We first got turned on to the Ionic Breeze Quadra through their infomercial on TV. 'No filters to replace, easy cleaning, and best of all it's completely silent' the ad promised. That's how they justify charging over $300 a piece.

I tried to give my boyfriend other options for air purifiers, but he was so set on this miracle machine that within the week, he went out and bought 2.

I don't remember exactly when the machines started making a staticky noise, but it was very soon after we had purchased them. As we were very busy during the time, and the machines had a guarantee, we tolerated the noise for weeks. You'd think that when you pay such a high price for a product, the company would take care of your problems with it until you are completely satisfied.

I finally got fed up and found the time to call Sharper Image customer service. The girl on the other end was friendly and helpful, offered some troubleshooting steps, and even checked back in with me the next day to see if they had worked. They had, but only for about 24 hours.

I called back again, this time speaking to another representative who gave me a very legalese answer: that the machines had been bought more than 60 days ago, that the instructions booklet outlined the problem, and if it continued, the machine needed to be cleaned thoroughly as often as the problem persisted. Except, she said, it's not a problem: this will happen with each unit because when particles get caught in the ionizing wires the machines will make noise.

What happened to the quick and easy cleaning of simply wiping down the blades whenever the cleaning light goes on? They never mentioned having to unplug the machine, take out the blades, and shake the machine vigorously from top to bottom. The website brags about how much money you save each year on filters and electricity, but somehow fails to mention the expense of buying cans of compressed air to do a thorough cleaning - what - every 48 hours in my case?

Sharper Image offered to exchange our units but warned us that every machine was going to face this issue. Granted, they do disclaim the thorough cleaning in the directions booklet, that is the only place they disclaim it, and probably conveniently so, since few people actually look through it before logically plugging it in, and pushing the 'on' button.

I was appauled at the facts of another report I saw on this website: that the ozone the ionic breeze exports is actually bad for you!!! And although I have cleaned the blades several times now, and there has been a significant amount of gunk on them, there is still a considerable amount of dust on my bedside table - a mere 3 feet from the machine.

If you are considering buying this product, you may want to reconsider and buy something less expensive and more effective, and if you have already bought it and are within your 60 day trial period, I strongly recommend returning the unit(s) and getting your money back while you still can.

Tatyana
Los Angeles, California
U.S.A.

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