10 Best fans 2024 in the United States

When the weather gets hot, people start to look for ways to stay comfortable. Air conditioning keeps you cool, but it can run up the energy bill. Fans are more economical and environmentally-safe. But there are several designs of fans out there already—for outdoor or indoor use, fans propped up on a stand, or that you put on your table, or ceiling fans. What are the factors to help you decide which to buy? Here is a guide to some of the best fans on the market. 

• Ceiling Fan: This is an effective way of circulating air in the entire room—unlike a table fan that is effective only in a single area. It might sound strange to use a fan in the winter, but, since hot air rises, it has been found to be effective in cutting heating costs in the winter by propelling the warm air into the room.
• Portable Fans: Among the fans that you can move around with you, there are several types and designs:

  • Desk fans: These sit on your desk, and are typically smaller and quieter. They are only intended for cooling off the people sitting near it, while not disturbing the papers on the desk. They just have two or three speed settings.

  • Blade-less Fan: This is also called an “air multiplier”. This type of fan really does have blades—they are simply hidden inside an enclosed base. The base supports a large ring, of about 15” in diameter—but they come in a variety of sizes. The fan in the base sucks in air from the room, and propels it into the ring. The pressure developed inside the ring propels air outwards, giving a cool, even breeze. This has the advantages of 1) giving a more uniform, steady stream of air than a regular fan—regular fans “chop” the air and propel it towards you, whereas this feels more like a breeze 2) being less dangerous, since there isn't any risk of someone putting their fingers into the blades of the fan, and 3) it is easier to clean than a regular fan.

  • Box Fans: This design holds the rotating blades in a box with a handle at the top, so that you can move it around to where you want. They are typically 20” in diameter, and usually have 3 speeds: high, medium, low. They can't be tilted in different directions, and they can't swivel. But you can insert them in the window to increase circulation in the room.

  • Floor fan: This fan has a base to allow it to sit on the floor—but it isn't as tall as a pedestal fan. It typically is tilt adjustable, with three speeds.

  • Pedestal fans: The pedestal fan is also placed on the floor, but it has a four-legged base (the “pedestal”) and a telescopic tube to vary the height. The height usually can vary between 15-48 inches. The fan blades are placed on the telescopic tube. They usually have a number of speeds, and have a button to allow them to swivel.

  • Tower fans: These fans are another modification on the blade-less fan design. They also have the motor and fan in the base, and it blows the air vertically. The stream of air is then directed by the fan's shape. Tower fans are tall and slender, which allows you to move them into tight spaces.

  • Oscillating Fans: These fans have an option to swivel back and forth, changing the direction of the air flow. This helps the air circulate better in the room.
  • Misting Fans: Besides blowing air at you, they also scatter a spray of water, to cool you off even more. They come in hand-held, table and stand fan varieties.
  • Outdoor Fans: There are a variety of fans that you can use when you have an outdoors event—it can get fairly hot if there are many people attending and you don't have proper ventilation. There are a number of fans that are suited for the outdoors: from standard fans, to high velocity fans, misting fans and ceiling mount fans.

• Runs on batteries: Some portable fans take rechargeable batteries—that makes a fan really portable. But then you'll have to consider how long can you use the fan without having to recharge the batteries.

• Noise: One consideration is the noise that the fan makes when operating. Some people complain that some fans are so loud interfere with having a normal conversation. The tower and blade-less fans are known to be the quietest, but it's something to consider in the other models too.

• Vibrations: Fans that swivel also tend to vibrate. That might not be a big deal for a model that stands on the floor, but it will be important if you have a desk fan. The vibrating will make it hard to do work at your desk.   

• Number of blades: Fans can have from 3 to 5 blades. The more blades means that it chops and oscillates the air better.

• Energy consumption: Tower and blade-less fans use around 40 W, making them attractive for the conservation-minded. Ceiling fans consume a little more power: they are rated at 60 W. But that's a lot less than an air conditioner.

• Speeds: Most of the portable fans have only three speeds. The speeds are rated in revolutions per minute (=rpm). In one model, for example, the slow speed is 900 rpm, medium is 1100 rpm, and high is 1280 rpm. But tower and pedestal fans can have as many as 10 different speeds!

• Oscillating: The box fan is not able to swivel. But some fans swivel through a 90-degree angle, some through a 180-degree angle, and some even circulate the air full-circle, through 360 degrees!

Rowenta: was founded by Robert Weintraud in Offenbach, Germany in 1884 under the name Weintraud & Co. He first started manufacturing office supplies, lamps and clocks. In 1909, he shortened the company name to Rowenta. They make all sorts of household appliances: irons, vacuum cleaners, heaters, humidifiers and fans.

Dyson: was founded by the engineer James Dyson in 1993 in Cotswolds, England. He employed innovative ideas to common appliances, and has marketed such devices as a bagless vacuum cleaner and the bladeless fan. They have a full line of air treatment devices, such as fans and humidifiers.

Hunter Fan Company: are the original makers of ceiling fans. The company was started by John and James Hunter in 1886 in Memphis, Tennessee. They continue to innovate in the field, offering ceiling fans that work on WiFi, and that provide lighting as well.

Deco Breeze: is a branch of the company Global Product Resources, Inc., specializing in creative consumer products. They were founded in 2005, and are based in San Diego. Deco Breeze is the branch of the company that makes decorative floor and table top fans.