Paul Harvey was a great man. He was a pioneer in radio broadcasting especially in regard to the talk radio genre. He was a decent person. One of the "good guys." In 2005, President George W. Bush awarded Mr. Harvey the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And recently he passed away.
But even great men have flaws. Paul Harvey had been quoted as saying, "I am fiercely loyal to those willing to put their money where my mouth is." And therein, lies a conflict of interest.
Now, I have no way of knowing whether or not Mr. Harvey knowingly endorsed fraudulent products but it is utterly indisputable that he did endorse the main product of Suarez Corporation Industries.
You undoubtedly have never heard of SCI but if you were a regular or even semi-regular listener of Paul Harvey you would have heard him endorse the miraculous EdenPURE heater with its revolutionary "cured copper" heat exchanger.
SCI is a prime supplier to the multi-level marketing community. Some of the companies that make up SCI are:
- Biotech Research
- International Home Shopping
- Lindenwold Fine Jewelers
- U.S. Commemorative Gallery
- Biotech Medical, LLC
- Resource Partners
This list is a smorgasbord of overpriced, yet intensely crappy products. (Oh sure, they sell the Tempur-Pedic line of closed cell foam mattresses which are merely overpriced...you can pick up the exact same thing at Walmart for a fraction of their cost.) This company is a virtual feeding frenzy for multi-level marketing scammers.
But I am only going to focus on their most prominent scam product: The EdenPURE heater.
The EdenPURE heater is the most expensive 115-volt electric space heater money can buy, bar none, and it is marketed with, at best, half-truths and, at worst, blatant lies.
Compounding the problem is literally hundreds (if not thousands) of independent distributors, many of them not authorized resellers.
So lets get into the meat of the issue. Just what does SCI, through its Biotech Research subsidiary, claim that the EdenPURE can do? Here are some select pickings from their FAQ page:
Q. What is the EdenPURE Heater Quartz Infrared Heating System?
A. Our Heating System is a revolutionary zone furnace that safely and efficiently heats entire areas that need additional heat.
Translation: It's a portable electric space heater.
Q. How do the EdenPURE Quartz Infrared Portable Heaters Work?
A. With the advent of micro-electronic technology and the latest in infrared commercial quartz tubes, three solar copper furnaces inside the unit absorb the heat from these tubes much like a sponge absorbs water. The patent pending process of cured natural copper creates an innovative heat exchanger capable of absorbing heat like a solar sponge. It then safely exhales what is coined as "soft" environmentally friendly heat that is able to travel rapidly in relative humidity. The EdenPURE SOFT heat does not burn up the humidity; moreover, it employs the humidity as a vehicle to warm up large spaces quickly and efficiently.
EdenPURE heater has perfectly regulated heat that will not destroy life/energy that other dangerous portable heating devices destroy, but helps to maintain healthy humidity levels indoors.
Other heaters cause occupants to lose energy and force them to breathe dry uncomfortable air. The EdenPURE heater replicates the earth's sun process by electronically exhaling comfortable cost cutting heat without burning up your family's life sustaining oxygen in your indoor living space. The benefits of this natural solar process are revolutionizing the way we will heat our homes and help save large amounts of costly energy.
Translation: Let the BS begin. Taking it item-by-item:
- Micro-electronic technology. Translation: It has a digital thermostat.
- The latest in infrared commercial quartz tubes. Translation: Three 500-watt halogen light bulbs. Big woop.
- Three solar copper furnaces. Translation: Copper pipe cut to length that surround the light bulbs.
- Cured natural copper. Translation: Fairy dust & unicorn farts. There is no such thing as "cured" copper.
- It then safely exhales. Translation: It has a blower.
-"Soft" environmentally friendly heat. Translation: More fairy dust.
-Does not burn up humidity. Translation: Utter nonsense, heaters don't dehumidify.
-Will not destroy life/energy. Translation: Utter nonsense for the mentally challenged.
-Helps to maintain healthy humidity levels. Translation: Utter nonsense, totally impossible.
-Other heaters cause occupants to lose energy. Translation: We think you are stupid.
-Replicates the earth's sun process. Translation: We think you are really, really stupid.
-Electronically exhales. Translation: We are doubling down on the stupid thing.
-Without burning...oxygen. Translation: Just in case you are an absolute idiot we are tossing this one in out of sheer spite.
-Helps save large amounts of costly energy: Translation: Compared to what? Plutonium?
Now back to the FAQ's...
Q. What makes the EdenPURE Heater "Healthier" than other heaters?
A. For one... the EdenPURE heater does not produce positive ions like other blower (dryer) type heaters.
EdenPURE heater has perfectly regulated heat that will not destroy life/energy that other dangerous portable heating devices destroy, but helps to maintain healthy humidity levels indoors.
Since the early 1950s scientists have suspected that ions play an important role in how the body functions and, consequently, in how we feel. Research has shown that an abundance of negative ions in the air we breathe is highly beneficial.
Conversely, scientists have found that if the air is charged with too few negative ions and too many positives, we become anxious, fatigued and tense. Positive ion poisoning has, in fact, been linked to heart attacks, aggravated asthma, migraine headaches, insomnia, rheumatism, arthritis, hay fever, and most allergies.
Translation: Wow. This is industrial strength BS at its finest. To me, this is holistic, pseudo-science mumbo jumbo that is ridiculous and claiming that other heaters produce positive ions is utter rubbish thrown out there for the slow-witted.
Q. How does the comfort of the EdenPURE Heater System compare to other systems?
A. The EdenPURE Heater System is a state of the art system that provides the most comfortable form of heat. Unlike traditional systems, which may leave a differential of up to 18 degrees from floor to ceiling, the EdenPURE Heater System heated air, using infrared absorption, does not concentrate near the ceiling. Heat stays down and evenly dispersed in the area where you and your family live.
Temperature difference from floor to ceiling is minimal. In addition, the EdenPURE Heater System does not remove humidity from the air. It actually helps maintain humidity levels. The even heating and higher humidity permit lower heat settings with more comfort, less condensation on windows and less static electricity. Furthermore, the EdenPURE Heater System does not use flame, fuel or any form of combustion. Therefore, the heat from the EdenPURE Heater is safe and clean - free of any other type of pollution and does not use up the oxygen in the air.
Translation: Okay, well this is more crap served up with a very large spoon...maybe even with a funnel and a hose.
The EdenPURE is, despite claims to the contrary, a forced air electric space heater. There is nothing magical about what it does. Room temperature air comes in one end and higher temperature air comes out the other end. That's it.
Warm air rises due to a property in air called "convection." To minimize the natural process of convection the air in a room may be circulated. Ceiling fans do this quite nicely.
There is no heater made that removes humidity from air. It is a physical impossibility. Period. To remove humidity from air one must lower the air temperature below its dew point. This is called condensation. Think of the "sweat" that occurs on a glass of ice water. If water condenses on the inside of your windows it is because there is a source of excess humidity in the house...someone left the shower running...and the glass is below the dew point. The EdenPURE heater is totally incapable of maintaining ANY level of humidity. Winter air is dry. Go to NOAA and look it up.
Any properly installed heating system will not use up the oxygen of the occupied space. Again, nothing magical here.
Q. Economically, how does the EdenPURE Heater System compare to other systems?
A. The EdenPURE Heater System is the most economical way to heat. In Midwestern Utility field tests for heating seasons, the EdenPURE Heater used an average of 35% less energy than conventional electric furnace/baseboard systems. Comparable results were found during comparisons with fuel based heating systems. Individual results, of course, depend on insulation values, local climate, and other conditions.
Translation: This is a pure lie. The most economical way to heat using electricity is with a heat pump. So, yeah, individual results depend on "other conditions." These (along with that old favorite, "individual results may vary") are what are called "weasel words."
Q. How much area does a EdenPURE Heater System Heat?
A. The EdenPURE GEN3 Model 1000 Heater is a 1483 watt Heating System, is an excellent source of primary heat for up to 400 square feet and a superb source of secondary heat for up to 1000 square feet of well insulated space.
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