Honeywell Premium Odor-Reducing Air Purifier Replacement Pre-Filter, HRF-APP1 / Filter (A+)

I bought this because I had been buying the HRF-AP1 from the largest brick & mortar retailer in the world (starts with a W). They stopped carrying it, seemingly overnight, and instead only offered only HEPA and carbon prefilters packaged together. You replace the carbon pre-filter 5x to 10x more often than HEPA cartridge so that move made no sense. You would be hard pressed to find a genuine Honeywell HRF-AP1 pre-filter in stock anywhere locally or even on the web. I initially bought a 2 pack of 16"x48" prefilters described as "odor reducing", "carbon pad", & "charcoal filter". This was a major aftermarket domestic filter company that sells on Amazon. I knew something was off when I opened their filters and there was an ODOR. What? Wait a minute, how am I detecting something like a VOC coming from an activated carbon filter? I compared the filtering ability of some HRF-AP1 remnants to the aftermarket junk I bought and wasn't all that shocked to fink that the honeywell remnant removed just about any source of odor I put in front of it while the aftermarket had no affect on any of the same odor sources or VOC sources. Yeah, I eventually became disgusted by the smells accumulating in my living space and aggressively searched for a viable alternative. I noticed that Amazon manages to keep the HRF-APP1 A+ version in stock for just a few bucks more than what I was used to paying. It threw me off that they used a generic pic of the carbon filter wrapped around a drum HEPA cartridge instead of a pic of the retail box which one might expect to see. The only difference I can see is that the A+ version has white flecks in the filter which are identified by Honeywell as "zeolite" which you can read all about on wikipedia. It has some ups and downs. For instance now I don't feel comfortable wearing a square of HRF-APP1 inside a mask since zeolite is a respiratory irritant. You can cut this Honeywell activated carbon filter sheet to fit just about anything that you need a filter or pre-filter. For example, I use it for odor reduction as a prefilter on two Holmes HEPA units. I can make 4 prefilters with a little left over for other things such as deodorizing the fridge, sock drawers, bath towel storage area etc. etc. I suspect that Honeywell doesn't like that their product gets used for so many other applications, especially HEPA units made by other brand names/manufacturers since a major retailer started to only carry the package deal of HEPA and carbon pre-filters together. If so, what would be the reasoning? They are making MORE money than if they only sold the carbon filters to people needing them for Honeywell products. This is one of the most value packed and versatile products out there. I hope this review helps others in making a wise purchase.

Great for cat hair. Somewhat costly as have to be replaced every three months but well worth it. Helps my allergies. You get what you pay for.

Been using the Honeywell for many years now. While I have been tempted to use other filters, in the end, I come back to the costly originals because - well, they work best!

I use a model HPA5250BC (HPA200 equivalent) centrally located in a 1800sq feet house. Doubled-up (jury-rigged) with AP1 (Type A) filter, works very well to eliminate cigar smoke. I smoked a cigar last evening and left the air purifier run all night on medium fan. This morning, my wife did not even notice!!!

I am pretty impressed with how much filter you get for the price. It is a large piece that has multiple filters that you can cut into the perfect fit for your model. It is thicker than the original filter and has more filter capability. It is very easy to cut with scissors and install. I don’t have any noise issues, it’s quiet. All said, it is great quality for the relief we need for allergies and dust in our home. Multiple replacements in one purchase is a big plus. Very happy with the value. It has Velcro to hold it securely until you are ready to cut out a filter and that was very thoughtful. Holds it securely inside the original packaging.