Sharper Image Air Cleaners
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Sharper Image is a company known for making high-end consumer
gadgets, and they've got a line of air cleaners that you'll often see
advertised on TV commercials. They're generally considered high-end - more
expensive, with lots of random features.
There are a couple of different types:
Ionic Breeze - This is their generic brand, which comes in two versions. One
kills germs using a UV lamp, the other, the Quadra, doesn't have the UV lamp
(so it removes dirt, but bacteria will still be alive). Both use a removable
filter that you can clean yourself, so you don't have to buy replacements.
That's a bigger plus than it sounds like, because many filters cost nearly as
much as the air cleaner itself. They are quiet overall and a good option -
kind of expensive up front, but I think they save you money in the long run
because you don't replace anything.
Hybrid GP (GreenPower) - This is an energy efficient air purifier that is also
designed to kill germs. It uses a couple of technologies. First, it's got an
electrostatic precipitator, which is a kind of ionizer. Basically, it sends
the air through metal plates charged with electricity, which gives a negative
charge to dust particles, causing them to cling to the surface of the filter
(it works a lot like static electricity). It also uses electricity to kill
germs in the air (they use various terms to describe this, such as "cold
plasma" and "corona discharge," but it's basically just an electrical
discharge that occurs as part of the ionization). The version they currently
sell of this is a high end model, that runs you about $500, but does have some
nice features. The one I haven't seen elsewhere is a 20 minute "boost mode"
that is designed to quickly cycle the room's air through in a short period of
time, giving you immediate relief. That's a nice option if you don't want to
keep it running 24/7.
Tabletop - This is a smaller version of the other ones, which are very tall
and made to sit on the floor. It's about a foot tall, and is basically a
scaled down version of the other ones - none of the frills, doesn't kill
germs, and only two speeds. However, you still don't have to replace the
filter and it's a good option for a smaller room where you can't fit one of
the big ones. They market it for college dorms specifically, which is a good
fit.
Here are a couple of the more popular models:
They've got a lot of other models, so if you're looking for
something different you can
get more Sharper Image air purifiers here
Sources and Useful Links:
http://www.sharperimage.com/us
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
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