Similar to content creation, air purification is becoming an increasingly popular product category. During my time at Best Buy there was almost always an offer to experience them, and major events, such as the wildfires, have slowly made them a popular addition to one’s home. Among the biggest in the space is Oransi, known for their popular Mod series, and newly released AirMend. With the opportunity to check Mod out, does it meet expectations, or is it basically a decoration?
Oransi Mod Review Overview
Unboxing
Oransi went in an interesting direction with Mod’s packaging. Instead of going with a flashy design, or including an overwhelming number of details, it’s simple and clean. There is the product name, what it is, an appealing picture of the top, confirmation it meets California’s ozone emissions limit, and AHAM Verifide stamp.
The only issue I faced was a brief struggle to remove Mod from its packaging. However, opening the bottom and lifting would probably result in a better overall box opening experience.
Accessories
The one and only accessory included with Mod is a user manual. While I don’t normally talk about them, the manual is a fantastic introduction to this product.
Love the Dedication
Pages are well designed, complete with large text, helpful images, and forthcoming with key details. Since I don’t want to go too in-depth, the full manual can be explored here.
Design
First and foremost, I love how Mod looks. The 14″ x 25″ x 14″ purifier has a metal base, appealing fabric sides, and elegant glass user interface. When my girlfriend saw it she immediately thought it was a Google Home speaker due to the similar look/colors.
Compared to Dreo’s Macro Max S I love just how nicely it blends into the room. Oransi takes this a step further by limiting how much information is present on Mod. When powered the only thing present on the user interface is the current fan level. Touching it will reveal the fan power range, and current filter health.
Standby Versus Illuminated
On the top there is also a handle to make it easier to move between rooms. Even this has a coating that is pleasing to the touch and is large enough where I’d be surprised if it broke from repeated use. When not being used it lies flat with the top.
Set Up
Before running Mod for the first time the protective plastic needs to be removed from the filter. This is performed by unlocking the bottom, turning it, extracting the filter, removing the plastic, close, and then power. In all it took about two minutes to complete. Not as simple as Dreo’s offerings, but the overall process was easy enough.
Smart Features
Contrary to many modern devices, Orsani did not include smart features with Mod. It’s a choice they are quite vocal about that essentially comes down to it being a potential security risk, inflating the device’s cost, and a lot of the features going unused.
This is a stance I found interesting, but one I don’t actually disagree with. I’ve used Macro Max S every day since I got it in Nov. 2022. In that time I don’t think I changed a single setting outside of the review purposes. I just set it to automatic and went about my life.
So eventful
Even some of the nicer sounding features, like the ability to monitor air quality from the device itself is rather questionable. For the most part the PM 2.5 sensor reads 1 or 2 µg/m3. The only exception to this is when food is burned while cooking. I’ve seen this hit extreme levels, though it rarely lasts more than an hour and something I can predict.
The only negative to missing this sensor is the inability to add an automatic setting. Since Mod doesn’t actually know what is going on, it can’t rapidly adapt to any given situation. This is where the cooking example comes into play. Whomever is cooking can simply increase Mod’s fan before cleaning/eating. That marginal benefit is not important enough to justify the cost likely associated with implementing it.
Performance
To test Mod I ran it for approximately two weeks in my office, followed by another two weeks in my bedroom. Along with this, I used Macro Max S in the other room, plus a second air quality monitor. I can say both proved consistently in the showed a reading of 4 or less.
Where I saw the biggest advantage was cleaning the air when things went south. In the time I had Macro Max S running it usually took 10 to 20 minutes to recognize the problem, followed by another 40 or so minutes before ending. With Mod set to max power it accomplished the same in about 20 minutes.
Another fairly substantial advantage is power range. Both Dreo air purifiers I have are limited to four, and five power levels. By contrast Mod offers 12 different levels. This is actually pretty helpful due to the amount of noise both units make.
Noise
Out of the two, Macro Max S makes less overall noise at the lowest level. It’s so low I actually use it while recording audio and legitimately can’t tell it’s there. With Mod there is a dull sound. Enough where I absolutely know it’s on, but faint enough where it still blends into the background.
Adding one level to Macro Max S makes it louder than Mod, and going up two levels makes it extremely noticeable. Mod progresses a little slower, with it hitting the same extremely noticeable level at about four.
One surprising benefit was a good alternative to using a fan for ambient noise. This is something that helps me go to sleep, and I found the two to three range was perfect for accomplishing this goal. Something that will likely be extremely useful once we return to colder temperatures. I also found the sound faded entirely into the background when used with a traditional fan.
Filter Replacement Cost
As mentioned in accessories, Oransi makes it clear in the manual the filter indicator light will turn red at 6,500 hours of use. This works out to being 271 days, with the filter itself being rated for 12 months of continuous use. Each replacement costs about $58.50 from Oransi direct.
Macro Max S Versus Mod
The year rating is actually a bit higher than Dreo, and Levoit. Both of their filters cost $50, with Dreo having an estimated 6 to 8 months, with Levoit offering 6 to 12. Dyson is also rated at 12 months, though the cost of a replacement filter is $69.99. All estimates do not take into account individual situation, so houses that frequently experience issues will need a replacement sooner than those without.
Oransi Mod Review Verdict
Where Mod ultimately succeeds is the simplistic take to an increasingly useful home appliance. Not only does it look like an accent piece, over a traditional appliance, it’s designed to make everything simple. There isn’t a remote to use, smart application to set up/learn, and it does its job even if it doesn’t have an built-in indicator to confirm it’s doing everything it can. For these reasons and more it’s an easy choice for anyone concerned with air quality that doesn’t want to compromise on style, or function.
Editor’s note: Oransi Mod was provided to us for review purposes.
