Is it on?
Written: Oct 19 '03 (Updated Oct 19 '03)
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Pros: Cost efficient, quiet, and stylish
Cons: Requires cleaning once a week
The Bottom Line: Great product.
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| gavriln's Full Review: Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Quadra SI637 Air Purifi... |
I have allergies. I have a cat. I don't like it if my apartment smells like cat. I needed an air filter. I didn't like noises air filters made. I don't like bulky looks of air filters. I didn't like costs associated with air filters and how much energy air filters consumed. I bought Ionic Breeze Quadra.
I bought Ionic Breeze Quadra because it has a 60 day trial period, at least 3 year warranty, cleans air :), silent, no filters to replace, it runs on 10 watts/hour, removes odors, and it actually looks good in the room.
Noiseless as promised?
In my opinion one of the biggest advertised features of this unit is how quiet it is. From my experience it is quiet/noiseless for the first week without cleaning. After a week of not cleaning it starts to make noises once in a while. After two weeks you will really notice sounds like bug zapping. To avoid these noises I end up cleaning the unit pretty much every week unlike suggested two week period. So, as far as noiselessness goes, it is noiseless if you clean it every week.
Filter free and easy to clean?
It is filter free and it is a big plus as far as filter costs go. But it still has a "filter" (ion generating plates that collect dirt). The filter does not have to be replaced it just has to be cleaned.
Cleaning the filter is not enjoyable because ion generating plates are pretty close together for effortless/"filter free" cleaning. One other inconvenience is that you have to have a damp cloth and then some other dry cloth unless you want to do none thorough filter cleaning.
Bottom line, I love "filter-free" design, but not happy about having to clean it every week.
Removes odors
One of the things I love about Ionic Breeze is how it removes odors. It removes odors by producing ozone. If you live in an apartment that has old carpet this odor removing works very very well. Also, one of the ways I know that this product removes odors is that when I am lazy :) and don't want to clean the unit I start smelling my cat in the apartment.
This odor removing feature is the feature that I know for sure works :)
Reduces allergies?
I have absolutely no idea if it helps with my allergies or not. I am taking allergy drugs and that is why it is difficult for me to say if Ionic Breeze helps me with my allergies. One thing I know for sure is that when I go to clean this unit is I see a lot of dark stuff collected on ion generating plates. Dirt on the plates is the only way I can tell that it works for allergies :) If that dirt was not on the plates then it would be in the air :)
Cost
Retail price that this unit is being sold for ($349.95) on Sharper Image (www.sharperimage.com) site is a bit steep. I would suggest buying this unit on eBay. I bought my unit on eBay for $200 with shipping. Be careful to buy a unit that has a model with YYY's in it and not ZZZ's YYY's are for "Like New units that are unused and have been repackaged because original packaging was somehow blemished or damaged. ZZZ's are units that have been defective and have been repaired.
Bottom line
Great product. Has it's minor drawbacks just like any product would. I would recommend this product to anyone that asks me about it. I would also strongly recommend about buying it on eBay for a much cheaper price. I bought 2 units for my apartment, 1 unit for my friend, 1 unit for my parents, and 1 unit for my parents in-law. I bought all of these units on eBay for $200 or less and have not had any problems with these units. I had these units for over a year now.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
Battery Life: N/A
Noise Level: Almost noiseless
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Epinions.com ID:
gavriln
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Member: Gabe
Location: West Des Moines, IA, USA
Reviews written: 33
Trusted by: 3 members
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