GermGuardian AC4100 Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

GermGuardian redefines what we should expect from an air purifier under $50. In fact, the GermGuardian series has been the benchmark for exceptional budget air purifiers, and the lesser GermGuardian AC4100 strives to do the same at an even lower cost. Today, we are happy to give you the GermGuardian AC4100 review to see if this air purifier still has enough gas in its tank for today or not.

Update: We now have the Levoit LV-H126, an air purifier with a similar design to the GermGuardian AC4100. However, the newer air purifier has a True HEPA filter and will be better than the compact device from Guardian Technologies. This family has also received an upgrade with the release of GermGuardian AC4200. It has good performance for an impressive price tag, so you shouldn’t miss it.

GermGuardian AC4100 ranks D+ 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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With the GermGuardian AC4100, Guardian Technologies hits the ball out of the park with an impressive air purifier that offers plenty of value for under $50. There will always be some compromises on budget devices, and the GermGuardian AC4100 is no different. But price is very much the spotlight of this air purifier, and it’s quite competitive given the solid features you get. In this GermGuardian AC4100 Review, we’ll look at how this air purifier works today. 

Other GermGuardian’s Air Purifier Reviews:

GermGuardian AC4100 Price

For around $50, you will get this GermGuardian AC4100, which is pretty high-quality compared to common HEPA air purifiers in the same budget. At this price, I can only imagine the Hamilton Beach competing with the GermGuardian AC4100.

Actually, the GermGuardian AC4100 comes with an attractive price tag of $54, but with our current deal, you can find a more affordable device. In this segment, the most powerful rivals of the GermGuardian AC4100 could be the Honeywell HPA060 and Levoit LV-H128 – both of which have a great true HEPA filter. For the price, the Honeywell HHT270W is also an interesting alternative.

If you are looking for an air purifier for your kid’s room, you should read our GermGuardian AC4150 review.

Related post: Best air purifier 2023.

GermGuardian AC4100 Design and Size

The GermGuardian AC4100 is a very simple-looking, non-showy little air purifier. Its body is plastic; there is no particular attention paid to the total body, and it cares much more about the super-small size so you can grab it anywhere.

At 11 inches in height and only 4.85 pounds in weight, this air purifier is one of the most compact air purifiers in the world. Only the Blue Pure 411 and the SilverOnyx 3-in-1 weigh less than this air purifier.

Still, the GermGuardian AC4100 runs the same airflow process as its bigger brothers from this brand. That being said, this air purifier has a full-size air output grill from the front and another grill for air intake from the back. This design concept can easily maximize the fan power of the GermGuardian AC4100.

As with other GermGuardian air purifiers, there is no control panel. Instead, you will have only one switch and one button at the front of the GermGuardian AC4100. This air purifier is the most suitable for putting on a desk or side table, so a set of buttons or a switch on the front is totally okay.

Source: Amazon.com

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

GermGuardian AC4100 Filters

For an air purifier priced under $50, we weren’t expecting much in the performance department. Thankfully, the GermGuardian AC4100 surprised us with a typical 3-in-1 air cleaning system found in modern GermGuardian devices. Below are the air filters being used in this GermGuardian AC4100.

1. Activated Carbon Filter – The normal carbon filter attacks smoke, cooking, and pet odors along with harmful VOCs emitted by common household products. In fact, this filter is a layer to be attached to the GermGuardian AC4100’s HEPA filter.
2. HEPA filter – GermGuardian AC4100 only uses a HEPA filter to capture 99% of dust and allergens, including pet dander, mold spores, and plant pollen.
3. UV-C Light – The unique 2W bulb with UV-C light to fight germs kills airborne bacteria, viruses, and mold spores.

Instead of separating the activated carbon and HEPA filters into two physical layers, the GermGuardian AC4100 combines these two to reduce the air filter’s size and increase the space within this air purifier. Of course, with only a HEPA-type air filter, the power of the GermGuardian AC4100 cannot compare with that of more expensive air purifiers. We have tested and can remind you that you shouldn’t expect a bump in the performance rating for this air purifier. The GermGuardian AC4100’s highlight is its combination with a powerful UV-C light bulb. With it, there is very little chance that bacteria, viruses, or mold spores could harm you.

Source: Amazon.com

Also, you need to change the air filter every 6–8 months. As the smallest air purifier in this line of GermGuardian, the filter replacement cost of the GermGuardian AC4100 is also the lowest, at only $24. It is still a bit higher than Levoit LV-H132 or Blue Pure 411, though.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

GermGuardian AC4100 Room Coverage

GermGuardian AC4100 is designed for a small room of only 100 square feet. You can’t expect a compact air purifier to cover a larger area, right?

The ACH of GermGuardian AC4100 is 4X. Any AHAM-verified air purifier will clean the suggested room size at least 4 times per hour.

The CADR of GermGuardian AC4100 is 66 Dust/ 50 Smoke/ 76 pollen (cfm). Being an air purifier for small rooms, the GermGuardian AC4100 has better fan power than even the twice as expensive Levoit LV-H132, with only 40 cfm in CADR rating.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

GermGuardian AC4100 Sound

Running the same three fan speeds as its bigger brothers, the GermGuardian AC4100 may be one of the quietest air purifiers from this brand. You will not hear any sound on the lowest setting.

Unfortunately, this air purifier has a high-pitched moan while running on high. And, more importantly, it is hard to ignore. That’s why GermGuardian AC4100 is clearly not the best option for quiet places, such as the office or bedroom.

For a quieter air purifier, you can look for the GermGuardian AC4150, which costs only a little more than $10.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

GermGuardian AC4100 Power Consumption

To be one of the best air purifiers, a device must strictly pass our Breathe Quality test after long-term use. Also, 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.

Using a 2-watt UV-C bulb, the GermGuardian AC4100 has a truly energy-saving power consumption of 40 watts. The power consumption is not as great as that of the Levoit LV-H132 or Blue Pure 411, but it is still acceptable for a compact air purifier.

For using a GermGuardian AC4100 for 8 hours per day, it would cost you up to $15 per year.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

GermGuardian AC4100 Additional Features

GermGuardian AC4100 is not for show. So it is sad to say that there are no additional features on this air purifier. If you want a smart air purifier, especially one with a smart sensor for this price, you should look for the AeraMax 100 or SilverOnyx 3-in-1.

It is also superseded by the latest GermGuardian CDAP4500BCA, which was released in 2017, so you should not expect much from an under $100 air purifier.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

GermGuardian AC4100 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 sometimes offers free shipping and a big discount on all items (usually between 10% and 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.

However, for the GermGuardian AC4150 and GermGuardian AC4100, you will only have a 1-year warranty.

Our verdict

It’s not powerful, and the HEPA filter is poor, but the GermGuardian AC4100 once offered a good baseline air purifier experience for very little money. You can use this air purifier if other low-range GermGuardian devices are still a bit too expensive for your wallet.

At the moment, however, we can’t recommend this air purifier.