Review: LG PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier and case

Big thanks to LG Singapore for sponsoring the unit for this review.

If you are not satisfied with the quality of face masks (e.g. comfort, fogging) we have to wear nowadays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, LG has the right product for you.

LG PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier (SGD 229) is essentially an electronic mask device with H13 HEPA filters to filter out up to 99.95%* + of airborne bacteria, viruses, dust and allergens. There are also two built-in fans for a much better breathing experience.

With the exception of the mask wearable air purifier and case, make sure the accessories are all sealed in airtight packaging.

These are the items included in the box:

• MaskWearable Air Purifier
• 2x H13 HEPA filters
• 10x inner cover
• Face guard
• Strap extender
• USB-A to USB-C cable
• Soft carrying case

Design of the wearable air purifier looks good. Build quality is solid with absolutely no flex. The material has this nice smooth matte texture on the front and back.

There's definitely some weight to it compared to disposable face mask, but it's very manageable at 126g.

This product is also sold in some SEA countries. In Singapore, it's available via LG Lazada, LG Shopee, Best Denki, COURTS and KrisShop.

The price is SGD 229. The case is sold separately for SGD 199

This is how the back looks without the face guard installed yet.

The elastic ear straps have this soft velvet texture that feels comfortable. These are also removable for washing.

Note that all removable parts can be bought separately too, and these are the prices:

• H13 HEPA filters: SGD $30 for 2 pieces
• Inner cover: SGD $20 for 30 pieces
• Silicone face guard: SGD $20 per piece
• Ear band and extender: SGD $20 per set

That's the filter compartment with filter and fan inside. The power button can switch the fan speed from low, medium and high.

Battery life for the fan at low speed can last up to 8 hours, and at high speed for up to 2 hours. Low speed fan is good for walking. Medium speed is good for slight activity, e.g. cycling. High speed is for running, basically doing things that will make you sweat.

And when wearable air purifier is not worn for 20 seconds, it will power off automatically.

The battery is rechargeable via the USB-C port, but not replaceable.

The fan is only audible if you're in a very quiet room. Fan noise can't be heard once there's ambient noise and you may not even know that the fan is spinning, but you can still breathe.

There are huge holes hidden on the side, top and bottom for air intake.

The H13 HEPA filter which can filter which can be installed easily.

Exhaust will go out the black part there and to the bottom.

Design on the back is more complex because those are for attaching the face guard.

The face guard (left) is this medical grade silicone which is flexible to fit any face shape.

There's an inner cover to be installed inside the face guard to make it more comfortable for wearing. The inner cover is disposable so whenever it looks or feels dirty, it can be replaced.

The flexible silicone face guard is actually quite comfortable.

Installation of the face guard involves sliding two hooks and aligning two magnets. Very easy.

There are also some holes on the face guard as well, to make it more breathable for your skin.

The PuriCare mask wearable air purifier is obviously heavier than disposable face masks, but the ear strap is definitely strong enough to handle the weight. I personally don't feel the weight to be an issue, as in I don't think about the weight when I'm wearing it.

However, using the strap extender makes the PuriCare Air Purifier more comfortable and secure to wear. I will wear the strap extender whenever possible.

The soft carrying case included is of good quality. Material is thick and velvety. There's draw string to tighten the top.

The LG PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier case works as a sanitisation and charging case. This a separate purchase.

The case uses LG’s UVnano sanitisation technology, AKA UV light, to sanitise the wearable air purifier to remove up to 99.99% of bacteria and viruses and can do so in 30 minutes**.

You can also use the case to sanitise other things, e.g. spectacles, phone, earbuds etc.

Pressing the power button will cycle through the different functions.

There's also a drying function which will remove moisture from the filters and inner cover. The drying process can take up to 4 hours which is kinda long but Singapore is very humid so that's not surprising. FYI, I have a dehumidifier in a cupboard and it collects water everyday so that's how humid Singapore is.

There's this small removable magnetised USB-C charging connector in the case.

That's for attaching to the wearable air purififer so that it can placed easily inside the case. It takes 2 hours for a full charge.

Note that there's no USB wall charger or adapter included. It's just the USB cable that's included. LG recommends using a 5V and 1.8A or higher power source to power and charge the wearable air purifier. Phone chargers should be powerful enough but not all computer USB ports provide enough power.

The wearable air purifier looks good, and overall comfortable to wear mostly because the ear strap is very comfortable.

Note that this wearable air purifier is going to attract a lot of attention simply because it's not the generic disposable mask everyone else is wearing. It will take some time to get used to being self-conscious.

When you have the extender at the neck, it's not that comfortable because the top of the strap is applying downward pressure. That's due to the extender sliding to the mid-point position on the ear strap and towards the neck area. The higher the extender, and away from your neck, the more comfortable it will be.

I wear spectacles and using the extender this way makes it easier to remove the wearable air purifier, by just unhooking the extender.

To have the extender higher up my head, I have the ear strap go around the extender's hook twice to fix the position towards the top.

This way the ear strap will barely touch the ear while the extender is pulling the wearable air purifier. This is significantly more comfortable.

Downside is for people who wear spectacles, you can't just unhook to remove the wearable air purifier, you have to remove your spectacles to remove it which is inconvenient of course.

I won't use the extender when I use the wearable air purifier for short periods of time and don't have to take the mask it on or off often. If I need to use the wearable air purifier for long periods of time, using the extender is more comfortable.

One thing that surprised me was there's actually a sensor that will make the fans spin faster when you breathe in, and sensor is surprisingly effective. You can go to the gym with this wearable air purifier if you want to, but the ear straps will be soaked with sweat real fast.

One problem I have with disposable mask is fogging or condensation on my spectacles which is incredibly irritating. There's no such problem with the PuriCare wearable air purifier. The flexible silicone face guard was able to fit my face nicely without any leakage.

In the real world

There's no difficulty in breathing, even if there's no fan on. Just that with the fans, there will be better circulation with the air constantly being pushed out. When you change the fan speed, that speed is actually the speed when the fans rev up, and the fans only rev up when you breathe in, otherwise the fans will maintain low inaudible spinning speed.

When I'm outdoors and under the sun, I find myself sweating more with this wearable air purifier on. This is when I'm cycling or using my skateboard. There will actually be sweat beads around (not on) lips. I can also feel the sweat on the silicone face guard. For walking indoors under shade, no problem. When wearing face masks, we don't usually notice the sweat because the mask will absorb the sweat.

While you can certainly wear this wearable air purifier for exercise (with high fan speed), you will definitely sweat more. The detachable ear straps should obviously be washed.

The wearable air purifier can filter out bacteria, virus and dust, but does not filter out the smell of traffic exhaust and cigarette smoke. There's no haze recently so I can't say if the smell of haze can be filtered out.

I've no issues with the weight which I find manageable.

Who this wearable air purifier is for

PuriCare Air Purifier is for people who have sensitive nose and are affected by dust or other particles in the air that cannot be filtered out by normal masks. Because if your normal mask is already working fine for you, there's no need an alternative that's so high text.

This is also for those who work in conditions where air condition is not good, especially when there's a lot of dust or particles in the air.

Whether you need a product like this really depends on your needs, and you can look at your current workflow and lifestyle to see if such a product can fit in. The retail price of $229 may feel extravagant, but only you can decide whether it's worth your money.

Pros and cons at a glance
+ Good looking
+ Comfortable to wear
+ Works as advertised
+ H13 HEPA filters for filtering out particles, up to 99% bacteria and viruses.
+ All removable parts are replaceable and can be purchased
+ Great for use indoors
+ Breathing is effortless. Fan sensors work well
+ Fans are inaudible unless you're in a really quiet room
+ Auto power-off after 20 seconds of inactivity
+ USB-C charging
- Cannot filter smell, e.g. cigarette, traffic exhaust
- When used outdoors, prepare to sweat more around the lips
- Prepare to wash the ear straps often because of sweat
- Talking will be more muffled compared to normal mask
- Purchasing all the replaceable parts will add to cost
- Heavier than normal mask but manageable, even for workout
- Larger and unusual mask will draw attention and have people look at you
- Can still be used when battery runs out

Availability

You can find the LG PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier and case at LG Lazada, LG Shopee, Best Denki, COURTS and KrisShop.

Hashtags: #LGSingapore #LGPuriCare #LGWearableAirPurifier #PuriCareWearableAirPurifier #sp

*Certified by TÜV Rheinland for ability to. eliminate 97.3 percent of viruses, 93.5 percent of bacteria in a room size of 8 m3 and 99.1 percent of pollen in a room size of 3 m3 at an ambient temperature of 25±2 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 50±10 percent

**Certified by TÜV Rheinland, its UVC-LED can kill less than 99.99% of bacteria and viruses (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus) within 30 minutes. It also supports LG ThinQ™ to check the operation status.