I have no idea of the design specs, but from the necessity to clean the fan grill eventually, I would anticipate a pre filter that may or may not be user serviceable - But the charcoal will need replacing at a frequency determined by how much of what you process like @dwardio said.
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Thank for the feedback.
I am trying to determine if I should cancel the air-filter.
I have the ability to vent outside (although it would look better if I could use the filter.)
$750 seems cheap compared to other filters that I see online, but also expensive if it needs frequent replacement of $250 filters, and if it does not filter very good.
I guess I will have plenty of time to decide 
The fact that they still haven’t figured it out has me worried.
There may be a good reason that filters available now cost twice as much and are much larger.
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Just my speculation, but I don’t think it’s a matter of them not having a final design, more that the number of people who want a filter are dwarfed by the number of orders that don’t.
My personal perspective is if you have the ability to vent outside and don’t anticipate taking your laser on the road, spend that money on materials.
FWIW, pretty much all the alternatives also have consumable expensive filters. The makerspace where I used to try to zap things not uncommonly had their laser out of service for days/weeks waiting for a replacement filter.
Now that I have my Pro and am using it vented the value of the filter to me is dropping. However, where I live I am concerned about any venting solution in the winter. Maybe that is overblown as well? I don’t doubt the filter will be more convenient and maybe doing a mix (sometimes filter, sometimes vented outside) will be possible?? I’m really hoping a dual-use setup will be possible.
I get it that all of these have replacement filers, and the price of the filters do seem to hover in the $200-$250 range
My concern is that the 
Air-filter device is half as much and at least half as large as other filter systems currently available.
How effective will it be? Does that mean that we will need to replace the filters twice as often? Is this another revenue stream? The larger more expensive ones seem to have a more generic type filter, not a filter cartridge (I could be wrong about this) which may make it cheaper than it would be otherwise. Just do not know enough, but leaning toward @PrintToLaser 's advice and putting the $750 toward more materials. But I don’t have to decide until next June!
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Yeah, I’m not sure either. I’ve got a pretty good setup for exhaust here, so filter would mostly be for travel. Or at least so I can tell myself 
Several folks have fashioned a few pieces of foam insulation with a 4" round hole to slip into the window opening, so that you are not as exposed as just running a vent out of a completely open window. If you have a casement window or similar type this could be more difficult.
The other consumable they mentioned was the laser tube.
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Rita posted this recently:
Glowforge repair over lifetime of unit
Dan said something similar long ago:
So $249.99 (plus shipping and handling 
)
Actually, I’m guessing the replacement filter might be more than they’re currently expecting.
You also asked about frequency. Rita’s response gave a range depending on use.
For machines under heavy use, they thought monthly replacement might be necessary.
recent post
No answer needed. Just something to ponder. Did you buy the Filter after the initial crowdfunding? Asking whether you paid $750. The early bird price was lower and we would only get back what was paid, not today’s cost.
I bought it at a lower price, two days after the “campaign period”. I don’t know how much it was then. It does not show up separately on the purchase history, only as $1000 for the filter ($7000 for the pro) then later down the invoice the “pre-order discount” of $3205 for everything. $750 is how much it costs now. The current price seems about the same as the $1000 with a pre-order discount but haven’t done the math.
Has anyone actually gotten the refund for the filter? If so how much?
Campaign price was $500.
A couple days after campaign price was $600.
Plus (if memory serves) $75 shipping.
I’ll let you know for sure in 5-10 business days when I get my refund check…
This is an email i got from support.
You don’t need to replace the coolant. There are two primary parts that may need attention.
First, if you get a model with the air filter, is the filter cartridge. It’s difficult to estimate how often the filter cartridge needs to be replaced because it depends not just on how much you use it but on the material you use. Hardwoods aren’t very taxing but plywood might be, depending entirely on the glue (which is usually hard to figure out). It’s just going to vary a great deal, with light users pushing past a year between changes, and heavy users who are cutting nonstop turning them over as often as every month or so. We’re working on filter pricing, but we expect it’s going to come in under $250.
Second, for every model, is the tube. The Glowforge tube is custom made - it’s bigger than most desktop units (850mm) and has some modifications for longer lifetime and smaller spot size. It’s rated by the manufacturer for 2 years, but we’re doing lifetime testing now to dial that in a little more closely. The tube is covered under the warranty. Out of warranty, we’ll replace it and realign it for you for $499, including roundtrip shipping in the US. We’ll also have a replacement tube part available for purchase.
Unfortunately, replacement parts are not yet available for purchase. When we make them available, you will be able to place an order at glowforge.com. We’ll announce that to all our customers when it happens.
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