Shark HE601 Air Purifier 6: Discontinued. Filters and What to Buy Now

What the HE601 was

Shark's listing describes the HE601 as the Air Purifier 6 with an anti-allergen multi-filter, XL area coverage and smart sensing. It is a 32 inch tower with six small fans behind a front grille, rated at 121 W and weighing 20.29 lb. Shark did not list its models in the AHAM Verifide directory when we searched, so there is no certified CADR to compare it with today's machines, and we did not find the HE601 by name on the parts of California's certified air cleaner list we read.

Filters for the HE601: what Shark still sells

Shark lists three filters for the six-fan units on its own store:

• HE6FKPET, the Anti-Allergen HEPA Filter with Advanced Odor Lock, $99.99. Shark lists it for the HE601, HE601C, HE602, HE602C, HE602NP and HE612, rates it at 99.97% down to 0.3 microns, and says to replace it every 6 to 12 months.
• HE6FKPRO, which Shark says adds protection against fumes such as formaldehyde as well as odors and VOCs.
• HE6FKBAS, an activated-carbon HEPA filter for the HE600 series.

Third-party HE601 filters are sold widely at lower prices. They may fit, but their efficiency has not been checked against Shark's specification, and a loose fit lets air bypass the filter. At $99.99 every 6 to 12 months, filters for the HE601 cost $100 to $200 a year, which is high; when your unit needs replacing, that running cost is a reason to switch to a model with cheaper filters.

What to buy instead

CADR and room size from AHAM's directory except where marked. Read November 3, 2026.

Model	Smoke CADR	Room size	Notes
Blueair Blue Pure 211i Max	435 cfm	674 sq ft	46 W, filters from $69.99
Levoit Core 600S-P	391 to 394 cfm	606 to 611 sq ft	Laser sensor, app
Honeywell HPA300	300 cfm	465 sq ft	Simple controls, 5-year warranty
Shark NeverChange HP152	Not published as a CADR	650 sq ft at 1 air change an hour (Shark)	Bedroom-size, long-life filter

Shark's current models

Shark now sells the NeverChange line. The Shark NeverChange HP152 is rated by Shark to purify 650 sq ft in one hour, "based on AHAM AC-1, at one air change per hour". In an 8 ft room that works out to roughly 87 cubic feet per minute of clean air, so at the five air changes an hour we recommend for allergies, it suits a room of about 130 sq ft: a bedroom, nursery or office, not the large spaces the HE601 was sold for. Shark's pitch for NeverChange is filter cost: its listing says the long-lasting filter saves up to $150 in replacement filters over the first five years. It also includes an Odor Neutralizer cartridge that releases a scent, which people sensitive to fragrance should know about.

If you own an HE601

• Keep using it with genuine HE6FKPET or HE6FKPRO filters; Shark still lists them.
• Clean the pre-filter screens as the manual says; clogged screens cut airflow on a six-fan design as on any purifier.
• Size its replacement properly. Measure the room and use our sizing calculator; a big room needs a big certified CADR, which Shark's current small models do not have.

For more choices, see the best air purifiers for large rooms and our guide to HEPA filter replacement.