Smoke Buddy Junior Personal Air Filter Review

The Smoke Buddy is one of those products that sounds too simple to work — you just exhale through it and the smell disappears? Yeah. It actually does. Activated carbon and HEPA filter inside absorbs all the smoke particles and odour compounds, and clean air comes out the other side. No smell, no trace, nothing. Every single time.

We Tested the Hell Out of It

We used the Smoke Buddy Junior in a small bedroom, exhaling every single hit through the device for two solid hours. Then we had a friend walk in after 10 minutes of airing out. They detected absolutely nothing. Not even a hint. Compare that to the towel-under-the-door-and-hope-for-the-best method that everyone in a shared house has tried, and it's not even a competition. This thing works.

How Long Does It Last?

Each unit is rated for roughly 300 exhales. With moderate use — say 3–5 sessions per week — we found it lasted about 6–8 weeks before the filter started losing effectiveness. At £19.99, that's a couple of quid a week for total peace of mind. The Junior is the one to get for solo use — smaller, more pocketable, identical filtration to the Original. Just don't expect it to filter side-stream smoke from a lit bowl or joint. That's not what it's for.

Getting the Most From Each Exhale

Technique matters more than lung power. I exhale slowly and steadily through the mouthpiece rather than blasting — a long gentle push gives the carbon and HEPA layers time to trap everything. Take the smoke deep first, hold a second, then breathe out through the Buddy in one controlled stream. Cover the cap vents and you will feel resistance spike; leave them clear and it flows naturally. Used right, at £19.54 the Junior pays for itself in kept deposits and kept peace with housemates.

Where It Fits in a Full Odour Setup

The Buddy handles exhaled vapour brilliantly and nothing else. Lit ends, ground herb, and open jars still smell, so I pair it with sealed storage — herb in a Tightvac container, empties straight into a sealed jar, and sessions near a cracked window. Think of it as one layer: filter the exhale, seal everything else. More on layering in our cannabis storage guide.

Who Should Skip It

If you only ever smoke outdoors, you do not need one. And if your housemates object to any smoking indoors at all, no filter bridges that gap — a vaporiser plus the Buddy is the compromise that actually works. For everyone in a flat or shared house exhaling indoors, though, this plus a smell-proof bag for the stash is the complete discretion kit. See the full lineup in our best smell-proof stash UK roundup.

Smoke Buddy Junior FAQ

How do I know when it is finished?
Resistance rises and faint odour starts slipping through — usually around the 300-use mark. When exhales feel noticeably harder to push or you catch a whiff, replace it rather than persevering.

Junior or Original?
Same filtration, different size. I prefer the Junior for solo pocket carry; the Original suits longer shared sessions where a bigger carbon bed lasts between replacements. Filtration quality is identical.

Does it remove all smoke?
Exhaled smoke, yes — what goes through the filter comes out clean. It cannot touch side-stream smoke rising off a lit bowl or joint between hits, so keep sessions tidy and extinguish promptly.