What a mistake this almost was...
Written: Oct 31 '05 (Updated Oct 31 '05)
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Pros: small, has a long lasting nightlight
Cons: weak, inefficient for all but smallest rooms, frequent cleaning needed, expensive, potentially dangerous
The Bottom Line: Unless it comes as a free gift with the large version, stay away from this product!
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| jenniekiger's Full Review: Sharper Image Ionic Breeze SI627 Air Purifier |
My grandparents ordered an ionic breeze for their bedroom, but did not feel they had any need for the SI627 that came long with it free, so they gave it to me. I thought this was a wonderful gift, as my house could always stand to lose a bit of dust, living in the country.
I got it home and pulled it out, marveling at how compact it was, and how easy to operate and clean... just plug it in, and when you need to clean it - which it recommends doing about once a week - pull a little tab on top to pull out the fins and wipe them down. It even has a little nightlight which the manufacturer says 'will last a lifetime'. How simple, how lovely. Even though it wouldn't handle a large room well on its own, I thought that it would handle my kitchen fine.
For the first two weeks or so, all seemed to be well. My kitchen was smelling better, the air fresher, though I have a large kitchen, so it didn't make a huge difference. Still, any improvement is better than none.
My significant other was complaining about 'something whining', like a static electricity whine, however. It took some time before we identified the culprit as the new ionic breeze. I thought this was odd, cleaned it just to be sure, and left it at that.
About two days later, I began to hear the noise he had described as well. Again, I thought this odd, but didn't make any particular note of it. The next day - three days after it had been cleaned, mind you - the noise was quite noticeably louder. I went over to look at the unit, and it was black-stained, like soot from a fire, and the fins were visibly crackling electricity. I quickly removed the unit from the plug and allowed it to cool for several minutes before further examination. The fins, like the casing, were covered in black 'soot', only much thicker. Once removed, there was no visible damage to the fins. The only conclusion I could draw was that it was pet hair (I have three dogs and two cats, which hang out mostly in the kitchen) somehow 'clogging' it, or perhaps making a circuit with the two fins somehow.
This unit might work as described by the manufacturer in a room that already has an air filter, but why would you want two air filters in one room? Likewise, it might work well in a house or room with little or no air contaminants.. but then, why would you need to spend the money on a purifier anyway?
All in all, this unit seems to me like a complete waste of time, and potentially dangerous to boot.
As a free gift, along with a full-size purifier, I can see having one, but most definitely and vehemently would not recommend buying it by itself.
Recommended:
No
Battery Life: N/A
Noise Level: Almost noiseless
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Epinions.com ID:
jenniekiger
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Member: Jennie Kiger
Location: Mississippi
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Owner of Gold Dragon Herbal and editor of BellaOnline's Herbs site
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