CONCLUSION
By our measure, Kangen Water® is markedly superior to any other ionized water and the Enagic® devices are unsurpassed by any with which either we, or other people we know have investigated and experimented with. The fact that nearly every other distributor of water ionizers routinely attempt to compare their devices to Enagic's®, incontrovertibly demonstrates the superior position and universal respect that the Enagic® brand has earned and continues to maintain within the industry. Enagic’s® continuous flow ionized water generators have historically worked better than ordinary brand water ionizers.
In attempting to compete with Enagic®, it seems that other companies are merely adding cheaper gadgetry instead of using better, more costly technology. Not that bells and whistles are always bad things, necessarily, unless of course they’re in lieu of something more essential that may be lacking. Pinching pennies by using cheaper weaker components produces substandard results, no matter how one spins it. The only other way it seems that those companies and their distributors can try and make up for having inferior products is to attack Enagic®, its distribution model and its distributors. The picture of used-car salesman photo on the right has been used on the Internet for that very purpose. It could certainly be viewed as derogatory, which is undoubtedly why it was made use of. This has only served to complicate matters and confound those looking for honest answers and who deserve the truth in their quest for greater health and well-being through water ionization.
Those attempting to compete with Enagic® routinely claim that Enagic's® technology is "old fashion" and antiquated. They spin their own bells and whistles and use of cheaper technology as if they were improvements that would somehow make their machines appear more valuable or to work better than ours, which has been proven time and again to be untrue. I suppose that some of the distributors of those inferior products are naively parroting what their company told them, but others have been quite aggressive and dishonest in their sales approach. Whether it is coming from the competing company itself or those pushing their products in disreputable ways, folks like this represent to us the ultimate in con artists. The proverbial used-car salesman, much to their chagrin I imagine, has been iconic for depicting those who would use just about any tactic to make a sale regardless of who might get hurt in the process. 
In contrast to these less-than-reputable companies, Enagic®, appears to be the only one focused exclusively on what they do best—building the finest, most powerful water ionizers in the world. We never see Enagic® comparing its products with those of other companies, it doesn't have to; in the same way we never hear Rolex claim that their watches keep ticking like a Timex, or witness Mercedes bragging about their vehicles being as safe as a Ford. Besides, it’s not the Japanese way to try and tear down other companies, but to, excel by example. For us, this is the level of integrity we appreciate most, and it is one that we choose to be affiliated with.In the case of a watch, a Timex may very well keep time as accurately as a Rolex, and the differences may be primarily superficial or in price and status alone. But, with a water ionizer the quality of the results are directly related to the quality of the device itself and how efficiently and how effectively the water becomes and stays ionized. Inferior, less effective devices do not produce medical-grade Kangen Water®, and unlike Enagic’s® continuous flow water ionization generators, those cheap imitations were not manufactured to last a lifetime. This is a classic case that accurately depicts the well known adage, “You get what you pay for.”
You can learn more about this revolutionary
Change Your Water, Change Your Life™
Criteria for Choosing the World’s Best Water Ionizer - version 1.3 updated Nov. 9, 2011
INTRODUCTION
There has been quite a buzz about a remarkable health-related water technology coming out of Japan; a water electrolysis device, also known as a water ionizer. Even though this technology has already been utilized with great success in Japan for nearly half a century, where it is considered a medical device, it is relatively new here in the U.S. and other areas outside of Japan.
When we started our investigation into water ionization, we had difficulty locating independent sources of information on the Internet about this life-enhancing technology. Everybody seemed to have an agenda, whether hidden or openly expressed. The latter would now include us, for despite the many challenges we faced when doing our due diligence, my partner and I have since become decidedly partial to one particular brand.
If you are looking for the best quality water ionizer, like we were, you'd probably appreciate knowing how we came to the conclusion we did, as bold as it might sound, that,...
There are many well-documented health benefits to drinking ionized alkaline antioxidant water. The dramatic results routinely experienced by those drinking water from ONE particular brand ionizer, however—compared to all the rest—has been most impressive at demonstrating what this technology is capable of providing, when done right. This stand-alone, singularly exceptional water ionizer, which we selected over all the others after six months of extensive research, is not the least expensive machine in the marketplace, yet we are thoroughly convinced that it will undoubtedly be the most cost effective over time, and will unquestionably deliver the greatest value from start to finish.
There is really only one reliable manufacturer in the water ionizer industry worth purchasing an ionizer from.
There were several key factors that contributed to our decision to go with Enagic®, the ionizing technology that exclusively produces medical-grade Kangen Water®. In Japan, only Kangen Water® is considered medical grade ionized water, which is why Enagic® trademarked and registered its superlative ionized alkaline water as to differentiate it from that produced by inferior machines. The extraordinary health-supporting characteristics of Kangen Water® are what led to the recognition of Enagic's® technology as a medical device. For many compelling reasons, which we will share in this article, we recommend that you consider paying a little more from the start rather than drink inferior quality water, or have to repair or replace another lesser quality, water ionizing device.
Enagic’s SD501U under-the-counter version of the unsurpassed SD501
WHY ENAGIC? WHY KANGEN WATER?
As can be expected, the Internet is full of conflicting information on this subject. Much of it is merely sales hype, but besides that, there also are those making false claims and adding their brand of disinformation to the confusion. While providing significant points clearly demonstrating how Enagic® became the leader in the Industry, and our reasons for choosing it over all the rest, we will also disclose some of the Internet sites most responsible for propagating false information — not just about the supposed capabilities of inferior brand ionizers, but also about what they say concerning Enagic® in lieu of their less than impressive attempts to compete with them.
1. APPROVED MEDICAL DEVICE
Kangen Water® has been officially approved for its health merits by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare, which is equivalent to the FDA in the United States. In 1965, this Japanese agency had approved electrolysis water devices as medical equipment. While others claim that their devices produce ionized water equal to Kangen Water® and should also be considered a medical device, Enagic®, who was rewarded this recognition in 1987, is the only company that we have seen that can actually provide the legitimate proof of being officially approved as a medical device by the Japanese government's Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare.
2. HIGHEST ACCOLADES
Enagic® Co. Ltd., the only company that makes machines that produce Kangen Water®, is the sole company in the entire water industry whose products are recognized and endorsed by the Japanese Association of Preventive Medicine for Adult Disease (JAPA), a non-profit doctors association. This prestigious group of over 7,000 leaders in the medical field, endorse a variety of products and technologies that they recognize as being able to help treat and possibly cure lifestyle related diseases, such as Osteoporosis, Diabetes, Cancer, High Cholesterol, Hypertension, etc. This distinguished organization is also known for its long and thorough selection process under the policy of choosing only one product per industry, and Enagic® is their only choice in the entire domain of water. 
Enagic’s® SD501 also recently became WQA certified. The Gold Seal Product Certification Program by the Water Quality Association is the “Mark of Product Quality”, and is the Hiromi Shinya, MD is well known as the developer of the field of colonoscopic surgery (the Shinya Technique). He performed the first non-invasive colon surgery. Using his own invention of the colonoscope, he discovered the ability to both examine and operate on the colon without abdominal incision.
Dr. Shinya is Clinical Professor of Surgery at Albert Einstein Collage of Medicine and Chief of the Endoscopy Unit of Beth Israel Hospital in New York, as well as an advisor for Maeda Hospital and Hanzomon Gastrointestinal Clinic in Japan. Kangen Water® has been an integral part of Dr. Shinya's prescribed dietary protocol for all his patients. Kangen Water® made exclusively by the Enagic® technology.
"Kangen Water is alkaline rich water (ph 8-9), and is considered the very best drinking water because of its incomparable powers of hydration, detoxification, and anti-oxidation." ~Dr. Hiromi Shinya
Dr. Shinya is Clinical Professor of Surgery at Albert Einstein Collage of Medicine and Chief of the Endoscopy Unit of Beth Israel Hospital in New York, as well as an advisor for Maeda Hospital and Hanzomon Gastrointestinal Clinic in Japan. Kangen Water® has been an integral part of Dr. Shinya's prescribed dietary protocol for all his patients. Kangen Water® made exclusively by the Enagic® technology.
"Kangen Water is alkaline rich water (ph 8-9), and is considered the very best drinking water because of its incomparable powers of hydration, detoxification, and anti-oxidation." ~Dr. Hiromi Shinya
View the individual WQA awards granted Enagic® through the links below:
Enagic USA NSF/ANSI 42: Drinking Water Treatment Units, Aesthetic Effects*
Enagic USA NSF/ANSI 372 (Previously WQA ORD0902, NSF/ANSI 61, Annex G, California AB 1953)
Enagic USA CSA B483.1: Drinking Water Treatment Systems
Enagic’s flagship product, its best-selling Leveluk SD501 makes seven different waters at the press of a button. For cleaning, disinfecting, drinking & topical beauty and health applications.
4. TRUSTWORTHY & DEPENDABLE
The SD501 model ionizer made by Enagic® is its number one selling unit. It comes with a full 5-year bumper-to-bumper warranty. Most other manufacturers and reseller companies have "limited" warranties with many restrictions hidden in the fine print. Some of the limited warranties become void when using those devices in areas with hard water, which would be over half of the United States. Imagine purchasing a Life Ionizer when living in Las Vegas, for example, only to later discover your warranty was completely useless, straight out of the box. Life Ionizers recently began recommending to their customers that they add a reverse osmosis system to pre-filter hard water. This is not only an additional expense, but RO water is acidic and lacks minerals essential for health and for ionization to occur. Calcium has to be manually added back, which severely reduces the quality of the ionized water. Using well water could also possibly void the warranty of some water ionizer companies who inconveniently require their potential customers to first furnish a report with a detailed analysis of their water source before using those devices, or else their warranty would not apply.
Life Ionizers will void your warranty if you don’t send your warranty card in within 30 days. Really!? With Enagic® your warranty coverage automatically begins when you receive your purchase and is handled professionally, regardless of water supplies, untimely mailing or other issues.
Enagic — Globally recognized as the Gold Standard in continuous flow water electrolysis devices.
5. SUPERIOR QUALITY
The electrolysis chamber within any water ionization device contains the electrolysis plates sealed within a protective housing. This is often referred to as the heart or the brain of the machine, if you will. It is the most expensive part of the device — the most susceptible to damage — and the most costly part to replace.
All plates utilized for water ionization are subject to corrosion and becoming coated with mineral deposits that tend to adhere to the surface of the plates during the electrolysis process which ionizes the naturally occurring minerals in the water. Virtually all decent Ionizers, including Enagic®, have an automatic cleaning cycle that periodically runs some of the more acidic water past the electrolysis plates at certain intervals per gallons of usage and changes the polarity to help shake off deposits. Though helpful, this is only effective to a point. Smaller and thinner solid plates and especially mesh plates tend to become corroded much faster, soon loosing their capacity to efficiently and effectively ionize the minerals in the water. Mesh plates are particularly vulnerable because the mesh is more susceptible to having mineral deposits become trapped within the lattice. These would also be the most difficult to keep clean. And though all ionizing chambers are susceptible to mineral buildup, Enagic’s® solid plates are by design more impervious than mesh plates and are much more durable than chintzier solid plates.
CLEANING
Enagic® was the first to provide an indispensable, easy to use reusable Cleaning Cartridge utilizing nontoxic citric acid that can be applied as frequently as desired to keep the plates clean, fresh and scale-free. There was one other company that we knew of at the time this article was originally written, who finally followed Enagic’s® lead, and we imagine more companies have since done so. It is recommended to do this cleaning at least monthly, but it could also be done more frequently if desired, especially if you are giving away lots of water or if you live in an area that has particularly hard water. Each new Enagic® ionizer comes with its own reusable e-Cleaner cartridge and eight applications of citric acid cleaning powder. A complete new e-Cleaner kit with 24 applications can be purchased for $34, and the replacement powder can be purchased separately for $24 per 24 applications.
BELOW: Enagic’s electrolysis chamber is shown on the left; Jupiter’s is in the middle; and Ion Life’s is on the right.
BELOW: Enagic’s larger electrolysis chamber is on the right; the smaller Jupiter Athena chamber is on the left.
BELOW: Enagic’s larger more durable solid electrolysis plate is pictured below compared to Jupiter’s smaller mesh plate.
DEEP CLEANING SERVICE
Enagic® not only advanced the essential citric acid cleaner, it also provides an international service for an even deeper cleaning of the plates within the ionization chamber. Because of the amount of hard water in the U.S, the company recommends doing this once a year. Upon request, Enagic® will send out a loaner, have you ship your machine back to them in the same box the loaner came in, and for the nominal fee of $35 they will do a deep cleaning of the plates and send you back your machine as good as new.
The pH scale runs 1 to 14 — with 7 being neutral, anything above 7 would be alkaline and anything below 7 would be acidic and oxidizing.
Corrosion and mineral deposits are what typically happens to cheaply made, electrolysis plates — or even more durable plates when they are not cleaned properly and regularly. Enagic® and its distributors routinely educate their customers in how to care for their machine to ensure it will last a lifetime.
This is the innovative E-cleaner kit available through Enagic for only $34. It contains 24 applications of non-toxic citric acid powder that can be used as often as necessary and is easily replaced. When needed an additional 24 packets can be purchased from the company for $24.
6. MOST ENDURING
The solid surgical grade titanium plates utilized in the Enagic® machines have been twice dipped and thoroughly electroplated with medical grade platinum, providing the optimum and safest surface coverage. Many other manufacturers skimp when it comes to using these expensive metals. In some cases, the cheaper mesh plates are only lightly sprayed with platinum and in certain cases are sprayed before they are stamped out or cut to size. This can result in titanium exposure, which would be considered a health hazard. Also, important to note, the plates in any ionizer become heated during use, and the ongoing expanding and contracting could more easily weaken the coating of platinum along the many edges of mesh plates — causing flaking that would further expose the titanium. Titanium poisoning is known to cause a variety of symptoms and is not something worth risking, though it seems there are those who are more interested in short-term profits than the long-term health and safety of their customers
Mesh plates can work well when first out of the box, which looks good during the initial sales pitch and for a few months of use. But they will deteriorate relatively sooner compared to solid plates. Companies utilizing mesh plates, essentially do so because they are cheaper to produce and work well at first, not because they work better in the long run. Consequently, they spin the information to make it sound as if it were a benefit, when in fact it is not.
Enagic’s more substantial electrolysis chamber and solid surgical grade titanium plates that have been double-dipped & electroplated with medical grade platinum — compared to Jupiter’s significantly smaller electrolysis chamber and relatively inefficient mesh plates.
7. POWERFUL & EFFECTIVE
The SD501 has a powerful 230-watt generator, among the most powerful in the industry. It takes a powerful generator to produce a strong enough current to properly charge the larger more durable solid plates utilized in the Enagic® devices. The greater the charge on the water, the more powerful and longer lasting the effects on the water will be. This is also important when creating all the different waters these machines produce, including the strong acid water (2.6pH and below) and the Strong Kangen Water® (11.5pH and above), which is when the most amount of voltage would be required. The Enagic® water ionizers appear to be the only ones capable of producing these two invaluable waters... regardless of claims to the contrary. These two exclusive waters alone makes the Enagic® continuous flow water electrolysis devices worth their weight in gold
[see No. 10 - Most Innovative below]
BELLS & WHISTLES
Switched Mode Power Supply & Over Temperature Protectors
Most other ionizers in the marketplace have weaker power sources, many using a “newer” and allegedly “improved” technology called Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS). Those utilizing SMPS rather than the more traditional transformer found in the Enagic® ionizers peddle this as yet another great innovation, extolling it as “…the same super advanced technology found in today’s high end LCD flat panel televisions.” We’re not sure what water ionizers have to do with LCD televisions, but let’s look at how the website for Life Ionizer describes the so-called 'advantages' of SMPS...
Electrolysis enhancer (salt solution) assists in the ionization of the naturally occurring minerals found in tap and well water and is essential for effectively producing the Strong Kangen Water® with an alkaline pH of 11.3 and above that emulsifies oil and is perfect as a degreaser and an all natural, green cleanser; and the Strong Acidic Water with a pH of 2.6 and below that has powerful oxidizing and sterilization properties.
The enhancer is not used for producing Kangen Water® for drinking and never comes in contact with any of the drinking or beauty waters produced by the
Enagic® technology.
The more powerful transformer and the larger plates are what allows Enagic’s® SD501 to produce medical-grade ionized water as fast as 8 liters a minute, almost three times the rate of the closest “competitor.” Companies attempting to compete with Enagic® routinely tout their machines as being more advanced, and claim that Enagic® hasn’t upgraded its technology as often as they. All we can say is, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Enagic’s® machines literally blow them out of the water, and all the bells and whistles in the world aren’t going to make up for the inferior technology utilized in those other machines.
Generally recognized as being more complicated than a standard transformer—with all the more possibilities for breaking down—the SMPS used in most water ionizers are essentially weaker transformers—considered to use less power and to generate less heat. Ironically though, water ionizers that utilize SMPS instead of a more traditional transformer like Enagic’s®, also have Over Temperature Protectors connected to them. The Over Temperature Protector shuts those devices down when they overheat, or just prior to overheating. Which apparently they do on a regular basis because of the weaker power source trying to produce the energy required for ionization of the minerals in the water to take place. So, let’s see if we have this straight...
SMPS is supposed to prevent overheating, yet those ionizers with less powerful but supposedly more efficient transformers, cannot produce a decent amount of ionized water without overheating, and therefore require an automatic shut-off valve that would prevent you from producing any more than a limited amount of ionized water at a time.
Automatic Flow ControlIn addition to the impressive sounding Over Temperature Protector, Tyent, along with many other lesser quality brands, also installs an internal Automatic Flow Control. This essentially limits the flow of water that runs through the machine, because their devices cannot properly ionize the minerals in the water unless the water is running through their electrolysis chamber very, very slowly. Which is why their 7070 model can’t produce more than one and a half (1.5) liters of questionable-grade ionized water per minute — and only up to a few gallons at a time before shutting down.
“CAUTION: While operating in the TURBO function, the machine automatically stops dispensing water after dispensing for 5 continuous minutes.”
Evidently, this “extra feature” of Tyent’s turbo function can only be used for a maximum of 5 minutes at a clip, so in addition to only producing 1.5 liters to 3.0 liters per minute, the use of the machine’s turbo mode is limited to 5 minutes of operation at a time.
Enagic’s so-called “out-dated” technology, on the other hand, is apparently superior enough to produce unlimited amounts of medical-grade ionized water at an unprecedented eight (8) liters per minute, while also allowing the user to control the rate of flow themselves, thus having the capacity to determine and adjust the final strength of the water being made as easily as increasing or decreasing the water pressure with the facet control.
The Super501, featuring 12 electrode plates, is the highest quality water ionizer for heavy home use or more commercial applications. If you need safe, clean alkaline water to hydrate your growing family or enhance your business, the Super501 is the perfect solution!
We really like the fact that we can adjust the flow of water through the SD501 ourselves, manually. When running water through the Enagic® chamber as slow as Tyent machines typically operate, for instance, the negative ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential) would be greatly increased in comparison, making it an even more powerful antioxidant. We have found the ability to so easily regulate the strength of the water ourselves to be a very useful feature.
Enagic’s new Platinum model of its best-selling SD501
When water is run through the electrolysis chamber the electric charge splits the water into two separate streams, one with positive ions and the other with negative ions. The negatively charged Kangen Water® is alkaline, rich in bio-available minerals and has an abundance of free electrons. As a powerful free-radical scavenger, Kangen Water® is able to inhibit oxidative stress by donating excess electrons that neutralize free-radical damage, making it an extremely effective anti-aging agent.
Please note: Contrary to what has been incorrectly stated or insinuated on the Internet in this regard, the electrolysis enhancer does not come into contact with the drinking waters, nor is it needed to produce those waters alone.
The strong alkaline water (Strong Kangen Water®) and the strong acidic water have a wide range of applications for both cleaning and disinfection, which accounts for its popularity in so many hospitals, kitchens, restaurants and food packaging applications. The sanitizing water is invaluable and it alone makes the Enagic® technology unsurpassed for home use. Unlike straight bleach, Strong Acidic Water can be gargled with, used topically and is safe enough to be employed in food preparation. The powerful cleaning and disinfecting properties of both the 11.5 Strong Acid Water and the 2.5 pH Strong Kangen Water® can eliminate the need for toxic chemical cleaners.
Among other uses, my partner and I have gargled with the disinfecting 2.5 pH acid water to effectively extinguish a sore throat, sprayed it in the sinus cavity to clear a runny nose, soaked our feet to get rid of athletes foot, applied it to the eye to arrest a sty, soaked our kitchen sponges in it to kill bacteria and eliminate odors, and soaked raw chicken and raw fish prior to cooking to eradicate salmonella. We also use the 11.5 pH cleaning water in a handy spray bottle for cleaning up around the house, such as degreasing the stove, and we use a quart of it in our wash instead of laundry detergent.
Here is PDF copy of an LA Times article describing the revolutionary use of the cleaning and disinfecting waters by the Sheraton Hotel Delfino in Santa Monica, CA.
Some of the limited warranties also become void when using those machines to make more than a few gallons of ionized water per day. Many of the inferior devices are actually incapable of producing any decent quantity of ionized water at all, let alone many gallons of high-quality ionized water at a time. By placing a 2.5 gallon daily limitation on their machine, which would otherwise void their warranty, the Life Ionizer would be unsuitable for anyone wanting to give water away to others, or to use in any high-volume application, whether a health club, restaurant, clinic, or any health professional office, or even a larger family requiring more volume. We can’t imagine having to cope with this kind of restriction.
The Enagic® devices were designed and built to produce as much high-grade ionized water as you could possibly want per day, with relatively little drop off in the quality of the ionized water it produces, and no such limitations regarding their warranty. At the Enagic® headquarters in Torrance, California for example, they have six ionizers set up for giving away free samples of Kangen Water®. Each of the machines is producing on average over 2,000 gallons of ionized water daily! There are no other home water ionizers in the entire industry that could come even close to that! Not one!
3. LEADING EXPERTS
In addition to being approved by the Japanese government as a medical device and endorsed by the most respected doctors association in Japan, in 2001 Enagic® merged with (acquired) Toyo Aitex, which is the company that made the commercial water ionization units utilized in hospitals and medical centers throughout that country. Enagic's® technicians are clearly the leading experts in water electrolysis technology for medical devices and understand what it takes to properly produce medical-grade ionized water. Quality is paramount with Enagic®, so they do not cut corners or use cheaper materials to minimize their costs when making their home units.
There are many important reasons why we choose Enagic® over all the other water ionizers available in the marketplace. We we will bullet point some of them below, but encourage reading this article in its entirety to fully grasp what we feel is critically important to understand about this already proven yet relatively little known technology.
1. Only Water Ionizer Approved as a Medical Device by Japanese Government
2. Highest Accolades from Medical Professionals
3. Recognized as the Leading Experts in Water Ionization Technology
4. Most Trustworthy & Dependable Water Ionizer and Ionizer Company
5. Superior Quality Over Any Other Brand
6. Most Durable Water Ionizers Made
7. Most Powerful and Most Effective Water Ionizers Available
8. Most Reliable Health Results With Medical-Grade Kangen Water®
9. One of the Few Direct Manufacturers of Water Ionizers
10. Most Innovative Ionizer Manufacturer in the World with the Most Versatile Water Ionizers
UV Lighting to Kill Bacteria (UVGI - Ultra Violet Germicidal Irradiation)
Another popular bell & whistle that unscrupulous companies utilize to deceive the public is the addition of an Ultra Violet Light, ostensibly for killing bacteria and making the water more safe to drink. The problem is, in order for UV light to be effective in killing bacteria the water has to be bathed in the light and not just quickly run through a tube running past the light. UVGI has been used for sterilization since the mid-20th century, primarily in medical sanitation and sterile work facilities. “Increasingly it was employed to sterilize drinking and wastewater, as the holding facilities were enclosed and could be circulated to ensure a higher exposure to the UV.” The length of time that a micro-organism is exposed to UV will determine whether or not the germicidal irradiation will be effective. Circulating the water “ensures multiple passes so that the UV is effective against the highest number of micro-organisms and will irradiate resistant micro-organisms more than once to break them down.” [Source of quotes: Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet_germicidal_irradiation]
The source water is another determining factor as to its efficacy. “UV disinfection is most effective for treating a high clarity purified reverse osmosis distilled water.” This is contrary to how the electrolysis of water works, which require minerals to be present in the water for ionization to take place. “Another key factor of UV water treatment is the flow rate: if the flow is too high, water will pass through without enough UV exposure.” Those utilizing UV light to control unwanted micro-organisms in aquariums and ponds, for example, build systems that “allows the water to flow through the sterilizer on its way to or from a separate external filter. Within the sterilizer, water flows near to the ultraviolet light source, usually through a baffle system that lengthens the time during which the water is exposed to the radiation.” The question to ask... Does the typical water ionizer housing a UV light for disinfection provide space for such a baffle system as would be required? [Source of quotes: Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet_germicidal_irradiation] 
There has been a recent innovation by Philips in this arena that promises instant water disinfection at a “at flow rates of up to approximately four liters (one U.S. gallon) per minute.” To the right is a picture of their new product that demonstrates the scale of the device required to accommodate disinfection at that rate. Do you suppose that the companies selling water ionizers touting UV disinfection have a device such as this inside their machines?
By our estimation, anyone promoting ineffective UV disinfection, or any similar contrivance as a selling point for a water ionizer, would be suspect. How could they not know 
what would be required to effectively eliminate bacteria with UVGI? They are either trying to deceive us or they are not savvy enough to know what they are doing. Either way, how could we trust them with any other aspect of what their water ionizers are supposed to be capable of doing?
It saddens us that the potential of this amazing life-changing water technology is being undermined by greedy companies and ignorant or deceptive distributors out to make a fast buck at any cost to people’s health and well-being. During our four years with Enagic® we have only witnessed honesty and integrity coming from this innovative company and its generous owner, Mr. Hironari Oshiro. These critical factors along with the superior quality of their products and the dedicated determination of their distributors are undoubtedly why this company continues to be the undisputed leader in the industry
Turbo
All the sales hype about Tyent’s more recent 9090 Turbo Extreme model touted an “improved flow rate” but none of the sites we looked at making that declaration seemed inclined to disclose precisely what that rate actually was, except a competitor’s site which revealed that it was only about 3 liters a minute; still less than half of what the SD501 is capable of producing.
The Tyent 9090 Turbo Extreme is supposed to have “up to” 375 watts available on demand. The turbo momentarily “boosts” the wattage up 100 watts, which would otherwise be limited to 275 watts, in the same way that the 7070 model turbo temporarily boosts the wattage to 280 from what is otherwise 180 watts. ALL water ionizers draw more energy from their power source when producing the waters with the more extreme pH’s, including Enagic’s, so why attempt to position it as an extra “turbo” feature?
Ironically, the TyentUSA website cautions us about their Turbo function...
We would agree that virtually everyone in business is prone to spinning their product or service in its best possible light, although a less scrupulous salesperson might attempt to position their limiting drawbacks with fancy names as if they were actually extras, or advanced features worth having, even when not necessarily so.
Automatic Flow Control
from a Delphi ionizer
“This advanced system is known as switched-mode power supply (SMPS). Unlike a standard power transformer, SMPS regulates voltage by turning the flow of electricity on and off at an extremely fast rate. With a standard transformer, the power is always flowing. When it flows too high, it is absorbed by a "pass" power transistor. A SMPS regulator rapidly switches a power transistor between saturation (full on) and cut off (completely off). The flow of electricity is an average between full on and completely off. As a result, the power transistor does not have to dissipate excess power. Since the power supply is at “full off” about half the time, an SMPS consumes much less power and generates less heat than a traditional transformer does.”
