Best Wearable Personal Air Purifiers
Walking through a polluted city that’s consumed with smoke, pollen, and other contaminants has always been dreadful. The same can be said of riding in a vehicle that’s filled with stuffy and stale air. What if you could escape these conditions with your own personal bubble of clean, fresh air?
If this sounds appealing, then you should definitely look into wearable personal air purifiers. These small machines eliminate common contaminants like dust, smoke, odors, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and allergens within your personal breathing space. They’re also lightweight enough to carry around with you whether using a neck strap, a clip, or a band.
In this article, we’ve listed the best wearable personal air purifiers available on the market today. Take a look at these options as you consider the potential of your own clean air space.
- Uses ionic technology to reduce pollutants like dust, germs, smoke, and pollen
- 3 to 3.5 million ions per second
- 50 sq. ft. maximum coverage area
- 240 hours of use per charge (or 8 hours if the fan is turned on)
- 1.4 ounces
- 1-year warranty
- Ionic technology eliminates airborne pollutants like germs, pollen, smoke, mold, and dust mites
- 2 million ions per second
- 28 sq. ft. coverage area
- 150 hours of battery life per charge
- 1.76 ounces
- 1-year warranty
- Solid platinum plasma emitter clears the air of allergens, smoke, germs, and dust
- 120 trillion ions per second
- Gold-plated stainless steel collectors
- Comes with a breakaway strap
- 1.50 ounces
- 1-year warranty
- Ionic technology fights VOCs, dust, smoke, odors, and germs
- Removes pollutants as small as PM2.5
- 1.3 million ions per cubic cm.
- 35 sq. ft. coverage area
- 30 hours of use per charge
- 1.41 ounces
- Medical-grade HEPA filters 97.8% of microscopic pollutants that are as small as 0.3 microns
- 5.6 ounces
- 25 sq. ft. coverage area
- App-controlled
- 6 hours of use per charge
- 1-year warranty
The InvisiClean IC-103 uses ionic technology to reduce pollutants like dust, germs, smoke, and pollen. It generates 3 to 3.5 million ions per second and maintains a concentration of 2.5 million ions per cubic centimeter. It sports a built-in fan which can be turned on if you want to maximize its coverage; an impressive 50 sq. ft. of space!
The IC-103 can be placed on a table or worn around the neck using a strap. It also has a belt clip for added versatility. With the fan turned off, the IC-103 has the longest battery life among all other air purifiers on this list at 240 hours. Turning the fan on, however, on will bring this down to just 8 hours.
The presence of the fan also means that it might not be as quiet as fan-less models. Of course, you always have the option to turn it off if the additional noise bothers you. In the end, it’s safe to say that the IC-103 is a winner in terms of coverage area, potential battery life, and versatility.
Pros
- Eliminates dust, allergens, germs, smoke, and VOCs
- No filters to replace
- Versatile
- Affordable
- With optional fan
- Wide coverage area
- Long battery life
- Lightweight
Cons
- Not as quiet as fan-less models
- Short warranty
The AirTamer A310 relies on ionic technology to rid the air of dust, allergens, smoke, and germs. Via Power Boost technology, this compact machine emits 2 million negative ions per cubic centimeter per second. It also purifies air within a 3-foot radius, so it’s really only able to work within an individual’s breathing space. According to a lab test done by Intertek, the A310 can reduce smoke particles in a container roughly 8 cu. ft. in size by 98.9% in five minutes.
This wearable air purifier is rechargeable and lasts 150 hours per charge–making it a long-lasting everyday companion. Some bonus features and benefits include a conductive adjustable lanyard that enhances the air purifier’s performance and an included travel case for added portability.
While it may be an expensive option, the A310 remains one of the strongest contenders in the wearable air purifiers category for its purifying ability, energy-efficient operation, and low maintenance costs.
Pros
- Eliminates dust, allergens, germs, smoke, and VOCs
- Silent
- Energy-efficient
- Comes with a travel case
- Charging indicator
- No filters to clean or replace
- Long battery life
- Lightweight
Cons
- Expensive
- Short warranty
The Wein Mini-Mate AS180i sucks in polluted air and neutralizes dust, pollen, and other pollutants through ionization achieved by a solid platinum plasma emitter. The pollutants get trapped on the air purifier’s gold-plated stainless steel collectors, which makes for less contaminant particles left circulating around you.
It is worth noting, however, that information regarding its exact coverage area is unavailable, with manufacturer Wein offering only that purified air will get blown out into the user’s “breathing zone.”
The AS180i boasts an ion output of a whopping 120 trillion anions per second–the highest value that we’ve ever encountered for this particular specification. Like all of the models on this page save for the FitAir Portable, there are no filters to clean or replace with this air purifier, which makes it another low-maintenance pick. This model is fan-less, as well, so you can expect to be saved from noise-related annoyances.
Pros
- Eliminates dust, allergens, germs, smoke, and VOCs
- High ion output
- Silent
- Energy-efficient
- No filters to clean or replace
- Lightweight
Cons
- Expensive
- Short warranty
The MIFAVOR Mini is a personal wearable air purifier that uses ionization to fend off dust, germs, pollen, odors, and other pollutants that are as small as 2.5PM. It emits an ion concentration of 1.3 millions ions per cubic centimeter, and its effective coverage area is at around 35 sq. ft. of space.
This mini air purifier also boasts silent and energy-efficient operation at an affordable price tag. Just like with the Invisiclean, Mini-mate, and Airmate A310, you won’t have to buy replacement filters for this model, which means long-term expenses are minimized for you as well. One full charge lasts for 30 hours.
To get one full charge, however, you’d have to wait for four hours, which is relatively long when compared to other purifiers on our list. Another disadvantage that’s unique to this model is that you can’t use it while the unit is charging. For the price, however, the MIFAVOR Mini is still a promising option if you’re hesitant to spend a lot of money on a personal air purifier.
Pros
- Eliminates dust, allergens, germs, smoke, and VOCs
- Affordable
- Silent
- No filters to clean replace
- Energy-efficient
- Charging indicator
- Lightweight
- Good coverage area
Cons
- Long charging time
- You can’t use it while it’s charging
- Undisclosed warranty
The FitAir Portable incorporates a HEPA filter that captures 97.8% of microscopic pollutants. As you may have noticed, HEPA filters aren’t very common among wearable air purifiers, making the FitAir highly-appealing to allergy and asthma sufferers. Another promising feature is its companion smartphone application, which lets you track the quality of air in your room along with the remaining battery and filter life.
The filter typically lasts 2 months in polluted environments and 4 months in normal environments, so filter replacement will be relatively frequent. In addition, this model’s 6-hour battery life is rather short compared to what the other models on this list offer.
It also has a relatively small coverage area but should still nevertheless be more than capable of handling air purification within an individual’s breathing space.
All in all, the FitAir Portable is a great option for those who are highly-discriminating about their air purifier’s technology or, because of the inclusion of the HEPA filter, need an air purifier for allergies. Sticklers for usability will also likely find the accompanying smartphone app rather impressive.
Pros
- Eliminates dust, allergens, germs, pet dander, and smoke
- Uses a HEPA filter
- Adjustable air flow
- Accompanying smartphone app
- Comes with a backup HEPA filter
- Battery life indicator
Cons
- Heavy
- Relatively-small coverage area
- Filter needs regular replacement
- Short battery life and warranty
- Expensive
Comparison Chart
| Features | InvisiClean IC-103 | Air Tamer A310 | Wein Mini-Mate AS180i | MIFAVOR Mini Air Purifier | FitAir Portable |
| Ionizer | 3-3.5 million ions/second | 2 million ions/second | 120 trillion ions/second | 1.3 million ions/cu. cm | — |
| Coverage Area | 50 sq. ft. | 28 sq. ft. | N/A | 35 sq. ft. | 25 sq. ft. |
| Battery Life (Fan) | 8 hrs | 150 hrs | ~ 8 hrs | 30 hrs | 6 hrs |
| Battery Life (Fanless) | 240 hrs | — | — | — | — |
| HEPA | X | X | X | X | ✓ |
| Weight | 1.4 oz. | 1.76 oz. | 1.5 oz. | 1.3 oz. | 5.6 oz. |
Buyer’s Guide:
Wearable Personal Air Purifiers
Not quite sure how to uncover which wearable air purifier is going to be right for you? We’ve put together a few distinctive features and a few frequently asked questions to help you understand which of these products would be best kept in your office or around your neck.
Above all else, a portable air purifier needs to be trustworthy and capable. Be sure your prospective model covers everything you need it to before heading to checkout:
Final Thoughts
While a smaller number of models incorporate physical filters, most personal wearable air purifiers use ionizing technology to clean the air. Among the models on this list, we’ve seen significant variations in terms of ion output, battery life, and coverage area — perhaps the most important factors you’ll need to look into when selecting a model.
We can’t help but notice that the Invisiclean IC-103 trumps the rest in terms of potential for wide coverage area and long battery life. Note, though, that you’d have to stick to one benefit at a time, since the fan needs to be turned on to achieve the 50 sq. ft. capacity. Turning on the fan, however, shortens the battery life significantly.
Nonetheless, having the option to go either way through one model is a definite win!
