Honorable Mentions
Shark FlexBreeze Hydro Go for $130: I love the original Shark FlexBreeze (above), so I was very excited to see Shark had released a rechargeable portable fan in seven colors, including ones not normally seen in fans like Lilac and Honeydew. Shark says it can run 30 minutes with the mister consistently on or 60 minutes with it in (interval mode?), and after testing it at my son’s soccer practices, I was impressed that these estimates were more or less accurate. However, the mist that comes out of the middle is so fine and in such a small stream that it blew away quickly before it had a chance to cool anyone, unless they were sitting just inches from it.
Vornado Transom Window Fan for $110: I was impressed with the features of this fan—it’s got a remote control, air can go in or out, and it’s relatively quiet. It’s definitely a step up from less expensive versions. However, the foam blocks didn’t provide as tight a fit as I’d prefer, the fan can only be installed horizontally, and the thermostat is located on the inside of the fan—a problem that plagues space heaters as well—so it struggled to cool a south-facing bedroom during our tests.
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Vornado Strata for $130: Though most Vornado fans are roundly—and justifiably—beloved, the Strata seems to have engendered mixed feelings among online commenters. After using it in my husband’s office for an entire summer, I have to agree it’s a puzzling design. Shaped like a boxy, high-tech hair-dryer, the 18-inch-tall Strata pulls air and pushes it upward through an approximately 1-by-14-inch slot in the front, a maneuver that’s designed to mimic a taller tower fan. This rather narrow and very direct stream of air feels somewhat jarring when you’re in its path, but the Strata is still an air circulator, meant to sit on the floor and not necessarily blow air directly onto a user. If you want to feel the breeze, you’d be better off with a tower fan.
Honeywell QuietSet Whole Room Oscillating Tower Fan for $68: This eight-speed fan is very solid for the price—it’s got a remote control that neatly slots into the back of the unit, and the base is very sturdy even on carpet. It wasn’t much quieter than some of the other fans on low, though, which is its selling point, and the lightweight body feels cheaper than similar fans, though for the price this may not be a deal breaker.
Pelonis 40-Inch Oscillating Tower Fan for $70: This fan is quite wobbly on carpet and has a cheap-feeling remote control that must be pointed exactly at the fan’s sensor to operate. However, it puts out one of the stronger breezes I’ve seen for a tower fan and has been operating quietly and reliably in the background of my home office for months now. The remote also helpfully comes loaded with batteries, unlike other fans in this price range.
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Dyson Cool AM07 Tower Fan for $370: Our previous pick for Best Tower Fan before being bested by Dreo’s MC706, Dyson’s iconic ellipse is still worth a look. It’s a beautiful, high-tech-looking statement piece that fits into any decor, with a small footprint of about 8 inches. Its lack of blades makes it easy to keep spotlessly clean and is safe for kids and pets, and the assembly instructions are refreshingly intuitive. That said, it is one of the loudest fans tested when set on high and I don’t like that it can only be controlled with a remote, which is small and can easily be lost. It’s a solid tower fan, but there are higher-performing options for less.
Vornado Refresh 8 Table Fan for $60: This aromatherapy fan is roughly the size of the 660, above, but with a taller pedestal and without a carrying handle. It comes in a sort of clinical-looking off-white, and at 40 decibels on low, it’s louder than I would have expected. The aromatherapy designation comes from the fact that you can apply essential oils to included pads that slip under the front cap of the fan. This worked for a little while as long as I completely saturated the pad, not just added a few drops per the instructions. However, there was a slight rattling in my test unit—just noticeable enough to be irritating—and removing the front grill required a screwdriver longer than a standard size, which I did not have.
Not Recommended
Dreo Smart Air Circulator PolyFan 704S for $150: There are so many glowing reviews of this attractive smart pedestal fan, but the first one I ordered died while I was updating the firmware to connect it to the Dreo app. To obtain the replacement, I had to take video of myself attempting to operate the fan and then pack and send the broken fan back to Dreo via FedEx. In the process, I also received multiple incorrect tracking numbers for the new unit and was implored to leave an Amazon review containing specific keywords. This fan has fantastic features for the money, but with its short one-year warranty (though it can be extended to two and a half years if you create a Dreo account and register your device) and less-than-helpful customer service, it’s just not worth the risk. The replacement unit has proven reliable, but unwieldy.
O2Cool Neck Fan for $10: I liked that this fan could either be freestanding with a little kickstand in the back or worn around the neck with a lanyard, but it was too weak to provide any noticeable cool air.
Comlife Rechargeable Camping Fan for $40: This is a popular option on Amazon that I had high hopes for using during both general travel and camping trips. I loved that it had a light and was rechargeable, and the bendable octopus legs were appealing for their ability to grasp a tent pole, hang, or allow the fan to sit tripod-style on a bedside table. However, they broke off after a couple of months, and a couple of months after that the fan’s ability to hold a charge dwindled down to several hours. It is now in the trash.
Allen + Roth Valdosta Outdoor Ceiling Fan for $120: Purchased in hopes of cooling the air inside my backyard’s metal-roofed gazebo, this 20-inch fan hangs from a hook and has a stylish, retro vibe that perfectly matches my gazebo’s oil-rubbed bronze frame. I had hoped the fan would make it more pleasant to eat outside on hot days, but it does not noticeably increase airflow—especially in comparison to the Shark FlexBreeze—and the cord is so short it necessitates using a permanent extension cord, which detracts from the overall look.
Photograph: Kat Merck
Lasko Duo Comfort High-Velocity Fan and Ceramic Space Heater for $98: This sleek double tower has a heater on the left side and a fan with four speed settings and its own control buttons on the right side. Unfortunately, the fan performance is abysmal, with wind speed struggling to top 450 ft/m. It’s also louder than many tower fans at around 70 dB on high. Upon opening the box, it had some rather extreme off-gassing—our test unit gave off a terrible plastic smell for about a month, even during the times it was turned off. Worse yet, though, is the fact there is no tip-over protection function for the heater—I knocked it over to test, and it ran face-down into the carpet for a full 30 seconds before I finally picked it up.
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