First things first- the machine was somewhat larger than other air purifiers I had seen in friends’ apartments, restaurants, or offices. However, this is perhaps not surprising, considering the size of the fan and its immense power. The machine was easy to move around as it comes with wheels, which are lockable, so you don’t need to risk injury when moving it between rooms. The purifier itself is very simple: there are just three speeds, which is honestly all you really need in terms of functionality. The first thing that struck me when switching it on was just how quiet it was, even on full speed. It was just about loud enough for you to know it was on and working yet quiet enough for the sound to blend in with background noise and to not disturb you.

One customization to the machine was that I opted for a carbon filter, as they’re designed to capture gas pollutants. Like many apartments in Beijing, my apartment occasionally becomes swamped in a lingering sewage smell stemming from the drain. I hoped that the carbon filter may be prove useful in such moments. I noticed that occasionally leaving the machine on a low power mode while out definitely helped minimise the sewage smell.

On the Blast Mini’s first evening, the PM2.5 levels outdoors read 172 while indoors read 43: still 4 times higher than a healthy level. I positioned the Blast Mini in the living room and the air quality monitor in the spare bedroom, which was adjacent to my bedroom. I set up the air quality monitor to record levels hourly, opened all the doors in the apartment and switched the machine on. I then headed to bed.

I was very impressed to see these results in the morning ! Within an hour, the Blast Mini successfully reduced PM2.5 levels to 31. Within 6 hours, PM2.5 levels were down to 8. This was throughout the entire apartment!

Considering the machine’s power and reasonable price tag, the Blast Mini is definitely a smart investment. Would recommend to anyone looking for an effective and affordable solution to indoor air pollution!