Don't waste your time and money
Written: Sep 11 '05
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Pros: Silent, Eliminates Odors, Nice Looking Design
Cons: Possibly Harmful to your Health, Ineffective wrt Dust, Expensive
The Bottom Line: Emits ozone, which experts say is dangerous to human health, Ineffective in collecting dust, and is Not Certified with AHAM or CADR rated. Seriously reconsider buying it.
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| fofl's Full Review: Sharper Image Ionic Breeze GP SI730 Air Purifier |
I don't write many reviews, because I don't really have the time and I'm not usually passionate about a particular product. However, after trying this air purifier and being disappointed, I decided to do some investigating on the subject of air purifiers in general. And what I've found should certainly be read by all who have and are considering purchasing this product. This product is possibly harmful to your health (especially to the health of children and to those with allergies, asthma or other respiratory problems). I explain below.
Note: This review is on the Ionic Breeze GP, the Germicidal Protection version.
Three weeks ago, I decided to purchase this product at Sharper Image after reading all the rave reviews on their website. I have a dog and I seldomly clean my city apartment. Therefore, dust build-up and car exhaust is a common thing within my living space. I've read good things about these products and I generally trust Sharper Image as a innovative company. I was hesitant at first, due to there very high price tags, but was attracted to the re-usability of the filters. And thought that over time, they would still be more cost effective as normal air filters require expensive yearly filter replacements. I also liked the fact that they operated silently. So, I got two, the second one at half price.
After using them for continuously, I have found them to be ineffective air cleaners. They do not pick up dust particles. Air passes through them at a very slow rate, this is due to the fact that there is no fan and it simply propels the air electrically. And as a result, they are silent. But as another reviewer suggests, it's silent because it doesn't do very much. I would agree.
I decided that I will return them and purchase a different air cleaner after doing some online research (which I neglected to do so in the first place). And after having some skeptical opinions of the effectiveness of the Ionic Breeze product, I decided to find something (Product or User Review) that challenges the validity of this claim. And I stumbled into this:
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/air_purifiers/fullstory.html
(Scroll Down to the section called "The Buzz")
If you are considering purchasing this product, I believe it is vitally important that you read the link above. Here is an excerpt from it:
"Probably the most insidious market buzz about air cleaners is the hype about ionizers and ozone generators...One such model is the Ionic Breeze from The Sharper Image. This model gets good notice from consumers posting to Epinions, mainly due to its silent operation. In testing, however, a consumer organization found this model to be virtually ineffective.
Far worse, experts say ozone generators are dangerous to human health. Ozone is a toxic gas that damages lung tissue and can pose problems for those with allergies, asthma or other respiratory problems. An article in Consumers' Research Magazine (July 1998) reports that ozone does not provide any health benefit, and the ozone produces by ionizers can exceed standards published by the FDA. Experts agree: Ionizers and ozone generators are no-nos."
I had already made up my mind that I would return the product before reading this. But afterwards, I felt duped for purchasing it to begin with. As a side note: I have no comments to make for the effectiveness of its germicidal protection. At first, I was a little worried that the UV rays might be harmful, but now I doubt that that's the case as UV lights are indeed used in airplanes, hospitals and other public areas. But I never suspected that ozone generation would be even more hazardous!
For a good list of air purifiers that are certified go to:
www.cadr.org
I am going to get one from this company:
www.blueair.com
The other air purifiers do require frequent and costly filter replacements, but at least they work. I would not recommend anyone to waste their time and money on an Ionic Breeze.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 499
Battery Life: N/A
Noise Level: Almost noiseless
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Epinions.com ID:
fofl
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Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
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