Winix C545 vs Winix 5520
Two of the hepa + carbon purifiers for smoke & odor in our best air purifiers for smoke & odor: hepa + carbon from iqair, coway, levoit, blueair comparison, lined up spec by spec. Every figure comes from the manufacturer pages linked below, and the scores use the same published formula as the full ranking.
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Best for: A 232 CFM purifier with a SmokeGuard filter option
Check price at AmazonBest for: 253 CFM smoke with a 12-month AOC carbon filter
Check price at AmazonSpec-by-spec comparison
Green marks the better published figure. "Not listed" means the manufacturer doesn't publish it.
| Spec | Winix C545 | Winix 5520 | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke CADRAHAM's smoke CADR measures how fast smoke particles are removed. IQAir, Shark, Honeywell and Winix's 9800 don't publish one; those score at the lowest published value in the category. | 232 CFM | 253 CFM | 40% |
| Carbon/odor filter lifeHow long the maker rates the carbon or gas stage, which saturates faster than HEPA. Rabbit Air (12 h/day) and IQAir (10 h/day) state their usage basis. | 3 months | 12 months | 20% |
| Smoke or VOC filter offeredYes when the maker sells a smoke-, toxin- or VOC-specific filter for this model (e.g. Coway Intense Smoke+, Levoit Smoke Remover, Blueair SmokeBlock, Winix SmokeGuard, Rabbit Air Toxin Absorber), or when gas filtration is the main filter (IQAir). | Yes | No | 15% |
| CADR per wattComputed by us: smoke CADR divided by rated power. During smoke events these run on high for days. | Not listed | Not listed | 15% |
| Loudest settingYou'll run it on high during smoke events, so top-speed noise matters. | Not listed | Not listed | 10% |
| CADR (dust / pollen / smoke) | 243 / 246 / 232 | 252 / 247 / 253 | info |
| AHAM room size | 360 ft² | 392 ft² | info |
| Filter | 4-stage: True HEPA + activated carbon | 4-stage: True HEPA + AOC carbon | info |
| Filter options | +SmokeGuard, +PetGuard, +AllergenGuard | Not listed | info |
| Filter life | HEPA 12 months; carbon 3 months | HEPA 12 months; AOC carbon 12 months | info |
| Minimum noise | 27 dB | Not listed | info |
| Weight | 11 lb | 13.3 lb | info |
| Smart | Not listed | Wi-Fi, Alexa | info |
| AirPick score | 3.5/10 | 3.1/10 | 100% |
Where each one comes out ahead
Winix C545
Better published figure on: Smoke or VOC filter offered.
What we like
- SmokeGuard option
Watch out for
- Carbon rated only 3 months
Winix 5520
Better published figure on: Smoke CADR, Carbon/odor filter life.
What we like
- Carbon rated 12 months
Watch out for
- No smoke-specific filter listed
- Noise and power not listed
Verdict
Similar smoke CADR (253 vs 232). The 5520's AOC carbon is rated 12 vs 3 months; the C545 offers a SmokeGuard filter.
- Winix C545: Winix: C545
- Winix 5520: Winix: 5520