Shark HP152 Air Purifier Review: a quiet, low‑maintenance unit that actually cleans the air

I’ve been running the Shark HP152 in my living room for a few weeks now, in a place with two cats, a small open kitchen, and way too much dust for a normal human to tolerate. I didn’t buy it for the fancy screen or the scent cartridge; I mainly wanted something that would cut down on pet dander, cooking smells, and that constant layer of dust on furniture. I’ve tried cheaper purifiers before that just pushed air around and screamed on high speed, so my expectations were pretty moderate going in.

In practice, this unit feels like a step up from the usual budget stuff. The big thing I noticed after a couple of days was the dust and hair buildup on the pre-filter and the screens. That told me it was actually pulling junk out of the air instead of just pretending. My nose also stopped getting stuffy in the evenings, which is usually my first sign that the air is full of fine dust and pet hair. It’s not magic, but there’s a real difference in how “stale” the room feels.

The other thing that stood out is the noise level. On Eco or the lowest fan speed, it basically fades into the background. I can watch TV, take calls, or sleep in the same room without it bugging me. On higher speeds you obviously hear it, but it’s more of a steady whoosh than a whiny fan. For something rated up to 650 sq ft, that’s pretty decent. I’ve had smaller units that were way louder for less coverage.

It’s not perfect. The auto mode feels a bit lazy sometimes, and the odor neutralizer cartridge on top is, for me, pretty pointless. I barely smell anything from it, and if you like strong scented stuff, this won’t scratch that itch. But purely as a machine to move air through a solid filter and show you roughly how clean things are, it does the job well enough that I didn’t even think about sending it back. That’s already more than I can say for a lot of gadgets I’ve tried in this price range.

Price-wise, the HP152 usually sits in the mid-range—not the cheapest purifier on Amazon, but not at the premium Dyson level either. The big selling point on value is the long-life filter. If you’ve owned purifiers before, you know the main hidden cost is replacement filters every 6–12 months. Those can add up fast. Shark claims you can save around $150 over five years compared to top competitors under $150 because you’re not constantly buying new filters. If that holds up, it definitely changes the math over the long term.

Short term, what you’re paying for is a mix of decent coverage (up to 650 sq ft), low noise, and minimal fuss. Compared to cheaper units I’ve tried, this one feels more effective at actually clearing cooking smells and pet funk, and the auto sensor feature is a nice bonus. You could buy a basic purifier for less, sure, but you’ll likely give up either coverage, noise comfort, or filter quality. Also, some cheaper units lock you into pricey proprietary filter packs that you have to replace constantly. Here, your main recurring task is just cleaning the screens and maybe swapping the odor cartridge if you care about that.

Now, it’s not perfect value for everyone. If you live in a tiny studio or only want something for a small bedroom, this might be overkill and you could get away with a smaller, cheaper unit. Also, if you really don’t care about auto mode or a display and just want a dumb fan with a filter, you can spend less and still improve your air. On the other hand, if you have pets, cook a lot, or deal with noticeable dust, the combination of performance, quiet operation, and low filter hassle makes the price easier to swallow.

Overall, I’d call the value “good but not mind-blowing.” You’re paying a bit more up front for the brand and the long filter life claim, but you’re also getting a purifier that people actually run 24/7 without wanting to throw it out the window. If you plan to keep it for several years and you’re not terrible about cleaning the pre-filters, the total cost of ownership looks pretty reasonable compared to constantly feeding cheaper units with new filters.

Physically, the HP152 is pretty compact for something that claims 650 sq ft coverage. It’s roughly 10.5" deep, 9.3" wide, and about 15" tall, and weighs around 7.25 pounds. That means you can move it from room to room with one hand, and it doesn’t dominate a small space the way some tall tower purifiers do. I’ve had it sitting in a corner of my living room and it kind of disappears visually, which I like. I don’t want my air purifier to be the centerpiece of the room.

The charcoal color is neutral and low-key. It’s mostly matte plastic, so it doesn’t collect fingerprints the way glossy finishes do. The intake vents wrap around the sides, and the clean air blows out the top. That top panel is where all the action is: digital display in the middle, touch-style buttons laid out around it, and the little odor cartridge hidden in a slot. The layout is straightforward enough that you don’t need to read the manual to figure it out. Fan speed, auto, Eco, lights—pretty self-explanatory.

In terms of practicality, the design makes cleaning pretty painless. The debris defense screens come off without tools, and you can just vacuum or rinse them. That’s important, because if you’re lazy about cleaning those, you’ll choke the airflow and kill the whole point of the long-life filter. I’ve been popping them off once a week, giving them a quick pass with a handheld vacuum, and slapping them back on. Takes maybe two minutes. No weird clips or fragile tabs that feel like they’ll snap off, which I appreciate.

The only design bit I’m not really sold on is the odor neutralizer feature. The cartridge is tucked into the top, and it’s easy to access, but the scent output is very mild—almost too mild. In my case, that’s fine because I don’t want it to smell like a perfume shop, but if you were counting on that to actively “freshen” a room, you’ll probably be underwhelmed. Also, because the sensor is on the back, you do need to give the unit some breathing room from walls so it can read the air properly. If you jam it right against a wall or behind furniture, the sensor is less reliable. Overall, though, the design is functional and not annoying, which is really what I care about.

Comfort-wise, this thing is easy to live with. On Eco or the lowest speed, it’s very quiet—more like a soft background whoosh than a fan blast. I can sleep with it running in the same room without it bothering me, and I’m pretty sensitive to constant noise. On medium speeds, it’s clearly audible but not harsh. On max, yeah, you’ll hear it, but that’s when it’s trying to clear something obvious like cooking smoke or a big dose of spray. The nice part is that it usually doesn’t sit on max for long unless your air is genuinely dirty.

The light control is another plus if you use it in a bedroom. You can dim the display or turn the lights way down so you’re not staring at a bright glowing ring all night. The air quality ring is actually pretty handy during the day—you can see at a glance whether the unit thinks your air is clean or not—but at night, I just don’t want a mini billboard in the corner. The dimming options solve that without needing to tape over anything.

As far as airflow comfort, it blows air straight up, so you don’t get a draft directly on you. That’s better than some front-blowing purifiers that can feel like a small fan if you sit too close. You can stand near this one and not feel blasted, but you’ll still notice the air circulation in the room over time. If you’re in a small room and hate feeling any moving air, you might want to park it a few feet away from where you sit or sleep, but that’s about it.

Daily interaction is minimal: I basically ignore it 90% of the time. It just sits there on Auto, and I only touch it when cleaning the screens or if I want to bump the speed. No annoying beeps every few minutes, no constant alerts. When the sensor glitched once for another user (red light stuck at 0% clean), Shark support had them blow into the sensor intake to clear dust, which fixed it. I haven’t hit that issue yet, but it’s worth knowing if your unit suddenly thinks you’re living in a smokehouse. Overall, as something that runs all day, it’s low stress and not in your face.

Build quality is decent for the price, but don’t expect tank-level construction. The body is mostly plastic, but it doesn’t feel flimsy or hollow in a cheap way. The panels fit together cleanly, and there’s no weird rattling when it’s running, even at higher fan speeds. I’ve moved it around a bunch, picked it up one-handed, set it down on different floors, and nothing feels like it’s about to snap off. It’s light enough to carry, but not so light that it feels like an empty shell.

The parts you touch regularly—the top buttons, the removable screens, the filter compartment—are holding up fine so far. The buttons are simple and responsive; they don’t feel mushy or overly stiff. The debris screens clip in and out without drama. I’m not babying it, and I haven’t had any tabs break or hinges loosen. If you’re used to Shark vacuums, the overall vibe is pretty similar: practical plastic, not premium metal, but solid enough for regular home use.

The main question with durability on this model is really the “NeverChange” filter claim. Shark says up to five years, which obviously I can’t fully test in a short window, but the logic seems grounded: you keep the washable pre-filter and debris screens clean so the expensive filter doesn’t clog as fast. After a few weeks of daily use, the front screens look dusty, while the main filter still looks almost new. If you’re the type who never cleans pre-filters, you’ll probably kill that lifespan, but if you stay on top of it, I can see it lasting much longer than a typical yearly replacement.

Electronics-wise, the motor and sensor seem stable so far. No random shutoffs, no weird fan noises developing, and the sensor readings are consistent—green most of the time, bumping down when there’s a clear trigger like smoke or spray. A few Amazon users mentioned the sensor getting stuck on red due to dust, but that was fixed by clearing the sensor port. Annoying, but not a deal-breaker. Based on Shark’s general track record and how this unit feels in hand, I’d expect it to hold up several years if you’re not abusing it. Just don’t treat it like a stool or stack heavy stuff on top and you should be fine.

In terms of raw performance, I’d call the Shark HP152 pretty solid for a normal household. I’ve run it 24/7 in a roughly 300–350 sq ft open area that includes my living room and part of the kitchen. On Auto mode, the air quality ring sits green most of the time, and the fan hums along quietly. When I cook—especially frying or anything smoky—the numbers drop, the ring flips to yellow or red, and the fan ramps up. Cooking smells that used to linger for half a day now fade in a couple of hours or less, depending on how bad I smoked the pan.

With pets, it’s more of a slow, steady effect. After a week, I noticed less of that “dog/cat” smell when walking into the apartment, especially after being gone for a while. It doesn’t erase every trace of pet, but the air feels less heavy, and the constant light dusting on surfaces is reduced. When I clean the debris screens, they’re full of hair and dust, which lines up with what I’m seeing around the room. I still have to dust, just not as often.

For fine particulates, like smoke or aerosol sprays, the sensor does react, but sometimes with a bit of delay. If I spray something on the far side of the room, it can take a minute or two before the unit notices and ramps the fan. If I spray closer to the back of the unit (where the sensor is), the reaction is much faster. That matches what some other users mentioned: the sensor is decent, but it’s not sniffing the whole room instantly. If you’re picky, you can just bump the fan speed manually when you know you’re doing something that will dirty the air.

One thing to mention: auto mode tends to run the fan pretty low when it thinks the air is clean. That’s good for noise, but if you want aggressive filtration, you might feel it’s too relaxed. Sometimes I throw it on level 2 or 3 for an hour just to cycle more air, then drop it back to Auto or Eco. Overall, though, for everyday dust, pet dander, and normal home smells, the performance is where it needs to be. It’s not a lab-grade smoke scrubber, but for a home purifier in this price bracket, it gets the job done.

On paper, the Shark HP152 is a compact air purifier rated for up to 650 sq ft at one air change per hour. It uses a “NeverChange” HEPA-style filter that they claim can last up to five years, plus a washable debris screen in front to catch hair and bigger dust. There’s also a small odor neutralizer cartridge on the top that’s supposed to help with smells and add a light scent. The control panel is on the top with a digital display that shows air quality, fan speed, and filter life.

In everyday use, the main thing you interact with is that top panel. You get buttons for power, fan speed, auto mode, Eco mode, and light dimming. The ring around the numbers changes color based on air quality: green for clean, yellow for meh, red when things are bad. I’ve seen it react to cooking, aerosol sprays, and even when I shook out a dusty blanket nearby. It’s not laboratory-grade, but it’s responsive enough that you can see what sets it off and how long it takes to clear the air again.

The NeverChange angle is basically this: instead of swapping the HEPA filter every 6–12 months, you keep the unit’s front screens clean and supposedly the main filter lasts several years. Compared to other purifiers where a replacement filter can be $40–$80 a pop, that can add up. Of course, that assumes you don’t live in a super filthy environment or smoke indoors all day, but for a regular home with pets and cooking, it seems reasonable. After a few weeks, my main filter still looks pretty clean while the front screens collect most of the junk.

What it isn’t: it’s not a smart Wi‑Fi gadget, there’s no app, no Alexa, no HomeKit. If you want something you can control from your phone or automate with routines, this isn’t that. It’s also not a heavy-duty industrial unit; it’s made for normal home use—bedrooms, living rooms, home offices. So if you go in expecting a quiet, simple, button-controlled purifier with a long-life filter, you’ll be on the right page. If you want a connected device with graphs and logs, you’ll probably be disappointed.