Sharp KC-850U Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

Yes, Breathe Quality is a place where we put all our dedication into the air purifier field, but what if you find an air purifier with a humidifier function? Do you know that the humidifier is a great way to maintain the humidity level in your home and protect you from the dry air that leads to some allergy symptoms? The Sharp KC-850U is that combination, and this is also Amazon’s Choice for the air purifier with humidifying function to improve your indoor air quality. So, are you ready for the Sharp KC-850U Review?

Update: We recommend checking out the newest Sharp KC-P70UW and Sharp KC-P110UW for better performance, smart features, and a lower annual cost.

Sharp KC-850U 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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It seems the giant Japanese electronics manufacturer is not satisfied with the only air purifier thing, as since the release of this Sharp KC-850U, Sharp has continuously improved its next air purifiers with a humidifying feature. But honestly, the Sharp KC-850U is a great device in both fields and impresses even the hardest person. If you want more information, please scroll down and read our Sharp KC-850U review right now.

Other Sharp’s Air Purifier Reviews:

Sharp KC-850U Price

The Sharp KC-850U is quite unique in the air purifier market. I’ve never seen an air purifier with the humidifier function, and that’s why I’m really excited to test the duo of the Sharp KC-850U and Sharp KC-860U.

Sharp talks up the humidifier as the key feature for its air purifiers since the Sharp KC-850U. It ended an era of the pure air purifier, and we hope it can help relieve sinus issues, a dry throat, dry eyes, and chapped lips in the dry regions.

The main size is a lot bigger, as the Sharp KC-850U needs to hold a water tank inside. This is a good humidifier; just don’t overload your expectations. The Sharp KC-850U’s performance as an air purifier is not much better than the best for the price. And talking about the price, this Sharp KC-850U will cost you $529, which is even more expensive than the powerful Sharp FP-A80UW (without the humidifying function). However, thanks to our deal, the price can be reduced up to only $329.

Elsewhere, you get a mid-range performance from the best brands, like the Austin Air HealthMate Jr or the Austin Air Allergy Machine Jr. This price is very close to that of the Oransi Max or the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Jr. As you can see, the Sharp KC-850U is competing against the most powerful opponents of the famous air purifier-specializing brands.

We also notice the presence of the Dyson Pure Cool Tower and Dyson Pure Cool Link in the same price range. These air purifiers, besides having a True HEPA filter, have amazing cooling fan power to help you survive the summerpurifiers, besides having a true HEPA filter, have amazing cooling fan power to help you survive the summer. The Dyson Pure Hot+Cool, with a little bit higher cost, will come with the heating power as well.

For a typical humidifier with a price of only $40, the Sharp KC-850U is the direct competitor to the Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0, Winix HR1000 or Alen BreatheSmart 45i. You should easily buy the Sharp KC-850U when you think you need the humidifier, but for an air purifier review, is this device a good investment or not? We will find out right now.

Related post: Best air purifier 2023.

Sharp KC-850U Design and Size

The Sharp KC-850U is, from the outside, look quite similar to the Biota Bot MM208, a mix of metal and toughened plastic. The comparison is quite untrue, as the Sharp KC-850U is supposed to be more valuable than the aforementioned air purifier. All edges are rounded off a bit, giving us the feeling that the Sharp KC-850U is a bit curvy. It’s a 3D rectangle, with no major tapering on either side.

Following the traditional set up of Sharp air purifiers, you can find an intake air grill from the back. Here, you can unlock the seal and input the water tank and air filters inside the Sharp KC-850U. The grill is perforated to reduce the size of the pollutant particles that are pulled into your air purifier.

From the front, we will have a very bright visual of the sensor indicator, as well as the humidity level of your room and the water supply indicator. The surface is quite rough instead of the flat surface of the Sharp KC-860U. Remember that the color option of this Sharp KC-850U is dark gray, not white as featured in its successor.

The water tank is put on a humidifying tray and is located beside the main space for air filters. You can easily remove it from the air purifier without uninstalling the filters first. Just remember to securely tighten the tank cap before putting it back on again.

On top of this air purifier, beside the common outlet air vent, we can find a control panel with lots of function buttons. This is clearly the tradition of the Japanese brand, as Sharp always puts many features into its devices.

Source: Amazon.com

The Sharp KC-850U is 23 inches in height and 15 inches in width, which resembles the size of the Sharp FP-F60UW. It is heavier, of course, with a weight of 21.4 lbs, which doesn’t include the 1-gallon water tank inside. It has four handles, which is quite confusing, but I bet that you are still able to move this device anywhere in your home.

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

Sharp KC-850U Filters

To decide the performance of one air purifier, we usually check the air filtration process, which is the heart of the air purifier, as well as what air filter types are used. The Sharp KC-850U features a very unique humidifying filter along with the traditional 3-stage air purification system described below.

1. Activated Carbon Filter – It helps reduce pet odors and smoke, as well as some common household chemicals.
2. True HEPA filter – The True HEPA Filter captures 99.97% of as small as 0.3 microns of particles like pollen, dust, pet dander, smoke, germs, bacteria, viruses, odors, mold, and fungus.
3. Plasmacluster Technology – This technology is one kind of ionizer, which can further reduce the amount of pollutants. Can be switched on/off.

There is nothing to complain about with the humidifier, as it doesn’t mess with the air filtration system. I always enjoy the more humid environment when using the Sharp KC-850U, and I believe the process of improving the moisture is really okay.

But our profession rests in the air purifier field, and I can’t forget to mention the powerful True HEPA filter from this brand. It is coated with an antimicrobial filter to prevent the growth of mold spores and bacteria inside your HEPA filter. As a result, the True HEPA filter can last longer, as much as 5 years.

And here is the exclusive Plasmacluster technology. The Sharp KC-850U, just like the old Sharp devices, can emit both positive and negative ions into the air to form hydroxyls that decompose the protein and suppress the activity of the viruses. This technology can even remove static electricity.

Source: Sharp website

However, everything needs to be put to the test to know its real-world performance. This time, I put the Sharp KC-850U in a room of 200 square feet and compared its power with that of the Oransi Max, Winix HR950 and Austin Air HealthMate Jr. Sadly, the result showed that the Sharp KC-850U is the worst performer, with an efficiency of only 99.92% for trapping any particles down to 0.3 microns in size. But I must confirm that the efficiency of the Sharp KC-850U is still better than the average.

For an air filter (named FZ-C100HFU) that can operate for 2 years, we will commonly think about paying the high cost to have it. But you only need to pay $99, which results in only $19 for the annual filter replacement. It seems nothing can beat Sharp on the cost criteria for air filters. Also, the humidifier filter can last for 5 years.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

Sharp KC-850U Room Coverage

With the addition of the water tank, there is no more space left for a big fan. The Sharp KC-850U has much weaker fan power for the price and can only clean a room of 254 square feet.

The ACH of Sharp KC-850U is 2X to 4X. With the best air changes per hour rating, this air purifier can clean your room every 15 minutes.

The CADR of Sharp KC-850U is 164 Dust/ 164 Smoke/ 174 Pollen (cfm). After the Sharp FP-A80UW, maybe there is no air purifier of this brand that can compare the CADR rating with other air purifier brands. The Sharp KC-850U has a very slow rate of cleaning.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

Sharp KC-850U Sound

Sharp says the silent operation is the Sharp KC-850U’s focus.  It is home to some of the air purifier’s best and most disappointing parts.

The actual measurement for the noise level is excellent, at least. The Sharp KC-850U can hold the noise level to as low as 19 decibels, and this is even quieter than the rustling leaves and a lot better than even the Ultra Quiet Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0, one of the most silent air purifiers in the world.

But when you turn this air purifier on at its maximum fan speed, the noise level of the air purifier alone is 50 decibels (dB). If you combine it with the humidifier function, the noise level can reach as high as 60 decibels, which is a lot noisier than others with a high noise level, like the Alen BreatheSmart FLEX or Blueair Classic 205.

If you want to enjoy the silence, you should turn down at least the air purifier level to medium or low. Or without the humidifier function, this Sharp KC-850U is truly quiet and can serve your bedroom well.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

Sharp KC-850U Power Consumption

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

The Sharp KC-850U is Energy Star rated, and it will only run at 3.5 watts on the lowest setting. And the power consumption at the highest setting is still good, as it is only 50 watts. But again, you must count the power consumption of the humidifier as well, and the highest power consumption can be as high as 93 watts.

If you run the Sharp KC-850U 8 hours per day as an air purifier alone, you need to pay $0.1 to $18 each year. You can abuse the humidifier function, but you must pay an additional $0.25 to $15 annually. In my opinion, the combination in this air purifier will consume less energy than two devices with separate functions.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

Sharp KC-850U Additional Features

We can skip the humidifier function, as it is the unique selling point of not only the Sharp KC-850U but also the rest of this Japanese brand right after. It will add to a small area in your home and save you from the dry air problems. Someone may not bother with the humidifier and buy the Sharp FP-A80UW instead. However, it depends on your living environment and your actual need for a humidifier as well.

Back to the additional features of this air purifier, we still have the Smart Sensor, which tells us exactly the indoor air quality via a LED indicator on the front of the air purifier. If you activate the auto mode, this Sharp KC-850U can automatically adjust the fan power to match the needs of the air cleaning process. For example, if the air quality is poor, the Sharp KC-850U will run at its highest fan speed to clean the room faster, and vice versa.

Moreover, it will indicate the humidity level in a numerical form. It will also warn you when the water tank needs to be refilled.

The Sharp KC-850U features a traditional function of this brand, named Quick Clean mode. It will continuously discharge strong airflow cycles and release the high-density Plasmacluster ions to remove the airborne allergens as they are drawn through the filter systems.

Finally, we still have a filter replacement indicator to remind us when we need to change the air filters. This indicator only works for the HEPA replacement, so you need to remember the dates of the humidifier and Activated Carbon filters manually.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

Sharp KC-850U Customer Service

Sharp is a huge brand; of course it is. But this brand is not as popular in the U.S. market as it is in the rest of the world. Yes, marketing is one aspect of this unpopularity, but it also implies a difficulty in finding good customer service if you live in the United States.

But don’t worry, as the U.S. subsidiary of Sharp is quite active and would like to hear from you. You can reach its customer service toll-free at 800-237-4277 or via email through the “Product Support” page. Sharp’s customer service is available to you 24/7, every day.

However, for air purifiers, the company only provides a 1-year warranty. For most situations, I believe this warranty is enough to cover your device.

Our verdict

It is easy to see why people choose the Sharp KC-850U to be Amazon’s Choice for air purifiers. The performance is great, and you don’t need to change the air filter often. And don’t forget the humidifier feature, as you never need to buy such a device alone because the Sharp KC-850U does very well at both jobs.