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. Though the Lasko Cyclone does have a timer, it only goes up to 4 hours, which may not be enough for some folks. It has a push-pull tab on the motor to control oscillation, rather than including that on the remote like many others. The super-wide, 21-inch circular base takes up a significant amount of room and slides readily across hardwood floors.
If your home includes excitable pets, clumsy children, or ungraceful adults, it’s important to have a sturdy fan that’s less likely to take a fall when bumped. We evaluated fans on their center of balance, weightiness, sturdiness, and other features that help to hold them in place, like rubber feet. Since many of these come with a tiny remote, we also considered extra features as a bonus in this metric. It has a small footprint with legs that can go around objects and a small head that’s powerful and can be pointed in nearly any direction, pivoting a full 90 degrees, from horizontal to almost vertical. The Lasko S11612 is a fairly average overall size but is much lighter than most and with a thin, wide base that can slide easily under most furniture.
Additionally, this fan may not quite reach the top of your bed — at its tallest, it stands just 38 inches high. It’s also quite loud on higher settings, though the lowest speed is reasonably quiet. But if you’re looking for a pedestal fan with far-reaching power that you can stick in the corner and forget about, the Vornado may be exactly what you want. Despite being the smallest of our tested fans, the Vornado 683 Medium is also among the most powerful.
To score each model’s overall noisiness, we started off by taking decibel readings of each fan at all of their various speeds. 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 while the operation lights on the front will dim after several seconds, if you’re particularly sensitive to lights in the bedroom, you may end up covering the front of this one. Overall, however, we found this to be a useful fan with a fair range of features and good power for less money than many others, making it a great value option. Despite its limited settings, it still has a powerful airflow that does a great job of cooling you down. The adjustable height and tilting head provide plenty of flexibility so you can use this fan just how you need it.
And because gunk getting stuck in your fan can affect its noisiness, we also inspected how easy they are to clean. A quiet fan that offers a comfortable indoor breeze, ideal for watching a movie in bed without having to crank the volume. I found that I stayed the coolest when I had the fan pointed at me as directly as possible. I tried using it at different heights and preferred to keep it at a shorter height so it could fan directly on me as I was laying down. When it was up higher, I could still feel the airflow but didn’t feel like I was staying as cool.
If you’re here hunting for a pedestal fan that works and won’t blow your budget, the Comfort Zone 3-Speed is that fan. It’s extremely simple and straightforward in operation and does precisely what you’d expect from a basic fan. Its top-measured speed hit just above average at 10.9 mph on High. Unfortunately, this heavy gizmo is one of the most wobbly models we tested, literally blowing itself into a backbend at high speeds.
For a futuristic-looking fan, it still has the old-school oscillation knob on the unit, with no button to control it remotely. It chirps loudly and obnoxiously with every setting change, and though the lights dim, they never turn off. Switching between speeds, the unit we tested also had considerable difficulty finding the right rotation rate, shifting awkwardly between several speeds before settling at a constant pace. At the end of the day, though we find much to like about this quiet, effective fan, we’re not quite sure its shortcomings make it worth the hefty price tag.
Rather than needing a set of tools, it requires twisting and clicking pieces into place. The instructions were straightforward and in 10 minutes I had the pedestal of the fan screwed into the base and the fan head assembled. Match the wide blade to wide slot in outlet and FULLY INSERT. DO NOT attempt to bypass or defeat this safety feature. If the plug does not fit in the outlet, con-sult a qualified electrician. If you’ve been feeling the heat lately, you’re not alone — heat waves have been sweeping across the nation and Europe this year.
Get the best value on product protection including fast repairs or replacements. Proof of purchase is required before a warranty lasko pedestal fans claim will be accepted. You may also have other rights which vary from state to state and province to province.