When we started writing this guide on fans, we had a formidable task ahead of us. That’s because there are fans of all shapes, sizes, and functions, so how can we choose the best fans out of everything that’s made. Then we came to a realization, we didn’t have to consider every type of fan, only the ones most commonly used in the household. And that’s when we narrowed our search and found the fans that people are going to enjoy using in their home or office. Now that we’ve stated that, let’s get right into the reviews and look at some of the most useful fans currently available.

Quick Summary of the Best Fans

Best Overall: Honeywell Comfort Control Table Fan

One of the best fans that we’ve come across during our search is this table fan from Honeywell. It’s an inexpensive product that’s made from quality components and has a nice aesthetic to it that allows it to fit in with the decor of any room. However, what makes this product one that some people are going to want to put in their home is that this product delivers a nice amount of air.

It has three different speeds: low, medium and high, and these speeds allow it to be quite efficient at cooling and circulating air. It isn’t the most powerful one available, but it does move enough air for it to be quite useful. Actually, for a smaller size fan, it moves quite a bit of air.

This fan has a 12-inch head, has an oscillation feature, and it has an adjustable tilt fan head that puts the user in control of how they want air distributed through their room. We also liked the fact that this model had push-button controls that make it easy to use day-in and day-out. It’s also worth noting that the grill of this fan can be removed for cleaning.

And because it doesn’t require tools to assemble, and the average person can put it together in a matter of a few moments, this fan can be pressed into service quickly once the consumer has received it.

What we liked about it
This fan is inexpensive.
It’s a quality table fan.

Best Personal Fan: Vornado VFAN Mini-Classic Personal Fan

It’s not often that a personal fan comes along that has a beautiful style to it, is well-made and is backed by a hassle-free guarantee from the manufacturer, but this fan manages to tick the boxes on all three categories. This fan has a style to it that seems to be a blend of modern and retro styles and easily fits in with the decor of any room.

This fan is small, approximately 5.7×7.1×8.3-inches in size, and is made using a sturdy metal construction that allows it to hold up to daily use. Although we did find that this fan can occasionally rattle, especially when set up against another object, it’s not noisy enough for us not to love it. In fact, it only rattled a couple of times and that might be due to how we set it up.

We also liked the fact that this fan has a 2-speed manual control that allows the consumer to dial in their personal comfort level. And because the head of this fan can tilt, it’s easy for the consumer to aim the fan where they need to aim it to get the proper airflow to themselves.

Although this fan isn’t large enough to be used as a room fan, it’s just what the doctor ordered for personal use. Its deep-pitched blades do a great job of moving air and they do it while providing a little bit of white noise in the background. All in all, this is a fan that we’re proud to recommend.

What we liked about it
It’s just the right size for personal use.
It’s extremely well built.

Best Tower Fan: Lasko High-Velocity Blower Fan

This tower fan from Lasko is one that’s capable of delivering quite a bit of airflow. It’s a fan that’s approximately 9x12x30-inches in size and weighs around 12-pounds. Although this fan is made with plastic housing, it didn’t feel cheap like some comparable tower fans do. This product does feature a handle, however, which allows it to be carried from one room to the next as needed.

This is a fan that also features widespread oscillation that allows it to deliver air over a large portion of the room. And since this model comes fully-assembled, the consumer can press it into service quite easily. Once it’s unpacked, the user can get it up and running with minimal fuss.

It’s a product that has three speeds and directional louvers that directs the powerful flow of air quite efficiently. For safety purposes, this model is equipped with blue plug technology that places a fuse directly into the power cord’s plug. This allows the unit to shut itself quickly if there’s an electrical fault, and this prevents it from becoming a fire hazard in those circumstances.

Having taken the time to look closely at this model, we think it’s one that many consumers are going to appreciate. We think that it’s a fan that delivers quite a bit of airflow and we think most consumers will be pleased with its performance.

What we liked about it
Delivers quite a bit of airflow.

Best Pedestal Fan: Rowenta Turbo-Silence Stand Fan

There are a lot of pedestal fans out there, so some of our readers might be wondering why we’re recommending this one. Well, to put it bluntly, we’re recommending this product because it’s one of the best pedestal fans available. This model has a 16-inch diameter head that’s equipped with 5 blades. It’s also equipped with 5-speed settings, including a turbo boost for extra air circulation and a silent mode for people using it in their bedroom.

And best of all, this fan is capable of delivering up to 2,446 cubic-feet-per-minute of air, which is an exceptional amount of air to move around. That is a lot more air than what many other pedestal fans produce.

Another thing that we liked about this product was its electronic control panel that’s quite easy to use. It’s also equipped with an energy-saving mode and an 8-hour automatic timer. And because everything is better when you don’t have to get up from your bed or chair to operate it, this fan also comes with remote control.

The only thing that we didn’t like about this pedestal fan was that it had an annoying blue light. This blue light may make it difficult for people to use in their bedroom at night. Other than that, however, we think that this is a great fan worth checking out.

What we liked about it
It’s super silent.
It moves quite a bit of air.

How To Buy The Best Fan For Your Home

As we did our reviews, we tried to find some of the best fans that people could use in their homes. We knew that consumers use fans for different things, so we wanted to make sure we’ve included a variety of them. And we think we did a pretty good job with that goal as we reviewed pedestal, table, personal and tower fans. Now, we want to change gears a little bit and give our readers the advice they need to choose the best fans for their needs. Now, let’s get started.

What’s The Purpose Of The Fan?

The first thing that the consumer should do is ask themselves a serious question: What’s do I need the fan to do? As most of our readers could see from our reviews, there’s quite a selection of different fans available, and they are each good for certain jobs. For example, personal fans are designed to only deliver air to a single person and their main benefit is that they’re small enough to be placed on a desk or a shelf. Pedestal fans, on the other hand, are designed to deliver air across a wider area, so they’re good for circulating air in bedrooms or dining rooms. If the consumer is looking to pull in air from outdoors, then they may want to opt for a box or window fan that can be placed in their window. Our point is that the consumer should think about how the fan is going to be used, and then buy the fan that most closely accomplishes that job.

Consider The Size Of The Fan

The consumer is going to also want to consider the size of the fan. Not only because the size of the fan often correlates directly to the amount of air it can move, but also to make sure that it fits into the space it needs to fit into. After all, the fan has to fit where it’s needed, otherwise, it won’t be capable of being used in its intended way. 

Consider The Fan’s Power

Although most of the time fan size does correlate to fan speed, that’s not always the case. There are instances when bigger fans don’t produce as much airflow as smaller fans and vice-versa. Therefore, the consumer has to consider the fan’s power by considering another metric: the fan’s CFM

CFM stands for cubic-feet-per-minute, and it tells the user how much air the fan can move every 60-seconds. The higher the CFM the more air it can move per minute, so the consumer should choose a model with the highest CFM possible. For the average home, anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 CFM is usually sufficient for ventilation purposes. 

Consider The Fan’s Construction Quality

It’s also a good idea for the consumer to think about how the fan is constructed. They will want to make sure they purchase one that’s durable and will hold up to regular use. Fans with metal housing and/or grills usually hold up well to frequent use, but some plastic fans are well-made as well, so it behooves the consumer to do their research when considering a fan. Usually, customer reviews are a good way to determine how sturdy a particular fan is going to be—particularly in models that are purchased online. 

Consider The Fan’s Noise Level

If the fan is going to be used in a bedroom or some other room where silence is preferred, then the consumer is going to want to make sure that they purchase a fan that isn’t too loud. Generally speaking, fans that are 30-decibels or less are usually the best for bedrooms. This is about the noise level of a whisper. However, if the person likes a fan that produces a little bit of white noise, then they can choose a fan that’s a little bit louder than that if it suits their needs. 

Additional Features To Think About

With the basics out of the way, we would like to talk about some of the other features that the consumer should think about when purchasing a new fan. Although none of the following features are necessary, many of them convey some benefit to the consumer, so they’re worth thinking about. Let’s briefly run down some of these features before this guide comes to its inevitable conclusion. 

  • Safety Fuse In The Plug
  • A Removable Fan Grill
  • A Long Power Cord
  • Reversible Fan Blades
  • Ability To Be Wall-Mounted
  • Oscillation and/or Movable Louvres