Ionic Breeze Quadra - Is it a GP without UV or much less?
by yusakugo - Written: Jan 16 '04 (Updated Mar 16 '04)
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Pros: Cheaper than GP, less power than GP, smaller than GP
Cons: Still expensive initially, needs more frequent cleaning, no UV light, other
The Bottom Line: Like the GP, it seems to be an effective unit but paying the full price is quite steep.
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| yusakugo's Full Review: Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Quadra SI637 Air Purifi... |
In my Ionic Breeze GP review, I mentioned that my parents got the Ionic Breeze Quadra units a few weeks before I got my Ionic Breeze GP units. It was after witnessing a difference in my allergies when I visited my parents' house that I began to seriously consider purchasing the Ionic Breeze unit in some form or another for my own home.
Regardless, the performance of the more modest Ionic Breeze Quadra units helped convince me to buy and try the Ionic Breeze GP units. I sneezed much less at my parents' house even since they got the units... although I see that they have to wipe down the collection blades at least once a week if not more.
Short Take
The Ionic Breeze seems to do its job in filtering impurities out of the air. Like the GP unit, I felt better when my parents have used it for long periods of time and can see the accumulation of dirt on the Ionic Breeze's collection blades.
My allergies did seem better in my parents' house after they had used the Quadra unit for a week. The only minor annoyance is the smell of the small amounts of ozone generated by the unit.
Pros:
1) Seems to collect dust
2) Fairly compact
3) Extremely quiet units if you clean them weekly
4) Easy to use and learn
5) Low power usage at 10-15 Watts
6) Built to run 24 hours 7 days a week.
Cons:
1) Price for an unit is any condition!
2) Ozone smell
3) Is it really working? My only evidence is the dirt that collects on the collection grid.
4) Unit stays off if you take out the grid and replace it (i.e. you have to turn it on again)
5) Grid can slide out if unit is turned upside down
Pricing
The MRSP is $349.99 brand new. You can find the Quadra unit at several stores that resell Sharper Image merchandise like Circuit City and Lord and Taylor's to name a few. Sharper Image is running a special where you get the second unit for half price and you also receive one bathroom sized ionic breeze wall plug-in unit.
Sharper Image does have coupons for you web shoppers... usually in the range of $15-$30 or free shipping. On rare occassions you'll see 10%, 15%, and on very rare occassions the 20% coupon. These are rather rare to see over the course of a year. If you go through ebates.com (see my epinion The Art of Buying... Getting your money's worth! on how ebates.com works), there offer 6% back although I am still arguing with ebates.com for my last purchase through www.sharperimage.com.
Another way of getting an Ionic Breeze Quadra unit for much cheaper involves either going to a Sharper Image Outlet store which gets you 30% off the Refurbished/Like-New/Repackaged unit and the second unit is 50% off the original price. The other way is to go to the www.sharperimage.com/outlet web site and buy the Like-New/Refurbished unit for 50% (approx $175) plus S&H or buy the Less-Than-New unit for 60% off (approx. $140). These are much cheaper options and still grant the full warranty as if it was a new product! Major Update Sometime in February or March 2004, Sharper Image has increased the price on Like-New and Less-Than-New Models to 30% off and 40% off now!
Style and Function
My parents bought one Burltech unit which has an all black casing with a faux wood top and one Charcoal gray unit. The controls consist of one large push button, and several LEDs. There are three LEDs to indicate the rate of air movement which is low, medium, and high. There is also an LED that lights up if the collection grid is to dirty. The push button selects between off, low, medium, and high air flow settings.
Please note that when I say low, medium, and high air flow, this is not like a fan. The speeds are relative to the unit... i.e. the high setting on the Ionic Breeze at best may move air as fast as the low setting of a 20 inch electric fan.
The collection grid is smaller than the GP grid and slides out for removal for cleaning. The grid is composed of three long blades (which are not as deep as the GP blades).The unit consumes up to 28 Watts of power with the UV light on and airflow set to high. With the UV light off, the power consumption is about half.
On how much air can it effectively clean... well, Sharper Image states 500 square feet. The unit was supposedly built for use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. However, It's turned off when my parents are not home (every weekday morning).
As far as power consumption goes, it uses up to 15 Watts of energy... so almost half that of the GP model.
In the box, you get a videotape about the Quadra unit, an instruction manual, and an anti-static cleaning cloth.
Performance
I'm not sure how to gauge this but every week, the collection grid has collected alot of something dirty. I either clean it with the cloth provided in the box or a Swifter cloth. The cleaning cloth looks filthy every week. The unit look as filthy as my GP unit after a week of being on (remember that my parents only keep the units on for 5-7 hours a day so collection area of the blades are significantly smaller than the GP).
As far as I can tell, my allergies seem to be under better control and I feel better. However, there is no cold hard fact that lets me say the air is cleaner. I just have to trust that the filth I clean off the collection grid every week, Sharper Image's word, and the endorsement by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) means that my air is significantly cleaner than without the Ionic Breeze GP unit.
Note that the Ionic Breeze units do generate a bit of ozone that Sharper Image states is produced in levels acceptable for home use. If you walk into a room with an Ionic Breeze unit, you will notice a burnt smell in the air... that probably is the ozone. Note that if you stay in the room for a few minutes, you'll no longer notice the smell in a minute or so. You're most likely to notice the ozone smell when you are out of the house and walk back into a room with the Ionic Breeze Quadra on. I'll assume that Sharper Image's statement is correct and the ozone produced is not in harmful levels since I'm still alive right now.
Cleaning
Cleaning the collection grids is fairly easy. Wipe them down with a dry cloth or the cloth included. If you really want them clean, use a damp cloth or wash the collection grid. Note that the collection grid needs to be completely dry before you reinsert them back into the Ionic Breeze Quadra unit. The Quadra unit definitely requires more frequent cleanings than the GP unit.
Note if the unit becomes dirty inside, the unit will make some noise... if it is really dirty, it may make hissing and popping noises. Here you should flip the base unit upside down at least twice. The problem is that dirt has collected on the ionizing electrical current wires. There a small glass bends on these wires that help with cleaning when you flip the unit upside down and back again. Note that early model Quadra units do not have this feature. I am assuming newer Quadra units have these glass beads since my parents had glass beads on their unit. Doing this should ensure a long and fairly trouble free life for the Ionic Breeze Quadra unit.
Warranty and Customer Service
From my understanding, Sharper Image's warranty on the Ionic Breeze units is second to none. Bring it back to any Sharper Image store and they will replace the unit if it is defective. No questions asked really.
On top of that, as long as your unit is under warranty, you can return it and get full credit to upgrade to the next best unit (whenever it becomes available since the GP unit is current top of the line). No worries being left in the technological dust.
On CADR or the Clean Air Delivery Rate
www.cadr.org publishes numbers and certifies air cleaners. The Sharper Image Ionic Breeze units in all flavors are NOT certified by any means. The published numbers are horrible for the Ionic Breeze. However, Sharper Image explains that the Ionic Breeze does not perform well in the CADR tests because the tests are based on high airflow. The Ionic Breeze are low airflow units that are designed to operate over long periods of time.
Don't get me wrong about the CADR numbers... but I tend to believe Sharper Image's statement about the interpretation of the CADR numbers. Most HEPA filters use high speed fans to push air through a filter and therefore obtaining filtered clean air. Most impurities in the air would be trapped in the filter allowing the clean air to flow through the microscopic pores. The Ionic Breeze units will not work effectively with forced high airflow... it wants a steady air movement with time to attract and capture impurities.
Just be careful when interpreting the CADR numbers. The numbers are definitely useful but you have to keep in mind the context of the numbers.
Against traditional fan based air purifiers with HEPA filters?
The Ionic Breeze seems to do the job although direct comparisons between the Ionic Breeze and traditional fan based air purifiers are difficult to do. The traditional HEPA fan based air purifiers may be initially cheaper to purchase but considering that you have to buy a new HEPA filter every 1 to 3 months and the expense of the HEPA filter, in the long run, the Ionic Breeze will likely prove to be the better value.
Final Word
I think the unit works, but I wouldn't pay full price if I can help it! Buying the unit in Like-New condition is your best bet especially with the full 5 year warranty included in the rufurbished packages! Less-Than-New units should be considered if you're really under a tight budget.
If you're interested in the highest end Ionic Breeze unit, the Ionic Breeze GP, I wrote a review on Epinions.com here.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 225
Battery Life: N/A
Noise Level: Almost noiseless
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