A particle counter is not the same instrument as a PM2.5 monitor. It counts individual particles in defined size channels rather than estimating a mass concentration, which is what cleanroom verification, HVAC commissioning and post-renovation checks actually need. This hub compares eight counters on the channels and sizes their manufacturers state, and links down to the sensor guides on this site.
Count Not Mass
Six Channels
Sample at Height
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The counters below were compared on the size channels each manufacturer states, the smallest particle size claimed, whether mass concentration figures such as PM2.5, PM10 and TSP are also reported, the sampling method and the power source. We did not run laboratory tests, did not compare any unit against a reference counter and publish no counts of our own.
Pumped sampling with counts at three sizes plus PM2.5, PM10 and TSP.
Six size channels from 0.3 to 10 micron on one meter.
Second-generation laser sensor turning PM2.5 and PM10 into a plain health level.
No pick matches that combination yet. Try a wider budget or a different measurement.
| Product | Channels stated | Smallest size | Also reports | Sampling | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temtop professional handheld | 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 micron | 0.3 micron | PM2.5, PM10, TSP | Pump suction | Not stated | View |
| Six-channel cleanroom and HVAC counter | 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, 10 micron | 0.3 micron | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | View |
| Temtop P600 | Not stated | Not stated | PM2.5, PM10 | Not stated | Not stated | View |
| JCKJEDAT JD 3003 | 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, 10 micron | 0.3 micron | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | View |
| Eujgoov dust particle counter | 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, 10 micron | 0.3 micron | PM2.5, PM10 | Not stated | Not stated | View |
| Temtop handheld airborne counter | 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 micron | 0.3 micron | PM2.5, PM10, TSP | Not stated | Not stated | View |
| WapoRich 3-channel monitor | PM0.3, PM2.5, PM10 | 0.3 micron | Temperature, humidity | Not stated | Not stated | View |
| HENRUN portable particle counter | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Rechargeable battery | View |
Values come from each manufacturer's own listing. The WapoRich listing states a PM2.5 range of 0 to 1000 micrograms per cubic metre with accuracy of plus or minus 12 micrograms per cubic metre. No listing in this group publishes a sample flow rate, which is why the sampling column is largely Not stated.
Start with what you have to report:
Cleanroom and filter work needs counts per volume at named sizes. Health and indoor air questions are written in PM2.5 and PM10 mass. Some instruments give both.
Six channels separate a fine filtration problem from coarse dust stirred up by activity. Three channels cannot make that distinction.
A count per cubic foot or cubic metre only means something if a known volume passed the sensor. Passive monitors cannot guarantee that.
If a report will be issued from the readings, the instrument needs a calibration route. None of these listings states one, so ask the manufacturer before committing.
A particle counter reports how many particles of given sizes passed through a known volume of air, normally as counts per cubic foot or cubic metre. A PM2.5 monitor reports an estimated mass of particulate per cubic metre of air. Many optical instruments derive one from the other, but a count at 0.3 micron and a mass figure in micrograms answer different questions, and cleanroom work is specified in counts.
Because the size distribution tells you the source. A rise concentrated in the 5 and 10 micron channels usually means mechanical disturbance, fibres or settled dust being stirred up. A rise in the 0.3 micron channel with the coarse channels steady points at filtration, outside air or combustion. With three channels you see that something changed but not what kind of something.
It can. Optical sensors size particles by how they scatter light, and at high relative humidity particles take on water and grow, so they scatter more and get counted in a larger channel. Readings taken near a humidifier, a kettle, a shower or a damp basement can therefore read high. Our guide on humidifiers and particle readings covers the effect in more detail.
Not on the basis of these listings. A formal classification needs a stated sample flow rate, a counting efficiency figure at the smallest channel and a traceable calibration certificate, and none of the listings in this group publishes those. The instruments are useful for routine monitoring and troubleshooting inside a controlled space; the certification report is a different level of evidence.
Different optical designs, different flow rates, different sizing algorithms and different calibration references all shift the result, and particulate is genuinely uneven across a room. Compare a single instrument against itself over time rather than one instrument against another, and if you must compare two, run them side by side at the same height for a long period first.
This is the counter that does both halves of the job. Temtop states particle counts at 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 micron and, separately, mass concentration figures for PM2.5, PM10 and total suspended particulate. Counts tell you how many particles of a given size are present, which is what a cleanroom classification or a filter check needs. Mass figures are what health guidance and air quality indices are written in. Having both on one screen means you can answer a technician's question and a building occupant's question with the same instrument.
The pump is the other reason it leads. Pump suction pulls a defined volume of air through the optical chamber, which is the only way a count per volume means anything, and it makes the instrument responsive when you move it from a supply grille to a return to a room centre. Passive monitors that rely on air drifting past a sensor cannot give a reliable count per unit volume at all.
What the listing does not publish is the flow rate, the counting efficiency, the number of size channels beyond the three named, or a calibration statement. Those are the specifications a formal cleanroom report would need, so for ISO classification work check the manufacturer documentation before relying on it.
Cleanroom classification is defined by counts at specific sizes, so the number of channels an instrument reports is not a marketing number, it is the thing that decides whether the instrument can answer the question at all. This counter states six: 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 10 micron. That span covers the fine end, where filter breakthrough and process contamination show up, and the coarse end, where fibres, skin flakes and settled dust disturbed by activity show up.
The practical value of six channels is diagnostic rather than regulatory for most buyers. If a room shows a rise in 5 and 10 micron counts but the 0.3 micron channel is steady, the source is mechanical disturbance in the room rather than a filter problem. If the 0.3 micron channel climbs while the coarse channels stay flat, look at filtration and outside air. A three-channel instrument cannot make that distinction as cleanly.
The listing publishes the channels and the intended applications but no flow rate, no counting efficiency, no calibration statement and no mass concentration output. For a documented cleanroom certification you need those figures and a calibration certificate from the manufacturer, which this page does not provide.
The P600 sits on the boundary between a counter and a consumer monitor, and that is exactly why it is the value pick. Temtop states a second-generation PM2.5 particle laser sensor that turns concentration into visual data and colored health levels, which is the presentation a homeowner or a landlord can actually act on, while still using an optical particle sensing method rather than a guessed index.
Use it for the questions that do not need a classification: did the extract fan in the workshop help, is the bedroom worse with the window open onto a main road, has the air cleared after sanding, does the filter change make a measurable difference. Those are comparative questions, and a consistent instrument answers them well even without a published flow rate.
The limits are clear from the listing itself. Temtop names PM2.5 and PM10 concentration but does not state size channels, counting mode, flow rate or a calibration route. That puts it outside cleanroom and formal HVAC commissioning work, where counts per volume at named sizes are the deliverable. Within its lane it is the cheapest sensible entry here.
Short answer: the Temtop professional handheld is the best all-round counter here because it pumps a sample and reports counts at 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 micron alongside PM2.5, PM10 and TSP; the six-channel cleanroom and HVAC counter gives the widest size breakdown, 0.3 to 10 micron, for diagnosing where contamination comes from; and the Temtop P600 is the value pick for indoor air checks where a clear PM2.5 and PM10 reading is enough.
The word particulate covers two completely different measurements, and buying the wrong one is the usual mistake on this page. A particle counter draws a known volume of air past a laser and counts the individual scattering events, sorting them into size bins: so many particles at or above 0.3 micron, so many at or above 0.5 micron, and so on. A PM2.5 or PM10 figure is a mass estimate, micrograms of material per cubic metre, which is what public health guidance and air quality indices are written in. Cleanroom standards, filter integrity checks and contamination troubleshooting are all specified in counts. Occupant health questions are specified in mass. Three of the instruments here, the two professional Temtop handhelds and the Eujgoov counter, publish both, which is why they are the most flexible purchases.
Four of the eight listings state six size channels. The JCKJEDAT JD 3003 covers 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 10 micron; the six-channel cleanroom meter and the Eujgoov counter both cover 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 10 micron. That spread is the diagnostic tool. Coarse particles above about 3 micron settle quickly and are usually generated in the room: people moving, fabric, paper, skin cells, dust knocked off surfaces. Fine particles at 0.3 and 0.5 micron stay airborne for hours, pass through poor filtration and come from combustion, outside air and process sources. Reading the two ends separately turns a vague complaint about dust into a specific question about either housekeeping or filtration.
A count is meaningless without a volume. The Temtop professional handheld is the only unit here whose listing states pump suction, which is the mechanism that pulls a defined quantity of air through the optical chamber so that counts per cubic foot or per cubic metre can be calculated at all. None of the listings in this group publishes a flow rate in litres per minute, which is the specification a formal cleanroom procedure would require, so that column reads Not stated across the table. For routine comparative work this matters less than it sounds, provided you use one instrument consistently. For certification it matters completely, and you should ask the manufacturer for the flow rate and the counting efficiency at the smallest channel before relying on any of these.
Particle concentration varies enormously with height, with distance from a supply grille and with what happened in the room five minutes ago. Sample at working height rather than at floor or ceiling level unless you are specifically chasing settled dust or a ceiling-mounted source. In HVAC work, take readings upstream and downstream of a filter bank to see what the filter is actually removing, and at supply, return and occupied-zone positions to see how well the room mixes. In a post-renovation check, sample before and after a full air change rather than once, because the useful information is the decay rate. And keep a log: one reading is an anecdote, a series is evidence.
Every instrument here sizes particles by how they scatter light, and that is a property of the particle as it is at that moment, water included. In high humidity, hygroscopic particles swell, scatter more and are counted in a larger bin, so the same air reads dirtier. A reading taken next to a humidifier, in a bathroom after a shower, or in a damp basement in summer can be well above the same room an hour later with nothing else changed. Record relative humidity alongside the count, which the WapoRich monitor does natively, and be suspicious of any result above roughly 70 percent relative humidity. Our guide on humidifiers and particle readings goes through the mechanism.
Two optical counters side by side will not produce identical numbers, and neither is necessarily broken. Optical geometry, laser wavelength, flow rate, the sizing algorithm and the reference aerosol used for calibration all differ between designs, and manufacturers calibrate against different test dusts. The practical discipline is to treat each instrument as its own reference: compare a room against itself, a filter against its own history, a process against its own baseline. If you do need two instruments to agree, run them together at the same height in the same air for an extended period and record the offset, then apply it. Our guides on comparing laser particle sensors and why particle sensors disagree cover this in detail.
Counters were compared on manufacturer listing text: the size channels stated, the smallest particle size claimed, any mass concentration outputs, sampling method, stated accuracy, power and intended applications. Owner feedback was reviewed for recurring comments on agreement between units and on sensor fouling. We did not run laboratory tests, did not compare any counter against a reference instrument and publish no counts of our own. Amazon data supplies images, availability and links only.
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