Fundamentally a good product getting a bad rap.
Written: Oct 01 '02
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Pros: Silent, effective, good looking
Cons: Annoying sound when it needs cleaning
The Bottom Line: Switch on and forget it for a couple of weeks then watch the cloth turn black as you clean the blades. To think you could have been breathing that stuff!
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| ashmason's Full Review: Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Quadra SI637 Air Purifi... |
I am allergic to dust and house pets! I am also allergic to dusting and vacuuming! :) Hmm, what to do. My Mom used to work for a medical supply company and clued me in to the benefits of an ionizer, let me explain. I left for college and couldn't understand why I always got the snuffles when coming home for the weekend. My parents had two cats. Anyway, it turned out after an allergy test, sure enough, house dust and cats... So Mom brought home one of the ionizers she sold in the office, and was always sure to turn it on in my room the day before I got home. Voila, no more snuffles at night. Of course this didn't help with the rest of the house, but at least I got a good nights sleep and a resounding testimonial to the effectiveness.
So where does that bring me to? I moved to Los Angeles and it's pretty dusty here. Initially I just coped with it, and then I found something called OPC-3, a super Anti Oxident. This helps me in a big way, no more stuffy sinus pain in the morning. I now take this daily. Still, although this helped with my allergies, it didn't help with the dust and I figured I would be in great shape if I take care of the dust as well. After looking around I decided on the sharper image model mainly because of how it looked, and the cleanable blades. I also found one on the Sharper Image auction site, sure it was refurbished, but it was also over $100 off retail.
I have it installed in my bedroom and it's working just fine.
Initial Impressions:
Darn thing needs cleaning every week because it buzzes, and this got worse and worse with the cleaning interval going down to days. Lot's of dust, so I know it's working, but the cleaning light never even came on. Hmmm, then I re-read the instructions and.... of course, I am cleaning the blades, but no the housing. The instructions recommend compressed air, but I just gave it a good dusting and a few puffs of my own air inside. Presto, only needs cleaning every two or three weeks now.
My wife and I have the ceiling fan on every night, we don't have AC, and both find the background white noise it generates helpful for sleep. I read in other reviews that the Ionizer was not effective. Maybe our use of the fan is addressing those issues because I have no problems.
Another good performance measure is our Humidifier. My wife moved from Virginia and noticed her hair going frizzy and dry, so I had to by a humidifier. Until we got the Ionic Breeze, the filters were getting clogged and nasty on a very regular basis. Since installing the Ionic Breeze, the filters are lasting three to four times as long. As this is the only change we made, it must be the Ionic breeze.
Another concern of others.... Ozone smell. Yep, I smelt this initially but once the newness wore off I didn't smell it any more. Has it gone away? Or have we just got used to it. Maybe the Humidifier takes care of it? Anyway, it's not an issue for us. As for the Ozone Health Risks.... Not sure how I feel about it, but then if it's not Ozone, it's salt, or Egg's or something so... I choose to not worry about it at this time, our room is well ventilated.
I think that about covers it. If you have a need, don't be scared off this product too easily. I guess I would suggest using some kind of fan, but then the little device my Mom brought home didn't have any assistance in this area as back in England, room fans are not really needed. :) Who knows...
Final note on pricing. At full retail I still think this is a good buy and a fair price. I mean, there are no moving parts, proper care and cleaning should make it last forever and what price can you put on something that helps allergies?
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 299.00
Battery Life: N/A
Noise Level: Almost noiseless
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Epinions.com ID:
ashmason
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Member: Ashley Mason
Location: Torrance, California
Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Arrrgh, I'm turning into an American!
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