Comment by donohoe
3 years ago
> The air purifier industry is more about aesthetics than it is function
Well, sure, to a point.
I could make my own air purifier (like the one you link) but it looks awful. I would not want that in my home. So yeah, aesthetics do matter. Its not the only thing but it is a factor.
> it looks awful. I would not want that in my home.
When west coast forest fires put dangerous levels of smoke into peoples homes, box fan air filters are an extremely valuable tool for lower income families. Consider yourself extremely fortunate if you are able to choose form over function on devices like this.
Um. Okay. I was just responding to your comment about:
"The air purifier industry is more about aesthetics than it is function"
I didn't mention anything about dangerous levels of smoke, forest fires, low income families...
I take your overall point but I think you need to keep the context of which it was said and not add a different one.
>So yeah, aesthetics do matter.
I'm not even sure what your point was. I never said aesthetics didn't matter, nor did I say it is the only factor. You seemed to feel inspired enough by the ugliness of a product to speak out against it, without recognizing why it exists.
Of course, but nobody is preventing that information to be shared. When I looked for air purifier last year, there was tons of articles I saw on how to build your own. This isn't hidden, there's tons of good resources out there.
I don't understand why you try to shame us for choosing to buy our own. Of course we are fortunate we can afford it. We aren't talking of a sports car here, it's few hundreds dollar, this is a perfectly fine trade off to decide to buy one.
> I don't understand why you try to shame us for choosing to buy our own.
I don't see anyone shaming anyone for choosing to buy their own. I see someone pointing out it's possible to make one, and I see someone else defending the choice to make one by pointing out not everyone can buy an expensive, pretty pre-made one.
> I don't understand why you try to shame us…
I suspect you may have unintentionally read too much into the motivations from the comments. I didn’t see anything which resembled shaming.
I am being polite in explaining the low-income perspective on devices like these. Looking at a device designed for low-income people who are trying to breathe healthy air and saying, essentially, "it's ugly, I would never want that" is extremely tone deaf around why it exists in the first place: because desperate people need an inexpensive solution. If you feel shame from that alternate perspective, I would suggest it comes from within.
7 replies →
Your comment is hilarious. Buying an air purifier that looks good makes sense, making an air purifier during times of crisis also makes sense. They are not even remotely the same thing. Oh boy you're so lucky you can get a Dyson, we've got wild fires here in California! You see how ridiculous that sounds?
The funny thing is, I agree with your comment. Which is why I'm so confused about someone who sees an air purifier that is clearly made for purposes other than aesthetics and says "I don't want it because it's ugly." It's not for you, obviously.
I think the point is that aesthetics matter to you but not a lot of people care if they have a box fan + air filter stashed away in their bedroom for a cheap airfilter. Maybe if it was more prominent in the living or guest bedrooms?
Where to put air purifier is also important (but depends on situation). So design is a bit important to put on good place.
First, a nice looking case does not justify the extortion prices of most purifiers. Also many people have serious allergies and don't have 200 $/euro to spare.
Second, you know you can max a box yourself or hide a thin purifier under a desk or above a tall cabinet?
I almost want to replace my old Electrolux EAP300 with an IKEA one because it looks less like shit. The EAP300 is just this big floor beheamoth with no aesthetics. Lower filter costs wouldn't be bad either (if the IKEA filters last as long as the Electrolux ones, they're under half the cost). It's just so hard to justify as long as my old air filter still functions.