Warning!

Consumer Reports took a look at this device two years ago and pronounced it "a pitcher to skip" and suggested that consumers "avoid it."

Since CR is behind a paywall, I do not want to excerpt the review further. Basically, the device did do what it claims, more or less, but also had several flaws that CR considered of concern. Caveat emptor!

That was the Tersano pitcher that Consumer Reports complained about; this is a different Tersano item.

Sounds like typical infomercial bullshit. What's next for Cool Tools -- miracle devices that improve your car's fuel efficiency by 50% using magnets ?

his product was substantially debunked on the CBC show Marketplace, it provides little or no benefit versus simply washing your food with tap water. see: http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2009/generation_cellphone/busted.html

Hah.. "super oxygen" because people might be scared of ozone.. I love it. ;-)

Don't doubt that it works, but you can buy a metric crapload of hydrogen peroxide for that much money, and it will work just as well..

When I saw this on Cool Tools I was a bit shocked. I've always considered such gizmos as snake oil - the whole concept of ozone as well as any way to make it at home like this.

So does this mean I can't trust Cool Tools to be the true & tested source of things that really work,a nd work better than anything else?

-or-

That ozone gizmos like this actually work on stains, bacteria, and bad air(!) and better than hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, or the many other, cheaper cleaners.

Surprised that Cool Tools reports something like this. Its $170 to solve a problem I don't think I have. Wash vegetables. Easy. In Water. Mostly I cook them anyways - so raw is only an occassional problem. And largely I eat organic anyways.

Time I unsubscribed from this blog.

Are you joking? Cool Tools just took a bit of a plunge on my Credibility Meter (I have one and you can too for the low price of $199.99. Call now!)

Yes. I am gone for good. I don't need to read about Stupid Tools.

I had already lost patience with the "fur-lined sink" type products (fur is cool, one user seems to love it, and I use a sink so what could possibly go wrong?). but this uncritical and unresearched reviews (not only has this product gotten poor reviews by careful consumer analysts the makers had a mass recall a few years ago because of problems).

There have been several good and useful products recommended over the years here (but several duds as well). The only thing I came here for was the editorial sorting but obviously this sort is not sorting right now. This is getting worse than a vanity press (hey I got great idea for 1 web site--the Shill-O-Matic!--we won't think critically and then we blame the readers when we publish crap).

Haters, go back into your troll holes. This site has always had good products AS WELL AS duds. Take the good, leave the bad, but please keep yor whining to a minimum.

Learn some science..."super oxygen" indeed. Pure Hokum.

"Mostly I cook them anyways..."

what is it with this baby-talk non-word showing up everywhere recently? please people, the word is ANYWAY!

Cool Tools began, as I recall, as a place where people could report on real tools they've worked with and found valuable in doing what they do. It was supposed to be the antidote to infomercials and shiny-new-thing fetishism because it relied on real-life experience. So did the reviewer or editor do tests to verify that it can "clean fruit or vegetables with treated water, resulting in killing bacteria and breaking down and dissolving pesticides"? Did anyone research just how such a thing could work? Did they compare it to much cheaper options like peroxide or just plain soapy water? Or did they just think
"super oxygen" sounded like a good idea?

This site seems to be doing a 180. Maybe that will turn out to be interesting one day, but ATM that just ain't happening. Credibility is more interesting.

I'm not sure which dipped lower, my esteem for this site or for Bruce Sterling.

As others have basically said, I don't doubt that such a thing works (in fact, the FDA and HUD both recommend peroxide as food and home cleansers), but I have to doubt that it works better than food-grade peroxide.

That is, unless the solution formed is more powerful than the 35% strength stuff you can find in health food stores, but somehow I doubt that a countertop appliance is going to be that strong.

So, I don't have an objection to the post, but I wish more dilligence was done. And that the exclamationed term "ultra-clean" had been removed...

For $2.99, you can buy a spray bottle of Tilex Mildew and Mold Remover. Now THAT stuff REALLY works.

While I appreciate Mr. Sterling's post-scripts, again I think that the claims are specious at best until there is some sort of comparison other than "things are cleaner." Also, no refutation is made about peroxide, which I would imagine, leaves no film behind.

And a link to their infomercial? Would you like me to point out how beneficial smoking is by showing you some "infomercials" from the 1950s?

There appears to be much piling on.
I agree its doesnt strike me as"cool" but not all products do.
It did make me look to confirm it wasnt "Snake Oil".
A quick search shows industrial ozone manufactures for poultry processing plants, operating rooms, swimming pools
Bringing some of this technology to your home kitchen is "cool" to some...

What had me buy this item was the concept: great. Unfortunately the pump on the bottle never pumped (square valve in a round hole, I suppose). Customer support was good, they sent me another machine, telling me they would send me a prepaid box to return the first machine, but they never did. My gripe was that I never succeeded in making any of the two work properly: much more than half the time the ozone charging cycle was interrupted by one error or another. Sometimes it just went on and on and on, never reaching the programmed concentration. And the largest distributor in Canada, Canadian Tire, just dropped the line; too many unsatisfied customers, I guess.

Strike 3.

I am considering un-RSSing from Cool Tools unless I start seeing some cool tools.

Maybe it only works in SF novels-
Clorox works in the real world, and completely dissipates.
YET one more flop item and review...

I recently bought one of these used for about seventy bucks on ebay. Everyone in the house loves it. We're all sensitive to environmental factors, so bleach and more exotic compounds are used sparingly in the household if at all. We're earnestly surprised and impressed at how quickly it removes odors in shoes, and that it breaks up films of wax and pesticide on apples. Those are two things that I can attest to without hesitation. No residue, no fumes, just clean things.

While I doubt that the Tersano device is as effective as the industrial units mentioned in this LA Times article — http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-magicwater23-2009feb23,0,2307567.story — I can say that what I bought is functional and the science behind it is not "bunkum" or "snake oil." Seeing this on Cool Tools made me smile; sorry for those of you who do not appreciate the idea of making corrosive yet non-toxic compounds in the comfort of your own home.

Could someone who knows more about this stuff than I do please explain the difference between what this produces and the plain old hydrogen peroxide I can buy at the drugstore?

To my understanding, hydrogen peroxide is H2O2, whereas these sorts of devices are introducing O3. The O3 is ozone, and as Steve Pinkham infers in comment #5, 'ozone' is not very p/c, so it is given the marketing jargon word of 'super oxygenated' instead.
-
The effect is very similar to diluted food grade hydrogen peroxide; it's just that you can make it on the spot, don't have to buy new bottles of it because the shelf life has expired, and so on. And once you have it, you're more inclined to use it — spray on counter tops, sink basins, shoe linings, door knobs, messes in the microwave oven, or whatever. I don't know of many people who actually buy three dollar bottles of hydrogen peroxide to soak fruit in and spray light switches with. I never did.

I am confused. This is not this technology though, is it:
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/23/business/fi-magicwater23

"zapping salt water with low-voltage electricity creates a couple of powerful yet nontoxic cleaning agents. Sodium ions are converted into sodium hydroxide, an alkaline liquid that cleans and degreases like detergent, but without the scrubbing bubbles. Chloride ions become hypochlorous acid, a potent disinfectant known as acid water"

That sounds like something I might want.

Right; sorry about that, I wasn't clear enough. Those are industrial cleaning units produced by a different company. The results are similar, though, inasmuch as the Lotus unit also produces a nontoxic corrosive liquid that disinfects and degreases without bubbles or residue.
-
To my knowledge, the salt water devices are not available anywhere near consumer price ranges. Little or no market demand or competition, and too many people immediately write it off as water quackery. Oops.

Sad.

I agree with many of the above posters.

This post confirms my fears - I can't trust Cool Tools reviews any more.

Shame.

If anyone is interested, the price at Amazon is now $100 ($90 + $10 shipping).

Even if it works, this is an expensive product looking for an excuse to exist.
I make a dilute solution of vinegar and water to clean food and kitchen surfaces. It is old, reliable, and tested, having been proven to remove pesticide residue. In other words - a "cool tool". Oh, and it costs me about five cents a gallon. And, in a pinch, I can use it to make vinaigrette dressing for my washed salad greens. Ha!

*Could we consolidate the "I'm Freaking Out About the New Editor" flames over in the highly popular "William Gibson Laptop Bag" topic, please? Users are trying to have a constructive discussion about the merits of ozone over here.

*Here we go, keen to see your input, come right on over:

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/003714.php

Bruce, can you point us to some actual independent reviews on the functioning of this device? I.e., something better than an info-mercial? The theory seems reasonable but I'd like to know whether this particular product actually works.

Wowzers! Isn't discussion wonderful? The old guy here wants to input old school datum. Your grandma-my mom- would tell you to never boil the water used for drinking unless it needed to be purified- boiling deoxygenates water. Same with making coffee in your press-take it to bubbling, don't boil it. . The oxygen thing is, I think, requiring more research. If you want to understand the difference between ordinary and deoxygenated water, take a drink from your tap and one from a clear mountain stream- water that is rapidly moving and filtered naturally by gravel is oxygenated. Yes, they do "taste" differently. I do think the oxygenation thing is overhyped. No oxygen cleaner I've tried has worked as well as it claimed.

KK: please, give Bruce a month's severance and bid him arrivederci. He obviously doesn't undersand the job, and the arrogance and condension directed at the readership have grown intolerable.

Julian Cullen

"The pitch sounds like a cross between snake oil and science fiction, but this device works. What it does is infuse water with extra oxygen molecules, which turns it into something of a miracle cleaner."

Of course it works. That's what hydrogen peroxide DOES (H2O2, which, if you'll note, is simply H2O with one more oxygen atom). However, this contraption is a total waste of money -- go buy a gottle of hydrogen peroxide at the drugstore for $2, or a big bottle of bleach (chlorine has very similar disinfectant properties). I'll echo everyone else's comments above ... this pile of tripe does not belong on cool tools. F minus.5

A lot of the confusion and disbelief here would "dissipate" if the manufacturer and reviewers would just say "ozone" instead of "oxygenated". They do not mean even remotely the same thing. Ozone is a chemically active corrosive and disinfecting agent. It kills bacteria, fungi and fungal spores, viruses, and healthy tissue. It breaks down many chemicals, including pesticides, preservatives, and grout sealants.

What makes ozone out of favor is that it damages lung and respiratory tissue. It also aggravates asthma in susceptible individuals. The reason it is unsafe to drink water containing ozone is that it damages tissue in the digestive tract, just like drinking peroxide.

Ozone generators are used commercially for many purposes, especially in agriculture but also for mold, water, and smoke remediation. In commercial ventilation systems (large office buildings or industrial plants), ozone is used in humidifiers to purify the water stream. It is safe and effective when properly controlled.

So "oxygenated" water is a baseless claim, but ozone generators are nothing new and are very effective. I personally don't like putting any kind of ozone generator in the hands of consumers. Going back to the ozone generators used as air purifiers, the industry has been defying the EPA and sound science for decades.

As to this review, I find it only marginally less sound than the ones I've read on CT for months. If the reviewer would just say "ozone" it would have been far better. The reviewer, like many others, is a consumer sharing his personal experience with a consumer product. That's all I've ever expected of CT. If you want the kind of scientific testing Consumer Reports does, go subscribe there and pay the fee.

*I don't own this machine, and I'm not sure I wanna, but it's not like nobody ever heard of putting ozone in water. Thank you Google:

water ozonator 2.375,00 results
water ozone generator 274,000 results
water ozonation 222,000 results
water ozone 3,050,000 results
water ozoniser 68,900 results
water ozonator reviews 1,210,000 results (let me know when you're done with those. Maybe they're ALL snake oil, which would be interesting).

Julian, howls about my bad cyberpunk attitude and requests for my swift dismissal belong over in topic "Cyberpunk Laptop Bag," please. I'll help you by duplicating this complaint over there, but next time I expect you to manage on your own.

anyways -- per the 1973 version of Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary this variant of "anyway" is merely dialectal, not incorrect.

Wow, I did post a complaint about the laptop bag, but this thread is obviously getting a bit crazy! When I posted a review of some headphones on Cool Tools some years ago, no one asked me to produce objective data justifying my choice. This is a review from a person who uses a product and loves it -- that's the whole point of this blog!

I'm happy to know the product exists, and that it works well and stands the test of time for the reviewer. I'm not in the market for it, but if I had sensitivities to alcohol, bleach, or peroxide I'd be grateful to know about it. If I had concerns about buying lots of plastic bottles of cleaners rather than a reusable solution, I'd also consider this product. It sounds like snake oil, but it also sounds like the original reviewer has lots of experience to the contrary -- very much a Cool Tool review.

I'm with Ash, here. The owner of the product likes it because it does what he wants it to do. That's EXACTLY what we're here for, whether or not you like the particular product or its price point.

And, by the way, those of you who (like myself) are regularly buying hydrogen peroxide...has it occurred to any of you that you're carrying around, paying for, and going to the trouble of disposing of/recycling plastic bottles? And, if the bottle costs two bucks, and you use the stuff regularly, then the unit pays for itself after about eighty bottles? I'm sure I've bought that much peroxide in my lifetime, since I use it as a disinfectant, mouthwash, laundry supplement, and general cleaner.

What's next for Cool Tools? Penis enlargement pills? Magnets that will improve your MPG by 300% Learn a foreign language while you sleep tapes?

"Elux," if someone owns them, has tried them, and they work, I want to know about them. Even if I don't need them (heh--and I don't...ladies), I also didn't need a book about building my own houseboat...but I appreciate knowing it's there and useful.

Since I wrote this particular review, I thought I would respond. First of all I am not a scientist, I am a consumer - so please understand that from the get-go. I researched the system before I bought it, but the review is written based on more than two years of personal experience using the product. That said, here are my responses to some of the comments:

#1 ("Consumer Reports took a look at this device two years ago and pronounced it 'a pitcher to skip' and suggested that consumers 'avoid it.'"): Sorry Jerry, Bruce is right - CR reviewed the Water Purifying System (which I also own), not the Sanitizing System. Even with that, they didn't properly follow the directions for the device when they used it.

#3 ("Sounds like typical infomercial bullshit") and #40 ("What's next for Cool Tools? Penis enlargement pills? Magnets that will improve your MPG by 300% Learn a foreign language while you sleep tapes?"): Chester and Elux Troxl, I acknowledge that it *sounds* like that...in fact I note as much in the review...but what I posted was *my* experience with the product in my own home over 2+ years of use, not some BS sales hype. It works for me the way I say it works. I bought it because Time had it as one of their Best Inventions of 2006 (http://www.time.com/time/2006/techguide/bestinventions/inventions/meals4.html) and because it was approved by the FDA. You are free to not buy or use the product, of course.

#4 ("his product was substantially debunked on the CBC show Marketplace, it provides little or no benefit versus simply washing your food with tap water"): Karl, between CBC and the FDA, I'll trust the FDA, thank you. See Tersano's Steve Hengsperger's response to the video...but even if it is the same as running the food under tap water (which I don't believe - I have never seen tap water break down the wax on an apple or a cucumber), I live in California where we frequently have water shortages and this method uses less water.

#5 ("Hah.. 'super oxygen' because people might be scared of ozone") and all the other entries complaining that I didn't call it ozone. It's ozone. My apologies...I was not trying to misrepresent anything.

#6 ("That ozone gizmos like this actually work on stains, bacteria, and bad air(!) and better than hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, or the many other, cheaper cleaners") and #13 ("Did they compare it to much cheaper options like peroxide or just plain soapy water?"): Wayan and Davey, if you're buying any of those cleaners for less than you pay for tap water, I'd like to know how. I bought the unit for something like $140 over two years ago (when Sharper Image was sliding out of retail) and I have used it hundreds if not thousands of times but haven't paid a dime since, I haven't even had to buy a booster cartridge.

#7 ("Mostly I cook them anyways - so raw is only an occassional problem. And largely I eat organic anyways"): How are those baked cucumbers and boiled radishes for you, Ian? Personally I like a lot of fruits and vegetables raw. I'm not sure what you mean about eating organic...that will save you from pesticides but not from bacteria like e.coli (http://www.ota.com/organic/foodsafety/ecoli.html). Then again, you're not reading this, because you've unsubscribed.

#9 ("not only has this product gotten poor reviews by careful consumer analysts the makers had a mass recall a few years ago because of problems"): floormaster, can you cite these reviews please, since you claim to have done research? Again, I didn't write this review after seeing a picture of the box...I have been using it personally for more than two years. Yes, there was a recall...my own system had to be returned because it wouldn't cycle properly...but the exchange was handled very well by Tersano and I have been using the unit with no trouble since.

#15 ("unless the solution formed is more powerful than the 35% strength stuff you can find in health food stores, but somehow I doubt that a countertop appliance is going to be that strong."): John, it's ozone, not peroxide. And maybe it doesn't work as well as food-grade peroxide, but then again I don't have to pay for endless bottles of it either, and I don't have to figure out what to do with said bottles when they're empty. Not to mention the Tersano system doesn't require Hazmat precautions to handle it (http://purehealthsystems.com/hydrogen-peroxide.html). As far as diligence, as I said, I am a consumer - not a product research scientist. My understanding of this site is that it's written by people who actually USE products, not investigate them. I use this system, and it works.

#17 ("no refutation is made about peroxide, which I would imagine, leaves no film behind"): CT Reader, how much peroxide would I have to buy to clean fruit and vegetables one to six times a week for two years? I suspect it would add up to more than $150...

#22 ("Clorox works in the real world, and completely dissipates"): Julian, it also stinks and bleaches colors in fabrics and comes in a container that has to be dealt with...and it's more expensive than tap water.

#30 ("Even if it works, this is an expensive product looking for an excuse to exist.
I make a dilute solution of vinegar and water to clean food and kitchen surfaces. It is old, reliable, and tested, having been proven to remove pesticide residue"): The reply to #22 above applies to using vinegar as well...I assume you dilute the vinegar with tap water. Will vinegar and water completely remove a raspberry mocha stain out of a bright yellow shirt? Obviously you can't use it as an air freshener, unless you're really fond of vinegar.

#32 ("The theory seems reasonable but I'd like to know whether this particular product actually works"): Stercutius, that's what I'm trying to say. My review itself is not an infomercial...it's a report on my direct experience with the product.

#35 ("this contraption is a total waste of money -- go buy a gottle of hydrogen peroxide at the drugstore for $2, or a big bottle of bleach"): Katie, please see my replies for #17 and #22 above.

#36 ("What makes ozone out of favor is that it damages lung and respiratory tissue. It also aggravates asthma in susceptible individuals."): Bobby, this is a good response overall...but the ozone levels generated by the Tersano unit have been certified as safe by the EPA. Anecdotally, it has never bother my girlfriend's asthma. If you get a chance, I would love to (personally) see any info you have about ozone damaging the digestive tract. I wouldn't swallow any anyway, I'm just curious.

#39 ("It sounds like snake oil, but it also sounds like the original reviewer has lots of experience to the contrary") and #41 ("The owner of the product likes it because it does what he wants it to do. That's EXACTLY what we're here for, whether or not you like the particular product or its price point"): Thank you Ash and John...it sounds like you two did "get it," and seem to share my understanding of how CT is supposed to work.

Happy cleaning...

Please distinguish between the reactive-oxygen agents (hydrogen peroxide and ozone), and the chlorine-containing laundry bleaches.

Both types will oxidize many chemicals, including undesirable ones, and enough of this oxidation will also damage/kill organisms, including you.

But the chlorine-based agents (chlorine itself and hypochlorite-containing like ordinary Clorox) are likely to produce - and leave you with - chlorinated organic compounds that may be toxic and are certainly not what you want.

Only the reactive-oxygen agents will usually leave you with much less obnoxious chemicals than those you started with.

While I'd sooner drink Clorox-purified water than water with live parasites in it, an active oxygen product would be my first choice by far.

Yes, IAAC.

This device is scientifically proven not to give better disinfection performance than regular tap water.

Thank you for the review! I was looking at this unit and decided to buy one. I actually just put in my order. Over the past few years, I've been trying to cut out unnecessary chemicals and reduce plastic waste where possible. If this thing works, I'll be able to clean without chemicals and it will pay for itself in the long run.

http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:XtUK4QOC6HUJ:www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf4/K043207.pdf+water+purification,+ozone+site:fda.gov&cd

Anyone that can type and read will be able to come upon all of the industrial uses that 03 has for cleaning.

I have been researching and looking at this technology since reading about it in the 90's. My problem with the unit is that of image. If I bought that and put it on my counter, there would be no end to the crap that I would receive. I have a spray bottle and a bowl in my cupboard. what I want is a unit that produces ozonated water and does not look like I fell for some yuppy/hippy dope dream.

There are PLENTY of authoritative articles on ozone being introduced into the water in the agriculture and meat industries for disenfecting purposes. Has been used for a couple decades. All ney sayers, please search for and read these articles. Just because its in a smaller footprint and designed for consumers and not industries, does not mean the science is debunked, or the product is junk and does not work like its suppose to.

Here is a link to a study by a professor at the University of Florida's Food Science Department. It shows the bacteria-killing effectiveness of the Lotus system vs. various cleaning agents such as hydrogen peroxide, Lysol, and also a mixture of vinegar/lemon/baking soda:

http://www.tersanoprofessional.com/pdf/FLA_FoodSurfaceReport.pdf

Spoiler (intended): Lysol edges out Lotus by the tiniest margin …but I wouldn't eat food sprayed with Lysol. ;)

I have only used this for a few months, but LOVE it!! I use it primarily for cleaning. It is a sanitizer that is SAFE around food or on food and toddler's toys and on my couch and gloves and kitty litter box and door knobs and phones and driving gloves and the interior of my car. I haven't tested it for effectiveness on germs etc but have read the reports. They say it does kill things more effectively than bleach solutions and without the wait time. It does take out odors--even musty/mildew type odors. It does remove blood and wine and the kind of stains oxy products work on--not so great with dirt. It does all this without the nasty smell of usual cleansers. It also works great on stainless and windows. It doesn't magically evaporate--it acts like water--but it wipes up without streaking or water spots.
In a time of a bit of a bit of flu paranoia, it's cool to be able to spray down a room after sick people have been in it without worrying about the furniture or too many chemicals. It's pricey. It's ugly. I'm glad I have one.