Are "Premium" room fans worth it? If so, what do you use?

Posted by Compromisee@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 35 comments

With Summer looming and the warm whether round the corner I'm looking at getting a couple of decent room fans so we can actually sleep.

I HATE the heat, especially at night so want some really powerful, decent fans.

Does anyone use any of the premium big branded ones (Shark/Dyson etc.)? Are there all just a fan with a name slapped on it for £150 more or are they actually worth it? Compared to an aircon unit?

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Bulky_Bowl4607@reddit

We have a ceiling fan, which incorporates the light, in the bedroom. It's lovely in the height of summer to just throw the covers off the bed and lie under the fan. Fairly cheap in the UK, without getting a 2nd mortgage.

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Flazz3r1966@reddit

Shark Flex Breeze whisper quiet and more than enough to cool on a hot sticky night

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Compromisee@reddit (OP)

I was looking at this one. Does the mist do well?

What would you say the main differences is between this and a £20 one?

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Free_Ad7415@reddit

This is the one I have, the mist makes a huge difference and I like that it’s handheld and battery powered so you can have it outside which is my favourite part

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TheDawiWhisperer@reddit

Yeah we have one of those. Extra points for being wireless too when you take it off the stand

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Little_Pink@reddit

Second vote for this fan. I got it last year and it’s so good. The breeze function (the speed goes up and down at random on its own) makes you somehow feel better than just a static setting.

The best bit for me is the portability of it because of the battery. I carry it round the house in summer!

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Free_Ad7415@reddit

I have the shark one which has a battery (or you can plug it in) and a cooling mist, it’s really good.

I got the handheld one so I can take it outside with me mainly, soon after I bought it I had air conditioning fitted so don’t use it as much but I do think it’s good.

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MinimumCut140@reddit

Aircon unit will always win but if not possible then a ceiling fan is preferable.

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PeachImpressive319@reddit

Remember to set it to rotate in the correct direction for the season.

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EUskeptik@reddit

Of course the correct direction depends on whether you are in the northern or southern hemisphere.

Cf ‘Coriolis effect’.

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PitchOk1448@reddit

I have a portable AC unit and just put the outlet out of the window. They're not a whole lot more expensive than the sort of expensive fan price range you're talking about and enormously more effective. Even with, in my case, the efficiency loss by having the rest of the window just sat there being open it's way better than a fan or fans.

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EUskeptik@reddit

We spent £220 on a Daewoo portable air conditioner and have enjoyed cool nights for the last four summers. It’s a proper air conditioner with a compressor and refrigerant and an exhaust hose you put out of the window.

The air coming out of the exhaust is a lot warmer than ambient and illustrates how efficient the air conditioner is. We’ll use it till it breaks then replace it, like for like.

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super_sammie@reddit

If you are for living life dangerously I took the safety surround off my fan.

The airflow increased immensely.

Also if you aren’t looking in the night and stoic your hand out to a drink you get a gentle tickle from the blades.

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Katherine_the_Grater@reddit

I have a Meaco fan I bought a few years ago. It’s a beauty. They’re pricey but worth it in my opinion.

For really hot nights we have a portable aircon but it’s noisy AF.

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PipBin@reddit

I agree. The Meaco is really quiet, unlike the air con which is like a jet engine.

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ukrifter@reddit

Meaco- I have three of them, they are whisper quiet at night and chuck out a ton of air

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One-Coconut5397@reddit

Try a ceiling fan they keep going all night with almost no noise and are really helpful, I spent years overseas and they use them more than aircons.

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Compromisee@reddit (OP)

I had a ceiling fan in my old house in the living room and it was amazing tbf

Could barely tell it was even summer with that on

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Derfel60@reddit

Why not just get an aircon unit if youre spending that much?

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-_G0AT_-@reddit

Check r/onlyfans

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Compromisee@reddit (OP)

I've been scrolling for a good hour now, can't see any fans

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PMc1666@reddit

OP wants to cool down at night.

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General-Bumblebee180@reddit

we bought one of these fans about 15 years ago and it's fantastic (excuse pun).

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LukeLikesReddit@reddit

Save yourself a few quid and just buy an industrial fan from screw fix etc. It won't be pretty but it'll do the job and I think mine only cost 30 quid when we had that horrible heatwave a few summers ago.

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EarNew7622@reddit

I've just bought a meaco air con unit and it is 100x better than any fan and definitely worth the extra money. The whole room can go freezing cold if I wanted it to within a small amount of time, they come with a universal window kit too and it's pretty simple to set up

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CappucinoCupcake@reddit

I have a Dyson fan in the lounge and one in the bedroom. The one in the bedroom is on its last legs but still makes it comfortable to sleep in gross humid summer weather.

The newer one is perfect. Keeps the whole room cooler.

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FigOk7538@reddit

Before we had air con installed, putting a fan on very low and aiming it across the bed was pretty decent. As others have said, you're only moving air around and not cooling it, so the criteria for the fan was simply: must operate very quietly.

For this, often a larger fan that rotates slower is often ideal.

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morfn0@reddit

Don't get the Dyson = shite. I've got a Meaco fan and they are brilliant.

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meeko23@reddit

Meaco 1056 is below premium, but still pricy, very quiet at the low settings, but still throw a lot of air out

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MerlinMusic@reddit

I think the main advantage of the Dyson ones is that they're quieter, they're still just moving air around in the end.

Would getting shutters installed on your house be an option? That way you can completely block out the sun in the day and hopefully keep the interior cool.

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cdp181@reddit

Dyson fans are loud on full blast but quieter than normal fans on low. The dyson fan I got for nothing also has an annoying whine, probably from the bearings so I don't use it in the bedroom.

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nogardleirie@reddit

I have a Vornado that I put at the corner of my room door pointing at the ceiling. Then I open windows in other rooms of my apartment - the fan draws in cool air from the outside and it works very well. I also have a less powerful fan but that doesn't really circulate as well

Of course it only works if the outside is actually cooler than the inside

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Compromisee@reddit (OP)

Good option for at night then

The insulation in the house is really good which is great for winter but horrible for summer. Keeps the warmth in

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NortonBurns@reddit

A fan will move the air around, causing cooling only by evaporation of sweat & presenting your skin with new air at the same temperature as the room. 'Premium' features will include things like filtration.

No fan will cool the room. For that you need aircon, or at minimum a swamp cooler, which uses evaporation to reduce the temperature marginally.