Ionic Air Purifier

[thestinker]

Ok, this goes along with my ac filter question. I am thinking about picking up one of these ionic air filters, kinda like the ones at sharper immage. Who has one of these and which ones do you recomend? I was looking on the web and the ones by Orek (sp?? the vaccume guy) says his are better than the ones sold through sharper immage. Then I find one that says it will work through walls and treat 2000 sq feet. Then I find one that says going through walls is imposible. I have a chemistry degree so the process by which these things work I understand. I just don't have 1st hand exp with these things.

[frumper64]

Oreck ionic air purifier

We've had the Oreck for a couple of years and it is pretty good. It definitely traps a lot of dust, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it over other brands. We had to have it fixed once (under warranty) but other than that it has been reliable. I looked at the Sharper Image one before LOML bought the Oreck, but it seemed to me the Oreck, with it's fan, pulled more air through the filter which I thought to be a good thing.

[DaveW]

I haven't tried the oreck, but the fan-powered air movement seems like a good thing if you don't mind the noise. (it's hilarious to watch the competing infomercials - Oreck bashes SharperImage for not moving the air fast enough and SharperImage bashes Oreck for being too loud, and if you want the "quiet" mode, it doesn't move any air).

If you do decide to go with the SharperImage line, a good way to get it is at a place like Bed Bath and Beyond - we get 20% off coupons in the mail pretty regularly for it, and you'll never see a deal like that at the Sharper Image store (except maybe if you consider something like "buy one get one half off", but buying two is a pretty big wallet hit)

[hobkirk]

The Sharper quotes are FANTASTIC! I have one of the best and I LOVE its quietness, zero filter costs, and small energy usage. And, it really seems to remove a fair amount of dirt (but how can I know what some other "filter" might do?).

But that's one person in one place. Maybe I'm crazy [come on - it is POSSIBLE that I'm NOT crazy.]. Or maybe I work for Sharper Image. I think it's a good to check someone like Consumer Reports. They did a test after I had bought mine, and I was not impressed. Here's a summary:

Even the best air cleaners could be a frivolous investment, according to medical experts. Our tests also show that a few produce significant levels of ozone, an irritant that can worsen asthma and decrease lung function.

Market leader Sharper Image's Professional Series Ionic Breeze Quadra SI737 is among the ionizing room models that did a poor job of cleaning dust and smoke from the air in our May 2005 report on ionizing air cleaners. All ionizing models produce some ozone, but those poor performers emitted enough of it to fail the industry-standard Underwriters Laboratories test that we replicated.

For this report, we expanded our air-cleaning and ozone tests to include room as well as whole-house models, which replace the filter in a forced-air heating or cooling system. All whole-house and most room models we tested were well within the 50-parts-per-billion ozone threshold. But Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze Quadra SI637 room model, a sibling of the SI737, exceeded the UL ozone limit, while the LakeAir Maxum room model came close.

Sharper Image began offering an ozone-reducing catalyst for its SI737 and SI637 models at the time we posted this report.

[brumere]

I've had the Sharper Image unit for 2 1/2 years. It's quiet and I know it's cleaning something out of the air because every two weeks when I clean the filter, I'm amazed that there's that much "stuff" on the collecting plates. I do occasionally get a whiff of the ozone smell that these Ionizing units are known for.

Currently It's back at Sharper Image for repair. Two months ago it quit working. I pulled the paperwork and it's covered by a five year warranty. When I contacted Sharper Image they sent me a prepaid UPS return label with no hassles whatsoever. I'm currently waiting for it's return.

Another place to look for good pricing on Sharper Image units is eBay. These units have a 30 day money back return policy when bought new from Sharper Image. Those units that are returned are sold on eBay at reduced prices.

[Ken Massingale]

Well, I haven't used any of the air purifier products, but I do thank you for the chuckle I am having due to the subject and your user name! ;-D
Thanks, I needed it.
Ken

[maxparot]

I have 2 of the full sized Ionic Pro units. They work great and cost a lot less than Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze.
The regular price is $150. I purchased mine from Penn State Industries (PSI) for $120 each with free shipping.

I ran into a factory rep at a home show a couple of years ago. I'm told they are made in the same factory.

If you do get 1 disregard the instuctions telling you to rinse the grid. This takes to long to dry. Use a handy wipe. Wet it and wring it so it's just damp. Wipe the grime of the grid. rinse handy wipe and repeat intil grime is gone. Dry grid with paper towels and when completely dry replace in unit per instructions.

[Raffi]

LOL Ken. LOL.

[thestinker]

I will check out the Ionic Pro. I saw its available at Target and Walmart. As for the name and subject...well I aim to please

[jbalders]

Sharperimage.com sometimes has refurb units on sale. We picked up two full-size ones for the same you would pay for a brand new one. This is the one we got:

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/ca...atid__39075800

We've had them a year, and both have performed flawlessly, and I believe have cut down considerably on the ambient dust in the air. We also have one of the matching compact ones sitting on my dresser in the bedroom.

They're essentially silent, unless it's getting near time when they need to be cleaned. They make a quiet hissing sound, kind of like a radio that's just receiving static with the volume turned down low.

Jeff

[Ej101]

If your air cleaners clean by pumping out ozone, you might want to check out the EPA webste about ozone and air cleaners, http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html