To test the fans, we unboxed, assembled and ran the fans for hours while we were sleeping, reading and writing in the room. We took notes on ease of setup, design and features, customization, performance, energy efficiency, alen breathesmart noise level, battery, warranty, user manual, ease of cleaning, price and more. A floor fan is easy to place almost anywhere, making it great to have on hand to cool a space like a kitchen, office or bath when needed.
We then qualified each fan’s sound, including relative pitch, quality of noise, and respective annoyance levels. We noted if they had extra noises, like clicking, beeping, whirring, or vibrations. And because gunk getting stuck in your fan can affect its noisiness, we also inspected how easy they are to clean. Despite its small size, the Vornado packs some serious power into its three speeds and works well to circulate air throughout the room.
The Honeywell Quietset Whole Room tower fan is well built, quiet and affordable, with a solid, stable build and a beautiful, colorfully laid out control panel that was simpler to figure out and use than the competition. To test each pedestal fan’s power, we performed multiple airspeed tests on different settings and combined that with how well it translates into what you can feel across a room. We measured airflow, placing each fan across a large room and standing on the other side to gauge how easily we could feel each setting, both directly in front of and off to the sides of every fan. And we considered how many settings, modes, features, and timer options each model has, alongside the use of those settings. The Honeywell Double Blade 16 is a standard pedestal fan with enough upgrades to make it a solid fan and a solid value, too.
This makes it ideal for circulating air in larger living spaces that aren’t air conditioned. To support its powerful head, this fan features all-metal construction with aluminum blades and a powder-coat finish on the steel Lasko Box Fan stand. This plastic and metal pedestal fan offers many of the same features as higher-end models at a budget-friendly price. Its broad base supports a telescoping pole that adjusts the head height between 44 and 53 inches.
The Vornado 683 has several screws but also includes directions on how to remove both the grill and the blade for more thorough cleaning. Just like everything else in your home, your pedestal fan needs regular cleaning and maintenance to keep it working well. Most fans have a way to remove the front grill, which can be wiped or washed, along with the blades themselves. Obviously, you’ll need to avoid getting the motor wet, but even regular dusting will help you make the most of your fan.