Alen BreatheSmart FLEX is the 1st model in the BreatheSmart series. Alen, an air purifier producer with extraordinary renown, offers 5 BreatheSmart models.
BreatheSmart series is designed not only to improve indoor air quality. The main goal of Alen BreatheSmart FLEX is to improve sleeping quality (as a consequence of breathing higher quality air while sleeping).
Breathesmart FLEX by Alen, as we’ll see in this review, is a bedroom-friendly medium-sized air purifier. It has up to 700 sq ft coverage area, exceedingly high 225 CADR rating, and super H13 medical-grade HEPA filtration system.
Compared to other air purifiers with comparable specifications (like Coway, Molekule, Dyson, and Blueair), it has an affordable cost and is considered a tried-and-tested reliable air purifier.
The best part of the Alen BreatheSmart FLEX review is its quietness (remember, bedroom-friendly air purifier) and overall aesthetics.
With that in mind, we’ll look at the specification and quick FLEX review. You can use these navigation helpers to check anything in particular, like the filtration system, CADR rating, available Alen BreatheSmart FLEX sales, and so on:
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX Review At-A-Glance: One of the best standard-size bedroom air purifiers. Silent, energy-efficient (Energy Star rated even), high 225 CADR rating, and with an H13 HEPA filter that captures even dust, smoke, pollen, and other allergens ordinary HEPA filters can’t filter out. To top it off, it’s the most affordable Alen BreatheSmart air purifier.
Overall rating: 
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX Specifications
| Max. Coverage Area: | 700 sq ft |
| CADR Rating: | 225 |
| Max. Airflow: | 187 CFM |
| Filters: | True HEPA Pure (H13) |
| Filter Lifespan: | 12 Months |
| Power Output: | 0.8 – 45 Watts |
| Noise Levels: | 39-55 dB |
| Dimensions: | 25″ x 15″ x 8.5″ (H x W x D) |
| Weight: | 15 lbs |
| Price: | $$$$ |
| Average Rating: | |
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX H13 HEPA Filters
Filters are the most important aspect of any air purifier. Most HEPA-based air filtration air purifiers use True HEPA filters. What is interesting that the FLEX model is actually called ‘Alen BreatheSmart FLEX True HEPA air purifier’.
What would that be interesting?
Well, HEPA filters are brilliant at capturing small airborne pollutants such as dust, pollen, and smoke particles. They are, by DOE definition, capable to remove more than 99.97% of particles that are as small as 0.3 microns. True HEPA is basically a marketing term for HEPA.
The interesting part is this: Alen BreatheSmart FLEX actually has an H13 medical-grade filter. This FLEX H13 is so thorough they use it in hospitals, clinics, dental clinics, and so on (hence the ‘medical-grade). It’s designed to capture more than 99.99% of 0.1-micron particles. These particles are 3 times smaller than what standard H10-H12 HEPA filters can handle.
Here is the difference FLEX’s H13 HEPA filters make:
Whats is more, the H13 HEPA filters in the Alen BreatheSmart FLEX last 3-5 months longer, reducing the maintenance cost of HEPA. Even if you run FLEX 24/7, you will only have to buy Alen BreatheSmart FLEX replacement filters every 12 months or so.
The best part of all Alen BreatheSmart air purifiers is that you can choose between 4 different filtration system (and all of them have an H13 HEPA filter at their core):
Pure, Fresh, OdorCell, Heavy Smoke Filters
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX uses it’s ‘Pure’ filtration system as the basic filter. It a combination of the H13 HEPA filter and antimicrobial filtration. Alen BreatheSmart FLEX with Pure filter will remove allergens, dust, mold, germs, and bacteria from indoor air.
Pure filters are quite amazing. What is more, Alen offers 3 advanced filtration systems that build on the Pure filters. It’s basically Pure filters + specific addition. Here are all 3 advanced Alen BreatheSmart FLEX filtration systems:
- Fresh or Light Smoke. It will take care of odors like cooking oil smell, cigarette smell, and VOCs. The addition: 0.66 lbs activated carbon filter.
- Heavy Smoke. Basically Fresh filter with a big 2+ lbs activated carbon filter. It’s the ultimate smoke filtration killer.
- OdorCell. Another activated carbon filter addition, designed at removing household odors like diaper smell.
The main difference between the Pure Alen BreatheSmart FLEX filter and 3 advanced filters is that the 3 advanced filters have an activated carbon filter (3 different kinds). That means they are able to adsorb unpleasant odors, as well as capture small air pollutants with an H13 HEPA filter.
By the way, that 2+ lbs Heavy Smoke filter is the very reason by FLEX’s big new brother – the Alen BreatheSmart 75i – is rated as one of the best air purifiers for smoke.
You should choose the FLEX filter based on your situation. If you don’t have a problem with odors, go with Pure. Light smoke is for light smoke and Heavy smoke is for heavy smoke. If you don’t have problems with smoke but have problems with other odors like diaper smell, the OdorCell is the best Alen BreatheSmart FLEX filter option.
Let’s look at how the FLEX’s filtration system performs:
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX CADR Rating And Maximum Airflow
The CADR rating is measured by AHAM, and it’s the most important metric for all HEPA air purifiers, including the Alen BreatheSmart FLEX. It’s simply a measure of how well an air purifier can remove smoke, dust, and pollen particles from indoor air, thereby increasing the air quality index.
An average CADR rating is about 200. Alen BreatheSmart FLEX has an above-average 225 CADR rating. That means it can capture the minuscule air pollutant better than an average air purifier, and with greater efficiency.
225 CADR is an average of 3 Alen BreatheSmart FLEX CADR ratings:
- Pollen CADR = 230.
- Dust CADR = 208.
- Smoke CADR = 191.
The brilliant engineering that went into the FLEX is obvious when you compare the CADR rating to FLEX’s max. airflow. Alen BreatheSmart FLEX has a maximal airflow of 187 CFM. Spec-by-spec that’s lower than CADR rating. This is one of the few air purifiers that can deliver a 225 CADR rating at below 200 CFM max. airflow. That’s really brilliant engineering; you will hardly find such CADR to airflow ratio even in the large room $800+ air purifiers.
The high CADR rating enables Alen BreatheSmart FLEX to cover larger spaces:
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX Square Footage (Recommended Room Size)
Despite weighing only 15 lbs, BreatheSmart FLEX is capable to handle medium-sized and large rooms up to 700 sq ft. That’s thanks to the 225 CADR rating, of course.
It needs to be said that if you put Alen FLEX in a 700 sq ft room, it will completely change the air in that room every 30 minutes. Essentially, it will perform 2 air changes per hour or 2 ACH.
For people who have problems with allergies, it’s recommended that they have an air purifier with 5 ACH. That means that the air purifier will completely rotate all the air in the room 5 times per hour, or every 12 minutes.
If you put Alen BreatheSmart FLEX in 280 sq ft, it will achieve 5 ACH.
Essentially, the FLEX’s coverage area is between 280 sq ft (intense air purification) and 700 sq ft (standard air purification). It’s better to put it in a 280-400 sq ft room in order to truly increase the indoor air quality significantly.
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX Power Consumption (Wattage)
As general rule air purifiers are quite inexpensive as far as electricity usage is concerned. At the top fan speed setting, the Alen BreatheSmart FLEX is powered by 45 Watts. It runs on a 115V power supply. That’s very energy-efficient; many air purifiers run on 100W or more.
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX has the coveted Energy Star certificate for being in the top 10% of the most energy-efficient air purifiers. If you run it on max. for a whole day, it will spend about 1 kWh. In dollar terms, that’s less than $0.20 per day and about $1 per week.
Of course, you don’t have to run Alen BreatheSmart FLEX on maximum fan speed setting all the time. The best part of all Alen air purifiers, which are designed for the bedroom, is the Sleep Mode.
In Sleep Mode, the Alen BreatheSmart FLEX will reduce airflow and will need only 0.8 Watts. Yes, that’s less than 1 Watt to power an air purifier.
Here’s the interesting calculation: If you run Alen BreatheSmart FLEX on Sleep Mode for a whole year, your electricity bill will go up by about $0.50 in total.
In short, the Alen BreatheSmart FLEX is extremely energy-efficient, as all Energy Star rated Alen air purifiers are.
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX Noise Levels
Noise levels are the strongest point of all Alen BreatheSmart air purifiers. They are designed to be used in the bedroom, even during the night. That calls for very low noise levels.
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX noise levels are between 39 dB for the low-speed setting to 55 dB for the high-speed setting. That’s quite low for a 700 sq ft coverage area air purifier.
However, it needs to be said that, if you compare the FLEX to other Alen BreatheSmart air purifiers like 45i and 75i, the 55 dB maximal noise level is quite high.
To get a grip of how quiet Alen BreatheSmart FLEX is, however, you need to compare it to other air purifiers like Blueair, Coway, Levoit, Medify, Winix, Honeywell, Dyson, and so on.
As you can see, the Alen BreatheSmart FLEX actually does live to its BreatheSmart reputation of being a very silent air purifier.
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX Special Features
FLEX has several of the features characters for Alen BreatheSmart air purifiers. This includes the technologies aimed at improving the quality of sleep, which include:
- WhisperMax. The very technology that makes the Alen BreatheSmart the quietest air purifiers on the market.
- Light Out Mode. Dims or completely shuts off all the lights on the air purifier.
- Sleep Mode SleepScore validation; a study that found people who used Alen BreatheSmart FLEX better rested upon waking.
On top of that, you get all the basic features such as Set Timer for 2, 4, or 12 hours and filter indication that tells you when to replace H13 HEPA filters.
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX Price
Buying an Alen BreatheSmart FLEX is a smart investment in more than one way. The most obvious one is the price of the unit itself. Alen BreatheSmart FLEX costs $349. Check if there are any available FLEX sales at this time.
For comparison, the bigger Alen BreatheSmart units usually cost more than $500. The newer Alen air purifier, with comparable specs, is the BreatheSmart 45i costs $429.
Even more important than the unit cost are maintenance costs. Usually, you have to replace HEPA and activated carbon filters every 3-6 months and 6-9 months, respectively. The H13 HEPA filters by Alen need to be replaced every 12 months, or so.
Over the years that can have you more than $100, compared with cheaper air purifiers with more frequent filter replacement needs.
On top of that, you have to take into account the Energy Star rating Alen BreatheSmart FLEX has. Efficient energy usage can shave off a few $10 per year, depending on the usage.
All in all, the Alen BreatheSmart FLEX is the cheapest Alen BreatheSmart air purifier, with superb filters and efficient energy usage. You can check for any Alen BreatheSmart FLEX sale here
Alen BreatheSmart FLEX Sale
The standard price of the Alen BreatheSmart FLEX is $349. The price is reasonable for a high-quality medium-sized air purifier with such renown as Alen.
We keep up with all Alen BreatheSmart FLEX sales. You can check the current sale here:
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Final Verdict On Alen BreatheSmart FLEX
Alen BreatheSmart is a remarkable series of powerful and quiet air purifiers. The FLEX model is the 1st in line of 5 models. It’s the capable and most affordable BreatheSmart model.
On top of that, it has stellar specs, especially compared with other air purifiers in its weight class.
Sufficiently high CADR rating, 700 sq ft coverage area at 2 ACH (and 280 sq ft at 5 ACH), low bedroom-friendly noise rates, and affordable price earns Alen BreatheSmart FLEX a very high rating. For 500+ sq ft coverage at 5 ACH, check the 75i model in the list of best air purifiers.
On top of that, you have to add the renowned Alen air purifiers enjoy as well as aesthetically pleasing design.
Overall Alen BreatheSmart FLEX rating: