10 fans in a Techstage comparison: from cheap with USB to rechargeable batteries to Dyson We tried 10 different fans. There are big differences in costs, noise and cooling. Some models even offer an air purifier. 08/18/2022 5:30 p.m. tech stage
We tried ten different fans. There are big differences in costs, noise and cooling. And some models even offer an air purifier.
High temperatures are not uncommon this summer. That pleases visitors to swimming pools or quarry ponds, but the heat in the office is anything but pleasant. There are numerous methods for reducing it in real and perceived terms, as we explain in our guide to air conditioning basics: How much does good room cooling cost? One possibility is provided by monobloc air conditioners (cheap versus expensive – is the surcharge worth it?) . However, an exhaust air hose must always remove the warm air. They are also not very energy efficient and quite expensive. On the other hand, evaporative coolers (cool breeze from 20 euros) are cheaper , but they come with a few limitations themselves.
A fan can only actually lower the room air a few degrees by blowing cooler air into the room. One option is to place it in the doorway so that potentially cooler air is blown into the room from the center of the building. But even in closed rooms, fans provide a perceived cooling. Because a draft allows the sweat to evaporate from the skin. Cold is thus released via a thermodynamic effect. But be careful: If you let yourself be blown directly by a fan for a longer period of time, you risk catching a cold or catching a drag.
table fan
Table fans are particularly useful in the office or in the home office. They usually get their energy from a USB port, some also come with a battery. They often only cost a few euros. When buying, you should pay attention to a quiet operation. The following applies here: the larger the fan blade and the more expensive and high-quality the entire product, the better the chances of smooth operation. However, these are only indications, even large and expensive table fans can have a broken or poorly quality bearing, which is reflected in an uneven noise during operation. If that bothers you, loud fans should be sent back.
We tried out three fans from the Amazon retailer Easyacc, which are also suitable for use on a table, among other things. The 14 centimeter long Easyacc USB fan costs just 8 euros and with its organic, slightly curved shape is vaguely reminiscent of a kidney. It has two eight-centimeter rotors. The front three and the rear five rotor blades rotate in opposite directions. Its foot is touch-sensitive and serves as a switch between the two levels. Even in the first stage (50 decibels) it circulates a lot of air for its small size, in the second (54 decibels) then significantly more. However, the Easyacc USB fan is too loud, something seems to be wrong with the bearings. We assume that this is an isolated case, other users have fewer problems according to the Amazon reviews. We would have sent our model back and asked for a new one.
We are very impressed by the Easyacc hand fan . It costs 11 euros. Its nine centimeter rotor blows in three levels, with its lowest being quite quiet at 47 decibels. All in all, it whirls a lot of air through the room for its small size, but is loud at the highest level with 63 decibels. Its handle folds down to either hold it, stand it at different angles, or store it to save space. A replaceable 2600 mAh battery is located in the handle itself, which keeps the fan running for three to ten hours, depending on the level. The battery can be recharged via the micro USB port. Continuous operation on the mains is also possible.
Easyacc hand fan
The 15 euro Easyacc mini fan is an oddball. It measures just 7.5 centimeters in diameter and is 5.5 centimeters thick when folded. The thick rear part serves as a foot, so you can freely choose the angle of the fan when setting it up. It is quite quiet in operation at the first level with 46 decibels, but then clearly audible at the highest level with 58 decibels. Some may be disturbed by the rather high frequency. Its air performance is okay, but cannot keep up with the larger rotors of other fans.
The highlight of the Easyacc mini fan: it comes with a strap to hang around your neck. So he can blow air towards the face. That may sound funny at first, but it definitely looks funny. However, when you’re out and about in really hot weather, a breeze can provide some much-needed cooling. The Easyacc mini fan is small enough to fit into tiny backpacks and handbags.
pedestal fan
Pedestal fans are the classic among fans. They are usually connected to the foot by a long rod and blow oscillating air into the room. We took a look at the Xiaomi Mi Smart 1C , which is currently the most popular pedestal fan according to our price comparison. It is set up within five minutes and, with its white, matte plastic, looks comparatively elegant, even if it is not exactly of very high quality.
It rises almost a meter from the ground and weighs 3.4 kilograms. Its seven-bladed rotor has a diameter of almost 30 centimeters. It blows in three stages, with the lowest being so quiet that you can hardly hear it. We measure 28 decibels. If desired, it oscillates horizontally and distributes the air better in the room. In addition, it offers a timer and a night mode at the push of a button.
The special feature, however, is its WLAN capability. Because it connects to the Xiaomi app if desired. This is subject to registration. In addition to a few additional options, the app makes it possible to connect the fan to the language assistants from Amazon and Google. From now on, the Xiaomi Mi Smart Fan 1C will listen to voice commands, which makes it much easier to use. There is no remote control.
The price of around 50 euros for the Xiaomi Mi Smart Fan 1C is reasonable for the performance offered. We are particularly impressed by its quiet operation and the control via language assistants is a real gain in comfort. In addition to the Xiaomi Mi Smart 1C, there are other variants, all of which are a bit more expensive and then offer a higher quality finish with metal elements.
Smartmi Fan 3 / Xiaomi Mi Smart 3
Smartmi has manufactured fans for Xiaomi in the past and also uses the Xiaomi Home App to control its own branded fans. Due to this close relationship between the two companies, the Smartmi Fan 3 is also marketed under the name Xiaomi Mi Smart 3.
As a special feature, Smartmi has given the model a 2800 mAh battery . The almost one meter high pedestal fan in the elegant white and silver look is supposed to run for up to 20 hours without a cable. In the test, it actually lasted that long at the lowest level. And even at maximum fan speed it’s still a good three hours . Thus, the Smartmi Fan 3 can also be used on the go. This is practical because it allows you to use the fan in places where a power source is not available, for example on the terrace during a barbecue evening.
It takes almost four hours to charge the battery in the test. Depending on the charge level of the battery, the device requires up to 12 watts, while the power consumption during operation at maximum fan level 4 is a good 15 watts if the battery is also being charged at the same time. When fully charged, the power consumption is between 3 and 13 watts , depending on the level (1-4) .
In contrast to the fans made for Xiaomi, users can also use the included Bluetooth remote control to control the Smartmi Fan 3 in addition to the app . This allows you to turn the device on and off, set the fan levels and oscillation, and switch between normal and natural mode. With the latter, the fan rotates at different speeds and thus simulates a natural draft . We like that better than with most pedestal fans, which only offer preset speed levels.
However, the fan only unfolds its full potential with the Mi Home app from Xiaomi. Here, users can read the temperature and humidity, switch the fan on and off, choose one of four wind speed levels or infinitely variable values between 1 and 100, determine the oscillation in steps of 0/30/60/90/120 degrees, and adjust the orientation manually customize and set up a timer and schedules. And of course install firmware updates – just as it should be for a “normal” fan.
We especially liked the silent operation of the Smartmi Fan 3. With the preset levels 1 (1) and 2 (35) you can hardly hear anything. The fan noise is only clearly audible at levels 3 (74) and 4 (100). A value of 50 is a good compromise between fan performance and noise emissions. You can look forward to a clearly cooling draft with low noise emissions at the same time.
If you don’t want to be disturbed at night, you can dim or deactivate the small LED display on the fan’s standpipe, which provides information about the fan speed, ionizer status and WLAN, and also switch off the confirmation tones that the Smartmi Fan 3 otherwise emits. In addition, parents can set up a child lock here, which disables the control of the fan via the physical buttons on the device.
And like some air purifiers from Xiaomi (test report) , the Smartmi Fan 3 also has an ionizer on board. The corresponding function is called “Negative Ion Mode” in the app. When it is active, the Smartmi Fan 3 produces negative ions that bind particles in the air like small vacuum cleaners, causing them to sink to the ground. Negative ions are considered beneficial to health . Some also refer to them as vitamins for the air. In nature, high concentrations of it occur in the forest and near waterfalls. While at waterfalls up to 80,000 ionsper cm³ of air, there are only 750 in the city and only between 0 and 250 in closed rooms. On the other hand, the release of negative ions can also produce ozone, which is also harmful to health in higher concentrations. However, neither in the test with the Xiaomi Air Purifier 4 nor with the Smartmi Fan 3 did we measure an increased ozone concentration with the powerful Air-Q air quality sensor.
Another plus point of the Smartmi Fan 3 would be the option for automation provided in the app, if it were to work. Unfortunately, the device could not be switched on automatically in the test when a certain temperature or humidity was reached. It was only possible to switch it on and off at certain times.
In addition, voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant only allows the device to be switched on and off. Changing the mode or activating a specific fan speed via voice command did not work in the test. But good: There is an app and a remote control for operation – that should be enough for most people.
The Smartmi Fan 3 normally costs just under 140 euros. However, numerous dealers already offer it for less than 100 euros. Our price comparison shows a low of almost 75 euros. Buyers thus receive a powerful fan that is also well suited for the office or bedroom thanks to its quiet operating noise.
The Balmuda Greenfan for 320 euros shows that it can also be significantly more expensive . The high price is clearly exaggerated, but the Greenfan is a very good pedestal fan and a kind of blueprint, which you should pay attention to when buying cheaper pedestal fans. Its 30 centimeter rotor runs extremely quietly. On the lowest of the four levels, you have to put your ear very close to the device to hear a running noise. We measure 25 decibels. Sensitive natures should also be able to sleep with him in the room. At the fourth level, it is clearly audible at 55 decibels, but never uncomfortably loud. Its air circulation is enormous. Even at a distance of a good ten meters, its airflow can still be clearly perceived. It is therefore ideal for larger rooms.
It consists almost exclusively of plastic. At this point we would have wished for higher-quality materials for the asking price. A simple mechanism removes the middle section of the rod, transforming it from a standing fan with a height of 90 centimeters into a table fan that is almost 50 centimeters high. On request, it swings freely adjustable horizontally at an angle of 30 to 150 degrees. Vertically, it manually snaps about five degrees down and 15 degrees up. It also has a timer. At its base, six indicator lights show the current mode. Buyers can also switch these off if they wish. Buyers can set all these functions either on the device itself or via the remote control.
The energy hunger of the Balmuda Greenfan is moderate. We measured 2.5 watts at the lowest level and 13.5 watts at the highest level. If it vibrates, about 0.5 watts are added. Optionally, you can also buy a battery including charging station for the Balmuda Greenfan. For this post we looked at the predecessor of the current Balmuda Greenfan. Both are very similar in the relevant areas.
tower fans
In addition to classic pedestal fans, tower fans are very common. They start at around 25 euros. Your advantage: They are visually appealing and take up less space due to the smaller rotors. But they are often a bit louder. Despite the high price, Dyson tower fans are very popular. This is mainly due to their clever design. In them, the rotor sits pointing upwards in the base and blows the air into the room via an oval diffuser. This makes them visually very appealing and especially safe in an environment with small children. Because it is simply impossible for little fingers to get into the rotating rotor blade.
Dyson Purifier Cool Formaldehyde TP09
With the Purifier Cool Formaldehyde TP09, Dyson combines a tower fan with an air purifier. The device is available from just under 600 euros and is therefore not exactly a bargain, as is typical for Dyson. But if you are looking for a powerful air purifier with a cooling function, the Dyson is the right choice. The model not only promises to remove 99.95 percent of the particles in the air down to a size of 0.1 microns via a HEPA activated carbon combination filter, but also continuously decomposes formaldehyde thanks to a catalytic filter.
The outer shape of the Purifier Cool Formaldehyde TP09 corresponds to the typical Dyson design language. The tower-shaped case stands on a rotating base. The various filters and sensors are housed in the lower area. The rotorless ventilation unit sits on top of this. While the upper part is kept in white, the anthracite-colored filter body with a brass-colored grid stands out discreetly. When it comes to aesthetics, Dyson is hard to beat.
