TaoTronics TT-AP003 Air Purifier Review: A front facing filter for the win

It's been quite a year and I think keeping yourself and your loved ones healthy is top priority. I can attest that investing in an air purifier for your home is a great idea. It cleans the air you breathe and reduces dust and dander, helps those that suffer from allergies and asthma, keeps indoor plants happy and healthy, eliminates unwanted odors, reduces the risk of illness, and even keeps your wood furniture and floors in tip-top shape.

I tested the TaoTronics TT-AP003 Air Purifier and think it's an excellent product for rooms up to 370-square feet. It features a front facing filter, which is wonderful because you can slide the back right up against your wall. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a great air purifier for their living room.

TaoTronics TT-AP003 Air Purifier: What I like

In my experience, TaoTronics has always produced excellent products when it comes to home appliances, and the TaoTronics TT-AP003 Air Purifier is no exception to that rule. My absolute favorite thing about this air purifier is that the air filter is on the front of the machine instead of the back. Many of the air purifiers that I've tested, of a comparable size, have a filter that's located on the back and suggest that you position the purifier at least one foot from the wall so it can filter your air properly.

The front facing filter enables you to conveniently slide this air purifier up against the wall while it cleans the air from the front. Whenever I've pressed air purifiers with back facing filters up against the wall in the past, they (obviously) don't clean as effectively, so I end up with a large air purifier floating towards the center of my living room. This has presented all kinds of problems such as people and pets tripping over it, or my 16-month old daughter thinking it's a brand-new toy just for her. The front facing filter design gets five stars in my book, I wish all air purifiers of this size were designed this way.

The air quality sensor is located on the top of the machine and you can view your real-time air quality color-coded and displayed in a colorful line below your atmospheric particulate matter (PM2.5) value. A red line indicates poor air quality, an orange line indicates moderate, a green line indicates good, and a blue line indicates excellent air quality. I'm a visual person, so I really appreciate the color-coded air quality indicator. It gives me peace of mind knowing I'm constantly monitoring and can see my air quality in real-time.

The TaoTronics TT-AP003 features a child lock which is a MUST for every household with young children. I can't tell you how much my kid loves to mess with the buttons on my air purifiers. Honestly, it's one of her favorite activities. All you have to do is hold the child lock button down firmly for three seconds and the settings on your air purifier are protected from tiny, wandering hands. There's a little lock symbol pictured on the display when the child lock is on as a reminder. To take it off, hold the child lock button down for three seconds to remove the lock so you can adjust your settings.

This air purifier has an auto mode that will adjust the fan speed intelligently, according to your air quality. It also has a memory function that will always remember your last settings when you turned it off and will resume those settings when you power it back on. The TaoTronics TT-AP003 features three fan speeds: low, medium, and high, and all are relatively quiet. Pressing the sleep mode button will drop the fan speed down until it's barely audible, so you can get some shut eye without the white noise. I personally enjoy a little white noise while I sleep and can comfortably sleep next to this air purifier on the low and medium fan speed settings.

TaoTronics TT-AP003 Air Purifier: What I don't like

The one thing that is a little bit daunting to me is the fact that TaoTronics suggests you clean the pre-filter every two weeks. I'm definitely more of a turn it on and leave it until it tells me to change the filter kind of gal. It's recommended to replace the HEPA filter every six to eight months depending on the frequency of use and air quality in your home, which is much more my speed. I'd prefer to just leave it alone for that duration.

Cleaning the pre-filter seems easy enough and they tell you step by step exactly how to do it in the user manual. First, you take it out, vacuum the dust off or wipe it down with a damp cloth, for heavy dust they recommend soaking it with a kitchen cleaning detergent for 10 minutes, air dry it, re-install it, and you're good to go.

The competition

I've tried and reviewed the TaoTronics TT-AP002 Air Purifier which is close in size. It's an excellent air purifier at a similar price point, but there are some key differences that I think put the TaoTronics TT-AP003 Air Purifier ahead. First, and most importantly in my opinion, the filter on the TaoTronics TT-AP002 is located on the back which is not ideal.

You have to pull it at least a foot away from the wall for it to operate at its best ability. Nonetheless, I've really put it to the test and used it during peak wildfire season when the smoke was at it's worst and it did a wonderful job at clearing the air. It's slightly less expensive, but its coverage in square feet is also less, so overall, the TaoTronics TT-AP003 wins in my book.

I've also tried and reviewed the Okaysou AirMic4S Air Purifier, which is a great little purifier. This was my first air purifier and I absolutely love it. It's small, but mighty, and can cover rooms up to 300-square feet. I love the size and portability of this air purifier, I can move it around to every room of the house. It's much less expensive than the TaoTronics TT-AP003, but it's lacking some desirable features such as the air quality indicator, child lock, and auto mode. Definitely something to consider if you're looking for a feature heavy air purifier.

TaoTronics TT-AP003 Air Purifier: Should you buy

You want an air purifier with a front facing filter

My absolute favorite feature on the TaoTronics TT-AP003 Air Purifier is the front facing filter. This enables you to position it directly against the wall while it cleans your air from the front.

You want a real-time air quality indicator

This air purifier has a color coded, real-time air quality indicator. Red indicates unhealthy air, orange indicates moderate, green indicates good, and blue indicates excellent air quality.

You have small children

The TaoTronics TT-AP003 Air Purifier is equipped with a child lock which is an absolute must in my book. It keeps your settings protected from tiny hands.

You're looking for a multi-mode device

This air purifier features an auto mode that will adjust the fan speed according to your air quality, and a sleep mode for whisper quiet operation.

You're not into regular cleaning

TaoTronics suggest that you clean the pre-filter every two weeks for best results and the freshest air.

TaoTronics TT-AP003 Air Purifier: Bottom line

The TaoTronics TT-AP003 Air Purifier is an excellent air purifier designed for living rooms. It features a color-coded air quality indicator, front facing filter, three fan speeds, child lock, and sleep and auto modes. It uses an air inlet grill, washable pre-filter, and a three-stage filtration system with a true HEPA filter to trap and filter 99.97% or more particles in your air.