even though the water bucket is easy to remove, you don’t need to detach it to fill. You can pour water into the bucket directly, though removing the bucket allows you to add a large amount of water quickly. Moreover, the air purifier has a Max water level indicator to tell you that whether the bucket is full or not.

LG Signature AM501YWM1 features Rain View window, which is great to enjoy the visualization of the humidification process. Below is a much more thoughtful and clear control panel from this air purifier, better than any devices in this family.

The LG Signature AM501YWM1, like any air purifier with humidifier feature, is heavy at 36 lbs, not including the 0.8 gallon water bucket in full.

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

LG Signature AM501YWM1 Filters

LG Signature AM501YWM1 is a high-end air purifier that combines both water and air purification system to completely clean the air. It has a 3-stage air purification system as below.

1. Pre-filter – A permanent filter is applied to capture the large dust and fiber before they contacting other filters. It is washable, and therefore permanent.
2. Activated Carbon Filter – The deodorization filter catches odors and smoke, keeping your environment out of unpleasant odors.
3. PM 1.0 filter – The main filter is a PM 1.0 filter, which is of course lower level than the HEPA filter. However, this is enough to capture fine particles, and the filter is permanent to use.

I believe that any loyal readers of Breathe Quality doesn’t need more instructions to know how these mechanical filters work. It is very basic, and though it only requires maintenance instead of replacement, and can reduce the amount of waste made by True HEPA filters, it can’t match the performance of an actual HEPA air purifier. To compensate its lack of HEPA filters, LG Signature AM501YWM1 introduces a pretty powerful watering system.

Yes, the watering system of this LG Signature AM501YWM1 can spray up to 4.8 gallons of atomized water per hour into the air, effectively infuse moisture in inhaled air. It both creates the comfortable humidity level which helps against dry sinuses and tackles the airborne contaminants. The water is sterilized by UV-C light to destroy any viruses and mold inside.

Actual performance of the LG Signature AM501YWM1 is interesting, as I can expect from an air purifier at that price point, and from a great company which made the LG PuriCare AS560DWR0. In 1 hour and a room of 300 square feet, the LG Signature AM501YWM1 reduce up to 99.7% of any particles down to 0.3 microns. However, it is nowhere near the performance of the best devices like Blueair HealthProtect 7770i, which is our best air purifier recommendation.

As I said above, you don’t need to replace the air filter for the LG Signature AM501YWM1. It’s truly an air purifier that will last you a life time.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

LG Signature AM501YWM1 Room Coverage

LG Signature AM501YWM1 is certified and tested by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) to be able to clean areas up to 318 square feet. This air purifier is enough to clean any medium to large rooms, as it can spray 4.8 gallons of water per hour.

The ACH of LG Signature AM501YWM1 is 4X. All air purifiers certified by the AHAM will run 4 times per hour in the recommended room size.

The CADR of LG PuriCare AM501YWM1 is 230 Dust/ 205 Smoke/ 245 Pollen (cfm). Such performance is even better than the LG PuriCare AS330DWR0 which is recommended for the same room size by LG.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

LG Signature AM501YWM1 Sound

All LG high-end air purifiers will run a very premium and powerful fan at no drawback of high noise level. The LG Signature AM501YWM1 is a perfect air purifier for bedroom as its lowest noise level is as low as 23 decibels (db), and you can try imagine it as the rustling leaves.

On highest fan speed, the noise level is just 53 decibels, which is like the common conversation at home, and somehow it acts like white noise to help you sleep easier.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

LG Signature AM501YWM1 Power Consumption

One of our most FAQs is “Do air purifiers use a lot of energy?” In fact, air purifier must be used for a long time to be efficient. And power consumption is one important criteria to review how much energy this air purifier will consume.

LG Signature AM501YWM1 requires 85 watts for the power consumption at turbo fan speed, which is a bit higher than the LG PuriCare AS560DWR0 for less performance. On lowest speed, however, the power consumption is just only 15 watts.

If you use the LG Signature AM501YWM1 for 8 hours each day, it would cost you just $5-$30 per year. Remember that the Inverted motor of LG will save the money in long-term run.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

LG Signature AM501YWM1 Additional Features

LG Signature AM501YWM1 is a feature-rich air purifier, just like any high-end machines of the PuriCare line-up, with both the dust and odor Smart Sensor. It can detect PM 10, 2.5 and 1.0 airborne particles, and report via the Air Quality Indicator. Moreover, the Auto Mode allows the LG Signature AM501YWM1 to automatically change the fan speed according to the environment.

However, the number one reason you get this high-end air purifier is because of its add-on humidifier function. Well, its Rain View Window is quite nice to have, but it doesn’t add any performance into the humidifier function. In this regard, I prefer the Boneco H680 with bigger capacity and far better room coverage.

Still, you will want to pay more for the humidifier function of the LG Signature AM501YWM1. Using the UV-C light bulb, the air purifier can sterilize the water, stopping any mold and bacteria accumulation in the air. This air purifier also features a Smart Drying feature, that it can automatically dry up the filters, so you don’t need to clean and dry the filters yourself.

As the flagship that LG sold for $1699, the LG Signature AM501YWM1 can benefit from the SmartThinQ app, as you can monitor and control the device on smartphone app. There is also one remote control for you to change the setting if you don’t want (have) Internet.

In addition to the air quality indicator, the LG Signature AM501YWM1 features a humidity sensor, as well as an automatic humidistat control. Other features like Child lock or Timer are available on this unit as well.

Finally, there is a filter check light to help you know when to change the humidifier and carbon filters.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

LG Signature AM501YWM1 Customer Service

LG is still one of the best electronics manufacturers in the world. So far, the company focuses on improving the customer service, at the world-class level. Buying an LG product means you will get the full support from this company.

To contact LG, there are many methods. You can either email them online, or through their community forum, Facebook or Twitter fan page. If you look for the direct contact, you can live chat with them online, or call them at 800-243-0000. LG’s support is available from 7 AM to midnight CST.

The company supports you with the most competitive warranty for any air purifiers. All air purifiers are covered with a 10-year warranty for Inverter motor only. For other parts and labor, the company deliver a common 1-year warranty.

Our verdict

Air purifier and humidifier combination isn’t cheap, and the LG Signature AM501YWM1 (though isn’t the most powerful) is the best solution you can find for such combination. It eliminates the risk of mold and bacteria accumulation right on point, and I believe that no other unit can do such thing.

However, the LG Signature AM501YWM1 is very expensive, and unless you can’t swallow the fact that you are increasing the waste of air filters, you should get the LG PuriCare AS560DWR0 instead.