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Dyson Pure Cool Link Review

A powerful, bladeless fan that also has a mediocre air filter attached
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Dyson Pure Cool Link Review
Price:  $430 List
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Manufacturer:   Dyson
By Buck Yedor, Max Mutter, and Steven Tata  ⋅  Jun 17, 2021
52
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Air Cleaning Performance - 40% 4.0
  • Noise - 25% 6.0
  • Ease of Use - 25% 7.0
  • Operating Cost - 10% 3.0

Our Verdict

With Dyson's trademark space-age styling and powerful, bladeless fan, the Pure Cool Link not only provides air filtration but also creates enough air circulation to get you through sweltering summer days. Unfortunately, the filter is rather small for its size and fairly slow at actually filtering the air. If you're shopping for an air purifier in this price range, the Coway Airmega 1512HH is a better choice. However, if you already like the Dyson Air Multiplier Tower Fan and want to throw in some air filtration, this would be a great upgrade.
REASONS TO BUY
Powerful fan
REASONS TO AVOID
Relatively poor air cleaning performance
Expensive

Our Analysis and Test Results

Performance Comparison


dyson pure cool link - the pure cool link is a pricey model that sports mediocre performance.
The Pure Cool Link is a pricey model that sports mediocre performance.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Air Cleaning Performance


The Pure Cool Link stayed just out of the basement of our air cleaning performance. If you divide the Pure Cool Link up by volume, it is about 80% fan and 20% purifier, and that is exactly how it performs. The fan is incredibly powerful. We could still feel its pleasant breeze from 20 feet away, and it will certainly circulate more air than any of the other purifiers we tested. It also creates a low hum, a much more pleasant sound than the whine of a traditional fan.

The actual filter unit, however, is quite small. Dyson doesn't give a specific CADR (clean air delivery rate) spec, but after chatting with a number of Dyson representatives, we were able to calculate it ourselves. It came out to 70, which means the purifier size is ideal for rooms of 105 square feet or less. Putting a fan that can blast 20 feet in a 105 square foot room does slightly seem like overkill.

After an hour, it had removed only 97.09% of airborne particulates from our testing room. This is only better than the compact models we tested, whereas all of the comparably sized and priced models broke the 99% mark by a healthy margin. So what is the Pure Cool Link's ideal use? If you want to put a powerful fan next to a window that you occasionally open and want something that can deal with some small amounts of pollen that might drift in, this model can handle it.

dyson pure cool link - the dyson is more fan than purifier, as evidenced by its 10 fan...
The Dyson is more fan than purifier, as evidenced by its 10 fan speeds.

Noise


Unlike most models that have 3-4 fan speeds, the Pur Cool Link has 10. On its lowest fan setting, it is virtually silent. Set it on five, and it produces a low humming sound that is noticeable but can easily blend into the background. If you ramp it up to 10, it is incredibly loud for an air purifier. However, it's fairly quiet for a large fan that can shoot air 20 feet. On its highest setting, the fan produces a medium-pitched hum akin to what you'd hear in the cabin of a 747, much better than the whine created by most large fans.

Ease of Use


It has a clear, simple interface that lets you cycle through its 10 fan speeds. It also has a nine hour off timer, and you can choose whether or not the fan rotates or stays stationary. All of these controls are also on a remote control, so if the fan is disrupting your reading time, you can turn it off without even getting up. Despite its size, the whole unit is only 8.1 pounds and easy to move around; the only downside is that the remote is tiny and easy to lose. If you do lose it, you're stuck with only the on/off button on the unit itself. The remote does connect to the top of the fan with a magnet, but that magnet is weak, and the remote can easily fall off.

dyson pure cool link - we like the dyson's remote, but it's easy to lose and the magnetic...
We like the Dyson's remote, but it's easy to lose and the magnetic attachement is quite weak.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Operating Cost


The Pure Cool Link is the most expensive model we tested. That alone skyrocketed its estimated lifetime cost to $889, the second-highest of any of the models we tested. Even economical electricity usage (0.015 kWh/hour of operation or roughly $7.88/year) and cheap filters that cost only $70 per year could not save it from earning a spot on the most expensive podium.

Value


Dyson is a company that is known for delivering high performance at a premium price. Unfortunately, if you look at the Pure Cool Link as an air purifier, it carries that premium price without premium performance, making it quite a poor value. However, it is one of the best fans you can buy and it makes the air a bit cleaner.

Conclusion


The Dyson Pure Cool Link is first and foremost a fan. If air circulation is first on your list and air purification is second, this is a great model. As an air purifier, it is decidedly mediocre. If you're looking to kill two birds with one stone, this is a decent option, but if you're after a true air purifier, you will want to look elsewhere.

Buck Yedor, Max Mutter, and Steven Tata