Though the setup for this air purifier is simple, it is a few steps more than the Blueair. It takes less than five minutes to get ready, though, and then you’re saying hello to fresh, clean air.

The Shark was working overtime in my living room immediately: two numbers are on the display; the air quality of the space, and the temperature, as the Shark has heating and cooling functions with it (you can also opt to neither heat nor cool, and just use it as a purifier). It comes with a handy little remote that stores neatly in a crevice on top of the air purifier, so you can change modes, temperatures, and oscillation from across the room, too.

Guys—don’t judge me, but when I put this together, the air quality in my apartment was bad. Like, 79 percent bad. But within a day of having the Shark on in the living room, I was at 100 percent clean air, and, boy, could I feel it. I could smell the clean air. Taste it. It was like living in an entirely new apartment. No staleness, no lingering scents in the air; just pure, clean air.

To really put it to the test, I blew smoke into the air about a foot away from the air purifier. I watched the number drop to 99 percent clean air. Waited a few seconds. And we were back at 100 percent in the blink of an eye. That’s how fast it is, how strong it works.

Here’s the thing, though—this is a powerful air purifier. And if you want an air purifier, you might be thinking, why is that a bad thing? It isn’t a bad thing, but it might not be exactly what you’re looking for. For a tiny New York City apartment, an air purifier of this size and caliber isn’t necessary; yes, the heating and cooling functions are nice, but honestly? It takes up a lot of space, and takes a bit of trial and error to figure out how to use. This is an air purifier befitting of a family home, especially one with kids running around in it. It’s an air purifier for when you pick your kid up from soccer practice and are cooking fish in the kitchen.

Because of how small my apartment (and many others) already is, I try to be quite intentional and design-savvy about how I fill up the space. For something this large, I wish the Shark Air Purifier looked a little nicer. Instead, it’s quite…bulky, loud, and old-fashioned looking, with a glossy white surface and abundance of bright lights. It kind of reminds me of a Doctor Who Dalek, honestly, and since it’s so tall and stark white, it’s eye-catching, and doesn’t exactly stand humble in the room.

So while the Shark Air Purifier is stellar in performance, it might not be what you’re looking for if you don’t have a lot of room in your living space and want something that looks better with your furniture.