|
Product Description Ionic Breeze is The Sharper Image's most popular product, with more than one million sold. A leading independent research national survey showed that Ionic Breeze is America's most trusted brand of air purifier. It also confirmed Ionic Breeze enjoys the highest customer satisfaction ratings among all major brands, as demonstrated by repeat purchases by Ionic Breeze owners (and purchases by dissatisfied owners of competing brands); and in ratings for "exceeding expectations," "good customer service" and for "delivering on promises." Compelling features include silent operation; efficient air cleaning and odor reduction; no replacement filters; ultra-low energy use; lightweight, attractive, low-profile housing; and 24-7 air cleaning. Created by Sharper Image Design.No air cleaner can protect against the harmful effects of secondhand tobacco smoke. Clean air begins with a smoke-free environment. To learn more, visit www.no-smoke.org. ... Read more
Features Room air cleaner circulates and cleans air with no motor, no fan and no noise. Key features include absolutely silent operation; proven efficient air cleaning; odor reduction; no replacement filters; low energy use; lightweight, attractive housing; continuous air cleaning.Our tests at leading research centers show that Ionic Breeze does a great job capturing particles like pollen, dander and other airborne allergens and irritants. Quadra Compact has been tested at America's leading allergy research center, prominent universities and independent labs to confirm its efficient trapping of airborne particles of one micron or larger.Save money! There no messy, expensive filters to find, buy, store and replace. Quadra is an electrostatic precipitator that charges airborne contaminants and traps them on oppositely charged stainless steel collectors that wipe clean. Quadra Compact is powered by only 6 watts. Compared to high-watt HEPA machines, it pays for itself in less than a year.Cleans 24-7! Turn off a noisy HEPA air cleaner and air pollution goes right back to where it started. All air cleaners should run continuously but noisy fans and expensive 200-watt power demands make that impractical with those big HEPA machines. Silent, low-energy Ionic Breeze is designed to run continuously. Plug into 3-prong outlet.Quadra is 19" tall and 4 1/4 lbs, with almost the same cleaning power as the larger Quadra. Uses only 6 watts. Extra collection grid available (SI939). 5-year warranty. Two Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Quadra Compact Silent Air Purifiers (two Gray; 50% off the 2nd) with one FREE $69.95 Air Freshener (SI697GY2). Created by Sharper Image Design.
Reviews (23) 
This machine is great. Great, I say!
Ok, I've read all the reviews on this and frankly I am stunned to see so many people give this such a low rating without even trying this...doesn't that defeat the whole concept of "review". What opinion does this create?
Anyways, I've had mine for about 8 months now and I haven't experienced a single problem that is described in some of these reviews.
Yes, you have to clean this machine. To me, it's no more time consuming than washing a couple of pans in the sink or wiping off your kitchen table once a week....about a minute or two. About every week, I take the rails out (that takes about 1 second) bring it into my kitchen or the bathroom. Take a piece of cloth (you can buy a box of about 40 of them for $5 at most home stores like Lowes) get it mildly wet and wipe off the dust. Remember, since it's compacted and attached with a magnetic charge, it's not going to fly off into the air. It comes off very easily...Here's the kicker, I smoke and it still takes about 2 quick swipes on each side of each rail..12 swipes in all (about 30 seconds). Pitch the cloth (about 3 seconds). 40 cloths will last you 40 weeks, so I equivicate that to spending a whopping $5 on maintenance for nearly an entire year. This idea that it's painstakingly difficult to wipe them off is ridiculous. I smoke and I leave the windows open alot.
It's obvious that it works or I wouldn't be cleaning off the rails once a week...sometimes 2. Another exageration is that it only pulls in dust that's within 1/8th of an inch of the rails..Not true, all you have to do is put it the middle of a sunbeam coming through a window to see that it's pulling in dust from up to 2-3 feet away. The dust isn't darting towards the machine till it's about 6 inches away but it does pull it in. Simply walking across the room will stir up enough wind to make even more effective.
Now, onto this ozone issue. If your a logical person you can understand that the higher you have this machine set, the more ozone it may produce. The key is to keep it at low unless you have it in a very large room. I've only experienced the ozone smell when I have it on high in my 14x18 foot living room. The logical person will also understand the precautions laid out in plain english that say that it does in fact produce ozone but at an amount that does not cause any adverse problems if used properly. Key word is PROPERLY. Your heater at home gives off much more ozone. Are you gonna throw that out when it's 30 degrees outside?My philosophy is this...Am I gonna let something so insignificant effect my overall happiness and well being?
I don't experience the respiratory issues as complained about by other people except by the usual minor irritations of smoking a few cigarettes an evening (yes, I'm in the process of quitting) but the most important thing I receive from this machine is that it greatly helps my allergies and my unfortunate problems with sinus infections. I am allergic to dust, mold, grass..you name it. After suffering long enough I followed some friends advice and bought an Ionic Breeze and things have definitely improved. Ozone can't kill you unless you have a hose down your throat and it's pumping it into your lungs. What's a measurement of meeting federal guidelines gonna really do to me?
I don't have any idea how your negative experiences really went but for crying out loud, don't write a "review" unless you've actually used it and used your own judgment rather than listen to Consumer Reports. While they've had some very helpful recommendations, they've also screwed up badly on many things, especially electronics. Personally, I don't pay much attention to them because they go by what their own standards are, not mine and if you take the time to familiarize yourself with the intricicies of how a product works, chances are, you'll make a better decision than Consumer Reports can make for you.
As far as the noise and the cleaning of wires goes...Yeah, it makes a noise equivilant to the sound of a short, quiet shush. If that irritates you, chill out or get up and clean off the rails or turn it off. That's nothing more than a helpful sound to let you know it needs to be wiped off. You can't even hear it unless it's totally quiet in the room anyways....and cleaning off the wires on the inside is nothing more than just flipping this 4 pound monster over then back right side up (takes about 3 seconds)..the bearings on the wires shoot the dirt right off. I don't even do that but maybe once a month.
So....if you're lazy and don't like cleaning a small item ,at most, once a week for about 2-3 minutes, or you complain about a quiet non abrasive noise that won't happen for 2-3 weeks without cleaning when you're too lazy to clean it off, or you find a trace amount of EXTRA ozone in your life harmful and you'd rather buy a new blow dryer (which also emits trace amounts of ozone because anything that pushes air through electro-charged metal emits ozone) then this machine is not for you.
Pros:
-You can't hear it working
-No filters to ever change
-Runs on around 10 watts. Imagine that it's 6 times less expensive than having a 60 watt lightbulb on which allows you to run it 24 hours a day and it's the equivilant of having that 60 watt lightbulb run for 4 hours...now imagine if that's a 100 watt lightbulb or 4-5 bulbs running at the same time..well, you get the picture.
-Removes enough dust to be noticeable...remember, there isn't a filtration device on the market that can remove everything without costing thousands of dollars.
- Helps allergy sufferers and animals with allergies.
- Helps remove odors from things like pets, smoke, food, mildew, etc..
- No non-cleaning maintenance whatsoever.
Cons:
- Trace amounts of ozone which if you actually read medical articles, you'll learn that ozone therapy is actually a very useful thing (not saying it's totally safe, just using a positive spin on what some people see as a dangerous issue)
- Price. It is expensive for some people. But I'll pay the money for a good product any day. I did that with everything inmy life, why not an air purifier?
- You have to clean it...boo hoo
- You have to use a towel to clean it...oh god
- Makes a very, very quiet noise sometimes...call the sheriff!
Read these FACTS about Ozone and hopefully, you'll understand it better. Consumer reports doesn't do reviews of the medical profession if you haven't noticed already.
Ozone, (O3), sometimes called "activated oxygen", contains three atoms of oxygen rather than the two atoms we normally breathe. Ozone is the second most powerful sterilant in the world and can be used to destroy bacteria, viruses and odors. Interestingly ozone occurs quite readily in nature, most often as a result of lightning strikes that occur during thunderstorms. In fact the "fresh, clean, spring rain" smell that we notice after a storm most often results from nature's creation of ozone.However, we are probably most familiar with ozone from reading about the "ozone layer" that circles the planet above the earth's atmosphere. Here ozone is created by the sun's ultra-violet rays.This serves to protect us from the ultra-violet radiation.
HOW DOES OZONE WORK?
While ozone is very powerful, it has a very short life-cycle. When contaminants such as odors, bacteria or viruses make contact with ozone, they are destroyed completely by oxidation. In so doing, that extra atom of oxygen is consumed and there is nothing left...no odor...no bacteria...no extra atom, only oxygen.Ozone reverts back to oxygen after it is used.
HOW IS OZONE PRODUCED?
There are basically two methods of producing ozone...ultra-violet and corona discharge.Corona discharge creates ozone by applying high voltage to a metallic grid sandwiched between two dielectrics.The high voltage jumps through the dielectric to a grounded screen and in the process, creates ozone from oxygen present in the chamber.Ultra-violet (UV) light creates ozone when a wavelength at 254 nm (nanometers) hits an oxygen atom.The molecule (O2) splits into two atoms (O), which combine with another oxygen molecule (O2) to form ozone (O3).
HOW LONG DOES THE OZONE LAST?
As soon as ozone is formed in the generator and dispersed in a room, some of it reverts back into oxygen. This step occurs by several processes including the following: Oxidation reaction with an organic material such as odors or smoke. Reactions with bacteria etc., which again consumes ozone by oxidation reactions. Additionally ozone itself has a half life which means that "residual" ozone created (extra ozone) will return to oxygen usually within 30 minutes, in amounts equal to half its level. What this means is that after each subsequent 30 minute period there would be half as much residual ozone left at the end of the period as was present at the beginning of the period. This is similar to a geometric progression of 16;8;4;2;1. In practice the half life is usually less than 30 minutes due to temperature, dust, and other contaminants in the air.Therefore, ozone, while very powerful, doesn't last long.It does its job and then disappears.
WILL THE ODOR COME BACK?
No. If ozone is applied properly it destroys (oxidizes) the source of the odor. However, in the case of mildew the odor will return if you are unable to get rid of the moisture that is the source of the mildew.
HOW DOES OZONE HANDLE TOBACCO SMOKE?
It eliminates the irritation caused by phenol gasses, by oxidizing them. Phenol gasses are the invisible part of tobacco smoke that causes such discomfort to one's eyes and create the offensive odors. Ozone rids any environment of the effects of smoke completely, rather than merely filtering out the visible particles.
WHAT IS THE RIGHT LEVEL OF OZONE?
The right level is when all the generated ozone is being consumed.This only applies to continuous ozone use in occupied environments - not for shock treating.However, this is difficult to attain because it becomes a balancing act. Initially the machine's output is set high to get rid of the problem odor as quickly as possible. As this is being accomplished less ozone is required for the diminishing odor etc., thereby leaving some residual ozone in the air. If the machine output is not turned down, then more residual ozone will remain. If a strong smell of ozone is noticed, then there is more ozone present than is required. Simply turn the rheostat (output level control) down. With ozone, more is not considered better.
NOTE: It is not necessary that ozone be detected by humans for it to be effective.Ozone can work even when humans are not able to smell it.
IS OZONE HARMFUL AND WHAT IF ANY ARE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS?
Ozone has been known for almost a century, so a great deal is known about it. Several regulatory agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), have stipulated that the safe allowable level of residual is 0.10-ppm (parts per million). Note that this permissible level is for continuous exposure throughout an entire 8 hour day for 5 days a week. The temporary affects of such a low exposure would range from headaches, to sore throats, irritation in the eyes, and nose.No long term effects have ever been documented from ozone exposure.Ask Ozone Solutions for MSDS sheets if desired.
.....If you want a device to measure the amount of ozone in a room, go here, http://www.ozoneapplications.com/products/sensor_product_line.htm. I found it just 5 minutes ago off google.
Remember, only set the machine in accordance to the size of the room. If the salesperson did their job right, they will tell you that, plus, it's in the manual.
I keep my Ionic Breeze in the open doorway between my living room and dining room with it's back facing the back door where my dog comes in and out of (the source of most of the dust). It's slim enough to not get in the way and the way I have it faced it shoots the clean air into the living room where I spend most of my time when I'm home.
Hope this helps. I wrote a long review because I thought alot of people weren't being fair about this machine and they're letting a magazine dictate their actions without truly knowing the facts.
Simple fact.....
You need to move air in order to clean it...how do you clean something that you can't get a hold of?You need a fan in order to actually clean air.The Ionic Breeze is an overpriced dust collector.
This product sucks
Unfortunately I became aware too late of the negative review given this product by Consumer Report. It doesn't even warrant one star. Avoid it like the plague and save your money!
Misconception about ozone issue
Another reviewer expressed concern about the ozone generated by the Ionic Breeze and provided a link to an EPA article on "Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners: An Assessment of Effectiveness and Health Consequences"
BUT The Ionic breeze is an Electrostatic Precipitator, NOT an "Ozone Generator"
In fact, if you read the EPA article all the way through, they even mention how Electrostatic Percipitator's have been shown to be more effective for air filtration than ionizers that generate ozone.here is the quote: " In recent experiments, ionizers were found to be less effective in removing particles of dust, tobacco smoke, pollen or fungal spores than either high efficiency particle filters or electrostatic precipitators. "- see review by Muthu "MS" for the link to this article.
The use of "Ionic" in the name should not confuse you.The Ionic Breeze is an Electrostatic Precipitator.Ozone Generators deliberately generate ozone... the ionic breeze works on a different principle and any ozone that is created indirectly by the machine is miniscule and a result of chemical reactions in the air, outside of the unit, that have to do with the charge of certain particles. Furthermore, to the extent that extremely low levels of ozone are created indirectly, it will "disintegrate" within minutes.
And by the way, the "smell" of the Ionic Breeze is not caused by Ozone either, which many other reviewers seemed to think.
so how effective is the Ionic Breeze?Well, I don't know, I am still trying to decide whether to get one.I gave it three stars because thats the middle of the range and i didn't want to skew the ratings up or down by giving it a high or low score.I can only tell you my decision won't be effected by misunderstandings about ozone.
here it is
It is amazing that these units move air without using fans and silently. I use them in bedrooms
and I had to cover the led lights with electrical tape because they are so bright that
they light up the ceiling. You can still see the lights as they are bright enough to shine
through the tape. Also they come with a 3 prong electrical plug so you'll have to get an
adapter if your wall sockets are the older 2 prong.
The unit has 3 speeds (high,medium and low). They don't speed up or slow down the speed of
the air coming out of the unit. They work on a timer. The high is continuous. The medium
cycles the unit on approximately 30 seconds and then off 30 seconds. The low cycles the unit
on 30 seconds and off approximately 2 minutes.
As far as cleaning, I haven't used the red light because the unit makes a crackling noise
when it gets dirty. So I clean it when it makes noise. I dampen the microfibre cloth that
comes with the unit and clean the plates. Also the unit has 2 wires with a bead on each and
to clean them you have to turn the unit upside down so that the bead slides along the wire.
The air freshener has to be plugged into a wall socket and firmly seated. If it isn't, it will
make a rattling noise. I couldn't place the freshener where I wanted because of this.
... Read more
|
Worked well while it worked