Dyson pure cool me
Buy now £300, Argos.co.uk
- Speed setting: 1-10
- Quiet Mark certification: Yes
- Oscillation: Yes, 70 degree range
- Remote control: Yes
- Timer: Yes, from 30 minutes to 8 hours
- Power: 40W
- Warranty: Two years
- Weight: 2.71kg
- Height: 401mm
- Max width: 254mm
Design
Like other gadgets from the brand, the Dyson pure cool me is seriously slick. We tested the device in black/nickel, which is available exclusively from Dyson’s website. You can also get it in white/silver from other retailers for the same price.
The base is a black cylinder made from perforated plastic and it’s through these holes that the air is drawn in. Facing the front, you have a circular LCD display near the bottom while a couple of inches above it is the magnetic dock for the remote control. To the back of the base, you have the power button as well as the charging port.
The nickel-coloured top, with a light metallic sheen, resembles the globe-like hood of an observatory but with a segment cut out. This is where the Dyson “core flow” technology sits – it’s basically a tactile dome that projects the air around the room. By shifting this up or down by hand, you can direct the breeze upwards or horizontally. This is probably one of the only times you need to manually interact with the fan once you switch it on as everything else, including the oscillate function, is controlled using the remote.
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The only other time you need to touch the device is when you come to replace the filter, which needs to be done about once every 12 months depending on how much you use it and the handy LCD display will tell you when this needs to happen. The filter is easy to change: you just press the eject buttons on either side of the hood to lift it up and then simply pull out the filter using its straps and drop another one in.
As for the dainty remote control, it measures approximately 8cm x 3cm and comes in the same shade as the top. It’s also moulded to perfectly fit the curvature of the base and sticks on via a magnet.
Features
The Dyson pure cool me is a fan and an air purifier in one, although you can’t use the features independently of one another. You might think it’s a design flaw but it’s really just because the device is designed to be a personal fan. Essentially, it purifies the air that it uses to cool you down, so it doesn’t exacerbate any allergies for example, but it’s not meant to cleanse the air in the room – that’s just an added benefit.
The fan itself starts from a barely there one to a gusty 10 in terms of wind speed and you can direct the breeze up or horizontally by adjusting the dome manually or project it around the room by turning on the oscillating feature using the remote control. At the touch of a button on the remote, you can also see whether you need to change the filter, or set a timer to automatically switch off the device at night.
As for the filter, you have two in one. The all-singing, all-dancing one is the Hepa filter, which is what planes and operating theatres are equipped with to cleanse the air. It can capture 99.95 per cent of ultrafine particles. For comparison, the largest ultrafine particles measure 0.1µm; this is a tiny fraction of the size of bacteria, which can measure up to 5µm. The air, now free of bacteria and allergens, also passes through an activated charcoal filter, which absorbs odours such as cooking smells and smoke. This means that by the time it gets to you, it’s as fresh as it can possibly be.
Usage
The Dyson pure cool me comes pre-assembled and it’s so straightforward to use, the brand didn’t even pack an instruction manual. You can download one from the Dyson website if you want to, and there’s a handy QR code on the box that directs you to it. But otherwise you can pretty much lift it out of the box, plug it into the mains, press the on button and go.
We loved just how little effort was required; the journey from opening the box to cool air took less than five minutes. The air felt noticeably fresher, especially on days when there was a high pollen count. And at just 40W, the Dyson pure cool me is pretty cheap to run too. Given that the average household pays 19p per kWh for electricity at the moment, having the fan on for a 12-hour day would only cost 9p.
Another thing we loved was how quiet it was on the lowest setting – we literally had to put our ears next to the machine to hear it. You don’t get much of a breeze on this setting but it is more than quiet enough to sleep through, which is why the device has been awarded a Quiet Mark certification. From two to five, it’s still quiet enough to work through but any higher than that and you’d need headphones to concentrate. That said, we can’t imagine ever needing to use the highest setting if it’s on the table right next to us.
There are a couple of downsides though. First, because of the magnet on the device, Dyson advises those with pacemakers to avoid using the fan. You should also keep any devices that might be damaged by the magnet away from it. But even though the magnet is strong enough to disrupt certain electrical items, it’s concentrated in one location, and when you replace the remote and miss the area by a couple of millimetres either side, the remote will actually be repelled so it’s easy to drop it in the process.
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Replacing the filter can be costly too. Although you only need to do it once a year, or even less frequently if you don’t use your fan very much, they cost £65 each time. Plus, you can’t recycle them, which feels like a design oversight.
Finally there’s that tactile dome: we found the surface attracts dust really easily and only certain fabrics – like a microfibre cloth – will take it off. It’s only a problem if you live in a dusty environment though.
The verdict: Dyson pure cool me
Having tested the Dyson pure cool me, it’s easy to see why it can be so divisive. There’s plenty to love about it but some aspects can also be seen as major flaws. Overall, we really loved it though.
For bigger homes, there are more powerful options out there. Similarly, if you’re just after a fan and not an air purifier, there are lots of cheaper alternatives. But we think the Dyson pure cool me is a great choice for those who live in small spaces, especially inner city flats, as the device is compact, lightweight and cheap to run. And if you suffer from allergies, or live in a high pollution area, we couldn’t recommend it enough.