msnbc.msn.com — Sharper Image has agreed to pay Consumer Reports $525,000 in legal costs after a judge dismissed its libel suit. Consumer Reports stands by their claim that not only does the Ionic Breeze not perform as advertised, but that it is also potentially hazardous to your health. (Plenty more to read at ConsumerReports.org if you have a membership.)
Jul 15, 2005 View in Crawl 4
etherdaisJul 14, 2005
I'd like to see more research done. I TOLD her that those things probably weren't worth the money.
mpeters13Jul 14, 2005
For people with chronic allergies, nose hairs aren't gonna cut it pops. It's probably easy to say something so flippantly when you don't have allergies to every fscking dust, dander or mold particle floating in the air. Pretty soon, consumer reports will find that everything kills you. The world is going to fsck anyway. I do agree that blasting tons of ozone into your system is unhealthy, but sometimes you have to go with what you can afford. :p But seriously guys, discounting every air filter is just rediculous. Some of these things do work.In contrast, I'm glad this study was brought forth. Sharper image is charging people up the ass for those things.
flattopJul 14, 2005
Ok here is my 2 cents... I own 2 of the GP Ionic Breezes, My house has not had as much dust flying around. This is evident when the morning or late afternoon sun shines in, there is hardly anything flying around anymore. I remember when I didn't have the 2 GP's and I remember a ton of stuff flying around. The collectors are always getting dirty, I doubt that is nothing being collected on them. My mom was in from Arizona at the beginning of June, she told me that when she says "When I was at your house I could breath easier and I felt better while I was there, as compared to everyone else's house that I visited." I live in Indiana, and she has allergy problems. She has even told me that she is going to buy one for her house in AZ. I don't doubt that the machine is putting out a certain level of ozone, but is it harmful to the point of making me sick... I feel above average most days and my family appears to be doing the same.
Closed AccountJul 14, 2005
Exactly how harmful is the ozone? What can it do to you?
brbubbaJul 15, 2005
I think they were referring to the fact that it generates ozone, ie an ozone generator. No lie in saying that.The case was dismissed, vindicating CR from any wrong doing. If they had said it doesn't work at all and indeed it did, the suit would have gone forward.The bottom line is that this device is a cash cow for Sharper Image and they will do anything to keep selling them. And that is where the problem lies to begin with, Sharper Image is misrepresenting their product as a potential competitor to HEPA systems. In addition they claim it can help asthma sufferers but never fully disclosed that it produces ozone which can make asthma worse! I would be curious to hear what a sharper image employee would say about this product if you asked them how it compares to HEPA filters. Something tells me that they wouldn't disclose the fact that it cannot clean as much particulate matter out of the air.
ottoJul 15, 2005
@brbubba: So my TV is an ozone generator, then?When you're speaking about air cleaning products, the terms "Ozone Generator" have a very specific meaning. An Ozone Generator is a product that uses ozone production as it's primary means of cleaning the air. It spits out a ton of ozone, which bonds with crap in the air to oxidize it and thus pull it out of the air. Such a device is meant only to be used in unoccupied spaces. After you shut it off, and wait a bit for the ozone to clear out, you have fresh, clean air.So them using the term "ozone generator" when speaking of an air cleaning product that uses other methods is, in fact, a lie. It is not an Ozone Generator. It doesn't generate ozone as its primary means of cleaning the air.And just because the case was dismissed doesn't vindicate CR of any wrong doing. It just means that SI probably couldn't show them to have done anything wrong. The fact of the matter is that they DID say it doesn't work at all. It's right there in freakin' print. They were wrong. They are wrong. They are STILL wrong. What is legal is not what is right, you know.And SI *does* disclose that it produces a small amount of ozone. There's a sticker on the damn thing that says so. It says so on the box. It's not like they covered anything up here. It produces levels that are under the federal standards for such production, so it's perfectly safe as far as the federal government is concerned.I agree that they don't say it's not as good as a filter system. But then they don't say that it *is* as good as a filter system either. Mainly they push the fact that it is fanless and therefore silent. Seems pretty obvious that a fanless unit wouldn't push as much air, I'd think.
stuffedstichJul 16, 2005
i would never buy one anyway. TOO freaking expensive. Lets see: Nice computer or 2 SHarper image ionic breezes to clean my air?
napalmJul 16, 2005
^^I'd take the nice computer; it'll collect about as much dust in the case as the Ionic Breezes would.
bobetrJul 19, 2005
This account has been closed by the user
ottoJul 30, 2005
wayneworld: It does move air, just not particularly quickly. Turn it on, stick your hand in front, you can feel the breeze,
wayneworldAug 4, 2005
This is true. However, the Ionic breeze does not move no where enough air (CFM) to make a real difference in the home. To make a home clean, the tested system (ionic, electrostatic, UV, or HEPA) must exchange all the air in the home once every hour or 1 ACH (air change per hour). The Ionic breeze doesnt even come close to that AAFA recommended number. Also, the OZONE guard is a band-aid solution to their crippled product. Granted, I believe the Inoic Breeze was very effective in bringing more Americans and people around the world more aware of the importance of clean air in the home. Now we just need to provide them a solid solution. HEPA. Go to Ready.gov to find out more about HEPA.
almarc11Sep 3, 2005
The technology used in the Ionic Breeze is proven technology that has been used for a long time in other household air cleaners as well as in industrial application. I have an electrostatic precipitator built into my heating/air conditioning system that works the same basic way as the Ionic Breeze. The difference is that my system has many many times the collection area as the "Breeze", and since it uses the the central circulating fan, lots of air moves over the collection plates. The Ionic Breeze moves very little air and has only a very small collection area. In addition, the adds you see on TV show someone cleaning the collection plates by just wiping the outside plates. The collection plates need to be cleaned in between as well, or else the effectiveness will be greatly diminished. Many coal fired power plants use this technology to remove tons of coal ash. So the "physics" do work. But in the case of the "Breeze" the implementation is sorely lacking. It just doesn't move enough air or have enough collection area to make it effective. Basically the "Breeze" is a piece of expensive junk that is not worth messing with. The ozone produced by the unit might give the impression that it is cleaning the air since ozone has a distinctive smell. But this is just an illusion.
scienceheadOct 11, 2005
Some are upset at the public reports of a product that is counter-productive. The truth is Ozone is bad for you. Ionic breeze works at removing particle matter from air only because it generates Ozone. It may not be an "Ozone Generator" but it generates Ozone, so technically you can't deny that it is an Ozone generator. This is a point I don't care to bicker about this further. The Ionic Breeze is capable of dramatically increasing Ozone levels in the air. If some levels produced were found in the natural environment there would be serious public warnings. If you use it and like it, great, keep it to yourself. There is no need to express you limited point of view to people whom are already skeptical and weary of pseudo-scientist tell me because it does something, anything, as well as create 'a little' Ozone that it is a good product. Initially similar arguments were made for DDT, Asbestos and many others. I am not saying the Ionic Breeze does damage equal to DDT, I am saying that people also defended DDT as some of you are now defending the Ionic Breeze. You know what is quieter then the ionic breeze and doesn't create any ozone at all???The lack of an Ionic Breeze.
adman77Mar 13, 2006
I've had 2 Ionic Breezes for a little over a year now. They were expensive. They seem to work but the problem is I have to say "seem to". Never have been sure. After reading all the Diggs I'm still unsure and concerned about the ozone. Is it under the acceptable level or over it? Also, not only do the collector blades get dirty as a function of the unit (I expect that and clean them regularly) but the outsides of the units get really grungy looking. I try to keep the outsides clean but it's not easy. A real pain. Any brilliant ideas?
doswareMar 27, 2006
Extinguish a match next the vertical intake slots of one of these- you'll note that the "sucking area" of the purifier is quite narrow. And it generates little suction power at that. So how can it clean an entire room? Well, it can't! There is no way one of these 300-500 hundred dollar gizmos can circulate/purify even a small area. Ironically, my 2 Ionic Breezes just collect alot of random dust at their bases (yes, I was dumb enough to have purchased two- now they are my little lab experiments). Go for a true (and noisier) HEPA purifier if you really want to clean a room. I bought 2 Whispure models from Whirlpool- and they actually do work as advertised.
hormonalJun 29, 2006
Hey guys, why don't you all just quit the bickering and do a little homework, you are all obviously working on old information, check out medicinenet.com/61972
grizzlybear06Sep 18, 2006
So lets take a look at what is being contested. 1. "It produces Ozone." Yup. Look at the medicinenet site posted above and you will read another study that says that the amount of ozone produced by an Ionic Breeze Quadra, when used in a large office and not a small bathroom, is 10 ppb below what the FDA considers as safe for medical devices. Don't use it in an enclosed area. That has already been addressed. If you want to know what is funny is that your CRT TV, Printer, Computer Monitor and a bucket load of other stuff around your house produce as much or more Ozone, especially the CRTs. For those who don't know, it stands for Cathode Ray Tube. If you don't know how to be safe around high voltage devices then don't mess with these guys. The voltage in certain areas is high enough to restart your heart if your not careful and simply unplugging it doesn't release the charge. The Ionic Breeze may have a decently high voltage but it has a very low current. 2. "It doesn't circulate air." Not very much but it does create a little breeze. If you have one then you may have noticed that it does move a little air. If you don't have one and you have no idea how it works then please do say something like "NO FAN, CAN'T WORK" If you are worried that it doesn't do enough, turn on a fan. All it needs is for air to be moved around. The fan may create a little extra noise but it will help. 3. "Sharper Image lost its' libel suit." So? O.J. Simpson got off clean. The Judicial system is good but not perfect. As far as I am concerned, this means diddlysquat. I would have to do my own research and read the reports. From what I have learned The Ionic Breeze puts out enough Ozone to be hazardous in a bathroom. If you have one and you are uncomfortable with it then sell it, open a window, turn on a fan or turn it off for a while. The Ozone will dissipate. Ionic Air Purifiers are only dangerous to those who don't know better. It is similar to selling a gun to someone who knows how to load it but doesn't know which way to point it.
grizzlybear06Sep 18, 2006
So lets take a look at what is being contested. 1. "It produces Ozone." Yup. Look at the medicinenet site posted above and you will read another study that says that the amount of ozone produced by an Ionic Breeze Quadra, when used in a large office and not a small bathroom, is 10 ppb below what the FDA considers as safe for medical devices. And that is at max contamination. Don't use it in an enclosed area. That has already been addressed. If you want to know what is funny is that your CRT TV, Printer, Computer Monitor and a bucket load of other stuff around your house produce as much or more Ozone, especially the CRTs. For those who don't know, it stands for Cathode Ray Tube. If you don't know how to be safe around high voltage devices then don't mess with these guys. The voltage in certain areas is high enough to restart your heart if you're not careful and simply unplugging it doesn't release the charge. The Ionic Breeze may have a decently high voltage but it has a very low current. 2. "It doesn't circulate air." Not very much but it does create a little breeze. If you have one then you may have noticed that it does move a little air. If you don't have one and you have no idea how it works then please do say something like "NO FAN, CAN'T WORK" If you are worried that it doesn't do enough, turn on a fan. All it needs is for air to be moved around. The fan may create a little extra noise but it will help. 3. "Sharper Image lost its' libel suit." So? O.J. Simpson got off clean. The Judicial system is good but not perfect. As far as I am concerned, this means diddlysquat. I would have to do my own research and read the reports. From what I have learned The Ionic Breeze puts out enough Ozone to be hazardous in a bathroom. If you have one and you are uncomfortable with it then sell it, open a window, turn on a fan or turn it off for a while. The Ozone will dissipate. Ionic Air Purifiers are only dangerous to those who don't know better. It is similar to selling a gun to someone who knows how to load it but doesn't know which way to point it.
vwsurfbug1Aug 13, 2008
I live in a very spacious apartment, above a smoker. I can only smell the smoke once in a while in my downstairs coat closet, and under my master bathroom sink, but I can only assume that some of his smoke is getting into my apartment, and into my lungs (especially on the weekend when he is home all day smoking). I know this, and this alone...The crap that I have to scrub off of my Ionic Breeze is BLACK...I mean really BLACK. Maybe it is from the smoking neighbor, but I will tell ya what, I think it is working based on the gunk that comes off of it. I do not notice an Ozone smell, and I am happy so far with the unit. I am not saying it is better than anything, or worse than another...I am simply saying that to me, I think it works...and well at that. Oh, I didnt buy it from an info-mercial, and I did not spend anywhere near $300.00 for it. SO THERE! lol
golassoSep 6, 2009
I have an ionic breezer in my house and to be honest, I'm glad I have one. When I clean it, there is really a lot of dust in it.Dust that wouldn't have disappeared if I did not have this nice air purifier. So, I would certainly not agree with the title of this topic althoug I must admit it attracts attention very much!----<a class="user" href="http://luchtreinigers.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">http://luchtreinigers.blogspot.com/</a>