Not Quite the Miracle Cure Like the Info-mercials Imply
Written: Mar 08 '03
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Pros: Quiet most of the time, Easy to Clean
Cons: Makes Noise when dirty.
The Bottom Line: Excellent for a large room, this item does clean the air and remove most smells from the air as advertised.
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| excise's Full Review: Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Quadra SI637 Air Purifi... |
Okay...I admit. I watched several Info-mercials where the CEO of The Sharper Image (manufacturer of the Ionic Breeze) enthusiastically promotes this product as the greatest thing to happen to the air you breathe. I was hooked. Usually I am a skeptical person and I do have a strong scienctific and engineering background, though I couldn't see any fault in the claims. I went to e-pinions online to check out what others thought, and viola, I purchased an Ionic Breeze Quadra. I arrived within a week in a long box the size of a set of golf clubs. I couldn't wait to plug it in and put it to work.
The first thing I noticed was an interesting (pleasant to me) smell which is similar to when you first use a new stereo receiver in a rack system or even the smell of a copier. Kind of an "electricity" clean smell. The first night I had the Ionic Breeze in my bedroom, I honestly felt like my nasal passages opened up and allowed me to breathe better...but this could have been a placebo effect. Please keep in mind, I am merely an end user - not a technician testing this item and running it through its paces in a controlled laboratory.
The unit is quite quiet. If you put your ear next to it, you can hear something that sounds like someone is softly making a "Puhhhhhhh" sound about every five seconds. This is the machine simply going through its pre-programmed bursts of ionization cycles. After about 5-7 days I started hearing a slight crackling noise eminating from the unit. Not loud, mind you, just different from its normally quiet operation. I turned the unit off, pulled out the "collection grid" which is a set of three stainless steel fins about 2 inches wide and 24 inches long. I noticed a significant deposit of dense dust along the edges of the fins. I simply took this over to my kitchen sink, washed it off with water and a sponge, allowed it to fully dry and then placed it back in the machine. Once again, quiet operation of the unit followed.
It is hard for me to fully gauge how effective the unit is in terms of cleaning the air. I do like the smell it imparts in the room you are using it in. I have noticed that over the two months I've been using this machine that there really has been less build-up of dust on items in the room like my dark wood night stand by my bed. Weekly I clean off dust from the collection grid, so it must be doing something! Will it create a "Clean Room" environment like NASA might have? No way. It does, however, have no moving parts or filters to replace. Also, if you are so inclined, you can purchase a second collection grid from The Sharper Image for only $30. This way you can always keep the machine running while cleaning the other grid and allowing it to dry off.
Oh yes...I DID do a little experiment. I smoke cigars every now and then. One time I took in a mouth full of smoke when I was enjoying a cigar on my back porch, walked inside and blew the smoke into the back of the machine. Guess what? No Smoke Came out the Front of the Machine!! I was amazed. Needless to say, I bought another Ionic Breeze Quadra. Also, don't waste your money on the more compact version (the Ionic Breeze Quadra Compact) - as the Ionic Breeze really is only good for one large sized room as opposed to a whole house. The Compact version simply won't be up to the task.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $350
Battery Life: N/A
Noise Level: Almost noiseless
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Epinions.com ID:
excise
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Location: Denver, CO, USA
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Medical professional with high product standards. I prefer best or don't get it at all.
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