Rolfstone Air Balance – Hardware Review
We have reviewed our fair share of hardware over the years. We have taken a closer look at professional gaming peripherals, but we have also reviewed office materials, as well as items for day-to-day usage. We love to offer the readers of the site a diverse library of hardware reviews, and this also means we sometimes have to try something new. We recently reviewed Sennheiser’s HD 400 Pro, which was already something quite new for us, as this was a premium studio headphones. Now, we take a look at something we’re not that familiar with, namely an air purifier for small office spaces, rooms, or bedrooms. The Air Balance was offered to us by Rolfstone, a hardware company for which we recently reviewed some of their wireless earbuds and their wireless headset.
Design
The Air Balance is a very classy and good-looking device that matches every type of interior. The small barrel-like shape reminded us of a small plane engine with its rounded edges. The top of the device sports a fancy-looking touchscreen panel, and the gridded design also adds a few finishing touches to the mix. The device is mainly in white, with a few black and grey components. Other noticeable features are the Rolfstone logo and brand name, as well as the LED feedback from the touchscreen panel on the top of the device. As a whole, we loved the design, which is very snazzy compared to other brands.
Comfort
Even with the lack of a remote, the device is very easy to work with. You’ll have the touchscreen controls on the top, and every ‘button’ has a clear symbol, properly showing what each function is for. Other than that, the device is not too bulky, so it’s easy to move out of the way when you’re cleaning, or if you would rather place it in a different room or space.
Replacing the filter is also easily done by opening the bottom of the device. You can use a vacuum cleaner on the filter once a month for a few months before replacing the filter. The upkeep is fairly easy, but we were only able to test the device in fairly clean spaces throughout our reviewing period. We wished we could have tried out the device in smaller rooms that perhaps had a bit of construction work going on, but sadly we didn’t have the opportunity to do so.
Overview
Diving into the mechanics and how the device is constructed would get us nowhere, and thus we’ll just stick to what the Air Balance is supposed to be doing. Rolfstone advertises that the product is making the air inside your (small) office or bedroom cleaner, that your room will feel slightly cooled, that it reduces hay fever complaints, that it will help you achieve a better night’s sleep, and so on. We honestly thought that this sounded too promising, but as a whole, Rolfstone is quite spot-on.
After first correctly unpacking the filter and powering up the device, we were greeted by a fairly silent machine that started working on cleaning our office space. The indicator on the LED control panel showed the air quality in the office was already good, but even so, we did notice a difference in terms of dust and a general feeling of having a small breeze inside. This doesn’t mean there was a draft, but the machine somewhat emulates outside air, making the office space immediately feel as if it’s being aired out. We did find it a lot more pleasant to spend a longer period of time in the Air Balance cleaned room. We sadly didn’t really notice a difference in terms of smell (be it from pets, food, perfume, …), so we reckon the influence of the device is very limited here.
We did notice that when leaving the Air Balance in sleep mode (as our office space was clean enough) it started to rattle over time. It was only a very quiet rattle, but we did actually have to swap intensity for a second, or slightly move the device, in order for it to go away. It didn’t have anything to do with the surface it was standing on, as it was on a solid floor. That being said, it wasn’t really a hindrance, it just got noticeable on a few occasions.
Conclusion
Will Rolfstone’s Air Balance be a lifesaver? No; probably not. Will it help? We certainly think it will. If you’re spending a lot of time in a small room (home office, bedroom, …) that could use an air purifier, this one does have a noticeable effect. The Air Balance made our room feel a bit cooler, without actually lowering the temperature, and it did help a bit to make the air feel cleaner. Of course, this does not mean that if you’re living in a heavily polluted room the Air Balance will solve all your problems. In this scenario, it would just serve as a bandaid on a bullet wound. If things are too bad, we always still suggest getting professional help to solve the problem. Nonetheless, we did enjoy having the Air Balance make our room a bit cleaner, and it’s a massive plus that the filter could last more than half a year. We can recommend this device to help your room to stay ‘balanced’ when you’re working at home, or when you want a better quality of air during the night.
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