Dyson’s 2018 Pure Cool air purifier has a better shot at convincing skeptics than before

Ever since James Dyson’s first bagless vacuum cleaner, his company has had one goal for the products it makes. That’s to achieve what the company internally calls the “clear bin moment”.

For Dyson, that’s when a consumer can actually see the benefit a product is making them. It has nothing to do with pricing, value for money or specifications. It’s just that moment when you can look at a product and actually see it work.

But while that was doable for vacuum cleaners, it’s more difficult to do with air purifiers. The bagless vacuum cleaners show the dust being collected inside, but how do you prove to people that an air purifier is actually cleaning the air around you?

That clear bin moment is even more difficult for markets like India. Dyson, here, is selling very niche products, meant for a class of people who can afford to spend this kind of money. Yet, the company says prices are not going to go down anytime soon. In fact, on a recent trip to the company’s Singapore Technology Centre, Dominic Mason, head of environmental category for Dyson, said that it has to charge high prices because it uses the best quality materials on its products. And the only way the company could make it cheaper is if the components it uses become outdated.

Mason also agreed that India is a new beast to tame, given the unnaturally high levels of pollution in cities like Delhi. That, combined with the fact that not many can afford Dyson’s product here, can make this an uphill battle.

Most air purifiers struggle with Delhi’s pollution. It’s not that they can’t improve air quality indoors, but they never really bring them to WHO’s recommended levels. That’s because the products are originally designed for markets that aren’t as used to pollution.

That, in turn, makes it even more difficult to achieve the “clear bin” moment. Dyson is not only selling to a sceptical market, its products are also not actually designed for India, yet.

Mason said his company has been accumulating a lot of data in the months since it entered India and trying to tweak things as fast as possible. And that is why the new Pure Cool 2018 air purifier takes a step towards achieving the clear bin moment.

A step forward

Since the general outdoor AQI is better during the monsoons, Dyson’s air purifier has shown much better results this time around. However, it’s far from being put to the real test just yet. That said, the changes Dyson made this time are small, but significant.

They’re quite clearly designed to build trust towards the product. To make the purifier’s functioning more noticeable to the public.

For instance, with more sensitive sensors, the Purifier kicks into high gear much faster than the last variant. This is important because you will see the purifier kick into high gear whenever your maid’s sweeping the floor, or someone’s cooking in the kitchen and so on. That doesn’t necessarily mean it cleans faster, but it’s something you’ll certainly notice more easily.

Next, a screen has been added to purifier itself, which shows real time changes in AQI. There’s a graph that keeps changing as the air quality in your room varies. This is the default screen, and you can use the remote or the app, to change to NO2 readings, VOC levels and more.

Again, these don’t necessarily prove that the air purifier makes tangible difference, but the mere fact that it shows these readings in real time can go a long way in convincing some sceptics.

Starting at nearly ₹ 37,000, the Dyson Pure Cool 2018 is certainly still a niche product. But in that niche market, it’s likely to convince a few more people this time around.