Great Free Gift
Written: Jan 22 '04 (Updated Mar 03 '05)
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Pros: Small, effective air cleaning for small rooms.
Cons: Not good for large spaces. Expensive to purchase.
The Bottom Line: Great as a free gift, not sure if I would pay sticker price for it.
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| mjwood0's Full Review: Sharper Image Ionic Breeze SI627 Air Purifier |
Introduction
I received two of these units free with the purchase of two Ionic Breeze Quadras. And while I hate night lights, I figured I'd plug them in and try them... one in the bathroom, one in the kitchen.
Description
Now while I love my Ionic Breeze Quadras, these little units leave something to be desired. Just like their bigger brothers, these units collect dust on their metalic collection grids which pull out from the top. To clean, you simply wipe off the grid with a soft cloth. There is also a wire running vertically the length of the unit on the inside. I'm not sure what it is for, but when dust or hair get on it, it makes the unit crackle. Like the bigger Quadra units, there is a little plastic ball on the wire so that you can gently turn the unit over and the ball cleans any hair or other lint off the wire. Now this system works well for my larger units. But no matter what I do, these smaller units tend to hiss all the time, even after being cleaned. They also emit a faint whining noise when in operation. Also, one of these units has a broken wire after one year of use and is now rendered useless.
The unit plugs into any standard outlet. If you plug it in the top outlet, I can just barely squeeze a very narrow plug beneath it. Too tight a fit for my comfort as when you unplug your appliance, you also knock the Ionic Breeze loose. I end up having to remove the unit to use either outlet. Not too great for something that was designed to be used in the bathroom where there are lots of things to plug in.
Once plugged in, the unit generates a small amount of air circulation, not a lot, but it does move air. It also generates a small amount of an ozone type smell (the smell associated with copy machines). If I leave the bathroom door open, you really can't notice it at all. It's not unpleasant -- almost a clean smell, but it does tend to confuse people! I've had one person ask me if I had a copy machine...
Functionality
The unit in my bathroom works especially well at controlling dust and odors. The one in the kitchen really doesn't do much since the room is a bit big. However, since the cat's litter box is in the downstairs bathroom where the unit is currently residing, there is a lot of dust. No matter how much I clean them, it doesn't seem to stop the static crackle that is all so common with these. Luckily, we really don't use that bathroom all that much so it's not as bothersome as it could be. But then again, any dust this unit collects is dust I'm not breathing. Also worth noting, the small amount of air circulation seems to deposit dust on the wall around the unit. I've taken to wiping off the wall when I wipe off the collection grids. Again, not really annoying, but not perfect either.
There are some very nice points to these units. The light is not terribly bright. A plus for energy usage and for those of us who don't like to be blinded when they wake up in the middle of the night. Also, these units tend to trap a lot of dust as they do need cleaning once a week. This is nice as far as the dust is concerned, but cleaning once a week can be a little tedious.
Conclusion
Overall, I really do use these units. They are a bit pricey at $69 a piece, but for free, they are wonderful. (Kind of takes the edge off the high price for the Quadras I bought) I will recommend this unit, but not at full price.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 0.00
Battery Life: N/A
Noise Level: More quiet than most
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Epinions.com ID:
mjwood0
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Location: Southern Tier, NY
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Engineer who enjoys the outdoors, computers and is trying to start a small hobby farm!
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