• Need a new fan

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  • I'm ready to add a second fan to my life. I currently have a cheap box fan that works perfectly for sitting next to my bed and keeping me cool at night but isn't really useful for anything else. I need something for when I have people sitting in my living room or when I am cooking in the kitchen. Something oscillating, perhaps?

    Pros:

    -under $50 (cheaper is better but I am flexible)

    -aesthetically pleasing (or at least inoffensive)

    -quiet (ish). I don't care about this too much but I don't want to have to yell over the fan to talk to people.

    -good air output

    6 1
    Question by megyay
    05/24/2011

Honeywell makes a stand fan with remote-control and 16 inch blades. It oscillates. I got mine at Target, but I see what looks similar on Amazon for right around $50. Puts out plenty of air, and not too noisy.

Answer by johnm
05/24/2011

Don't get a cheap fan...it will break within 3-4 months and leave you buying another. I suggest an old-fashioned, oscillating desktop fan made of metal such as this:

http://www.amazon.com/Hunter-90022-12-Inch-Oscillating-Brushed/dp/B0000VYJU6

Answer by katezegreat
05/26/2011

Agree with KateZeGreat. I have a 50 year old GE fan and a Robbins & Myers fan that is over 80 years old. The cords have been replaced but both of them work perfectly today. Cheap fans - in particular, plastic oscillating fans - are not a good investment, you'll end up unhappy and have to buy another.

I like the Vornado fans better than the Hunters, personally. The cheaper Hunters are not great, you get what you pay for generally.

http://www.vornado.com/FanFare.aspx

Both Vornados and Hunters have been around for a very long time and you can get a powerful, reliable one for under $100. It's a lifetime investment if you choose carefully.

But if you can find an old brass and steel fan in a junk shop and it still works, buy it! I got my GE for $10, and my R & M was picked out of a trash can for free and just needed a new cord.

Answer by bugmenot
05/26/2011
1 Favorites

Stand/vertical fans IMO are hard to clean and end up with bearing problems at the base due to the weight of the squirrel cage units. I've cleaned up a couple of office fans after their users complained of squealing and reduced air output. Unless you enjoy tearing them apart to wash the parts and lube the bearings, go with a Vornado on a stand.

Answer by gryhze
05/26/2011

Overcomplicating things. Honeywell makes a small (10" height) fan that can sit desktop or on the floor. I use them to push air into a corner, which moves air throughout the room. Cheap, durable (I have ones six years old still working perfectly), and small.

-C

Answer by christopher
05/28/2011

The Vornado fan that costs $100 retail (use the 20% Bed Bath and Beyond coupon!) is awesome. It's extremely quiet on the low setting and the high setting will blow your toupe off. Plus, it's very thin plastic on the cover spokes and dust doesn't accumulate like those wire fans. And it's adjustable up and down, which is a really cool feature that you don't get in most of these Vornado fans.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=16393380

Answer by moon
01/19/2012
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