20 most worthless pieces of junk: #6 -- The Ionic Breeze
Filed under: Shopping, Buyer Beware
There are products that are clunkers, and then there are products that destroy otherwise healthy companies. The Ionic Breeze falls into the latter category.The Ionic Breeze was initially a major success, propelling shares of The Sharper Image to all-time highs, but the trouble began in 2002 when Consumer Reports tested The Ionic Breeze and found that the product was "ineffective." The Sharper Image sued, but after a series of courtroom setbacks settled the case -- by agreeing to pay $525,000 to Consumer Reports to cover its legal expenses.But that was only the beginning: A couple years after the Ionic Breeze expose, The Sharper Image itself reported that the machines could be dangerous because of the trace amounts of ozone they pump into the air. The huge amounts of negative publicity drove the company's sales into the ground, and the ensuing class-action lawsuit finally drove the company into bankruptcy on February 19th of 2008.
Companies produce lousy products all the time but ironically, the runaway success of the Ionic Breeze ultimately led to the company's downfall -- and the shareholders who lost hundreds of millions of dollars now wish the company had never head of the Ionic Breeze.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-09-2009 @ 2:04PM
Dee said...
We had 3 of these and they are a paint o clean and 2 caught on fire or were smildering when we caught them. Seems the plastic on the feet melt and cause a soldering fire. Now we unplug them if we are not home. ! broke and still have not received a replacement nor the money it is in a court case. Which of ciourse we will not get anything back. Waste of money. We even had the maintenance agreement on them.
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7-13-2009 @ 9:02PM
joseph pepe said...
the ionic breeze is not a "piece of junk" i purchased one several years ago and after using it for only 2 weeks, my sinus problems which i had for years disappeared
the proof is this-----when i open it every second or third week to clean it , there is a large amount of dust and other irritating substances which have gathered on the blades-----these would have gone into your sinus system, causing discomfort, such as i used to have-----not any more
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7-20-2009 @ 11:13AM
Stella said...
I was given one as a Christmas present. They are a pain to clean and after 3-6 months the unit would make this annoying incessant buzzing noise. Sharper Image was great about honoring the 5 year warranty and replacing the unit multiple times (you'd think they would have wised up and improved the construction), but the 5 year warranty only applied to the first unit not the subsequent replacements which also eventually started buzzing and humming. So after five years and half a dozen replacements, I was SOL. Fortunately so is SI.
Serves them right!
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7-28-2009 @ 4:08PM
Creative said...
I don't understand why so many people had problems with the Ionic Breeze machines. I have two that I bought at a great discount for a promotion they had at the opening of a Staples Store in downtown Chicago years ago.
I still have these two units working in tip top shape. I am a smoker, and even the most fanatic anti-smoker who visits my house is shocked to find I smoke in the house - and they can't smell it anywhere.
If it was a piece of trash, I would have no problem admitting they are junk, but I must have been very lucky or something: I wipe them clean every 3-4 days (and those plates are black with nasty stuff), and to this day, they make no noise whatsoever... I hope I am not jinxing them ahhh!!!!!
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8-10-2009 @ 9:35AM
Anthony said...
I bought two of them on sale because I WAS a 2-pack/day smoker. I certainly agree with the others who say it is miserable to clean! When I went back and complained to the manager, he told me to clean it with Parson's Amonia but that he would deny it if I told anyone. The amonia worked much better buy was still FAR from, "simply wipe it clean," as they advertised with a straight face.
I never heard any humming or buzzing. The reason I wish I could have gotten my money back is because every time I used them....I coughed like crazy! Maybe it had something to do with the Ozone it was emitting?
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8-23-2009 @ 9:47AM
Ben said...
Got 1 at the flea market for $5 its nice in my bedroom and i sleep super at night
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9-26-2009 @ 2:46PM
Henry said...
Wow. I'm kind of shocked to see this on the piece-of-junk list. I LOVED my Ionic Breeze. I bought a Honeywell model when mine finally died after 10 years and I have been kicking myself ever since.
It all depends on what you are using it for. If you have allergies or breathing problems, without a fan and traditional filter, the Ionic Breeze may not remove larger airborne particles.
However, in my opinion, nothing clears the air of smells and smoke like the Ionic Breeze. It's like smells are magically cleared from the air. I have a dog, and it never smelled like dog in my studio apartment.
Heck, it almost works TOO WELL. If you use plug-in air fresheners, the IB will actually clear that scent from the air as well. At Christmas, it reduces the smell of a pine tree. So I would turn mine off.
And regarding the reviews that mentioned noises, that's an indication of a dirty electrostatic wire inside. The unit is dead silent otherwise (because it has no moving parts). Rocking the unit upside-down a few times should fix the issue. There are little metal marbles threaded on those wires that will clean them of the particles that are causing the sound. It's in the User Guide.
Hope this helps others who are looking for the right air purifier.
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