Doesn't remove dust
Written: Jul 17 '03 (Updated Aug 13 '03)
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Pros: Looks good. Quiet.
Cons: Doesn't reduce dust! Makes noise if humidity is too high.
The Bottom Line: A cool conversation piece that's fascinating because of how it moves air without a fan. But if you want something that actually cleans air - move on!
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| lazylizard's Full Review: Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Quadra SI637 Air Purifi... |
A few people have made passing comments on the fact that the Ionic Breeze doesn't seem to noticeably reduce dust. Yet, they still seem to be in love with the product! Maybe they're just seduced by its good looks! (It does look great).
However, for me, dust collection is a major issue. I mean, that's really what it's supposed to do. Collect dust and other small particles floating around in the air. If it doesn't remove dust what else is it not removing!? I can see dust and if I notice any reduction in dust I'll know it's doing a good job. I can't see those other little micro-particles it supposedly removes, so my only indicator that it actually works effectively is dust.
Okay, to be fair - it definitely does remove dust. You can look at the filter after a few days and it will have some dust and grime on it. I've heard other people mention this as their reason for being completely satisfied with how effective the Ionic Breeze is. They see the dust and grime on the filter so they think it's working beautifully. However, I don't think this is a good measure. Sure it removes dust, but does it remove it in large enough quantities to actually make a difference in even a very small room - like my Manhattan apartment's bedroom - about 12' x 8'!?
I noticed that it took a good 2-3 days for me to really notice much dust on the filter. My apartment located in the center of Manhattan is very dusty. And I knew that in 2-3 days there was a lot more dust passing through my bedroom than what appeared on the filter.
So, I conducted a little experiment to see just how effective the Ionic Breeze truly was.
I have a dark wooden dresser in my bedroom which sits next to a window that gets sunlight most of the day. When it collects dust you can see it really easily. I have a cleaning lady who comes in every Monday from 3-6 p.m. and I've always noticed that by 3:00 on Tuesday you can start to see a little dust already collecting on the dresser again. By Wednesday around 3:00 it's like she was never here! It's completely dusty again.
So, just to make everything as accurate and unbiased as I possibly could, I completely cleaned the surface of the dresser of all dust - I noted the time and day and then waited to see how long it would take for enough dust to collect that it became noticeable. The first time there was enough dust for me to really notice was almost exactly 24 hours later. By 48 hours the dresser was completely dusty again. (just as I had suspected would be the case).
The second step of my experiment was to completely clean the Ionic Breeze filter before starting the test. I wanted to be able to see how much dust it collected during the test - so I wanted to start from a clean slate.
Then I completely cleaned the surface of the dresser again and placed the Ionic Breeze right in the center of the dresser. I figured if it was only powerful enough to clean the air in a small area, that by putting it right on the area I wanted to collect dust in - it would have the best chance of success. I also closed the door and the two windows (which are normally closed anyway) to make sure no extra dust came in from outside. I waited again. And the first time there was noticeable dust was still almost exactly 24 hours later. And just like when I didn't use the Ionic Breeze - 48 hours later the dresser was completely covered in dust again! It was as if the Ionic Breeze didn't even exist!
So, to be honest - for this product that I very much wanted to like, I have to say it just doesn't do the job. I still love the way it looks. And I love the way it sounds - it's absolutely silent - most of the time. But the sad fact is, although it does collect some dust - that a quick look at the filter itself will confirm - it just doesn't collect enough to make a real difference.
I'm just making up numbers here, but I would say if there were 1 million dust particles floating around in the room, the Ionic Breeze probably traps about 10,000 of them! So yes, they can say it collects dust - but what they don't tell you - is that it's going to be something like catching 10,000 out of a million dust particles - you're just never going to notice a difference. If you had 1 million $1 bills laying on the floor, would you really notice if $10,000 were missing?
Maybe this product is somewhat better at collecting invisible particles that we can't see, but I somehow doubt it!
I think the problem is that the method it utilizes to suck air through silently - without using a noisy, electricity-consuming fan, just doesn't suck enough air through to clean even a small room. Also, it seems that while the surface area of the collection blades is large enough, that most of the particles get caught right on the leading edge of the blades - rendering most of the surface area much underutilized.
The surface area of the leading edge of the blade (the edge facing the direction of the incoming air) is very small compared to the total surface area of the blades. But this seems to be the primary part of the blade that actually traps anything. I'm looking at my filter right now after being used for a little more than 2 weeks without cleaning. The blade edges are completely black. The blackness fades to silver about halfway down the blade. And the outside part of the two outer blades are almost completely silver! No dust trapped on the outside portions whatsoever! And that's after two weeks in a dusty apartment! So, obviously half of the width of each blade is nearly completely ineffective at trapping particles.
In the end if someone put the Ionic Breeze in my room without my knowing about it - I would never even know it was there. There is absolutely no discernible difference between using it and not using it.
I don't have any allergies - so the people who said it helped with that - I can't speak to that. I can only say if you have no allergies you will probably notice absolutely no difference.
UPDATE 8/13/03: A few weeks ago I purchased a traditional air purifier (Bionaire) which has only served to reaffirm my low opinion of the Ionic Breeze. In fact, it has lowered my opinion to the point that I have come to view the Ionic Breeze as a complete scam! It does everything Sharper Image says it will do - EXCEPT - clean the air! It runs silently, as they say, but that's the heart of the problem. You know that for any piece of equipment to move enough volume of air to clean a room in a short period of time - it's going to make some noise. Just the movement of air alone will create noise. The Ionic Breeze is silent because it's not moving ANY air! And if an air purifier isn't moving air, it isn't cleaning air.
Sharper Image says you save money on filters. And that you do... but they don't bother to tell you that you'll spend so much time cleaning filters you may as well just buy new ones! I've had the Bionaire for several weeks now and it looks like the filters will last well over a year (based on the display that tells you what percentage of the filter is left). After using the Ionic Breeze for a similar period of time I had to clean the filter 3 times... which is a very time consuming process. At least 15 minutes to clean and dry it thoroughly. Not to mention you get all the dirt from the filter on your hands. None of that with a traditional air filter. You never touch the dirt with traditional filters - you just throw them out. There's an advantage to that. If my estimate is correct on the Bionaire that it will take more than a year to replace the $60 filter - the savings from not buying filters is negligible. And wouldn't you rather spend a little money on filters each year for an air purifier that actually works, than to spend $400 one-time on a purifier that doesn't work at all? The $400 is a total waste. The $60 is a great investment - because it does the job you bought it to do.
I would say it would take an array of at least 30 Ionic Breezes to move as much air as my new Bionaire moves even on the lowest setting.
And just to make sure you know exactly where I stand - if you want an air purifer that actually cleans your air - DON'T buy the ionic breeze! You will get totally ripped off!
UPDATE 2 8/13/03: I just called Sharper Image to ask if would issue a refund. I bought these around the first of May - and it's now the middle of August - 2 1/2 months later, and they said they would if I return them. So, I'll give credit where credit is due - at least they'll issue a refund for the stupid things!
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 405
Battery Life: N/A
Noise Level: Almost noiseless
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Epinions.com ID:
lazylizard
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 1 member
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