Shark has changed the air quality game with its responsive (and odour-defying) air purifier – it’s the brand’s best release yet

After buying an air purifier a few years ago, I now can’t imagine my life or my home without one in it. But you probably don’t think of Shark when it comes to air purifiers, which is why I was intrigued to test whether the cult floor care brand’s model could compete with the big fish in the air purifier pond.

After testing (and being won over more than I anticipated), I can safely say that the Shark NeverChange5 Air Purifier definitely has what it takes to be considered one of the best air purifiers out there. This is why.

In a nutshell

Alien-like in its appearance and an unexpected side-step for the floor care brand, the Shark NeverChange5 Air Purifier HP150UK may divide opinions in terms of its design, but its quick response time and odour-eating qualities can’t be scoffed at.

Featuring a NeverChange5 Filtration System that means you won’t need to replace the filter for five years (which is 10x the lifespan of some other air purifier filters) and an Anti-Odour cartridge that releases a fresh scent as it cleans the air, it’s effective and practical.

Plus, with the ability to purify areas up to 60sqm with one air change per hour or rooms of up to 12sqm with 4.8 air changes per hour, it’ll benefit any size home.

After testing for three weeks, my home feels (and smells) noticeably cleaner, it’s become easier to breathe during the height of hay fever season, and I’ve felt confident that the Clean Sense IQ technology has successfully monitored and reacted to changes in my environment. The only slight downsides? The price and the design.

Specifications

• Recommended room size: 60m2
• Air change per hour: 60sq m (1 air change per hour) / 12sq m (4.8 air changes per hour)
• CADR: smoke ≥ 87 CFM
• Noise levels: 38-66dB
• Filter type: NanoSeal HEPA layer, Activated Carbon layer, Pet Particle Barrier, DebrisDefence pre-filter
• Dimensions: H38.5 cm x W23.7 cm x D26.6 cm
• Weight: 3.32kg
• Wattage: 26W
• Smart App connectivity: No
• Timer: Yes
• Auto mode: Yes

How I tested

Lauren Bradbury

I’m Lauren, Ideal Home’s House Manual Editor. It’s my job to test all kinds of household appliances, from the best vacuum cleaners to air purifiers. I tested the Shark NeverChange5 Air Purifier HP150UK for three weeks in my three-bedroom home in Kent, which I share with a hay fever sufferer and a fluffy cocker spaniel. I also have mild hay fever symptoms during the earlier months of the year. So, I was intrigued to see how this air purifier coped with everyday decreases in air quality caused by pollen, pet dander, smoke, VOCs, cooking fumes, and dust.

Unboxing and setting up

The Shark NeverChange5 Air Purifier arrived on my doorstep in a fairly lightweight and compact box, and I was instantly impressed to see that the whole thing was recyclable and eco-friendly.

The air purifier was encased in a cardboard shell, and wrapped up further in white recyclable paper. Also in the box was a quick-start guide, information on the guarantee (one year as standard, two years if you register the appliance with Shark within the first 28 days of purchase) and the Anti-Odour Dial & Cartridge.

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As I’ve used quite a few air purifiers now, I know that the setup of every air purifier can be different. So, I followed Shark’s guidelines to turn the appliance upside down, place it on a level floor, and then turn the filter door anti-clockwise to remove the rather hefty HEPA filter and remove it from its plastic packaging. Then, I placed the filter back in its home and turned the filter door clockwise to lock it back in place.

And while using the Anti-Odour cartridge is optional for this particular model, I wanted to test the Shark NeverChange 5 Air Purifier in its entirety - so I opened up the recyclable tin (not unlike a tin of tuna, but with a much nicer scent) and popped the cartridge into the designated slot in the top of the machine. Then, it was ready to use.

Design

I’ll be honest: I think the design of the Shark Shark NeverChange5 Air Purifier will be divisive - especially in a world where more and more people are jumping on the aesthetic air purifier train. After all, it’s pretty unique.

Personally, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it when I first laid eyes on it, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it after having it in my home for the last three weeks. Like many others, I like my appliances to blend into the background of my home decor (which is why I have previously used the relatively unassuming Philips 800 Series Air Purifier in my house) instead of sticking out like a sore thumb. But the modern design of the Shark air purifier looks more like an alien spaceship than a typical home appliance, and it's hard to ignore.

However, I should note that modern home decor isn’t my style - so those who prefer these clean lines and angular shapes may love it and find that they want it to stand out of the crowd. As someone who prefers a more rustic look, though, it did look somewhat out of place in my house. So, it could go one of two ways.

One thing I will say, though, is that the air purifier is incredibly light, and at 3.32kg, it is actually one of the lightest air purifiers the whole Ideal Home team has tested. The lightest of all time still goes to the 1.25kg Vitesy Eteria Portable Air Purifier, but the Shark is a considerable amount lighter than the MeacoDry Arete One Dehumidifier & Air Purifier, which comes in at a whopping 15.1kg.

Plus, I like that the Shark NeverChange5 air purifier has a long cable - especially for someone who lives in a house with a limited number of plug sockets. The LCD screens on the front and the top of the air purifier are also incredibly easy to use, and it doesn’t take a lot to translate what these symbols and numbers mean when in use.

Performance

On paper, the Shark NeverChange5 Air Purifier HP150UK has much to offer. From the four layers of powerful filtration (including NanoSeal HEPA to capture dust and smoke, Activated Carbon to neutralise odours and gases, a Pet Particle Barrier to guard against dander and allergens, and an easy-to-clean DebrisDefence pre-filter) to the Clean Sense IQ technology that constantly monitors the air quality and automatically reacts to changes in the environment, it seems impressive.

However, we have strict rules to follow when testing air purifiers at Ideal Home to see whether these claims are actually warranted. So, I knew I couldn't take this air purifier at face value and needed to test its various features to understand how it truly performed.

The first test? I waited for my air quality to enter into the ‘Good’ category (between 85-100%) before lighting a match and blowing it out to create smoke near the appliance.

In Auto mode, it took just 6 seconds for the Shark air purifier to register the smoke particles, for the air quality percentage to start dropping, and for the indicator colour to start changing. As a result, it automatically changed its setting to increase the fan speed and remove the smoke from the air. Then, it took just five minutes for the air quality to return to ‘Good.’

I was incredibly impressed by the quick response time as it was considerably less than the Blueair Blue Max 320i Air Purifier, which we’ve crowned the ‘best overall’ in our guide. In fact, the Blueair model took 20 seconds to register the smoke in the air - 14 seconds more than the Shark model.

Ever the critic, though, I wondered whether this was just a fluke. So, I proceeded to the next air purifier test, the VCO test. To complete this test, I sprayed a liberal amount of aerosol deodorant in front of the air purifier to see whether the response time would be just as impressive… and it was!

This time, it took around 4 seconds for the air quality percentage to start dropping (although, strangely, the percentage increased momentarily just as I was spraying it) - and while this decrease was quite gradual to begin with, it suddenly dropped quite dramatically as it reacted to the VCOs in the air. Again, it took around 5-7 minutes for the air quality to return to ‘Good.’

The third air purifier test I conducted was the cooking test to see how well the Shark air purifier dealt with cooking fumes. Although I have an open-plan kitchen and living room, I shut my living room door, made sure all of the windows were closed and left the extractor fan turned off while I fried two rashers of vegetarian bacon. I positioned the air purifier to the side of the hob, a safe distance away but still close enough to test the responsiveness.

I must admit that the Shark air purifier did, at first, take a little while (3 whole minutes) to react to the gas hob being fired up - but after slowly kicking into action, the air quality percentage then began to drop rapidly. And as it continued to drop, the fans started whirring away, quicker and louder.

After I finished cooking, it then took just 12 minutes for the air quality to rise from just where it had dropped to 28% back to its starting level of 98%. I thought this was pretty impressive.

The final test I performed was the vacuum dust test. After all, vacuuming can spread dust - not just while you’re using it but also when you’re emptying your vacuum. So, I emptied the contents of my vacuum cleaner onto the floor next to the Shark NeverChange5 air purifier to see how it would respond.

Although the air quality decreased slightly, it didn’t drop too much. However, that might also have something to do with my vacuum cleaner, as the incredibly advanced Dyson Gen5detect comes with its own HEPA filter to collect a lot of the smaller particles.

During all of these tests, it’s also worth noting that there weren’t any lingering odours left after the air purifier had worked its magic. This seemed to be because the air purifier had captured and absorbed all of the pollutants, but also because of the odour cartridge that hits you with a fresh scent as soon as you turn it on.

You can tailor the intensity of this smell by twisting it left or right, and I must admit that I loved this extra feature as it’s not something I’ve seen with an air purifier before. The scent is extremely pleasant and another great way for the air purifier to neutralise the everyday odours that come from a house with an open-plan kitchen, pets, and neighbours who regularly waft smoke over the fence.

Ease of use

I’ve used a few air purifiers over the years, and I often find that they either fall into one of two categories - they’re either too simple (with just an on/off button and very little else), or they’re too complicated (with numerous buttons, apps, and functionalities). But in my eyes, the Shark NeverChange5 Air Purifier falls comfortably in the middle of those categories.

There are two screens on this particular model, including the LCD touchpad on the top of the appliance and the LCD screen on the front. The touchpad is fairly self-explanatory and offers you the chance to change mode, adjust the fan speed, set a timer, dim the lights for nighttime use, turn on the child lock, or look at the air info.

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It’s this air info button that then changes what you see on the screen on the front of the air purifier. Personally, I tended to keep the air quality percentage on this screen as I found this the easiest to understand and interpret.

You can also see the colour ring on the front display, which informs you of your air quality. ‘Good’ is blue and means your air quality is between 85-100%, ‘Fair’ is orange and between 70-84% and ‘Poor’ is red and between 0-69%.

But if you want, you can easily view the amount of Particulate Matter (PM) in your air on this screen. To do this, you simply toggle between PM10 (which measures dust and pollen), PSQ M.5 (smoke and pollution) and PM1 (allergens). The colour rings will also be present in this mode, and all in all, it was incredibly easy to use.

Noise levels

Compared to other air purifiers on the market, the Shark NeverChange5 Air Purifier HP150UK is on the louder end of the spectrum. On its lowest setting, my decibel meter found it to be around 35 decibels - double that of the Blueair Blue Max 320i Air Purifier.

However, as someone who regularly tests and uses household appliances like the best dehumidifiers and the best electric heaters, I don’t find this noise to be too distracting as I’ve become accustomed to this white noise. 35dB may be a lot for some people to handle though - especially if you want to use an air purifier to help you sleep (although the dimmable night mode does mean that you can turn off the appliance’s lights, at least).

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And while the Shark specs suggest that the highest setting comes in around 66 decibels, my decibel meter found that to be a slight overstretch. Sure, the highest fan speed setting is noisy, but I found it to be around 60dB.

This is something that I can personally live with as there are still air purifiers out there that are louder (I’m looking at you, Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde), but I do appreciate that there are also much quieter options on the market. So, if sound is something you’re sensitive to, this is something you should consider before buying.

Portability

In terms of portability, the Shark NeverChange5 Air Purifier is incredibly lightweight and relatively compact. It weighs just 3.32kg, and the dimensions come in at H38.5cm x W23.7cm x D26.6cm, which means it isn’t too awkward or heavy to carry from room to room.

However, one thing I learned the hard way is that the mesh filters on the side look like they should be carry handles… but they’re not. If you attempt to lift the appliance this way, you’ll just remove the filters instead, and I made this mistake quite a few times before I just bear-hugged the air purifier around my house instead.

The lack of a carry handle does take away some of the portability of the appliance, but its lightweight nature still makes it easy to carry around - even if you’re not the strongest.

Energy use

Compared to other air purifiers we’ve tested at Ideal Home, the Shark NeverChange5 Air Purifier is relatively efficient. Using just 26W in Auto Mode, this puts it firmly in the middle of the pack - and it seems as though Shark designed it to be more eco-friendly, too.

In fact, if this model achieves 100% air purification status for 5 minutes in Auto Mode, it will automatically enter Eco Mode and use less energy. If your air quality changes, however, it will swing itself back into action and go back into Auto Mode.

But it’s this small detail that will help you out when it comes to how much it costs to run an air purifier in the home.

Filter replacement

Generally, one of the main aspects of air purifier maintenance is replacing the filter. However, Shark claims that the high-performance HEPA filtration in the Shark NeverChange 5 Air Purifier won’t need replacing for up to five years - supposedly saving up to £200 in replacement costs.

As I haven’t used the air purifier for anywhere close to five years and it was only released a short while ago, these claims can’t be backed up just yet. However, it’s certainly a selling point, as the only real maintenance you need to do for this particular model is to clean the Mesh Dust Filters.

When these filters need cleaning, the front display will show a pulsing red ring and you should see the ‘check dust filters’ warning come up on the screen, too. Then, the easiest way to clean them is to pull them up and use a vacuum cleaner (in its handheld form and with a soft brush attachment) to remove any lingering debris.

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If you can’t do this, you can either use a clean cloth or rinse them under water. If you choose the latter option, you’ll need to wait at least 12 hours for them to dry before popping them back in.

Shark also recommends cleaning the exterior of the air purifier every two months using a damp microfibre cloth, and clean the interior of the HEPA filter every two months using either a damp cloth or a vacuum cleaner. You should never use any chemicals or cleaners for any part of your Shark air purifier maintenance.

The only other form of maintenance is replacing the Anti-Odour cartridge every three months or as needed, which comes at an extra cost. At the time of writing, the cost of a Shark Anti-Odour Technology Replacement Cartridges two-pack will cost you £15.99. You can use the air purifier without these cartridges, though.

How does it rate online?

At the time of writing, the Shark NeverChange5 Air Purifier HP150UK rates extremely highly. With over 100 reviews on the Shark website, it has an overall star rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars.

Customers have praised the quality of the product and the Anti-Odour cartridges, and many have claimed that the air purifier has helped them breathe easier in their homes - especially those who struggle with asthma or hay fever.

However, some customers have experienced a problem where their air quality has been stuck on 100% all the time. In some cases, the customers returned their air purifier and exchanged it for another, which then worked perfectly fine. Shark does offer a free 2-year guarantee, so this is worth noting if you do find yourself experiencing a similar problem.

Verdict: Should you buy the Shark NeverChange5 air purifier?

Although I have a few air purifiers at home, the Shark NeverChange5 is the one I always find myself reaching for - and I think that says a lot about whether I think this particular air purifier is worth it.

The impressive response time, coupled with the ease of use and the addition of the scent cartridge makes it an effective and enjoyable way to clean the air in a home. I also felt that my house felt noticeably cleaner while I was using it.

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My only niggles are the design and the fact that it’s on the pricier end of the spectrum. There are many air purifiers cheaper and more aesthetically pleasing than this one, so I do think this may put people off.

However, I really can’t fault it in terms of its performances, so I do think it’s worth the investment if you’re looking for a high-quality, effective air purifier and are serious about your home’s air quality.