PureGuardian AP2200CA Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

Guardian Technologies has released its first sidekick air purifier with only a 22-inch height, and surprisingly, it is still the Amazon’s Choice after many years. You are looking at the PureGuardian AP2200CA, with a fair price drop to consider. Of course, it has both advantages and disadvantages, but you need to read the new PureGuardian AP2200CA Review right now.

Updated: 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.

PureGuardian AP2200CA 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 always top-of-mind for a budget American air purifier brand, with most of its lineup falling under the $200 price range. The PureGuardian AP2200CA and AP2800CA are its very first air purifiers, with a good design concept that still lingers in the next-gen air purifiers. Let’s read the PureGuardian AP2200CA Review and check if it is suitable for your home or not.

Other GermGuardian’s Air Purifier Reviews:

PureGuardian AP2200CA Price

This is the first 22-inch device from Guardian Technologies, and it is too old to consider at the moment. This brand continues to blow us away with what it can put in cheaper devices, and the PureGuardian AP2200CA has started with a bit smaller size, a bit less fan power, and, of course, a bit lower price if compared with the PureGuardian AP2800CA.

Until then, we have the tradition that for every 28-inch air purifier, there is a 22-inch sidekick to choose from. For example, the GermGuardian AC4825 is the smaller device of the GermGuardian AC5000, and we will be sure that our PureGuardian AP2200CA is the little brother of the AP2800CA.

It’s a classic air purifier right now, and the price of this PureGuardian AP2200CA is only $69 and can be marked down a lot if you grab our deal below. This is the most affordable air purifier of this company, with can be even lower cost than the GermGuardian AC4100 and GermGuardian AC4150. However, the latest GermGuardian AC4200, with the same air filtration system as the classic PureGuardian AP2200CA, could be the most relevant selection from this family for your bedroom. You can also choose the GermGuardian AC4820 as a solid alternative.

The first time I picked up the air purifier, I was initially a little let down by what this was, but after sitting back and taking a few moments to contemplate, I came to realize that the PureGuardian AP2200CA is incredible for its price. You will forget things like GermGuardian AC5000 and GermGuardian AC5300B, unless you find the new design more interesting.

Also, you can’t forget that there are many stiff competitors in this price range. The Levoit LV-H132, Blue Pure 411, and AeraMax 100 are the best air purifiers to get under $100, and you can also find the SilverOnyx 3-in-1 and Honeywell HPA020B as the new modern air purifiers with good air filtration processes to use.

Related post: Best air purifier 2023.

PureGuardian AP2200CA Design and Size

You can easily spot one sidekick air purifier from Guardian Technologies, as it is always the compact version of its bigger brother. The PureGuardian AP2200CA is identical to the PureGuardian AP2800CA, with one exception: it is only 22 inches tall.

It sports the same back-to-front airflow system concept, with a big air intake grill from the back and another long air outlet grill on the front. This airflow system is passed down from generation to generation in the GermGuardian family until the most recent modern air purifiers, such as the GermGuardian AC5900W, completely replace it with the more popular bottom-to-top design.

On top of this PureGuardian AP2200CA, we have only one manual switch to change the fan speed, which is really simple and easy to use.

Source: Amazon.com

The PureGuardian AP2200CA is only 7 lbs, and you can move it much easier with the handle behind this air purifier.

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

PureGuardian AP2200CA 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. With a 2-in-1 air cleaning system, the PureGuardian AP2200CA is the inferior version of the next-generation GermGuardian AC4825.

1. Pre-filter – A common GermGuardian 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 – The PureGuardian AP2200CA uses a True HEPA filter to capture 99.97% of microscopic allergens, dust, and mold spores down to 0.3 microns in size.

The PureGuardian AP2200CA, which costs $20 less than the AC4825E, lacks the signature UV light bulb found in all GermGuardian air purifiers. You can add it later, or you can just have a 2-stage air cleaning system with the core of a True HEPA filter to clean the allergens. The air filter set is the same as with GermGuardian AC4825 and later air purifiers, so you don’t need to worry about the quality of this PureGuardian AP2200CA. Even without the UV-C light bulb, this air purifier is still great to use.

Source: Amazon.com

The PureGuardian AP2200CA has the same performance as the bigger PureGuardian AP2800CA; in Breathe Quality’s tests, it scored 99.9% for cleaning all particles in a room of 100 square feet within 1 hour. This efficiency is still quite high compared to the Levoit Vista 200 with only 99.7% and the AeraMax 100 with 99.8%. The two best air purifiers in this test were the SilverOnyx with 99.92% efficiency and the VEVA 8000 Elite Pro with 99.93%.

Remember that you are using the same filter in PureGuardian AP2200CA as in GermGuardian AC4825, GermGuardian AC4300BPTCA, or even GermGuardian CDAP4500BCA. The cost is lower, thanks to the compact size of this air purifier, and you need to change it every 6 to 8 months.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

PureGuardian AP2200CA Room Coverage

The suggested room size for the PureGuardian AP2200CA is only 186 square feet, which is still larger than the GermGuardian AC4825.

The ACH of PureGuardian AP2200CA is 4X. With this air changes per hour rating, the air purifier can exchange the air in your room every 15 minutes.

The CADR of PureGuardian AP2200CA is 139 Dust/ 120 Smoke/ 159 Pollen (cfm). This air purifier’s CADR rating is still higher than the GermGuardian AC4825 and even the GermGuardian CDAP4500BCA, meaning it can clean your room quicker.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

PureGuardian AP2200CA Sound

As with the classic version of GermGuardian AC4825, PureGuardian AP2200CA is running with three fan speeds. There is no advertisement for the quiet operation, so we can’t avoid the noticeable sound when using the PureGuardian AP2200CA at full fan speed.

Even on its lowest speed, the PureGuardian AP2200CA produces a noise level of 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.

Just like any other tower device in GermGuardian’s family, the PureGuardian AP2200CA is not a perfect option for quiet places, such as your office or bedroom.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

PureGuardian AP2200CA 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.

Even without the UV light bulb, the PureGuardian AP2200CA consumes too much energy. We recorded a power consumption of 52 watts, which is really high for a low-fan speed air purifier like the PureGuardian AP2200CA.

For using a PureGuardian AP2200CA for 8 hours per day, it would cost you up to $19 per year. Nonetheless, because the PureGuardian AP2200CA is an Energy Star air purifier, you won’t have to worry about the cost of running it.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

PureGuardian AP2200CA Additional Features

The PureGuardian AP2200CA is the oldest air purifier of Guardian Technologies, and since we can’t find any additional features in the modern air purifiers like the GermGuardian AC5000 or the GermGuardian AC5300B, what could we expect in a classic air purifier like the PureGuardian AP2200CA?

And yes, this is the answer for you; there are no additional features for this PureGuardian AP2200CA. There is no timer or LED indicator for filter replacement like on the PureGuardian AP2800CA. If you need the smart features, you need to search for and buy the GermGuardian CDAP4500BCA or GermGuardian CDAP5500BCA instead. Or you should switch to other brands, like the AeraMax 100 or SilverOnyx 3-in-1.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

PureGuardian AP2200CA 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.

Our verdict

The PureGuardian AP2200CA is the inferior version of the most popular GermGuardian AC4825, with no UV-C light filter and an older design to use. If you need more additional features, I think you should upgrade to the PureGuardian AP2800CA.