Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA review: it purifies, heats and circulates air

One-minute review

If you were ever confused as to why you should buy something like the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA, you’re not alone. Air purifiers seem to be that kind of basic appliance that you go to the nearest big box store and buy whatever you find on the shelves. And, they’ll usually peak at a couple hundred dollars or quid at most. But, just like everything else, you get what you pay for.

Though the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA’s $399.99 / £349.99 price tag is nothing to sneeze at, going for 4 to 5 times many of the air purifiers you’ll on, say, Amazon, you might want to consider this model over those cheaper options for a few reasons. There’s a few reasons that we’ve included it on our list of best air purifiers.

To start, there are some additional features that could replace other devices such as space heaters and stand-alone fans that make that price a little more justifiable. And, no matter its function, it not only does it well but does it silently.

It’s not a perfect air purifier. There’s no app like you might find with smart air purifiers, for instance. And, if you have central air and don't need any of the other features, you can obviously find plenty of options for much cheaper. 

That said, I found the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA to be a pleasure to use. Maybe there’s no app. But, the control panel doubles as a removable remote control. No matter how hard I push it, it’s much quieter than the single-purpose space heater sitting next to it. It purifies, heats, and fans to your whims.

Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA review: price and availability

• List price: $399.99
• Available in the US
• Not available in the UK or Australia

At $399.99, the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA is certainly an investment. But, if you consider that you could spend $300 getting a good air purifier, a good stand-alone heater and a very good fan, the price tag of this 3-in-1 unit makes a bit more sense. So, while it’s not cheap, it provides a lot more value than you might assume at face value.

Consider that the aforementioned Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 goes for $769.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,149.00, you can definitely spend a lot more keeping the air in your home clean. Of course, that Dyson does come with some smart features and extra filtration that you won’t find on this Shark Air Purifier. But, considering how good a job this air purifier does, it’s a matter of preference, in my opinion, of whether you want to spend a little more for all the features and the absolute best air filtration or half the price and still get excellent performance and features.

Also consider this. The Dyson Purifier Cool Autoreact, which has just two of the Shark’s three functions is much more expensive, coming in at $549.99 / £499.99. Of course, it does look a little cooler with its Sci-Fi Q-tip look, not to mention its 350 degree oscillation is much wider than what the Shark offers.

You can find the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 available to buy on resellers such as Amazon or when you shop direct with the brand on the Shark website. Be sure to also check the latest Shark coupon codes for more ways to save before you buy.

Value: 4 / 5

Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA review: Specs

Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA review: Design

• Somewhat nondescript cylindrical design
• Color-coded LED to show air quality in real time
• Control panel can be used as a remote

Compared to units like the Dyson Purifier Cool Autoreact, the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA is not going to turn any heads. That’s not to say that it looks bad. It doesn’t. It has a simple, cylindrical design in a dark gray and silver colorway that will disappear into the background the way any nondescript appliance would.

In essence, the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA puts function over form. The bottom half of the unit is filled with tiny holes while the top contains air vents on the front and back for pushing out cool or hot air. The only real color comes by way of the LED screen in the center of the air purifier. It shows readings of the Air Purity level, temperature if you’re using heat, fan level, and a few other indicators. All of this is surrounded by a changing LED ring that will turn to red when the air quality is bad, orange when it’s just ok, and blue when the air is clean.

As far as controls go, for some reason, there’s a dial on the side to switch to engage the heating functionality. Considering that the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA purifies no matter which setting you’re on and the fact that you can still use the fan when the heater functionality is engaged, it’s a strange and seemingly redundant feature.

More interestingly, all the vital controls are in a circular control panel on top. Why is this so interesting? It’s held in place by magnets so that you can pull it out and use it as a remote. You can control the heat and fan functionality with the remote as well as set it to Auto or dim the LED display if you’re going to sleep.

Lastly, I would be remiss not to mention the HEPA filter. Getting to it is pretty easy as you just remove the lower back for access. As it’s meant for a 500 square foot space, it should last about six to twelve months before needing to be replaced.

Design: 4.5 / 5

Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA review: Performance

• Does a good job purifying
• Heating and fan functionality are quick and quiet
• Remote could be better

The Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA’s core functionality is the ability to purify and it does its job well. When running in a small to medium room, up to 500 square feet, the air is noticeably fresher as this purifier removes all sorts of impurities from the air. In particular, it looks for three sizes of particles to remove: PM1, PM2.5, and PM10.

I was able to experience its purifying in real world testing in a few ways beyond just having it run while I go about my day. The first example is a little gross so skip the next paragraph if you’re squeamish. 

The litter box in my living room was in dire need of being entirely replaced and you could smell it whenever in the vicinity. I set up the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA right next to it where it registered the air quality at around 71% clean. It managed to over a few hours get the air quality up to 88% without the litter box being changed out, meaning the source of the lower air quality was constant. Yet, not only was the air purifier able to offset it but the odor from the litter box was completely mitigated as long as you didn’t get within a foot of it.

For a more palatable example, I burned some strong Japanese Sandalwood incense right next to the air purifier. I placed it on the ground about a foot away and within 10 minutes, the Shark purifier’s LED changed to a bright red with a reading of 27% for the air quality. While the odor of the incense did linger for a while, it is very strong. The air quality hit 40% after an hour and got up to 80% after three hours.

When it comes to the heating and fan functionality, I consider them good enough to replace other stand-alone units. Not only was I able to keep my bedroom heated at a consistent temperature but it starts blowing out hot air fairly quickly.

The fan is equally powerful as it has six different settings and will start blasting cool air immediately, though it’s important to remember that this is not going to replace a swamp cooler or air conditioner. Also be aware that you’re not getting the 350 degree oscillation of some other models. While Shark doesn’t specify, it looks to about 180 degrees.

Regardless of how I used the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA, it operated surprisingly quietly, especially in comparison to the noisy space heater sitting next to it. For instance, with the fan setting on, I registered just 49dB, about the level of a quiet conversation.

Lastly, we should discuss actually interfacing with the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA. Being able to remove the control panel from its cradle atop the air purifier to use as a remote is pretty terrific. However, it’s not the most responsive remote. I have to make sure I’m pointing it at the LED screen and sometimes I have to press buttons harder or more than once for that press to register.

Performance: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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How I tested the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA

• Tested for a few weeks
• Exposed it to strong odors to see what it would do
• Went through all the various modes and functions

To test the Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 with True HEPA, I not only used it for a couple weeks to see how it would fare in my bedroom as well as the living room. But, I also intentionally put it in close vicinity of some strong odors to see how it would function. Additionally, I regularly used the heating and fan function. All dials and buttons were pressed to see what they would do as well.

Read more about how we test.

[First reviewed May 2023]