With a seemingly endless sea of Levoit air cleaners in the market today, finding a suitable model for your needs could be a daunting task. We, therefore, decided to take a head to head analysis of a couple of the leading models, Levoit Core 300 and Levoit Vista 200, allowing you to make an informed decision.
Core 300
Vista 200
Construction and Design
Both the Levoit Core 300 and Vista 200 air cleaners feature a sleek cylindrical design with smooth curves and a white finish that allows them to blend seamlessly into your indoor décor. The glossy white on both units can create a rainbow effect as light bounces off the units’ surface.
- We appreciate the 360° air intake grill on both units, situated at the bottom section. The air outlet is placed at the top.
- While both Levoit air cleaner models are relatively compact, the Vista 200 is smaller and shorter, with merely 13 inches in height
- Both the Levoit Core 300 and Vista 200 air cleaners boast a lightweight design, but the Vista 200 wins with only 3.3lbs in weight. At 7.5lbs, the Core 300 doubles the weight of the Vista 200.
- Both units feature a top control panel with similar functions, but the Core 300 has an additional button for the 6-hour timer indicator
Core 300
LV-H135
Note: Both the Levoit Core 300 and Vista 200 air cleaners come with a 1-year warranty that can be extended with one additional year
WINNER: Levoit Vista 200
Coverage and Performance
Both the Levoit Core 300 and Vista 200 air cleaners are ozone free, which gives you assurance and peace of mind regarding your home’s occupants’ health.
- Thanks to its larger motor coupled with the Vortexair technology, the Levoit Core 300 boasts a CADR of 135 CFM. This unit moves the air five times per hour, which allows it to purify larger rooms measuring up to 219 sq. ft. with amazing ease. The Vista 200 can only cover 161 sq. ft., making it suitable for bathrooms, home offices, and dorms.
- The higher CADR also allows the Core 300 to capture more airborne pollutants
- The Core 300 also enjoys better timer options of 2, 4, 6, 8 hours as compared to the Vista 200; the latter unit allows you to set its operation for 2, 4, or 8 hours before shutting off automatically
In Depth Observation:
During our testing, the Core 300 recorded a greater noise level overall, considering all the different fan speeds. This is probably because the Core 300 has a stronger motor. However, the Core 300 becomes much quieter in its sleep mode, affording you the ultimate sleeping experience.
On the other hand, the Levoit Vista 200 comes with a yellow nightlight with three adjustable settings, strong, weak, and lights off. The unit doesn’t need to be on for the nightlight to work.
When considering energy efficiency, we acknowledge that the Vista 200 consumes less power. The Vista 200 operates with a 15-watt motor while the Core 300 runs on a 45-watt engine, which is a significant difference that’s bound to make a huge difference on your electricity bill.
WINNER: Levoit Core 300
Mode of Operation
Both the Levoit Core 300 and Vista 200 air cleaners are equipped with three fan speeds, a timer, and sleep mode. They also boast a 3-stage filtration consisting of a pre-filter, a true HEPA filter, and an activated carbon filter. The carbon filter comprises carbon pellets; we find these honeycomb-looking filters to be very efficient.
Pre-filter: This removes large airborne pollutants from your indoor air, including dust, fibers, lint, hair, and pet dander
True HEPA FILTER: This extracts up to 99.97% of small airborne contaminants down to 0.3 microns, including virus particles, bacteria particulates, pollen, dust mites, and mold spores
Activated Carbon Filter: This filter is tasked with neutralizing smoke and odor molecules emanating from your pets, kitchen, smoking, and the outdoors
Filtration Compared
- While both models employ a 3-stage filtration system, we appreciate that the Core 300 comes with a customizable second line of defense. You may choose to use a True HEPA filter, toxin absorber filter, pet allergy filter or mold, and bacteria filter depending on your specific cleaning requirements.
- We also acknowledge that the Core 300 has a bigger filter with a larger surface, which allows more air to be filtered simultaneously
- The Core 300 comes with an improved all-in-one air filter with an upgraded airtight sealing strip, which goes a long way in ensuring that the collected contaminants remain inside the air cleaner
WINNER: Levoit Core 300
Setup and Usability
Setting up the Core 300 and Vista 200 is incredibly easy. Both units boast a 360° air cleaning capacity. You can place the two units anywhere in your room without worrying about blocking their inlet or outlet grilles. While we’d recommend placing the units in the middle of the room, you can also expect superior performance when purifying a corner or near a wall.
- Both units come with a circular control panel at the top section with touch buttons, which facilitate your efforts in altering the units’ settings with ease
- We appreciate both units’ capacity to remember the last speed settings, which renders the setup process easier
- Both the Core 300 and Vista 200 come with a sleep mode. This feature dims the air cleaners’ bright LED lights or switches the display off completely.
Our Highlight: We love the display lock function on the Core 300 that allows you to turn off the control panel, preventing accidental changes to your preferred settings. This feature is especially useful for people with curious kids or pets
WINNER: Levoit Core 300
Cleaning and Maintenance
Replacing the filters is a vital maintenance chore that enables your unit to function optimally. Filter replacement for both units is as easy as taking out the old one and installing a new one.
- Both units come with a filter-reset indicator that illuminates when filter replacement is due. This feature eliminates the need for keeping a tab on the filter replacement schedule.
- With the Vista 200, you will need to change the filter every 5-6 months. Conversely, the Core 300’s filter can function longer without replacement, for 6-8 months.
- The filter replacement cost of the Levoit Vista 200 is significantly lesser than those for the Core 300
Our Tip: The nylon pre-filter on both units require regular vacuuming to enhance their effectiveness
WINNER: Levoit Vista 200
Our Verdict
If you’re looking for a compact, lightweight, and ozone-free air purifier priced under $100, you might encounter the Levoit Core 300 and Vista 200. These air cleaners are designed to extract dust, pet dander, pollen, smoke, and bad odor from your indoor environment. Our evaluation found that the Levoit Core 300 and Vista’s similarity ends in design and size; their performance ratings are worlds apart. The Levoit Vista 200 air cleaner is a fantastic unit if you’re looking to purify a bedroom or small office. The unit is also slightly cheaper than the Core 300.
Although the Vista 200 is likely to save you a lot of money in the form of electric bills each year, we are inclined to declare the Core 300 the ultimate winner in this contest. This Levoit air cleaner model is stronger and sufficiently powerful to purify larger rooms. The Core 300 also gave us a feeling of a sturdier build than its opponent. If you’re looking for a powerful air cleaner with advanced features that include the display lock and 6-hour OFF setting, you can never go wrong with the Levoit Core 300.