Is this the same air purifier? If so, I think its HOTT

Mysticcal said:
Air purifiers are for smokers and people who are paranoid


I breathe and sleep better with unclogged nostruls
 
The Ionic Breeze from Sharper Image is the $400 one.

Consumer Reports has pretty much debunked these ionic purifiers as nearly worthless and in fact potentially harmful. Sharper Image sued them (and lost, they had to pay $500K in legal fees for CR) after CR published their findings. CR is sticking by their results, and just a couple weeks ago renewed their criticism of the Ionic Breeze.

And according to this article:


The Ionic Breeze is given a "poor" rating by Consumer Reports, who claims that the Ionic Breeze removed very few particles from the air in their tests. The Sharper Image complained about the testing method used by Consumer Reports, so the organization tested the Ionic Breeze a second time, after the testing method was reviewed and validated by an independent expert, and got the same result. The magazine also had two other independent experts examine the research studies provided by Sharper Image "proving" the Ionic Breeze was effective, and those experts found those documents to be unimpressive with flawed methodology or simply irrelevant as to whether the Ionic Breeze was an effective air cleaner.

In a well-publicized lawsuit filed in September 2003 in California, the Sharper Image asserts that Consumer Reports' findings are false and malicious. Consumers Union, the magazine's parent organization, made a motion in October 2003 to throw the case out of court, maintaining that Consumer Reports' tests are valid. That lawsuit was thrown out of court on November 9, 2004 with the court upholding Consumer Reports' First Amendment right to free speech in its assessment and review of the Ionic Breeze Quadra.

At Air Purifiers America, editors also give the Ionic Breeze a rating of "poor," adding that the Breeze is "Not effective in cleaning and removing particles from the air." Editors add that the "electrostatic plates create harmful Ozone." Models like the Ionic Breeze produce Ozone as a byproduct. In sufficient quantities, and for certain individuals, Ozone can be toxic. Although most experts say that the Ozone produced by electrostatic air cleaners is safe for those in normal good health, both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and American Lung Association (ALA) advise against using these devices since there are many Ozone-free HEPA models on the market. Ozone production is part of the basis for two pending lawsuits against The Sharper Image, both of which are seeking class-action status. In one suit filed in April 2004, Alicia M. Bryant, a Florida mother of children with respiratory problems, claims that the Breeze does not perform as advertised and exceeds Federal Ozone-level regulations.
 
Be careful about ionic air purifiers. There are probably good ones out there, but I would still be hesitant to get one without doing extensive research.

The problem? A lot of ionic air purifiers generate a lot of ozone. My only experience with one was quite unpleasant. It generated a lot of ozone and gave me breathing trouble while not cleaning the air one bit. Granted, I was using a cheap 'purifier' that probably should have been labeled "Noise and Ozone Generator" rather than "Air Purifier", but I think the same probably holds true for many ionics. Don't rule out HEPAs!
 
For about $35 at Walmart, they have an Ionizer/Hepa air purifier that works very well. It has three speed settings on the fan with the lowest being absolutely silent, but still moving air.
 
maxelhombre said:
For about $35 at Walmart, they have an Ionizer/Hepa air purifier that works very well. It has three speed settings on the fan with the lowest being absolutely silent, but still moving air.


Let me guess, the Holmes Air Purifier with the speed options on left, and the Ionizer on the right?
 
Malatov said:
The Ionic Breeze from Sharper Image is the $400 one.

Consumer Reports has pretty much debunked these ionic purifiers as nearly worthless and in fact potentially harmful.

Pretty much. And many people have reported that because of its 'electrostatic' operation, it makes all that dust, dirt, debris, etc, that it's supposedly cleaning, stick to everything in your home (walls, appliances, clothes, pets, you).

Buy one of these instead: http://www.friedrich.com/aircleaner/index.asp?divname=resd&resetdiv=1
 
Malatov said:
The Ionic Breeze from Sharper Image is the $400 one.

Consumer Reports has pretty much debunked these ionic purifiers as nearly worthless and in fact potentially harmful. Sharper Image sued them (and lost, they had to pay $500K in legal fees for CR) after CR published their findings. CR is sticking by their results, and just a couple weeks ago renewed their criticism of the Ionic Breeze.

And according to this article:

good thing you posted that, or I would've ;) Glad to see some other C-R subscribers round here. Although there computer ratings are a joke! Selling It's always good for a laugh or two.
 
Eleven said:
Pretty much. And many people have reported that because of its 'electrostatic' operation, it makes all that dust, dirt, debris, etc, that it's supposedly cleaning, stick to everything in your home (walls, appliances, clothes, pets, you).

Buy one of these instead: http://www.friedrich.com/aircleaner/index.asp?divname=resd&resetdiv=1
Wow it's only 500 bucks! I'm getting half a dozen, shucks a dozen to round things out...
 
Tin_10 said:
Let me guess, the Holmes Air Purifier with the speed options on left, and the Ionizer on the right?

My parents bought one of those. I wouldn't say that it's silent at the lowest speed, but it's quiet enough to not be annoying. On the higher speed settings the fan makes annoying clicking noises, which would indicate that it doesn't have the highest-quality construction. The filter seems to do a pretty good job (though any filter would do a good job at their house, it's probably the dustiest house on the planet :rolleyes: ). I have no idea if the ionizer is good for anything though.
 
I worked at Sharper Image about 5 years ago (when I was 20) and picked up a couple at the employee discount (70% for Sharper Image branded Items). They dont take up much space, and are virtually silent since there are no fans (i took the damn thing apart- there are none). In my opinion, they work... every couple of weeks I have to clean the dust/dirt/etc off the blades. I even put a cigarette next to one when i first got it and it sucked up the smoke and expelled only clean air. Does it work better than other air cleaners? Who knows- all i know is i dont have to buy replacement filters and such for it.

The air always "smelled" a little funny coming directly from it so that may be the ozone that CR claims it emits.

Just my personal observations after having a few for many many years.
 
Pretty much any high voltage device will produce ozone; these ionic purifiers, stunguns, laser printers. That smell in the air after a lightning storm is ozone.

In small quantities it's realtively harmless. And of course it's essential in the upper atmosphere to protect us from the sun's UV rays. In a confined space however, ozone can be pretty bad and trigger respiratory problems in susceptible people.

I had a mini ionic breeze and it did manage to pull the smoky air into it, it also irritated my nose and left a black smudge on the wall behind it where the dirt stuck.
 
My computer is the best air cleaner I know of:) Hell there's more dust in it then any other place in my home.

I own a ionic breeze and after a few hours of use it really dries out my eyes and throat, but it does a great job of taking the dust and cooking odor out of the air.
 
I am not asthmatic, but I used to borrow a friend's air purifier in college. It keeps the dust down in the room a lot. I also did reel better breathing without a doubt. Also had to blow my nose a lot less, since I had less boogers, LOL.
 
I used to have a couple of those Holmes when I lived in Seoul Korea (some of the worst air polloution in the world). I would get about two weeks out of a "6 month" filter. If you want a good, cheap air filter do this: buy a 20" box fan (about $15) and a 20" x 20" high quality A/C filter. Attach with zip ties. Voila! High volume fan that collects alot of dust. Not silent, but by far the most effective I've seen. I've got friends with bad allergies (i.e. can't be in the same room as someone who owns a cat or can't breathe) who use this.

 
Mysticcal said:
Air purifiers are for smokers and people who are paranoid

I have 2 mostly indoor dogs, and God love them, they try, but without the air purifier i would be petless

QM
 
No offense, but Ionic Air Purifiers are for morons...

They don't clean the air, they just acumulate enough particles on the collectors to make you think they are doing something.

HEPA is the only way to go...
 
J-Mag said:
No offense, but Ionic Air Purifiers are for morons...

They don't clean the air, they just acumulate enough particles on the collectors to make you think they are doing something.

HEPA is the only way to go...
If it's collecting anything on the plates, then that's enough for me.
 
if you leave the plates in the corner for two weeks they'll collect about the same amount of stuff.

That said, since it does produce ozone it will remove oders. Used car dealers have been pumping ozone into smoker cars overnight to remove the odor for about 25 years now.

Is it good for you? Probably not. But my two 17" trinitrons generate about the same amount of ozone so I'm probably effed anyhow. But a HEPA will keep dander and allergens down which the ionizers can't do.
 
DriveEuro said:
If it's collecting anything on the plates, then that's enough for me.

Honestly I am glad you replied as you did! :toast:

Intersting that your nick includes "euro" cause this is a true american mindset...

Thank god we still have influence over the EU, cause the rest of the world isn't bowing down like they should.
 
not that i would know.. since i never worked at sharper image... ever.. in this life...
or the last... ...

but its a shame to spend that much money on a ~5$ product...
 
quasimodem said:
I have 2 mostly indoor dogs, and God love them, they try, but without the air purifier i would be petless

QM

6 cats + 1 dog + 1 rabbit + 1 gerbil
Not dumb enough to fall for the air-purifier crap. So what do I use? A vacuum.


 
There are some ionic purifiers out there that do put out a large amount of ozone, which in some cases can be harmful. But there are also a lot of ionic purifiers that are perfectly safe, anything made by Honeywell or Lifewise (the Radioshack brand) for examples. They've all been tested and are well below the required limits for ozone emissions. But as with anything, always check with your doctor if you have a condition that you think may conflict with one of these. I personally have a few of the Lifewise ones, and I dust a lot less than I used to around the house, and they pick crap out of the air pretty well. By no means are they 99.999% like the HEPA stuff, but they've also been running 24/7 for about a year now with no filter replacements, and unlike my humidifier which requires a brand new $15 wick every two months or so they've been nice and cheap to run.
 
Apallohadas said:
There is much wisdom in this one...

But if you have actual asthma and allergies, then it has to be a HEPA vacuum. Most vacuums actually tend to spit back a bit of dust at you through the exhaust, which is worse for people with asthma than if the dust had stayed settled in the carpet/floor in the first place.
 
Depends.

This is something of a derail, but as a child I had severe asthma. I'm not talking the shortness of breath that pudgy kids today suffer from because they can't run the 400. I'm talking about the 'in the hospital with a face mask full of oxygen' asthma. Had a medical record in states from MS to CT.

Exercise my friend! Shelling out 500 bucks (that could go towards a new computer) for a filter that won't improve your condition outside of one room, is a bandaid solution to the condition.

Just my personal rant about air purifies to combat asthma :D
 
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