Photo : Dyson

Today Dyson introduced its most all-in-one machine yet with the Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool that promises to thoroughly clean and moisturize the air in your home. More importantly, the machine might be one of Dyson’s biggest product redesigns yet, completely rethinking the company’s original humidifier that was fraught with usability issues and questionable design choices.

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Originally introduced almost six years ago, Dyson’s first humidifier featured the company’s bladeless fan technology and a built-in bacteria-killing UV light so that it could effectively fill a room with moist air without spreading nasty microscopic bits in the water. That part worked well, but filling the AM10's water tank was a complicated juggling act thanks to a tiny fill hole and a bizarre cylindrical design that made it tricky to hold under a running faucet. The monthly recommended cleanings were even more complicated, requiring extensive disassembly and long soaks of various parts in an acidic solution to remove hard water deposits and other stains. The AM10 was the luxury car of humidifiers, but all the required maintenance made the competitor’s hatchback humidifiers far more appealing.

The new Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool seems like a direct response to all of the complaints and negative reviews of the AM10, and at least on paper, it looks like the new version will be much easier to use, and almost effortless to clean and maintain. Ultraviolet lighting is still used to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria in the water, but using light pipes the purification process takes place over a longer distance as water is routed through the machine, ideally improving its effectiveness.

A vibrating transducer has been replaced with an evaporator that Dyson promises is more effective at increasing the humidity in a room. Photo : Dyson

The original Dyson AM10 humidifier also used a piezoelectric transducer, vibrating up to 1.7 million times every second, to turn water into airborne microscopic particles. But the Pure Humidify+Cool instead uses an evaporator made from a complicated 3D mesh interwoven with silver strands to further inhibit bacteria growth. Dyson’s engineers claim it’s a more effective approach to increasing the humidity in a room, but at the same time that complicated structure is just as susceptible to limescale and calcium build up.

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Yet cleaning the new Pure Humidify+Cool actually sounds incredibly easy. You do have to open up the machine and remove the 3D evaporator, but you then just drop it in the reservoir (which now has a giant and easy to fill opening) fill it with water, add some citric acid, reassemble, and then activate the automatic cleaning cycle. When it’s done, everything just needs a quick rinse, reassemble, and refill, prolonging the life and effective operation of the humidifier for another month. Dyson is also including several packets of citric acid with the machine, as you can no longer use vinegar or another acid for cleaning, but it’s an ingredient that’s easy to find online or in bulk food stores once you run out.

Multi-layer filters trap 99.3 percent of unwanted airborne particles and gases, while an upgraded Cryptomic version also removes formaldehyde emitted by-products around a home. Photo : Dyson

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As with the company’s other dedicated air purifiers, the new Pure Humidify+Cool features a HEPA filter that promises to capture 99.97 percent of particles as small 0.3 microns in size which covers bacteria, pollen, and other allergens, as well as gases like nitrogen dioxide and benzene through a layer of activated carbon. There’s also going to be an upgraded Cryptomic version of the Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool that includes an extra filter layer that can remove formaldehyde gases from the air, while both versions will use lasers and other sensors to monitor particles in the air and automatically adjust airflow to keep a room pure and clean.

The Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool also includes an upgrade to the company’s bladeless fan technology, with the addition of oscillating barrels on either side that can turn independently. They not only increase the fan’s reach, they also facilitate a new Breeze Mode that uses a custom algorithm to simulate the feeling of random natural breezes blowing through a room, instead of a constant blast that can feel artificial.

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As with any of Dyson’s products, you’re going to pay a premium for all those features packed into a single machine. The standard Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool (available in white/silver or black/nickel finishes) will set you back $800, while the upgraded Cryptomic version (available in white/gold or gunmetal/bronze finishes) is $900. You don’t have to factor in the cost of replacement filters, which many cheaper humidifiers rely on, but you’ll want to set aside a few bucks to stay stocked up on citric acid for the monthly cleanings, but at least that feature won’t break the bank.

Source: Gizmodo.com

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