Ionmax Triple Treat: Leone Pro, Venta Dehumidifiers and Lavish Plus Air Purifier Reviewed
Answer YES to any of these questions and we have a solution for you!
- Got mould in your house?
- Suffer from allergies?
- Much air pollution in your area?
- High humidity in your home?
When we say: “we have a solution for you”, we mean: courtesy of Ionmax – the indoor air improver company.
We have highlighted several of their air purifiers here on DRN over the past decade, but now we go one better.
Actually, THREE better!
Ionmax just announced three more appliances in their product line-up and we’re going to give you the scoop on them.
Two of them are dehumidifiers and one is an air purifier.
However, they all have HEPA filters to clean the air, even if their main function is to reduce the high humidity in your home.
The 2 dehumidifiers are of different capacity and have a different way of getting rid of excess humidity.
So, this is what we propose to do: we’ll give a vignette of each new model, coupled with our recommendations after testing each unit.
tl;dr
Ionmax has released three new appliances to dramatically improve your indoor air quality:
Leone Pro 25L (Compressor Dehumidifier & Air Purifier): A high-capacity, heavy-duty 2-in-1 workhorse best suited for warm, high-humidity areas (e.g., tropical north). It features HEPA filtration and is recommended for large homes. RRP $549.
Venta 8L (Desiccant Dehumidifier): Perfect for cooler climates and year-round moisture control. It’s effective, quieter, and extracts significant moisture even in moderately humid conditions. Highly recommended for Southern Australia/NZ. RRP $499.
Lavish Plus (Air Purifier): A stylish, large unit with a 5-stage filtration system, including HEPA and UV-C light, designed to effectively remove airborne pollutants and allergens. Easy to operate and move. Recommended for comprehensive air cleaning. RRP $499.
Key Takeaway: All three units feature HEPA filters to clean the air, offering a strong solution for addressing mould, allergies, and dampness in Australian and New Zealand homes.
Ionmax Leone Pro 25L: The High-Capacity Compressor Dehumidifier Air Purifier
Synopsis
The Leone Pro is a 2-in-1 appliance as it can operate as a standalone air purifier or can work whilst dehumidifying at the same time.
It is primarily aimed at larger homes and well-suited for warmer climes.
With high-capacity moisture removal of up to 25 litres of moisture per day, you’ll be able to prevent damp, mould, and musty odours.
Emptying the 2.9L water tank is easy but can also be fully automatic with the included drainage hose.
First Impressions and Setup
The well-built appliance looks great in matt black and is fairly heavy at close to 15kg.
However, moving the Leone Pro around is easy with the smooth gliding castor wheels and if you need to lift the unit up, the in-built handles make it easier.
The buttons on either side of the display are mostly self-explanatory, but some need a quick reference to the User Manual.
First thing is to download the app and let the unit be discovered.
The app makes navigating the unit’s settings simpler. This unit is identified as the ION626.
Performance in Practice and Power Use (ION626)
Placement is important: don’t put it in cramped wardrobes but somewhere on a landing or hallway.
Keep the doors in that area open so that the moisture can be extracted from all the adjoining rooms.
And ensure that there is plenty of ventilation around the unit.
You will notice that in dehumidifying mode the air is fairly warm when it exits the louvre on top.
The room might actually get a couple of degrees warmer over time.
This heating up is a function of the refrigerant that is being used in the Leone Pro, which is R290 (propane) gas.
When first switched on it does so in the dehumidifying mode.
Not that we have a lot of humidity in our house and even though we have a large house, it certainly is not in the tropical north, where humidity can drain the life out of living beings.
Still, after the first few hours of running the unit, the tank had some liquid in it.
In other tests on clearly more humid days, the tank fills up rather quickly.
The transparent handle of the tank clearly shows the level of water but, rest assured, the unit switches off when the tank is full.
The water tank capacity is 2.9 litres.
Interestingly, when I first started up the Leone Pro the first morning, the display said “Hi”.
I wondered if that was meant as a greeting but then the humidity reading came up with 92%, which obviously is a high reading.
And very quickly – within about 4 minutes -the high reading cycled down to a normal low 50s reading.
Not sure if that was an intentional initial high reading to give the impression of this unit being very effective, as it happened often…
The power consumption is quite low, around 270W, which is actually lower than stated.
Occasionally, the display will show a P1 code.
This means that frost was detected, and the unit is in Auto Defrost mode.
Just wait for normal operation to resume after a few minutes.
Just like your fridge does but usually without any warnings or throwing up a code…
Final Verdict on the Leone Pro
Not everyone will need a dehumidifier. Or not all year round.
And, because the Leone Pro is a compressor type (see note below) these are best suited for the warmer, high humidity areas in our country.
However, in our testing on the cool coast of Southern WA, it performed admirably so if you want a high-capacity workhorse and you live in a place where you need a dehumidifier year-round, we can highly recommend this unit.
The double-duty of the Leone Pro makes it more attractive to spring for the slightly higher price of the ION626.
The RRP is AUD$549 and for a limited time, Ionmax throws in a free MedSense DT060 Infrared Forehead Thermometer (valued at $99) — compact, fast, and contact-free for quick and accurate temperature readings.
Embarrassment Saver #1
This has happened to me twice now: I switched on a unit before opening the filter door to take out the filter which was still neatly packaged in clear plastic.
Would probably be helpful if Ionmax plastered a big red sticker on the filter door with a reminder…
Embarrassment Saver #2
Just in case you’re wondering: what’s the diff between this compressor dehumidifier and the next one on the test bench, which is a desiccant dehumidifier?
Good question.
Ionmax has an excellent page on this subject, explaining that the compressor types work best in warm environments and the desiccant types work fine all year round, in both warm and colder climes.
This for me is the most important difference.
But there are also other considerations.
So, before you buy, have a quick look there.
Since Ionmax sent us both types of dehumidifiers, we had the opportunity of checking out this compressor model as well, even though for our cooler Southwest Coast of this great land, this model might not be as efficient to run.
So now on to the desiccant version of Ionmax’s latest dehumidifiers.
Ionmax Venta 8L: The All-Season Desiccant Dehumidifier
Synopsis
The Venta 8L is designed for somewhat smaller homes in cooler climes.
The 8L indicates it will be able to extract about 8 litres of humidity per day in an area of around 150 sqm.
Not so much a workhorse like the Leone Pro 25L but perfect for year-round moisture control.
I quite like the minimalistic design, looking like a big subwoofer when it is not in use.
Operation and Moisture Extraction in Cooler Climates
Switch it on and the magic happens.
I was surprised how much water the 2-litre container collected over just a couple of hours: about 1 litre.
Sure, it was a rather humid day with some occasional showers, but I didn’t think our lounge was all that humid.
It went down about 10 percentage points of relative humidity from an initial reading of 76% in that space of time.
If you leave it running, it will stop automatically when 2 litres of water has been collected in the tank.
But this one also has a hose included for continual drainage.
We did not bother with that because we were shuffling the unit around quite a bit with all the testing.
And, I just love to see how effective this little fella is.
The Venta consumes between 360W and 690W, depending on fan speed; a bit higher than advertised on the label.
Embarrassment Saver
When I pressed the Off button, the lights went out but the fan kept turning. I had to switch it off at the power point.
When it happened again, I decided to consult the manual.
And there it is: When you switch the unit off, the motor will continue running for about 10 minutes. Wait until the motor stops and the air outlet closes before unplugging it.
I just wonder how many people will experience this as no manual was included and not everyone will download (and read!) a manual…
Me thinks that a short operating leaflet is desirable. All units come with a Quick Installation Guide but a Quick Operating Guide should also be included.
Final Word on the Venta (ION615)
The Ionmax Venta 8L Desiccant Dehumidifier (model number ION615) is the dehumidifier that I did not know I needed.
And that’s the honest truth: we had not considered a dehumidifier to be useful enough to invest in.
We made do with some of those disposable moisture absorbers, mainly for our wardrobe.
Now we just place the Ionmax Venta in the room and within a few hours collect a couple of litres of moisture. Very effective.
And considering that this particular type of desiccant dehumidifier is perfect for our cooler climes in Australia, this is the one that will be a permanent member of our household.
Highly recommended?
You bet!
Get one for just $499 and, again, for a limited time, Ionmax throws in a free MedSense DT060 Infrared Forehead Thermometer.
Also, when you sign up for their newsletter, you’ll enjoy 10% off your first order.
Just one Comparison between the 2 Dehumidifiers
Over 1 hour, standing shoulder to shoulder, which one extracted the most moisture?
The Leone Pro had 450ml in the tank and the Venta 300ml.
Pretty much as expected.
And now the last one in this trifecta: an air purifier.
Ionmax Lavish Plus: The Stylish, High-CADR Air Purifier
Synopsis
What can we write about an Ionmax air purifier that we haven’t already published half a dozen times before?
Like: it has a 5-stage filtration system with an antibacterial HEPA filter, activated carbon filter, built-in ioniser, and UV-C light.
They all have that.
And that means it’ll get rid of all airborne pollutants, allergens, and odours.
Tell me something new.
Okay. Glad you asked.
Design, Setup, and App Integration
For starters it’s very stylish and different from the other, more boxy, models we’ve tested before.
It looks like the full-sized version of the diminutive Ionmax Selah we tested here.
And it also has a huge, round filter that incorporates the pre-filter, HEPA and activated carbon filters, all bonded together in one vacuumable cylinder.
This should be replaced about every 6 months or so.
When I unpacked the Lavish Plus I was “non-plussed” for a moment.
Where are all the buttons?
Unlike the Selah, which has icons on the centre touch panel, the Lavish didn’t show any.
Oh well, just plug it in and see what happens.
For a second all the icons flashed on the centre screen, after which only the power button was lit.
Press that one and voila!
All the necessary icons come up. Simple and elegant.
In Use
The Lavish Plus is easy to operate. No need for a manual.
Except when you’re trying to pair it with the Ionmax app.
I had to refer to the downloaded manual to find out that the WiFi switches on by holding the power button for 5 secs.
She’s now ready for pairing and the app will discover the unit effortlessly.
Embarrassment Saver
I spent some time in the manual to locate the Particle Sensor for cleaning.
It has the instructions on how to do it but no pictorial on where to find the sensor.
I finally found it hidden under the filter cover.
It looks like this:
I think it deserves a location sticker…
Understanding PM2.5 and Purification Effectiveness
Here’s the reason I was interested in cleaning the filter:
The PM2.5 indicator never got above 001 in our bedroom and bedrooms are notoriously dusty with all the bedding, clothing and wardrobe.
We tried other rooms as well with the same result.
So, we reached out to Ionmax for some clarification.
They mentioned that the indicator on this unit basically always stays on 001 unless you place the unit very close to a source of pollution.
They suggested blowing out some candles to see if it would change.
It’s too long to my next birthday, but we did the candle smoke test (blowing out 6 candles in succession right under the sensor) and that managed to move the indicator to 002.
A further clarification from Ionmax stated: The concern that the PM2.5 indicator never got above 001 because bedrooms are “notoriously dusty”, highlights a common misunderstanding: PM2.5 is a measurement of Particulate Matter air pollution, not general household dust.
PM2.5 refers to ultrafine particles that are 2.5um (micrometres) or less in diameter. These are typically generated by combustion sources like smoke, car exhaust, candles, cooking fumes, and wildfires.
While common household dust certainly contains particles this small, the bulk of household dust (like skin flakes, fabric fibres, and pollen) is significantly larger and heavier, settling out of the air quickly.
Well, that cleared away my misunderstanding!
I always thought it would include dust particles…
Still wondering why on their (and other brands) the PM2.5 indicator always shows a higher and fluctuating number.
Anyways, the other test results were as expected and the Lavish Plus performed very well.
Final Assessment of the Lavish Plus (ION530)
The Lavish Plus (model ION530) is probably my favourite air purifier in the Ionmax range.
We like the style, the mobility, the simple operation and the ability to easily vacuum the filter system.
The Lavish Plus is a big unit, not too heavy, and the castors are a handy addition when you want to wheel it to another room.
The price for the Lavish Plus is $499 and the free giveaway is an Ionmax Serene Ultrasonic Humidifier & Aroma Diffuser.
We can highly recommend this unit too!
The warranty for all these units we reviewed is 2 years.
Please check the Ionmax website for more product info and options.
They have a ton of info on how to improve the air in your house.
It’s also handy to know that Ionmax products are sold in Bunnings and other stores like Harvey Norman.
DRN thanks Ionmax for providing these units so we can tell you about our experience.
