In a word - this air purifier is great. I bought one and let me tell you about it. I needed an air purifier for allergies. Too much dust and all the trees and plants in bloom it was causing quite a stir in the air. I borrowed an air purification unit from my mom. I'll just leave this brand name out of it, but it was a HEPA filter type unit with a fan and such. It was large and round in shape. First thing when I turned it on was it smelled like my mom's house. So, I needed to buy a new filter element and those dudes aren't cheap. Reluctantly, the air filter went to the garage since I didn't want any further smells entering my house.

I purchased the Sharper Image Ionic Breeze off of Ebay. It was a returned unit and I got it from Sharper Image. They sell returns or refurbish units at significant savings. I was lucky to get this unit shipped and everything for about $130. That is a savings, and I thought if it really does work, then I'll buy a brand new one.

I got it in and couldn't tell that anyone had used it or anything. It looked like brand new. I plugged it in and turned it on. Nothing happened. No noise. Then I felt the breeze blowing from the front. Here I want to take the thing apart to find the fan. But there isn't a fan in there at all. The way it charges the collector plates causes air to flow through the unit. It really is remarkable just for the fact that it can get the air to stir silently. And they say silent, and I'm here to tell you the unit is silent.

So I let it run a few days and sure enough, it has collected dust on the collectors. It really does work. I can tell the air is charged or something. Maybe its just because its clean now. I keep mine in a high traffic area and I don't notice the unit at all. So here's the big test. I have some gerbils. They don't stink, but their bedding is a little aromatic and they do get to digging and stirring up dust. I put the ionic breeze by their cage. I wanted to see what it could do. No smell from the cage. I kid you not. Nothing. I shut it off and then I started to smell the gerbils. It is truly amazing.

When the collectors start to get full, I notice it makes a little zit noise. I take the fins and rinse them. They say to use a damp cloth, but I run them under the faucet and let them dry good before re-inserting them. This is one of the best purchases I have ever made and I see it as being something I have in my house for years. I put some pictures of it on my website.