Austin Air HealthMate Jr Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

As the compact version of the almighty Austin Air HealthMate, the Austin Air HealthMate Junior (Jr) is designed to fit your everyday problems in a much smaller space. The American company has kept the main design concept while cutting everything in half to maintain this air purifier at a much lower mid-range level. But is it worth what you’ve saved? Let’s find out in our Austin Air HealthMate Jr Review.

However, the Austin Air Pet Machine is discontinued, so we recommend you look for the Austin Air HealthMate instead, which has a close price to the old Junior series.

Austin Air HealthMate Jr 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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It is hard to live in an air purifier world without the present of the Austin Air. Its air purifiers are ready to earn the title of “America’s Favorite Air Cleaner” almost every year. Being the basic option in the Junior Series, the Austin Air HealthMate Jr is a trustworthy consideration, especially when it has exactly the same formula as its bigger brother. Now, it’s time for our Austin Air HealthMate Jr Review.

Other Austin Air’s Air Purifier Reviews:

Austin Air HealthMate Jr Price

The Junior Series is exactly what we hoped it would be, and thankfully, it has gotten better over time thanks to the improvement of the air filters inside the Standard Series.

It makes our smaller Austin Air air purifier to compete in a much more aggressive market than the current sector of the big ones, especially when Austin Air still denies the important of some fancy additional features. I don’t try to imply that it’s a smart move, but it works for the Austin Air HealthMate Jr in some ways.

Given that this Austin Air HealthMate Jr is an excellent choice if size (and price) matters, I’ve thought of it as one of the best compact air purifiers. In a market full of devices that look nearly identical to each other, the Austin Air HealthMate Jr has a style all its own that is impossible to mistake for another.

But for all that it is, the Austin Air HealthMate Jr isn’t the cheapest you can get your hands on. The price of this Austin Air HealthMate Jr. starts at $415 for the non-caster version. The air purifier has been discontinued.

Once outside of the Austin Air realm, you will find much better deals on an air purifier with huge room coverage like this Austin Air HealthMate Jr. The Levoit LV-H134 and Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 are these most popular air purifiers for you, which have both great fan power and modern additional features to go for.

Moreover, if you can afford the high asking price, you can’t miss the Winix HR1000, Sharp FP-A80UW or Philips 2000i. They not only come from very long-established brands but also pack a strictly tested air filtration process to compete with others.

How about you? Do you think the Austin Air HealthMate Jr is right for you? If yes, I have a deal for you below.

Related post: Best air purifier 2023.

Austin Air HealthMate Jr Design and Size

The naming convention might lead you to believe that the Austin Air HealthMate Jr is a smaller version of the Austin Air HealthMate, and that’s totally the case. It has all the similarities with the rest of the line, be it the steel housing or the powder coat paint finish.

Also, the felt gaskets will seal the filter chamber to maximize the air filtration performance. This is a must-have feature on any portable air purifier, and out of all the devices I’ve reviewed, the Austin Air family is undeniably the best.

Austin Air still kept the set of color options for the Austin Air HealthMate Jr. You will have four different colors to choose from, which are black, midnight blue, white, and sandstone.

Like I said earlier, the size of this Austin Air HealthMate Jr is way smaller than its brother. It is only 16.5 inches in height (compared with 23 inches in the HealthMate) and 11 inches in width. It gives us the feel of an air purifier with just half the size, and you need to sit on the ground to use this air purifier. Or you can put it on a side table easily.

The 360° air intake system is also a plus, because you can only find this feature on high-end air purifiers. The Austin Air HealthMate Jr also uses the perforated grill to improve the capture of airborne pollutants.

Remember that the Austin Air HealthMate Jr, just like any other machines from this company, is CSA (Canadian Standards Association) approved. It is the certification for passing rigorous tests under various conditions to meet the requirements of safety for any electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and gas products.

With a smaller size, the Austin Air HealthMate Jr is only 21 lbs. Even without the optional casters, I believe that you can move the air purifier without any problem.

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

Austin Air HealthMate Jr Filters

When checking the performance of one air purifier, normally we will check the quantity of air filters and what types of air filters are in this device. The Austin Air HealthMate Jr, though small, features a signature 4-stage air cleaning system like its bigger brothers.

1. Pre-filter – During the first stage, Austin Air HealthMate Jr will capture any large objects of airborne pollutants that can be seen with the naked eye, such as large dust, pet hair, fur, and even some pet dander particles.
2. Medium Particle Pre-filter – Just like Rabbit Air MinusA2, Austin Air HealthMate Jr makes use of a double pre-filtration and can remove small to medium-sized particles like dust, pollen, and mold spores in this stage.
3. Activated Carbon filter – A 6.5 lbs of Activated Carbon and zeolite mixture to help remove household smoke, odors and chemicals.
4. True HEPA filter – The 30-sq-ft Medical-grade True HEPA filter of Austin Air HealthMate Jr can remove 99.97% of all particles larger than 0.3 microns, and even 95% of all particles larger than 0.1 microns.

The Austin Air HealthMate Jr rocks double pre-filters just like the Austin Air HealthMate. If you look closely, you will notice that these filters are made of the same materials.These filters are able to remove even the small particles and leave only the ultra-fine particles for the HEPA filter. As a result, it prolongs the lifetime of the True HEPA filter to 5 years.

Even for the budget version, Austin Air won’t compromise with the quality of its air filters. The Activated Carbon filter has 6.5 lbs of carbon, which is double the amount of carbon in the $1595 Oransi Erik 650A. With a combination of natural zeolite, this air filter can deal with more than 3000 types of toxic gases and odors.

And we can’t forget the top selling point of this company, the medical-grade True HEPA filter. With half the size of the HealthMate, the Austin Air HealthMate Jr can only contain a 30-sq-ft True HEPA filter inside. But it is nearly the size of a $639 Airpura H600, and you can’t go wrong with the high quality of Austin Air air filters. It can deal with 99.97% of all airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns and 95% of all particles down to 0.1 microns.

To test the performance of this Austin Air HealthMate Jr, I let it run in a room of 200 square feet for 1 hour. Other air purifiers to join this test are the Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0, Winix HR1000 and Sharp FP-A80UW. Again, the Austin Air HealthMate Jr was the best performer, with an efficiency of 99.97% for trapping any airborne contaminants as small as 0.3 microns. The Winix HR1000 won second place with 99.95%, while the Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 only has an efficiency of 99.92%.

There is only one thing that is not cut in half: the cost of air filters. You still need to buy the True HEPA filter, which costs $184, and in this price range, such an amount of money isn’t cheap. But don’t worry, as the Austin Air HealthMate Jr can be used for 5 consecutive years without replacing the filters, which means only $37 for the annual filter cost. Buying any air purifier from the Austin Air family is a long-term investment.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

Austin Air HealthMate Jr Room Coverage

For the fan power, this American company simply reduced the room capability of the Austin Air HealthMate Jr to only 700 square feet. But just don’t fall for the manufacturer’s suggested room size, because you need to know the CADR rating to determine an air purifier’s fan power.

The ACH of Austin Air HealthMate Jr is 2X to 4X. This air purifier can clean your room at maximum 4 times per hour.

The CADR of Austin Air HealthMate Jr is only 200 cfm in general. With a lower CADR rating than the Levoit LV-H134, it will be a tough job for the Austin Air HealthMate Jr to clean a room of 700 square feet, as it will take more time.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

Austin Air HealthMate Jr Sound

Looking at the very high noise level of the Austin Air HealthMate, I expect a much quieter air purifier this time. The answer is, not much, it seems. Even with a smaller size fan, the Austin Air HealthMate Jr still draws a lot of noise.

The range of noise levels is from 49 to 65 decibels (dB). If you compare with the noise level of the Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 (20 decibels) or the Alen BreatheSmart 45i (39–55 decibels), you will not accept the high noise level of this Austin Air HealthMate Jr.

However, the noise level is still lower than the range we called “noise”, and if you don’t have any problem with the sound, you can still run this air purifier.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

Austin Air HealthMate Jr Power Consumption

In Breathe Quality, one of our most FAQs is “Do air purifiers use a lot of energy?”. In fact, an air purifier needs to run for a long time (usually more than 8 hours) to be efficient, and therefore, power consumption is an important criteria to consider when deciding which air purifier to buy.

The Austin Air HealthMate Jr has a Permanent-Split Capacitor (PSC) motor to draw less current and reduce your operating costs. But the power consumption of this Austin Air HealthMate Jr is still too high, ranging from 56 watts to 80 watts. The Austin Air HealthMate Junior is one of the most energy-consuming air purifiers for the price, along with the Blueair Classic 205.

For running an Austin Air HealthMate Jr for 8 hours per day, you need to pay from $20 to $30 annually.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

Austin Air HealthMate Jr Additional Features

The Austin Air family is the first and foundation of the air purifier industry in North America. The company chose to constantly improve the high quality of the air filter over adding any kinds of additional features. It is also the trend of any high-end air purifier that aims at high-quality purification, not flashy features.

There won’t be even the filter replacement indicator or the timer. There is only one manual knob to change the fan speed of this machine.

If you would like to add the Smart Sensor, a great feature to automatically adjust the fan power to suit the current indoor air quality, you need to buy the Alen BreatheSmart 45i. Or, for around $300–400, you can choose between the Winix NK105, Winix QS or the Philips 2000i for more smart features.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

Austin Air HealthMate Jr Customer Service

If you are using or planning to use one air purifier, you can’t skip the name of Austin Air. The leading indoor air cleaner manufacturer in the United States is also one of the largest air purifier manufacturing facilities in the world, producing everything in-house, from the filters to the metal housing and even the finish powder coat paint. Buying an air purifier from this brand is a smart investment to improve your indoor air quality.

There is more to say about the Austin Air Company. The brand is recommended by lots of well-known organizations such as the Red Cross, FEMA, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the career of dealing with the negative health effects of ash, chemicals, VOCs, and other miscellaneous airborne particulates released into the air. This is also the only brand selected by the U.S. government to save people from chemical attacks, natural gas leaks, and even wildfire smoke.

Back to the top-ranked customer service in the air purifier industry, you can contact its customer service anytime through its online form or via phone at 800-724-8403.

If you buy one product from this brand, you need to register to activate the 5-year warranty for your air purifiers. The medical-grade True HEPA filter is also covered by another 5-year warranty, for which you need to register separately. The warranty submission is quick and easy, and you should do it immediately after purchasing a product from Austin Air.

Our verdict

The Austin Air HealthMate Jr is a reasonably compact version of the well-known Austin Air HealthMate. If you need an air purifier for a small room and you trust the Austin Air name, why not pick up an Austin Air HealthMate Jr right away?

Moreover, the Austin Air HealthMate Jr has been discontinued.