Honorable Mentions
Photograph: Kat Merck
Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo for $120: 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.
Vornado Strata Photograph: Kat Merck
Vornado Strata for $150: 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.
Windmill Smart Air Circulator for $69: At a solid 2.5 pounds, this desk-dized fan punches above its weight when it comes to airflow. Add the Windmill app that you can use to automate and schedule the fan, an easy-to-use remote, and Google Home and Amazon Alexa compatibility, and it becomes more than just a little fan. The smart fan cuts a minimalist modern silhouette that stands less than a foot tall and comes in colors like pink, white, yellow, and black. While it hums along at the barely audible Whisper setting, it gets louder with each fan speed, coming in at a noisy 54 decibels on its highest Boost setting, somewhere around the sound of a conversation. It can be adjusted vertically, but it does not oscillate. While the Windmill had excellent airflow, and at its highest settings Windmill touts the fan as being an “air circulator,” those higher settings come with higher noise volume. I would have loved to run the fan at an oscillating Whisper setting. Still, the Windmill Fan, along with its price tag and 5-year warranty, is a welcome addition to my home. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Photograph: Kat Merck
Dreo CF312 Desk Fan for $45: Dreo's been after Vornado's crown for years now, and this little model is a direct competitor to classic Vornado circulators like the 630. In fact, it's extremely similar, save for the fact the Dreo comes with an option for wall mounting, and the screen pops off to access the internal parts for cleaning. In fact, you'd be fine with either the Dreo or Vornado versions, but the Vornado wins out its longer warranty—five years to Dreo's one.
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.
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