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Appliances head-to-head

Austin Air HealthMate HM400vsHoneywell HPA300

23 years between them: the 2013 Honeywell HPA300 at 7.8, the 1990 Austin Air HealthMate HM400 at 7.2. The older one still holds Durability.

Austin Air HealthMate HM400

Austin Air

7.2

Welded steel, fifteen pounds of carbon, a five-year filter, and no interest in being quiet.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Honeywell HPA300

Honeywell

7.8

Brute-force air movement for a large room, and it is not remotely subtle about it.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Where they diverge

The widest gap is Value, Honeywell HPA300 ahead 8.4 to 6.6. They come closest on Durability, 9.6 to 8.4. Left of center is Austin Air HealthMate HM400, right is Honeywell HPA300.

Austin Air HealthMate HM400 versus Honeywell HPA300 — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars for Austin Air HealthMate HM400 run left from the axis labels, bars for Honeywell HPA300 run right. Austin Air HealthMate HM400: Performance 8.8, Value 6.6, Durability 9.6, Ease of use 5.6, Quietness 5.2. Honeywell HPA300: Performance 8.8, Value 8.4, Durability 8.4, Ease of use 7.0, Quietness 6.4.Austin Air HealthMate HM400 (left)Honeywell HPA300 (right)PerformanceAustin Air HealthMate HM400 — Performance 8.8 out of 108.8Honeywell HPA300 — Performance 8.8 out of 108.8ValueAustin Air HealthMate HM400 — Value 6.6 out of 106.6Honeywell HPA300 — Value 8.4 out of 108.4DurabilityAustin Air HealthMate HM400 — Durability 9.6 out of 109.6Honeywell HPA300 — Durability 8.4 out of 108.4Ease of useAustin Air HealthMate HM400 — Ease of use 5.6 out of 105.6Honeywell HPA300 — Ease of use 7.0 out of 107.0QuietnessAustin Air HealthMate HM400 — Quietness 5.2 out of 105.2Honeywell HPA300 — Quietness 6.4 out of 106.4Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better

Which one to pick

Take the Austin Air HealthMate HM400

Leads on Durability.

  • Chemicals, gases, and VOCs, where carbon weight decides the outcome
  • You want no firmware, no sensor, and nothing that can stop being supported
  • A five-year filter interval instead of a cartridge twice a year

Take the Honeywell HPA300

Leads on Value, Ease of use and Quietness.

  • Allergy season in a large room, where throughput beats finesse
  • You want mechanical controls that cannot lose firmware
  • Filters stocked in every hardware store

Performance scores identically, so that axis can't break the tie.

What each one gets wrong

Austin Air HealthMate HM400

  • It has to run in a bedroom — even the low setting is an audible fan
  • You want auto mode, a timer, or any readout of what the air is doing
  • The machine will move between rooms; this one goes somewhere and stays

Honeywell HPA300

  • The unit will be anywhere near where someone sleeps
  • You want auto mode driven by a sensor

Specs, side by side

SpecAustin Air HealthMate HM400Honeywell HPA300
FiltrationFour stages — two pre-filters, 60 sq ft HEPA, 15 lb carbon and zeolite—
AirflowThree-speed motor, up to 400 CFM—
Filter lifeRated up to five years—
BuildWelded steel, powder coated, about 47 lb, on casters—
Coverage—Large rooms
Filter—True HEPA plus carbon pre-filter
Controls—Mechanical buttons, four speeds

Rankings they both appear in

Questions

Is the 2013 Honeywell HPA300 the safer pick over the 1990 Austin Air HealthMate HM400?
Honeywell HPA300 leads on Value, Ease of use and Quietness. If Durability matters more to you, take the Austin Air HealthMate HM400 instead. The 23-year gap shows in the totals as 7.8 against 7.2.
What does the 1990 model still win?
On Durability, yes. That axis still goes to the 1990 model. The 2013 one answers with Value, Ease of use and Quietness.
Which one ranks higher in "Throughput is cheap in a room nobody sleeps in"?
Honeywell HPA300 sits at #2 in "Throughput is cheap in a room nobody sleeps in", Austin Air HealthMate HM400 at #3.