Ionic Breeze Air Purifier: The two year evaluation
Written: Nov 20 '04 (Updated May 18 '08)
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Pros: Quiet, low power consumption, relatively small,
Cons: Low air flow, expensive.
The Bottom Line: Disappointed, See update at bottom of review.
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| yakkowarner's Full Review: Sharper Image SI397 Air Purifier |
Ionic breeze is a product that cleans your air by ionizing it and attracting the dirt to collection plates. But there has been a lot of talk surrounding the health of the ionic breeze machines and how much Ozone they release. Compared to other Air purifiers that use this technology, the ionic breeze does not release a lot of ozone gas into the air. The ionic breeze is also not on the California government’s ozone hit list either (at least not yet). I personally am not worried about the discharged ozone from the ionic breeze but I am taking precautions listed below.
Products like living air release a good deal of ozone gas when set at high, much more than ionic breeze units. I personally am not worried about the ionic breeze but I certainly am of the other more powerful versions out there. I will probably buy a third ionic breeze when I get a chance, but I agree with the skeptics that more research needs to be done with air cleaners overall, including the ionic breeze. But if you have respiratory health problems then you may want to play it safe and spend the extra money over time on a good HEPA air purifier instead of an ionic breeze that relies on charging the air and purifying by ozone.
See update at bottom of review
What is the ionic breeze?
The ionic breeze is a small air purifier that does not use a fan or filters. Basically the ionic breeze charges the air particles causing a pressure change in the air. This in turn causes air to flow through the plates of the ionic breeze and dirt, dust, and other nasties collect on the metal collection plate. The air then leaves in a moderately purified state. This ionic breeze is a smaller and cheaper version of the quatra air purifier. This ionic breeze is of a lower voltages and smaller size.
Setup and how the ionic breeze works.
There is really nothing to setup. The ionic breeze is composed of two units. The base which has the plug and controls, and the collection plates which pulls out of the top of the unit. Mine ionic breeze came completely assembled so all I did was plug it in.
To use the ionic breeze you just plug it in and hit the select button on the top. This button cycles through 4 settings; high, medium, low, and off. The markings on top of the ionic breeze are a little hard to see in the dark but there are 3 green light the signify what setting the unit is on.
The noise level of the ionic breeze
Normally there is no noise coming from the ionic breeze. The air flow is too low to hear and there is no moving parts. But if you forget to clean the ionic breeze for a week or two you will get a low hum or other noise coming from the machine. All I need to do to solve it is to clean the collection plates of the ionic breeze.
How do I know the ionic breeze works?
About an hour after I plugged in my two ionic breeze I perceived a difference. This could have been all in my head but at least I thought I was breathing easier. Problem with this is I have no proof, so read on.
Later that week I invited a friend over. She has a slight case of asthma and a problem with allergies. There have been times where she has had problems breathing at our home. Well she had been at our home for around 2 hours and I asked her how her allergies were. She said they were better for some strange reason but she did not know why. I pointed out my new ionic breeze and told her what it was. She just smiled and nodded in understanding. But she did cringe at the price.
Fires
We had some small fires in the hills a year ago. They were really bad and you probably saw them on the news. It was so bad that I had a layer of ash on my car for a week. The fires were 40 miles away so I had trouble breathing any time I was outside or at other peoples homes. But in my home I was able to breath quite easily thanks to the ionic breeze. My family and I left one night to go to a gym that had its doors open. My throat burned and I had trouble breathing (ash was still falling at the time.) About an hour after I got home the burning throat subsided. The ionic breeze really does work.
My in-laws went to the Sharper Image store a couple of times and almost bought an ionic breeze because of these fires (they resisted because of the cost.) They really saw the difference between our house and their house during those 2 weeks.
Precautions I have chosen to take with the ionic breeze because of the ozone concern.
I do not place the ionic breeze near anyone that is sleeping because the Ozone gas can cause dry throat. As long as the ionic breeze is 5 feet away from where I sleep then I personally do not have any problems with my throat in the morning. Because of this I will not place the ionic breeze in my children's rooms until they are older, but I have no problem leaving one in the hallway if I need to. I normally leave one ionic breeze in the main living room because that is where we spend most of our time. It has made a difference in the air quality and so far I have not seen any ill effects. In fact I have seen some beneficial ones. The ionic breeze in those rooms are placed away from where my family interacts and this will decrease the concentration of ozone gas I receive.
My take on ozone.
A lot of people are afraid of ozone, and for good reason. At high doses ozone can be harmful. This is the reason more research should be conducted. But I saw a comment with someone comparing cyanide with ozone I thought it was funny because the comment seemed full of paranoia. The same type of paranoia occurred with fluorine a few decades ago. Fluorine at high concentrations is used in the manufacturer of rat poison. So when the government was talking about putting fluorine in the water supply, the general public was afraid because they did not want poison in the water supply. What they did not realize is that the fluorine was in a low concentration in our water that was not harmful and also would be beneficial to your teeth.
The same argument can be made with chlorine. Chlorine is a very reactive substance and chlorine gas has been used to kill. But in low doses it is a great way to disinfect household items and keep pool water clean. Chlorine is a necessary element in our society, not one we should run away from in terror.
Once more research is done (and it needs to be) then we will know for sure, but for the time being I’m not too worried about my machine. And for the time being I am not listening to the paranoia that exists in this area of the industry. I won’t buy an eco-quest or similar machine that the California government is going after, but I will probably buy another ionic breeze when I get the chance.
How many ionic breeze units do you need?
I recommend that you get one ionic breeze per room,
It all depends on your needs. If you have a small room then all you need is 1 or if the small room adjoin then you just need one for both rooms. If the room is large then you need 2. I estimate 1 ionic breeze unit for a 10’x10’ room. I currently have one ionic breeze in my bedroom and one in the living room. I want 3 additional ionic breeze units for my 2 kids rooms and one for my family room.
Tips for your home.
The most important thing you can do is replace the filter on your furnace/air conditioner. Although the filter does not create clean air, it will significantly reduce the air borne dust coming into the home. You might also want to check the seals on your doors and windows.
How do you clean the ionic breeze?
Cleaning the ionic breeze is very simple. All you do is pull out the collection grid and wipe it down with a damp sponge. This takes off the dirt and dust that has collected on the plates. Just insert the unit and hit the select button.
Can you replace the collection plates of the ionic breeze?
My son pulled out a collection plate one day and started to play with it. Well he ended up breaking the prongs on the bottom. I mistakenly ordered a spare collection plate with I placed the original order for the ionic breeze. All I did was swap plates, there was nothing to assemble or take apart.
Energy usage
This ionic breeze only consumes 6 watts of power.
Dimensions of the ionic breeze
19 inches tall
8 inches diameter base
Problems
You cannot run the ionic breeze with burning candles or scented oils. These appear to clog up the system. I have read user reviews where the unit blew up and sent oily residue around the room. There is even a large paper from sharper image that warns you about this problem.
Should you run the ionic breeze continuously?
I have had no problems with it running the ionic breeze continuously as long as you clean it weekly. Sharper image even recommends you run it continuously.
Additional costs.
I have had no additional costs related to the ionic breeze. No filters to buy and electricity is pretty low, just like the infomercial says.
Why the rating?
The rating is probably close to a 4.5 because there is always room for improvement with a product like this. But I really like the ionic breeze and heartily recommend it.
Does the Ionic Breeze Produce Ozone?
Currently the state of California is trying to outlaw several of these units because they produce excessive amounts of Ozone. One of these units is called the Living Air and has received quite a bit of press about the amount of ozone it discharges. As of this writing, the Ionic Breeze is not on this list and I agree with that decision. This unit does produce Ozone but the amount seems to be fairly small and I personally am not concerned with it as a health risk. I have one on in my bedroom and I have not experienced any of the problems that are associated with Ozone like a sore throat or other respiratory concerns. If anything, I am breathing easier because of the machine. But I am looking forward to seeing this unit and other units thoroughly tested in some independent laboratories.
Update 12-16-05
Both of our units have stopped working as of 2 months ago. I've tried various things and nothing has worked. Because of the cost of these things and the relatively short life span, I have reduced the rating. Ultimately, there was no cost savings by going this route vs. a unit with a HEPA filter that needs to be replaced periodically.
I have also left the original review so you can see my love of the product while it was working.
Summary
The ionic breeze is an air purifier that works. The ionic breeze has proven itself with my friends, family, and even when Southern California was up in flames. The only two negatives are you will need one for every large room and they are expensive. They do not clean a large area. But if you have allergies it is well worth it.
Other reviews you might be interested in.
Ionic Breeze quadra, 27 inches.
Ionic Breeze, for the bathroom.
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Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 250
Battery Life: N/A
Noise Level: Almost noiseless
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