If you want to stay cool during the hottest months of the year without increasing your electric bill or energy bill, a large fan is your best option.
Whether you use it alone or with your air conditioner, it keeps you cool while taking long Zoom video calls in your home office or when you go to sleep.
We researched hundreds of models and brought 13 highly rated options for testing.
Over the course of four weeks we found that all the fans did an equally good job of keeping our space cool, but they varied widely in features, build quality, and usability.
So while you'll likely be happy with any fan you choose, we've selected the best tower, pedestal, and floor fans to fit your space.
Best overall cooling fan
Honeywell Quietset Whole Room HYF290B Tower Fan
buy it for
MX$2,299 or
$64.99
A tower fan gives you great performance in a small space, making it easy to place in a living room, bedroom, or anywhere you'd rather get an appliance out of the way.
The Honeywell Quietset Whole Room Tower Fan is quiet and affordable, with solid, stable construction and a beautiful, colorful control panel that was easier to use than the competition.
The Honeywell Quietset is easier to mount than the other tower fans we tested, with tool-less construction and a simple connection to the base that was much easier to handle than the other tower models we looked at, and once I got it We put together, despite the Honeywell's light weight, it was more stable than its competitors: some other towers wobble easily.
It features eight speed settings, more than the other tower fans we tested, though the lowest three speeds were very similar in our tests.
Clearly labeled controls and a convenient remote made setup easy;
other models were more finicky and difficult to adjust.
As it's a unit likely to be placed in a bedroom, we particularly appreciate that the Honeywell allows us to not only dim the lights on the control panel, but turn them off entirely.
None of the other fans we tested offered this type of control, which allowed us to choose whether we wanted to sleep in total darkness or simply dim the controls so they weren't distracting.
best pedestal fan
Rowenta Turbo Silence Extreme VU5670
buy it for
MX$6,268 or
$89.99
While a pedestal fan isn't as easy to incorporate into a room's décor as a tower fan, it does give you better coverage in larger rooms since the blades distribute better.
The Rowenta Turbo Silence Extreme VU5670 was the sturdiest, best built and easiest to adjust of the pedestal fans we tested and, with the taller extension, should be more usable in larger spaces than the other towers.
The Rowenta was easier to put together than other pedestal fans, took us less than 15 minutes to assemble, and came better packaged than any other.
Once assembled, the heavy base, secure connections, and solidly built extension rod made it the most stable of the towers we reviewed, even though it was set higher than Black + Decker, Lasko, and Honeywell models .
The unit could be controlled with soft clicks indicating the four available angles.
The other towers were all stiffer and more difficult to adjust to a desired position.
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The buttons were simple and easy to use, and the Rowenta's remote (which replicates all the front panel controls) fit nicely in our grip;
the remote is stored in a slot on the back of the main unit when not in use.
Some of the others lacked anywhere to store the remote, meaning it was likely to get lost.
best floor fan
Vornado Energy Smart 533DC Circulator Fan
buy it for
MX$2,426 or
$79.99
A floor fan (which can also be placed on a desk or table) is easy to incorporate almost anywhere, making it ideal to have on hand to cool down a space like a kitchen, office or bathroom when needed.
The Vornado Energy Smart 533DC is lighter than the others we tested, and easier to transport around our space, despite being sturdier and easier to adjust than its competitors.
Rubber grips on its bottom kept it stable on different surfaces.
The Vornado's directional settings were easy to select and lock in operation, and while not quite as adjustable as the Lasko Wind Machine 3300. We also prefer the Vornado's silver speed dial, which allows us to adjust settings in one smooth, continuous motion. silent, to the controls of others of its kind.
The only drawback we found was that the Vornado Energy Smart 533DC was technically the loudest of the bunch, but the noise isn't disturbing enough while working, reading, or sleeping nearby in the same room.
Lastly, the Vornado Energy Smart 533DC circulator fan is covered by a 10-year limited warranty, which is much longer than the 1-year warranties on the Black+Decker BFB09W, Honeywell HT-900, and Lasko 3300 circulator fans we tested. .
Better choice for a higher price
Dyson Purifier Hot +Cool Formaldehyde HP09 Tower Fan
buy it for
MX$21,580 or
USD$599
The Dyson purifier impressed us with its effective cooling, quiet performance, solid construction and ease of use, plus it works as a space conditioner and air purifier, and can even monitor levels of volatile organic compounds.
As expected (and probably demand given the price), the Dyson was more solidly built and stable in construction than any of the other tower fans we looked at.
It also offered more granular control over its various settings than any of the other units.
Tool-free assembly made it easy to put together, and along with well-designed front panel controls, including an LCD screen and a sleek remote that attaches magnetically for storage, the Dyson offers an app that not only lets you control unit, but also monitor contaminant levels.
It's radically different from everything else we've tried, but if you're interested in all its features and your budget allows for this sky-high price, it may be worth the splurge.
What to look for when selecting a fan for your needs
While all of the fans we tested performed well at their core job of moving air efficiently and keeping you from having to turn on the air conditioner or open your window, the type of cooling fan you'll want to buy depends on the size and type of fan. space you want to use it in, the size of the fan, and your budget.
A floor fan is ideal if you need something that is compact enough to fit on a table or desk, and is something you can move around to use as needed.
Circulator fans, the design familiar from Vornado and also found in units like the Black + Decker and Honeywell models we tested, are great examples of personal fans that don't take up a lot of space.
If you want something more powerful and plan to use it all the time but don't have a lot of space (and don't want to make your fan a visual centerpiece in your room), a tower fan is a great option.
It's ideal for a living room or bedroom, where you want to keep the air moving without too much visual distraction.
How we test
We tested 13 fans over four weeks to find the most effective and efficient indoor fans available.
In our test group, we include oscillators, bladeless fans, and other electric fans.
Some fans had a battery-powered remote, and some didn't.
To test the fans, we unboxed, assembled, and used the fans for hours while we slept, read, and wrote in the room.
We take notes on ease of setup, design and features, customization, performance, energy efficiency, noise level, battery, warranty, user manual, ease of cleaning, price, and more.
To track power consumption, we connected each fan to a P3 International Kill A Watt EZ electricity usage monitor while running them for two hours at their highest speed, without oscillation.
We look at the amps and watts used during those two hours.
We also recorded fan noise levels using the Sound Level Meter (SLM) app, which was placed on a table a short distance from the fan.
We measured the noise levels produced by each fan over a one-hour period while running at its highest speed without oscillation.
While all the models we tested made a perceptible hum, in the end, each unit measured at an average level of around 52.6 decibels (dB), no louder than the hum of a running refrigerator and not loud enough to interfere. with conversation or sleep.
So any of the fans we tested would be suitable for most spaces around your home, home office, or bedroom.
Here is a breakdown of all the tests we run:
Functions
Plug and play
:
Can we unbox an assembled fan and immediately plug it in?
Mounting:
Is it easy to mount the fan?
Tools required:
Can the fan be assembled by hand, or are tools of any kind required?
Are those tools included?
Downloadable app:
Is there an iOS and Android app available?
Smart plug:
Can the fan work with a smart plug?
Design and features
Space:
Does the fan have vertical and upright construction?
Materials:
Are the fan parts made of plastic or metal?
Buttons:
Are the buttons on the fan easy to reach and intuitive?
Cable:
How long is the fan's power cable?
Oscillation:
Does the fan move from side to side, or oscillate within a fixed base?
Oscillation angle:
Can the fan's oscillation angle be customized between 45, 90, 180 and 350 degrees?
Control panel:
Does the fan have one and does it show ambient temperature readings?
Voice controls:
Does the fan support Alexa or Siri and the like?
Personalization
Control via an app:
Can you control the fan using a mobile app?
Scheduling:
Does the ventilator offer the ability to set a custom schedule?
Adjustable height:
Can the height of the fan stand be adjusted?
Airflow:
Can the direction and angle of the airflow be adjusted?
Mobility:
Can the fan be moved from room to room easily?
Performance
Reliability:
Does the fan work as intended?
Room size:
Can the fan cool down a medium to large room on a hot day?
Programmable timer:
Does the fan come with a sleep timer?
How many hours can you pre-schedule it to run before shutting it down?
Configuration:
Does the fan have a mode that simulates a natural breeze?
Remote control:
Does the fan come with a remote control and are batteries included?
Night mode:
Does the fan control panel have a night mode so I can turn off the screen or buttons when napping or sleeping?
Battery
Requirement:
Does the fan require batteries?
Type:
What type of battery does the fan or fan remote control use?
Warranty
Length:
How many years is the included warranty valid for?
Type:
What does the warranty cover?
User manual
Languages:
In how many languages is the user manual available?
Usefulness:
Does the user manual help you with setup and use?
Type:
Is a printed user manual included out of the box and can it also be found online?
Ease of cleaning
Removable grille:
Does the fan have grilles and are they removable for cleaning?
Blades:
Does the fan have blades and are they accessible for cleaning?
Filter:
Does the fan require a filter and does it come with a ready-to-use filter replacement?
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