Air apparent
by Ian Knott | June 30, 2026 9:39 am
By Ian Knott
The first time the Shark NeverChange5 Max decided my scrambled eggs had reduced the air quality in the kitchen to almost zero, I briefly questioned everything. Was I poisoning myself? Had years of cooking finally caught up with me? The display had turned bright red, the fan suddenly roared into life, and the air quality reading plummeted. Thankfully, the answer was no. Apparently, that’s just what happens when you fry food. It was, however, a surprisingly effective demonstration of just how sensitive the sensors are.
That was my introduction to the NeverChange5 Max, and over the following month it slowly went from being an interesting gadget to something I hardly noticed. Ironically, that’s probably the biggest compliment you can pay an air purifier.
Well… mostly.
The first thing you’ll notice isn’t the technology. It’s the size. This is a substantial unit that makes its presence known in a room. Even tucked into a corner, it still catches your eye. The trouble is, you can’t really tuck it into a corner anyway. Shark recommends leaving space around the entire unit so air can circulate properly through its 360-degree intake, so it needs to sit slightly away from the wall to work as intended. That’s not a criticism so much as something worth planning for before you decide where it’s going to live.
Once it’s in place, though, you more or less leave it alone.
The air quality monitor quickly becomes strangely addictive. You find yourself watching the numbers for reasons you never expected. Open a window. Vacuum the carpet. Burn a piece of toast. Cook dinner. Every one of those things has an effect, and before long you start learning what your own house is actually like.
As it turns out, mine clearly doesn’t appreciate my cooking.
On automatic mode, the NeverChange5 Max spends most of its time quietly monitoring the air, barely making its presence known. Then somebody lights a scented candle, starts frying onions or accidentally creates smoke where there probably shouldn’t be smoke, and suddenly it’s all hands on deck. The fan ramps up quickly and becomes about as loud as a heat pump working flat out. You certainly know when it’s earning its keep.
Fortunately, that doesn’t last very long. Once the air quality recovers, the purifier settles back down and quietly gets on with the job again.
The interesting part is that the biggest benefits aren’t immediate.
It’s easy to expect some dramatic overnight transformation, but that wasn’t my experience at all. In fact, it probably took the best part of a month before I genuinely noticed anything had changed. There was less dust settling on furniture, the house generally smelled fresher, and the overall air just seemed… cleaner. That’s hardly scientific terminology, but it’s the best way I can describe it. We have pets, we have a teenager, and neither of those are particularly well known for improving indoor air quality. The NeverChange5 quietly tipped things in the other direction.
One of Shark’s biggest selling points is right there in the name. The NeverChange5 Max uses a long-life filtration system that’s designed to last up to five years under normal household use, dramatically reducing the cost and hassle of regular filter replacements. Given how expensive replacement filters can be on some competing models, that’s a genuine advantage rather than just a marketing headline.
Shark also includes an Anti-Odour fragrance cartridge, designed to lightly scent the air as the purifier runs. It’s a nice idea, but one that feels underdeveloped. Even with the intensity turned up to maximum, I honestly couldn’t detect it, despite the cartridge itself smelling rather pleasant when removed from the machine. Judging by other owners’ experiences, I’m certainly not alone. It doesn’t detract from what is otherwise an excellent air purifier, but it does feel like a feature that could have been executed much better.
That disappointment aside, there’s quite a lot to like here.
The touchscreen controls are straightforward, the air quality display is easy to understand from across the room, and once you’ve settled on Auto mode, there’s very little reason to interfere with it. It simply monitors the air, reacts when necessary and fades back into the background once everything is under control.
Perhaps that’s why my opinion of the NeverChange5 Max improved the longer I owned it. It isn’t the sort of appliance that impresses you every time you walk past it. Instead, it quietly chips away at the things you don’t really notice until they’re gone. A little less dust. A fresher-smelling house. Cleaner air after cooking. Those changes happen gradually, but they’re real.
Having already noticed less dust around the house, I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing how the NeverChange5 Max performs when spring arrives. Every year, Christchurch seems determined to test our sinuses with wave after wave of pollen, followed by the obligatory Christmas lilies that appear in just about every home. If this purifier can take some of the sting out of freesia season as well, it’ll earn its place on the floor for reasons beyond simply keeping the house smelling fresher.
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/shark-neverchange5-max/