GermGuardian AC5350B Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

In a year of impressive air purifiers, notably the Blueair Sense+ and Coway AP-1512HH, the GermGuardian AC5350B is quite a disappointment. Despite the new name, the GermGuardian AC5350B is more of the same as the cheaper AC5300B from the American brand. In today’s GermGuardian AC5350B Review, we’ll see if it’s worth it.

Update: The flagships of this brand are the GermGuardian AC9400W and GermGuardian AC9600W. But if you are looking for a smart air purifier, you should search for either the GermGuardian CDAP5500BCA or the GermGuardian CDAP4500BCA.

GermGuardian AC5350B ranks C+ 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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Guardian Technologies is truly an iconic air purifier brand. Its products are available in every air purifier store and supermarket. We consider the company to be the king of the low-end air purifier segment; only Honeywell can compete in the vast number of air purifying devices. Today, we have enough time to deliver the trusted GermGuardian AC5350B Review for you.

Other GermGuardian’s Air Purifier Reviews:

GermGuardian AC5350B Price

The GermGuardian AC5350B is a low-range air purifier with a price tag that matches the new 22-inch flagship of this brand, the CDAP4500BCA—a baffling misstep. This air purifier just uses the same air filtration as the GermGuardian AC5250PT but will charge you $30 for a new appearance. And, for me, this is not the reason I buy an air purifier.

You can also get the GermGuardian AC5600WDLX for the same price as our current GermGuardian AC5350B. It doesn’t have a UV-C light filter, but it is a console air purifier with a timer setting.

The GermGuardian AC5350B starts at $159, a price range where even without the CDAP4500BCA, there are lots of great, affordable air purifiers like the Honeywell HFD280B or the TCL Breeva A3. They are both capable of dealing with allergens and have a more reasonable price tag. The Coway AP-1216L is also a great tower air purifier in this price range, just so you know.

However, if you are looking for this GermGuardian AC5350B, here is our best deal for you, as the air purifier is only $129.

Related post: Best air purifier 2023.

GermGuardian AC5350B Design and Size

The GermGuardian AC5350B has two versions for you to choose, Black Onyx or Crystal White. If you are looking for the White version, you should search for the GermGuardian AC5350W, which has the same specs as the GermGuardian AC5350B, or you can grab a $20 OFF deal from below.

Somehow, with the new color edition, the GermGuardian AC5350B can easily be mistaken for the GermGuardian CDAP5500BCA and the GermGuardian AC5300B (of course). Almost every modern air purifier released by the company in the last three years has been white.

It isn’t an ugly air purifier by any means; it just lacks imagination. Both the front and back are the huge air grills that show the classic back-to-front airflow system of the tower air purifier, while the handles are on both sides. There is one signature circular light on the front to indicate if the GermGuardian AC5350B is on or off.

GermGuardian AC5350B maintains the same 28-inch height along the shape of its body. That height is among the tallest air purifiers; give this GermGuardian AC5350B something to make it stand out from the crowd.

At the top, you will have a brand new control panel to differentiate it from its predecessor. A digital display is being used to show you exactly the current fan speed of the GermGuardian AC5350B.

Source: Amazon.com

However, the GermGuardian AC5350B weighs only 11.25 lbs, making it easy to move around your home.

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

GermGuardian AC5350B Filters

To decide the power of an air purifier, basically we will look at how many filters it has and the air filter types are used. The GermGuardian AC5350B is just like the GermGuardian AC5250PT with a modern appearance, because it stays true to the same 3-in-1 air cleaning system as below.

1. Pre-filter – A normal pre-filter with Activated Carbon filter to remove the large particles of pollutants and reduce odors created from smoke, cooking, and pets.
2. True HEPA filter – GermGuardian AC5350B uses a True HEPA Filter to capture 99.97% of microscopic allergens, dust and mold spores as small as 0.3 microns in size.
3. UV-C Light – This air purifier is also using an UV bulb to kill airborne bacteria, viruses and mold spores.

There is no clear difference between the GermGuardian AC5350B’s air cleaning system and others in this brand; however, the new True HEPA filter of the GermGuardian AC5350B is still the latest technology of this company. It calls this air filter “Pet Pure Treatment,” which includes an anti-microbial agent to inhibit the growth of mold, mildew, and odor-causing bacteria on the surface of the filter. While the efficiency of this new air filter needs to be tested more, I tried adding it to a previous AC5300B and it worked just like the GermGuardian AC5350B. So, once again, why do you need $30 to buy the newer?

For a standard test in Breathe Quality, I put the GermGuardian AC5350B in the same 100-sq-ft room with the GermGuardian AC5250PT and Honeywell Compact AirGenius 4 HFD280B. They all run for an hour. Running a test for GermGuardian devices many times, it is no surprise that both the GermGuardian AC5350B and the GermGuardian AC5250PT can have a high efficiency of 99.9% for any particles as small as 0.3 microns. The Honeywell HFD280B, without a true HEPA filter, has a result of only 90%.

Just like any other device in GermGuardian’s line, the GermGuardian AC5350B runs an UV-C light bulb to fight germs and kill airborne bacteria, viruses, and mold spores.

Source: Amazon.com

Based on 24/7 use, you need to replace the air filter after 6–8 months. Luckily, the air filter cost of the GermGuardian AC5350B is only $39, making it one of the most affordable air filters to buy.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

GermGuardian AC5350B Room Coverage

The GermGuardian AC5350B is yet another 167-square-foot air purifier. This room coverage is normal among the GermGuardian line of air purifiers, which is a little bit smaller than others in the same price range, like the Honeywell HFD300 (225 square feet) or SilverOnyx (500 square feet).

The ACH of GermGuardian AC5350B is 4X. With that ACH rating, this air purifier will clean your room every 15 minutes.

The CADR of GermGuardian AC5350B is 114 Dust/ 108 Smoke/ 127 pollen (cfm).

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

GermGuardian AC5350B Sound

With five fan speeds, the GermGuardian AC5350B is not as quiet as the previous GermGuardian AC5300B and can go as high as 60 decibels (dB). With that noise level, you can’t ignore the sound when running the GermGuardian AC5350B at full fan speed.

Even at the lowest setting, the noise level of the GermGuardian AC5300B can reach 40 decibels, which is higher than most of the normal air purifiers on the market. For example, the AeraMax 300 is only 35 decibels, the SilverOnyx can be as low as 25 decibels, and the Winix 5300-2 is only 28 decibels.

If you are planning to have an air purifier for a quiet space, the GermGuardian AC5350B is still not one of your best choices. Instead, I suggest you read our reviews for the Levoit LV-H132 or Honeywell AirGenius 4 HFD310.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

GermGuardian AC5350B Power Consumption

A good air purifier must be used for a long time to be efficient, and one of the most frequently asked questions in Breathe Quality is: “Do air purifiers use a lot of energy?” We can all agree that power consumption is one important criterion to review to determine if this air purifier is worth your money or not.

With a new built-in 5-watt UV-C bulb, the GermGuardian AC5350B runs at 60 watts, which is much higher than the energy-saving air purifiers like the Levoit LV-H132, AeraMax 300, or Coway AP-1512HH. However, this power consumption is lower than that of the Winix 5300-2, Winix C535 and Winix 5500-2.

For using a GermGuardian AC5350B for 8 hours per day, it would cost you up to $40 per year.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

GermGuardian AC5350B Additional Features

Although the GermGuardian AC5350B costs the same as the CDAP4500BCA, it is absurd that it lacks the most recent additional features.Having said that, there is no Wi-Fi capability or Smart Sensor.The only new feature from the previous AC5300B is a timer.

However, if you compare with other air purifiers in the same price range, like the Honeywell HFD300 or the Blueair Classic 203, you will notice that these air purifiers do not have any additional features. That’s why the GermGuardian CDAP4500BCA is now the king of low-range budgets.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

GermGuardian AC5350B Customer Service

There is not much to say about the brilliant support from Guardian Technologies’ customer service. Anyone can get active support from the American brand. The company also makes the instruction manuals available online to help you answer common questions on your own. But if you can’t find a solution, just contact customer service via phone at 866-603-5900 or via email at support@guardiantechnologies.com. Just like any other brand, the office will be open from Monday to Friday.

Guardian Technologies occasionally offers free shipping as well as a significant discount on all products (typically 10% to 20%). Whenever you find the air purifiers are not as great as you had thought, you can return them within 30 days of your original receipt of the order. And don’t worry about the warranty policy of Guardian Technologies, as it warrants its products to be free of defects in materials or workmanship. You can register for a warranty for up to five years.

The GermGuardian AC5350B has the best 5-year backup warranty.

Our verdict

It’s difficult to give this GermGuardian AC5350B a positive verdict. It is not worth the upgrade from previous air purifiers from Guardian Technologies, unless the company dares to give it a new name and a new story. Otherwise, even in the low-range segment, this GermGuardian AC5350B is still overpriced and uninspiring, and I prefer sticking with the GermGuardian AC5250PT.