Thorbjore's Full Review: Sharper Image Ionic Breeze 3.0 Air Purifier
It was love at first whiff. I let the thing run for the first time in my son's room with the door closed. It was winter. When we returned from our errands, his room smelled like a spring breeze. Literally.
My father gave it to me when my baby son was diagnosed with allergies and asthma; he thought it might help.
It did a great job! The baby's room always smelled nice and fresh, like it has been newly aired out with open windows on a brand new, bird-chirpin' spring day. On top of this, it was silent. I kept looking at the indicator light to ensure it was even on. It's like that new car that purrs like a kitten and how you keep wondering if it's stalled. We had a roaring air purifier in our room, so I was envious of the baby and his mute gift. But yes, I was in love.
I knew a couple of people who didn't like theirs because they didn't think they "worked." But I always defended ionic breeze, because I found that these people didn't understand the dimensions of their areas they were trying to cleanse. Ionic breeze will only work in smaller rooms. You can't bring it out into your dining room that isn't closed off and expect it to work when it is struggling to clean the air there and in the adjoining kitchen and livingroom.
The collection grid always accumulated dust, so I could see it was doing its job.
Cleaning the grid was a breeze:
1. Lift it from the tower.
2. Wipe with a damp cloth.
3. Pat dry with a soft cloth.
4. Turn the tower upside down and rightside up three times and return grid to the tower.
5. Press the power button until the desired level is reached.
EASY.
You'll note that I'm using words like "was" and "did." The thing -- in my 2-year old's room -- just flashed me its red "clean indicator" light. I have never seen it, since I've been so vigilant about cleaning it regularly. The cleaning light tells you that the grid is as full as it can be and it stops itself from running. On top of that, there was a weird smell in the room. Not quite like something was burning, but maybe singed.
I had zero intention of putting this electrical contraption back in my son's room, not with that unnerving smell, but I was curious as to whether or not the thing had retired on me.
I just washed the thing a couple of days ago, but I took it out. The grid had such a minute layer of dust, it was barely noticeable; it actually only dulled some of the luster from the chrome inside. I wiped it and replaced it. I turned it on. The red light was still on and the smell strengthened ten fold. Then the light went off and the thing will no longer turn on.
It was always out of my son's curious reach and I can't imagine any other reason for this. It has been treated well and constantly maintained.
I went and googled the ionic breeze to see if it said anything about this and I could find nothing. But. I did find plenty about how these things emit ozone. Ozone is a substance that is harmful to people with weak lungs (from diseases such as ASTHMA).
The Sharper Image camp has a website saying that their product does not emit enough ozone to be considered an "ozone generator," but that there is a trace amount emitted. Ozone is known to freshen the air and they say that it smells something like "the air after a lightning storm." Hmmm. That was the fresh air smell I previously described. Exactly.
They also say that within seconds, ozone is converted to breathable oxygen. However, they encourage using this thing in confined spaces. Hmmm.
Some sites say tomato, while Sharper Image says "ta-mah-toe." It seems if you read between the lines, this contraption could be considered at least a little harmful. I can't recommend it.
On top of the health risks and my own product's grand finale (with a dangerous-smelling odor), it costs $250 -- probably less now if you play your cards right. I got mine maybe a year and a half ago. That's a steep price for such a short life. Just say NO.
The Ionic Breeze 3. 0 Desktop is a compact air-purification system that is perfect for small personal spaces or closed office environments. Using ion...More at Office Depot
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