Customer Reviews

Sharper Image Ionic BreezeŽ QuadraŽ Silent Air Purifier (SI637BLK)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I purchased two of the Ionic Breeze Quadra's for my condominium directly from Sharper Image. The total area of my unit is about 1000 ft^2 with limited windows to open, therefore I am forced to run my air handling equipment most of the year. This leaves my unit quite dusty, I also have many smokers to deal with that leave that persistent musty odor that is hard to get rid of, especially in humid climates. After just a couple of days, the Quadra's had virtually eliminated the musty smoke smell and I have noticed a dramatic decrease in dust on all horizontal surfaces, especially my black counter tops. It really works well; my only beef is the cost. The Quadra's are really quite simple and lightweight (like a plastic model). There is just not the justification for the price. The deal I received allowed me to buy the second unit at a 50% discount. A more realistic price would have been 50% off for both. Ingenious and capable as it is, does not necessarily justify the cost even if other devices with HEPA certifications are more expensive. Bottom line, works great on dust and smoke, though quite pricey.

I have bad allergies and I have been stuffing my face with allergy drugs and nasal sprays for the last few years. A friend had an Ionic Breeze and recommended that I take it home and try it out for a couple of days. I did and was amazed at what a difference it made. The room has that fresh ozone smell like after a rain. I ended up buying a full size and a smaller one for our house. It is an awesome product. My allergies are so much better now that I have these and I've scaled way back on the drugs. I recommend it.

Several years ago before Cosumer Reports slandered Sharper Image out of business, I bought an Ionic Breeze Quadra from my neighborhood Shaper Image store. It was expensive at the time but I thought it was well worth it. Well as soon as my wife read the report about ionic air cleaners, she bought it hook, line and sinker... and why not, is Consumers Reports EVER wrong? (BTW the answer to that is yes, more offer than people realize) So she packed it away in the attic and refused to look at it, let alone use it. There is sat for almost 3 years. Today, while cleaning the attic I found my old friend. I dusted off the box, took out the Quadra and hooked it up in my office. Suddenly, my office smells clean. I feel like I can breathe again. It's spring-time in South Jersey... take means everything outside is covered in a thick layer of yellow pollen. well, I'm safe inside with my old friend. It still works perfectly and is completely silent. This product is amazing. Like or not, it works.

For the record, I see nothing that says it will eliminate the need for you to dust ever again. I didn't buy it for that reason and if you did... well, you're either lazy or a fool. And as far as the zapping noise goes, I was instructed when I bought this that you should clean it with a DRY cloth. If you need to use Windex or something, you MUST let it dry before using it. If you get a zapping sound, that means the collection plates are still holding moisture. Think about it... negative and positive ions and a little bit of moisture... that's the same recipe for a lightning storm! Let the plates air dry. Just because you wiped them dry does not mean that they are dry. My Quadra is now and always was COMPLETELY silent. The little bathroom one on the other hand was never silent. It was a free gift for spending $350, what do you expect?

In an objective summary: it remove odors, removes something from the air as the collection plates need to be cleaned twice a week, it is completely silent and costs $10 a year to operate 24/7. The room smells clean and fresh and I don't have allergy problems.

I would love to know from these lemmings (especially from the ones who own a herd of cats) if the best rated Consumer Reports air cleaner eliminated their need to dust?

I'm a clean freak. The thought of having a product clean and freshen the air really appealed to me so I bought 4 Ionic Breezes for a 2700 sq. ft. home thinking that I would see a reduction in dust around the house. Wrong! Sure they collect dust on their metal plates but those small surfaces don't compare to the dust that still collects on my dresser, tables, floors and everywhere else. You would need 1 Ionic Breeze per Square foot in your house to ever see a measurable reduction in surface dust. I would have been happy to see a 25% reduction in dust but I'm not even seeing a 1% reduction. They must be cleaned one a week or else they will hum. We keep our home clean by removing our shoes at the door, by vacuuming at least twice a week, by keeping the windows closed and using the air central air conditioning system when necessary (with clean filters). As a room deodorizer I would give it 3 stars as it can freshen the air effectively within a few hours except for something extreme like cooking fresh fish. Cleaning the air from this odor can take 5-6 hours. By the way, I bought my units at the Sharper Image auction site and paid $150 each. Even at this price I consider them overpriced. They seem to have an unlimited supply of these refurbished units at their auction site which makes you wonder why they have so many returns. The idea of improving the air quality in a home is worthwhile but cannot be accomplished with this Sharper Image product.

Of 19 models of air cleaners tested, the Ionic Breeze came in second to last place, along side the Honeywell "Environizer" (another electro-static model), in terms of performance.

Tested at it's higest operating level against the top 2 air cleaners: the Friedrich C90A and the Whirlpool AP45030HO, both of the top performers move over 25 times the air ON THEIR LOWEST SETTINGS. Further testing revealed these air cleaners to be almost completely silent on their lower settings and using only as much power as a lightbulb.

In my opinion, you should steer clear of the Ionic Breeze, not only for perfornace issues, but because it the price to manufacture these units is about 1/20 what they're charging. There is currently a class action suit being filed agaist Sharper Image because of concerns over excess ozone emissions not properly reported by the manufacturer.

We received an Ionic Breeze for Christmas several years ago from my parents. I put it in the largest room in the house and let it run constantly. We had carpet at this time. For a dust remover, it's very poor. It just simply doesn't have the air volume or dust collection capacity. That's what your central air unit is for - with close to four square feet of filter or more.

As an air purifier it's excellent. I removed all the carpet in our house, installed fake wood floors, and moved the unit to my bedroom. I can get at least three or four weeks between cleanings - even with a cat. The lack of carpet really cut down on the dust in the house and the I.B. in my room helps me sleep better at night.

* My unit is silent unless it's dirty.
* It has three speeds but I wonder who runs it on anything but max?
* It claims to only use a few watts - I haven't put a meter on it yet.
* I would probably never pay this much for an air cleaner unless I was (more) wealthy.

I purchased a Sharper Image Ionic Breeze from a Speigel catalog years ago, it was pricey $250 but I can not say enough about how great it was.
It last 5years and since then I haven't been able to find the same machine. Being a smoker and having a cat and allergies this was amazing!
Ever since my machine died which by the way was completely silent
I have increased headaches probably a combo of sinus allergies and whatever else is in this old apartment which has few windows. I highly recommend this to anywho who smokes or not, and has pets or not
because when family and friends visit they cannot tell I have a cat
and they also say it's hard to believe I smoke!!!!

I own 2 Quadras and live in a small apartment (700 sq ft). I've been using my units for over a year. I was hoping to see a significant reduction in dust on my furniture. Not so. I still dust 2 times a week and see no difference from before I owned them. And QUIET! HARDLY!!! After thoroughly cleaning and turning the units as per the instructions, the units continue to HISS and SIZZLE continuously. I actually turn them off when I leave the apartment now as I am afraid they are a fire hazard! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!
I'll NEVER buy another Sharper Image product.

Here are the facts: I just received my second warranty replacement Quadra in three years (thank goodness they have a five year warranty!). (My brother is on his fourth in three years.) Even though I kept the unit clean and followed Sharper Image's instructions, each unit just suddenly died - failed to turn on.

Regarding Sharper Image's claim of being silent, my units were anything but. Even after thorough cleaning the units hummed. They were loud enough that I had to turn them off at night in order to sleep. This "new" third one hummed right out of the box!

Will I purchase another one? No.

Just do a quick search online for 'Ionic Breeze" and look at the news stories that you find. The dangers of this 'air purifier' drove Sharper Image into bankruptcy. I can't believe that Amazon is selling this product.

Consumer Reports determined that this unit produces dangerous levels of ozone and can cause permanent lung damage!

Don't believe me, do your own research!