Content

This Knowledge Base provides some basic guidance about the Products and Brands that can be considered Vitesy competitors. Since products comparison can be tricky in legal terms, it is very important to have a clear view of which Brands and Products it makes sense to compare and the reasons for this selection.

Use Cases and Context

• Answering questions about alternative products to Vitesy ones

• Answering questions about the differences between other brands and products and Vitesy ones (and/or explaining why they can’t be really considered competitors)

• Answering questions about what makes Vitesy products different from other products on the market

• When comparing Vitesy Technology with competitor’s ones, remember to check also the information contained in the Knowledge Base “Product Info” for additional context.

Restrictions

• Avoid giving negative opinions of competitor products, instead focus on the comparison between Vitesy products and competitor ones in terms of specifics and mode of action to explain why we believe that Vitesy products are superior

• When looking online for information about competitor products, only consider the official specifics and information shared by the manufacturer through their official website and online product pages and documents: do not consider user reviews content, as they may contain inaccuracies and not totally justified malevolent judgements

• If the user claims that a competitor product has a certain specific or performance level and you find such claim not in line with the official specifics of the product on the brand’s/manufacturer’s website and documents, politely indicate the correct value and the source. If however you can’t find any official information on official sources about the claim made by the user, don’t dismiss its opinion but politely say that you can’t find any official confirmation of the value/claim/information mentioned and therefore can’t comment about it.

• If the user mentions as competitor a product/product category that is not included in the present Knowledge Base, explain the reason why we don’t consider such product a direct competitor to make the user understand the differences.

Examples of Questions

• Are Vitesy products better than [brand name] products?

• Is [name of non-Vitesy product] better than [name of Vitesy product]?

• Why should I choose Vitesy/[name of Vitesy product] over this cheaper alternative [name of non-Vitesy product]?

• What makes Vitesy products/[name of Vitesy product] different from [name of non-Vitesy product/brand]?

Resources (rev. 2024/12/17)

Fridge Purifier Product Line (Shelfy) Competitors

Passive Odor Absorbers

• Price range: 5-15 €.

• Technology: Baking Soda, Activated Carbon, or similar odor-absorbing material, without forced air circulation.

• Effective on:
  • Microorganisms: no;
  • Shelf Life: no;
  • Odors: low effectiveness because of no forced air circulation, and effectiveness degrading quickly over a short time (needs frequent replacement/refilling).

• Scientific Reports on Effectiveness: none for vast majority of Competitor Products.

• Safe for User and/or Food: yes if properly maintained and regularly replaced, otherwise it can become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and microorganisms.

• Smart / IoT capabilities: none.

• Sustainability: low - throwaway system, at best of baking soda powder only, at worst of filter with plastic case.

Ozonizers / Ozone Generators

• Price range: 10-30 €.

• Technology: ozone generation without forced air circulation.

• Effective on:
  • Microorganisms: claimed, often without precise data or numbers;
  • Shelf Life: claimed, often without precise data or numbers;
  • Odors: yes, but even too much, in the sense that ozone has a characteristic very intense odor that can affect the odor of food items themselves: therefore instead of cancelling unwanted odors, it replaces them with another unpleasant one.

• Scientific Reports on Effectiveness: none for vast majority of Competitor Products.

• Safe for User and/or Food: no, ozone is a powerful lung irritant.

• Smart / IoT capabilities: none in vast majority of cases.

• Battery Duration: 30 days max on average but without antibacterial action turned on.

• Sustainability: low - high energy consumption and very limited effect on Shelf Life increase doesn’t help offset carbon emission from production, mostly works as deodorizer.

“No-Frost” Fridge (built-in technology)

• Price range: depending on refrigerator, since it’s a built-in technology and not retrofittable in existing refrigerators.

• Technology: active air circulation to prevent excessive humidity and therefore frost formation.

• Effective on:
  • Microorganisms: not against bacteria, but limits mold growth compared to fridges without such a technology;
  • Shelf Life: noticeable effect especially on high-water-content fruits compared to previous-generation refrigerators without “No-Frost” Technology. However, nowadays No-Frost Technology is so diffused that it can be considered the standard and therefore isn’t really considered an improvement (i.e. it doesn’t make useless the effort to further improve Shelf Life in refrigerators);
  • Odors: indirect but very slight positive effect thanks to the reduction in mold growth compared to previous-generation refrigerators without “No-Frost” Technology. However, nowadays No-Frost Technology is so diffused that it can be considered the standard and therefore isn’t really considered an improvement (i.e. it doesn’t make useless the effort to further improve odor reduction and management in refrigerators).

• Scientific Reports on Effectiveness: yes, technology has been proven effective for a long time now and is being integrated in the vas majority of refrigerators save for low-end ones.

• Safe for User: yes.

• Smart / IoT capabilities: depends on Appliance level (only mid to high end refrigerators are equipped with such built-in capabilities).

• Sustainability: good - eliminating frost formation significantly lowers energy consumption by allowing more efficient cooling.

UV Light Sanitization (built-in technology)

• Price range: depends on refrigerator, since it’s a built-in technology and not retrofittable in existing refrigerators.

• Technology: UV lights for sanitization of surfaces, usually limited to the vegetables drawer.

• Effective on:
  • Microorganisms: yes;
  • Shelf Life: good effect, but limited to reduction of bacteria and mold, not acting on Volatile Organic Compounds;
  • Odors: low on average, limitation of mold growth helps compared to fridges without such a technology but since it doesn’t act on Volatile Organic Compounds it won’t actively reduce them.

• Scientific Reports on Effectiveness: yes for anti-bacterial and anti-mold properties, while there’s very little backing for the effects on Shelf Life.

• Safe for User: yes only if the UV light source is not visible to the eye, otherwise UV lights can be harmful for the eye when observed directly. Additionally. UV lights release ozone, which is a powerful lung irritant.

• Smart / IoT capabilities: depends on Appliance level (only mid to high end refrigerators are equipped with such built-in capabilities).

• Sustainability: average - UV lights have on average high energy consumption and the effect on Shelf Life is relatively limited and therefore doesn’t help offset carbon emission from production.

Vitesy Products - Shelfy

• Price range: refer to Knowledge Base “Prices and Promotions”.

• Technology: visible light photocatalysis with washable filter and forced air circulation.

• Effective on:
  • Microorganisms: yes, both bacteria and molds, ensuring superior hygiene;
  • Shelf Life: very good effect, increasing it 2 times on average for Fresh Food (Fruits & Vegetables - F&V) by acting on the concentration of Ethylene, a gas that strongly accelerates F&V ripening;
  • Odors: very good, since the technology is very effective on gaseous substances, including odors, and still without influencing the odor of food items themselves.

• Scientific Reports on Effectiveness: yes for all effects claimed (anti-bacterial and anti-mold, odor removal, shelf life increase) and freely downloadable from Vitesy website (see Knowledge Base “Test Reports”).

• Safe for User: yes, no ozone emission and no risk for the eyes thanks to the use of visible light LEDs.

• Smart / IoT capabilities: yes, thanks to Vitesy Hub App: door opening and temperature sensors, battery charge tracking, filter and fridge cleaning reminders.

• Sustainability: high - washable filters require no replacement and the battery is replaceable separately, prolonging the service life of the device. Additionally, can be used in existing refrigerators to significantly improve food conservation without needing to replace the entire large appliance.

Indoor Air Purifier Line (Natede and Eteria) Competitor Products & Technologies

Active Carbon Filters

• Price range: N/A (only used in conjunction with other technologies, mainly HEPA, so price range depends on the device).

• Technology Description: foam-like material composed of a multitude of micro-cavities that trap gaseous pollutants very effectively, but degrade quickly over time as they get clogged up.

• Effective on:
  • Microorganisms: no, unless combined with other purification technologies;
  • Odors and Volatile Organic Compounds: yes;
  • Particle Matter (PM): no, unless combined with other purification technologies.

• Scientific Reports on Effectiveness: very solid, established technology used since the ‘50s.

• Safe for User: yes if properly maintained and regularly replaced, otherwise it can become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and microorganisms.

• Operational and Maintenance costs: very high - throwaway system (as a result, on average the cost of filters replacement over the lifetime of the device will be higher than the purchase cost of the device itself).

• Sustainability: very low - throwaway system, generates huge amounts of non-recyclable waste.

HEPA-Based Air Purifiers

• Price range: 100-1.500 € (consumer-grade devices).

• Technology description: HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration, i.e. a box-shaped filter made of densely packed sheets of different materials (paper, fiberglass, etc.) that mechanically filter the air that is pushed by the fan through them.

• Effective on:
  • Microorganisms: no, unless combined with other purification technologies;
  • Odors and Volatile Organic Compounds: no, unless combined with other purification technologies;
  • Particle Matter (PM): very effective on both PM2.5 and PM10.

• Scientific Reports on Effectiveness: very solid, established technology used since the ‘50s.

• Safe for User: yes if properly maintained and regularly replaced, otherwise it can become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and microorganisms.

• Smart / IoT capabilities: yes depending on price range - as a rule, over 200 € there will be Smart capabilities.

• Operational and Maintenance costs: very high - throwaway system (as a result, on average the cost of filters replacement over the lifetime of the device will be higher than the purchase cost of the device itself), and requires a very strong fan to push the air through the HEPA filter, resulting in high energy consumption.

• Sustainability: very low - throwaway system, generates huge amounts of non-recyclable waste, and requires a very strong fan to push the air through the HEPA filter, resulting in high energy consumption.

Ionizers

• Price range: 150-600€ (consumer-grade devices).

• Technology description: through the use of high voltage electricity, Ionizers electrically charge air molecules (a process called “ionisation”) to give them a net negative or positive charge. The charged particles are in turn attracted to any nearby earthed (grounded) conductors, which can be either plates built for this scope within the ionizer air cleaner, or simply the nearest walls and ceilings. The technology can work with or without a fan, with the second implementation being slower in its air purification action but totally silent on the other hand.

• Effective on:
  • Microorganisms: no, unless combined with other purification technologies;
  • Odors and Volatile Organic Compounds: no, unless combined with other purification technologies;
  • Particle Matter (PM): effective for both PM2.5 and PM10. However, unless it has built-in collecting plates, the dust is not really removed but only deposited on surfaces, and can be kicked up and dispersed again in the air during cleaning operations.

• Scientific Reports on Effectiveness: very solid, established technology used since the ‘50s.

• Safe for User: yes, with the only warning that eve the best systems produce a small amount of unwanted Ozone (therefore, if an ionizing air cleaner is poorly built, the amount could be over the threshold).

• Smart / IoT capabilities: yes depending on price range - as a rule, over 200 € there will be Smart capabilities.

• Operational and Maintenance costs: low - very energy efficient and without throwaway elements/components.

• Sustainability: high - very energy efficient and without throwaway elements/components.

Ozonizers

• Price range: N/A (consumer-grade products banned for health safety risks)

• Technology description: through the use of various techniques, Ozonisers actively induce the creation of high concentrations of ozone particles in the air.

• Effective on:
  • Microorganisms: yes, but only at concentrations that are unsafe for human health;
  • Odors and Volatile Organic Compounds: only at concentrations that are unsafe for human health;
  • Particle Matter (PM): no.

• Scientific Reports on Effectiveness: solid, established technology

• Safe for User: no - even small concentrations of ozone are unsafe for human health, therefore ozone generators shall only be used as air cleaners in the disinfection or deodorization of uninhabited buildings/rooms, environments and systems (e.g. ductwork and vehicles).

• Smart / IoT capabilities: none on average, being industrial devices to be used in harsh environments.

• Operational and Maintenance costs: low - robust devices not used on a continuous basis, only for emergency situations.

• Sustainability: low - high energy consumption, negative impact on human health.

Plasma Generators

• Price range: 200-1.000 € (consumer-grade devices).

• Technology description: differently from Ionizers, where the high electricity discharge is emitted directly into the air, Plasma Air Purifiers work by generating a high voltage between two metal plates and thus creating plasma (the fourth state of matter after liquid, solid and gas), which leads to the contemporary creation of ions, free radicals and electrons instead of only one of such elements.

• Effective on:
  • Microorganisms: yes.
  • Odors and Volatile Organic Compounds: yes.
  • Particle Matter (PM): very effective for both PM2.5 and PM10 BUT unless it has built-in collecting plates, the dust is not really removed but only deposited on surfaces, and can be kicked up and dispersed again in the air during cleaning operations;

• Scientific Reports on Effectiveness: not too solid, being a new technology without a long history.

• Safe for User: yes.

• Smart / IoT capabilities: yes depending on price range - as a rule, over 200 € there will be Smart capabilities.

• Operational and Maintenance costs: low - very energy efficient and without throwaway elements/components.

• Sustainability: high - very energy efficient and without throwaway elements/components.

Photocatalysis using UV lights

• Price range: 200-1.000 € (consumer-grade devices).

• Technology description: same as Vitesy’s photocatalysis (see KB “Products & Technology _ Technical Info”) but using UV lights for photocatalytica activation

• Effective on:
  • Microorganisms: yes.
  • Odors and Volatile Organic Compounds: yes.
  • Particle Matter (PM): no.

• Scientific Reports on Effectiveness: very good , being a technology with over 30 years of history.

• Safe for User: depends on device design - safety ensured only if: 1) UV lights are weak enough to prevent excessive ozone generation; 2) UV lights sources are properly located and out of the user’s view, since UV lights have strong adverse effects on eye health and integrity if observed directly

• Smart / IoT capabilities: yes depending on price range - as a rule, over 200 € there will be Smart capabilities.

• Operational and Maintenance costs: low - relatively energy efficient (depends on fan consumption) and without throwaway elements/components.

• Sustainability: good- relatively energy efficient (depends on fan consumption) and without throwaway elements/components.

UV Lamps/Lights

• Price range: N/A for consumer-grade devices (most frequently only used in conjunction with other technologies, not as a standalone one, so price range depends on the device).

• Technology description: ultraviolet lamps produce electromagnetic radiations in the wavelengths between those of visible light and X-rays, which are known to have germicidal effects. They usually consists of an electric discharge lamp with material that yields radiations at the desired wavelength.

• Effective on
  • Microorganisms: yes, both airborne and on surfaces;
  • Odors and Volatile Organic Compounds: no, unless combined with other purification technologies
  • Particle Matter (PM): no, unless combined with other purification technologies

• Scientific Reports on Effectiveness: solid, established technology

• Safe for User: depends on device design - safety ensured only if: 1) UV lights are weak enough to prevent excessive ozone generation; 2) UV lights sources are properly located and out of the user’s view, since UV lights have strong adverse effects on eye health and integrity if observed directly

• Smart / IoT capabilities: yes depending on price range - as a rule, over 200 € there will be Smart capabilities

• Operational and Maintenance costs: high - high energy consumption, short lifespan for UV light sources (lamps / LEDs) compared to visible-light sources (e.g. those used in Vitesy’s visible-light photocatalytic system). Additionally, UV lights are very aggressive on surfaces finishes if not properly shielded, and can contribute to faster-than-usual deterioration of surface quality of furniture items.

• Sustainability: low - high energy consumption, short lifespan for UV light sources (lamps / LEDs) compared to visible-light sources (e.g. those used in Vitesy’s visible-light photocatalytic system).