To assess the best sorbents available in real-world treatment of airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs), we explored four sorbent performance metrics (10% breakthrough volume, space velocity, regeneration cycles, and cost) against benzene, a representative VOC, using well-known sorbents in the partial pressure (P-benzene) range 0.01 - 1 Pa. Accordingly, some common materials (e.g., activated carbons) outperformed novel materials like MOFs. The performance of MOFs was often exaggerated as data were generally collected under unrealistic P-benzene (e.g., > 5,000 Pa). The use of metrics appropriate to real-world conditions is thus critical for selecting sorbents.