Dyson HushJet Purifier Compact HJ10 review: potent air purification in a smaller, quieter package

Welcome to T3’s review of the Dyson HushJet HJ10, a stylish and compact air purifier designed specifically for small rooms, offices and desktop use.

The HushJet’s discreet small-form design typifies quite a shift from the company’s roster of popular tower-style air purifiers. Instead of using its tried-and-tested Air Multiplier technology which pushes air through a large circular or oval ring, the HushJet features a star-shaped nozzle that projects a focused vertical jet of air, rather like the majority of best air purifiers.

Apparently this ‘HushJet’ system increases air velocity while reducing turbulence and noise, allowing for faster purification from a smaller machine. Well let’s suck it and see.

Dyson HushJet review: price and availability

In the UK, the Dyson HushJet retails at £349.99, and that’s quite a steep asking price when you consider the myriad of much cheaper options from the competition. If you fancy biting the bullet, head straight to the Dyson store or John Lewis & Partners, Amazon and Currys, where it sells for 99p less.

Mysteriously, in the USA Dyson is selling the HushJet for a lot less – $299.99, to be precise. Or you can save a dollar or two and go to Amazon where it’s shifting for just $297.48.

Dyson HushJet review: design and features

Available in black/teal and white/silver, Dyson’s latest air purifier is designed for small rooms up to 100m². Consequently, it utilises a completely different design approach to the company’s other models.

Standing at 47cm in height and 23cm in width, the HushJet’s small cylindrical body features a distinctive jet engine-inspired semi-transparent and upward-facing outlet nozzle that apparently channels purified air in a smooth, controlled stream while reducing turbulence and airflow noise. Its unique compressor design, meanwhile, ‘draws in dirty air to purify up to 70 litres of air every second’.

At a positively light 3.15kg, the HushJet is very easy to move between rooms while its cylindrical form factor and 360-degree intake means it doesn’t need to be positioned in any specific orientation. As to be expected, the HushJet feels extremely well engineered from top to bottom. After all, it’s a Dyson and Dyson always uses high-quality plastics with precise fit and finish. In this case the fully sealed housing ensures captured pollutants cannot sneak back into the room.

While dust can – and will – collect on the inside of the transparent vanes, it’s very easy to remove the finned section for cleaning by placing the unit on a grippy surface like carpet and twisting the top anticlockwise. Refitting is just as easy though you will need to line up the HushJet logo with the unit’s LED monitor below it.

A very small LED display on the front provides real-time information on air quality and the unit’s operating status, and you can control it all either using the unit’s physical controls or the Dyson app. I much prefer using the app since it allows the user to monitor air quality in real time or over longer periods, select Auto mode, quieter Sleep mode or any one of its 10 fan speeds, plus create various on-and-off schedules. Voice-assistant compatibility with services such as Alexa or Google Assistant is also supported.

The Dyson HushJet’s filtration system uses a combination of an outer 360° electrostatic HEPA filter and a smaller, inner 360˚ cylindrical activated carbon filter to remove 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns from indoor air. This includes fine dust, pollen, mould spores, pet dander, cooking odours, cigarette smoke, traffic pollution and even toxic gases such as nitrogen dioxide and other volatile compounds produced by household activities and poorly-maintained gas appliances.

Dyson illustrates the filtration system’s effectiveness by listing the pollutants it collects as PM2.5 and PM10 numbers on the unit’s LED screen and in the app. For the record, PM2.5 relates to fine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres (think combustion-related particles and organic compounds) and PM10 relates to particles of dust, pollen, dander, mould, etc.

According to Dyson, its electrostatic filter’s porous, charged design is lighter and more energy efficient at ‘capturing particles efficiently without clogging’. Depending on use, this filter could last for five years before it needs changing, and that’s a massive bonus in this model’s favour. Accessing the filter system is a breeze. Simply press the black buttons on either side of the unit and lift off the outer housing to expose the two filters, one inside the other.

Given that this model has smart sensing technology, it continuously monitors the air quality and automatically adjusts fan speed when pollution levels change. Like most decent air purifiers, the HushJet increases airflow when its sensor detects a drop in air quality and scales back to a tick over when the air is clean again. Alternatively, you also have the option to select one of 10 fan speeds or Sleep mode for bedside use.

Speaking of which… as the HushJet moniker suggests, noise reduction is one of the most impressive aspects of this unit’s performance stats. According to Dyson, its airflow system was influenced by the way a jet engine reduces turbulence, allowing the HushJet to circulate air without the overly high-pitched whirring sound associated with many compact purifiers. Hence, even at higher speeds this air purifier remains relatively restrained with maximum noise levels around the low 40dB range. Likewise, Sleep mode is so quiet (around 24dB) you can hardly hear it.

At this juncture I should that, while some users may see this small-form air purifier as an ideal model for desktop use, I think it’s possibly too large for anything other than standing on the floor or ideally placed on a low plinth to make the most of its ground-level air intake system. Yes, of course you could still pop in on a table but it will likely stick out like a sore thumb.

Dyson HushJet review: performance

The HushJet is fitted with a very sensitive particulate sensor that doesn’t take much interior pollution to kick the fan into high-speed action. Hence, if you have dogs of the heavily shedding variety (Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Husky, Labrador, etc), smoke cigarettes or live in a dusty home, you might notice it blowing a gale on a regular basis, especially in a large room.

For my test I put the HushJet in my small studio and selected Auto mode. Since the room was already free of particulates, the HushJet’s fan was at its lowest speed. So I lit an aromatic Palo Santo incense stick and held it low to the floor, about four feet from the unit’s 360˚ inlet. I’d say it took about a minute for the sensor to detect the smoke at which point the fan went into full-speed mode.

I then continued holding the incense stick about the same distance away and watched the smoke eventually change direction as it was sucked into the vacuum created by the inlet fan. This was pretty impressive coming from such a small unit and just goes to show the effectiveness of the product’s sensor, motor and overall suction power when at full tilt.

While this air purifier is no match for cleaning the air in a large room – for that you need something like the Coway Airmega 350 which I rate highly for its supreme suction power – I can see the HushJet being a great option for bedrooms, kids’ rooms and small offices. Anything larger than the stated 100m² and it will surely struggle to maintain a good balance without the fan being on at full blast on a continuous basis.

Dyson HushJet review: verdict

Dyson products rarely come cheap so it’s no surprise that the HushJet is positioned firmly in the premium end of the compact purifier market. However, its combination of expert build quality, advanced filtration system, smart app features and commendably quiet operation helps justify the price to a large extent.