Ionic Breeze Air Purifier
Posted: Tuesday, January 19, 2010
by Anthony Davis
I'm sure we all remember the ads for the original Ionic Breeze air purifier. They could be found not only on TV, but also at Radio Shack and, if you could find one, retail stores owned by The Sharper Image. Then, poof, they disappeared, and so did The Sharper Image themselves. If you do some Googling, you'll find that people in general feel that The Sharper Image made lots of false claims about the Ionic Breeze. However, looking at reviews made by people who actually purchased the product, you'll hear all sorts of good stuff. So, let's compare the claims made by the ranting masses and media to what actually happened with the Ionic Breeze air purifier.
The Sharper Image never claimed that the Ionic Breeze cleaned the air as well as True HEPA purifiers. Like good business people, they avoided the subject of efficiency altogether, for the most part. The stuff hit the fan when Consumer Reports said the Ionic Breeze silent air purifier cleaned only 30% of pollution out of the air. However, you have to consider that 100% of the polluted air will have to pass in and out of the machine quite a few times. Getting something 30% clean over and over again will, after time, get you almost to 100%. No, it's not as efficient, but one could say that ionic air purifiers, if given plenty of time, will do the job just as well as anything. They're also much cheaper to purchase, operate, and maintain. Also, don't forget that Consumer Reports only compared to True HEPA air purifiers as opposed to the much more common HEPA-type purifiers. HEPA-type air purifiers have no particular efficiency, while True HEPA machines are out of reach for many consumers.
It's Been Said That The Ionic Breeze Pollutes The Air
This comes from the idea that ionic air purifiers produce a dangerous amount of ozone when doing their job. This simply is not true. The confusion comes from ozone generators, which work in a fashion somewhat similar to ionic air purifiers, but produce far more ozone. In fact, Consumer Reports even said that the Ionic Breeze air purifier produces under 50ppb of ozone, which meets HEPA guidelines. For what it's worth, the original Ionic Breeze air purifier passed every HEPA guideline, except for efficiency.
Some Say The Ionic Breeze Air Purifier Killed The Sharper Image
Although it wasn't sales figures that caused it directly, The Sharper Image filed for bankruptcy in 2008. As their once great, if finicky reputation had totally been trashed, and they were publicly traded, the prices of their stocks dropped to nothing almost overnight. True, the company had lots of debt, but they still claimed to have better than $50 million equity, without including cash on hand. This didn't convince their investors, though.
How Are Newer Ionic Air Purifiers Different?
New ionic air purifiers really aren't all that much better than the original, but the concept was so simple and effective that it would be really hard to improve upon. The simple fact is that an ionic air purifier will safely, albeit slowly, clean the air just as well as anything else, and cost a lot less doing it. Although the Ionic Breeze itself is nearly impossible to find, the Ionic Pro air purifier, as well as some generics, are readily obtainable.
For more information in the Ionic Breeze Air Purifier, as well as the alternatives, check out Ionic Air Purifier Info.
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