  We present preliminary numerical results for the three dimensional
non-compact QED with a weak four-fermion term in the lattice action. Approaches
based on Schwinger-Dyson studies, arguments based on thermodynamic inequalities
and numerical simulations lead to estimates of the critical number of fermion
flavors (below which chiral symmetry is broken) ranging from $N_{fc}=1$ to
$N_{fc}=4$. The weak four-fermion coupling provides the framework for an
improved algorithm, which allows us to simulate the chiral limit of massless
fermions and expose delicate effects.
