Blown away: We test summer's coolest fans and air purifiers
From left, the Tower, the Beurer, the Dyson and the Shark models.
Summer has finally limped in, it’s over 17C, you’re Irish, and you’re prone with a moan. Every year we see a rush on domestic cooling fans, with many models selling out in a few days. Let’s get ahead of the thundering crowd, with everything from economical chill choices to super fans that do so much more than stirring the air.
Most fans just move the air in the room, they don’t actually “cool” the air with a refrigerant as an air conditioner does.
Manage your expectations.
Beyond speed and noise, in an economy model there’s a good argument for sticking with a fan unit that just does one job (as that’s what it’s engineered to do), as there’s no purifier or other interrupter slowing down the air-flow as it’s returned to the room.
You can up the chill performance of any fan by simply placing a large bowl of ice in front of the primary flow direction, or by leaving it near to an open window (not recommended if your apartment is hanging over the M50).
I’m a sucker for retro styling, and Tower always takes a wry nod to nostalgia. Its 18-inch Copper High-speed velocity fan is a handsome, industrially inclined floor-standing variety that offers a pivoting fan head can be tilted across a vertical angle to target airflow. It’s simply detailed with three settings from a light breeze to a cooling surge.
Pulling it straight out of the box and pressed into action, it’s perfect for summer duty and easily carried from your home gym to your home office. At 100w on a low setting, it’s not as economical as a bladeless fan, but not a kilowatt-muncher by any means.
This one has a safety mesh around the fan housing. Be especially careful with any bladed fan around young children as they can catch fingers and tangle into hair. Vintage models can have non-standard grilles; Tower T662000C from €80 and also available in a 16-inch pedestal variety from €70.
Shark is a brand to watch, with innovative technology that often gets ahead of more expensive names. I’m intrigued this summer by its Shark FlexBreeze, which the company describes as a hybrid indoor/outdoor fan that can take a room down a full 5C.
A midsized pedestal stand model with remote control and 20 hours of battery life (with the integral charging unit) it includes something not typically seen in moderately priced fans, in its InstaCool misting attachment. Just pop on the hose attachment to enjoy a drift of cool moist air. It’s UV and water resistant, so on battery mode, a shower won’t kill it.
The FlexBreeze delivers five cooling fan speeds, 180-degree oscillation, 55-degree tilt and a controller to finesse its settings from a sun lounger or bed. The timer has one-hour increments, for up to five hours of use. I really appreciate the ability to press a button on the back of the pedestal pole to transform FlexBreeze into a tabletop-fan that can be whisked to the kitchen counter or a desk. Is it ugly? I would say — functional, modern, but not ghastly in matt black; €229 at Harvey Norman.
Traditional fans are noisy, and if your mind does not process this as calming white noise, they can mince your nerves, especially while working or attempting to sleep. The Duux Whisper Flex range has an impressive quiet mode of 13 dB, describes by the suppliers as likened to rustling leaves.
It also offers a rechargeable battery pack with docking station (sold separately or included depending on your deal) allowing you to carry it around the house flex-free or even take it to an overhung balcony or patio for up to 12 hours. You just stand the fan into its station to recharge.
This is one of the new generation of smarter fans with 26 settings, an LED screen, intuitive on/off touch controls, a detachable remote control and voice assist through Alexa or Google Assist. Its entry-level 13-inch diameter model is an energy efficient 27w at a low setting. Keep in mind, standard bladed fans will double and triple its power draw as you go up the speed settings; DXCF19UK, €180.
Small personal, portable fans are now commonplace, starting for as little as €25 for a JML ChillMax. My choice in this division has to be the Beurer Fresh Breeze as along with three adequate speeds for one person use, it has some very nifty detailing. Sorry to be shallow, but out and about it looks like a nicely put together DAB radio with its boxy outline and carrying handle.
My favourite feature is the mister. Simply fill the bottle provided with clean drinking water and attach it to the unit. As the Fresh Breeze fan spins, the water evaporates. I’ve tried this one borrowed from another writer on my work desk. It doesn’t drench you, but just drifts a very light mist towards your face. Comes with a micro-USB cable to be used with a mains power supply or your computer or laptop, making it a great choice for nomadic workers, and car and camper travelling; €60, from suppliers including Boots.
Bladeless fan don’t have mechanics noisily chopping the air at high speed, making them perfect for a work environment, and offering increased safety around children and pets. I’m not going to lie. They are a bit cumbersome visually (particularly in floor towers), but we’re looking for occasional use in the summer, and most of the time it can sit behind the sofa in a roomy corner.
As we only have a few brief weeks to manage (some would sulkily add here — a few days) I’m vouching for the Smart Air Cool + Purifying Tower Fan, a versatile 2-in-1 machine that includes ionising H13 HEPA filtration system to capture 99.97% of airborne contaminants, including allergens, mould spores, dust and bacteria before projecting cleaner air around the space.
For cooling, the Smart Air offers “Day” settings for a refreshing breeze or “Smart” for the fan speed to be automatically adjusted. There are also the “Sleep” and “Baby” options, trimming the noise level. The tapered shape is the prettiest tower at summer camp, and it consumes a worthy 33w in use; €240 from Currys PC World.
Expect to pay €100-€150 more for a similarly styled, large whole-room cooling/purifier fan by Dyson with some remote control and oscillation in this brand compared to Smart Air, Innova, Daewoo and Klarstein units.
Dyson’s engineering and features in bladeless machines blow past most competition in air treatment. With great finishes and a lovely air-multiplier loop, it retains a cult following. Jumping to the company's feted three-in-one tower, the Dyson Purifier Hot and Cool Formaldehyde Purifier Fan Heater (HP09), we have all the toys in a fan that muscles 300l of air per second and that’s useful for 12 months of year. There’s always just that little extra rolling R&D that distinguishes Dyson from its imitators. Starting with how it moves, this fan has a focused and diffused action, plus 360-degree oscillation where needed in cooling and heating. This projects heating and cooling to a much wider area than a static model or a head just tilted into position.
In cooling mode, it offers ten speeds. Its pricey talents include readings for indoor pollution per cubic metre in real time, shown on an LCD screen, humidity readings (something that can upend your indoor air quality) and of course temperature.
Using sensor technology, the filtration system uses autoreact to respond to the air quality as needed, saving power. It even destroys formaldehyde run over eight-nine hours, a common offgas in new furniture and carpeting. You can yell at this Dyson from across the room once you’re set up on the MyDyson app and it can keep you cool for up to nine hours during the night; €749.99. Dyson cooling/heating towers start at €449.99 in focused and diffused modes with oscillation, with cooling towers (AM07) that include noise-dampening Helmholtz technology from €399.99 at dyson.ie.
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