Appliances head-to-head
Austin Air HealthMate HM400vsMedify MA-40
29 years apart, and the averages land 7.4 and 7.2. Only Durability moved much, 9.6 to 6.6.
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.
Medify MA-40
Medify Air
7.4
H13 filtration and real throughput, undercut by a headline room figure and a loud lowest speed.
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 Durability, Austin Air HealthMate HM400 ahead 9.6 to 6.6. They come closest on Performance, 8.8 to 8.6. Left of center is Austin Air HealthMate HM400, right is Medify MA-40.
Which one to pick
Take the Austin Air HealthMate HM400
Leads on Performance and 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 Medify MA-40
Leads on Value, Ease of use and Quietness.
- Smoke season, when you want throughput now and will tolerate the fan
- A living room, an office, or a workshop rather than anywhere anyone sleeps
- You want H13 filtration without paying what the boutique brands ask
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
Medify MA-40
- The lowest speed is rated at 46 dB — it never disappears into a quiet room
- You read the room-size figure as comparable to a CADR-based rating
- Registration inside ninety days and genuine filters are both warranty conditions
Specs, side by side
| Spec | Austin Air HealthMate HM400 | Medify MA-40 |
|---|---|---|
| Filtration | Four stages — two pre-filters, 60 sq ft HEPA, 15 lb carbon and zeolite | Three stages with an H13 HEPA layer |
| Airflow | Three-speed motor, up to 400 CFM | — |
| Filter life | Rated up to five years | About 3,000 hours, roughly six months of daily use |
| Build | Welded steel, powder coated, about 47 lb, on casters | — |
| Coverage | — | Rated by Medify at 1,793 sq ft in one hour |
| Noise | — | 46 to 66 dB across four speeds |
Rankings they both appear in
Questions
- Is the 2019 Medify MA-40 the safer pick over the 1990 Austin Air HealthMate HM400?
- Medify MA-40 leads on Value, Ease of use and Quietness. If Performance and Durability matter more to you, take the Austin Air HealthMate HM400 instead. The 29-year gap shows in the totals as 7.4 against 7.2.
- What does the 1990 model still win?
- On Performance and Durability, yes. Those axes still go to the 1990 model. The 2019 one answers with Value, Ease of use and Quietness.
- Which one ranks higher in "Throughput is cheap in a room nobody sleeps in"?
- Austin Air HealthMate HM400 sits at #3 in "Throughput is cheap in a room nobody sleeps in", Medify MA-40 at #4.