What is the best portable fan to buy in Canberra?

We too have a Dyson, hands down the noisiest fan I have ever heard. On the other hand we just bought one of these…
http://www.omegaaltise.com.au/product/product_details/Cooling/Tower_fan_OT750RI
I like the fact that it can extend higher to blow over the bed, very quiet on lower speeds and the timer is very handy so one doesnt wake up cold at 5am.

It’s not a dud, might have been staff price but I picked it myself off the shelf from general stock. Sounds just like the display models and it’s an issue raised in most reviews of them.

The problem is inherent to the design. The impeller in the base operates at high rpm so is high pitched and quite loud, while the cylindrical airfoil surface accelerates air out while creating currents to draw more air in.

That tends to be the way with Dyson though, it’s a trend with their engineering. Fix one problem but introduce a bunch of others. Dyson vacs don’t loose suction, but their design certainly never had as much suction to begin with. And the Dyson Airblades technology supposedly dries quicker and easier than traditional air driers, but in experience, they’re louder and blow the water up your arms.

c_c™ said :

peitab said :

The Dyson ones are definitely the quietest, but are not in everyone’s price range. In the past, I’ve found portable evaporative coolers are about as noisy as regular portable fans. Have you considered a fan with a timer? That way the noise isn’t going all night, but you could fall asleep with the fan on (if the noise isn’t an issue for you falling asleep).

The Dyson’s aren’t quiet. I’ve got one, and got it cheap on staff pricing so the price is right, but I’d never recommend someone paying retail get one. They’re effective, but not much more so than a typical blade fan. The big draw back is the aircraft wing design that is used to accelerate the air forced out by the impeller means it’s both very loud, and quite high pitched. So it is intrusive, particularly on higher settings and much more so than a bladed fan.

Maybe you got a dud one in return for the staff discount. Mine is not high-pitched, or very loud.

maxblues said :

Queen_of_the_Bun said :

I’ve bought a Dyson and I love it. Plus it does look really cool.

I have been thinking of getting one. Is it the straight fan or the heater fan combo? How is the noise level?

Just the fan. At first I thought it was noisy but that was because I was expecting silence.

However, it’s much quieter than my pedestal fan, particularly as it doesn’t make any creaking or clicking motions as the fan turns. It’s much easier to sleep when the sound is constant and you’re not lying awake waiting for the change in sound every five seconds or so.

Plus it is beautiful to look at and very easy to move around. And easy to dust, unlike pedestal fans.

I have airconditioning but have not actually needed to turn it on this week because I just move the Dyson around to whichever room I’m in. Will be interested to compare my electricity bill with last summer’s.

I might even buy a Dyson vacuum now, despite swearing off them after a very disappointing run of them in the UK in the early noughties.

Use any powerful fan to set up a current through the room, going with any ambient breeze rather than against it. Hang a wet towel or sheet in the window, another in the door. The evaporation should work really effectively.

Last month I bought two evaporative coolers (one LG, one by some other company which I can’t remember) to protect me from the summer heat. They’re 55W and 70W. One cost $99, LG cost $120. They were to replace my two tower fans, because I hoped I could do better.

Not super impressed. You add tonnes of water (one is 7L, the other is 11L), put in some ice cubes, close the door to the room, but the air isn’t that fantastic. They push air out like a tower fan, they make the same amount of noise, and you’ve always gotta check the water level because if they run dry when they’re on ‘cool’ then you blow the motor (or sumfink). They’re both kinda… meh.

You probably shouldn’t be closing the door to the room. Evaporative coolers cool the air through evaporation, and if you’ve got the door to your room closed, then the air is just going to become saturated, lessening the cooling effect.

Generally i think the instructions recommend placing the evaporative cooler in front of an open window or door to make sure it gets plenty of fresh air.

maxblues said :

Get a second-hand fan off a hovercraft, apparently they aren’t noisy.

Whatever floats your boat… 🙂

If your fan is turning off when you hump your missus, I think you have a wiring issue, and I don’t think a new fan will be the required fix.

peitab said :

The Dyson ones are definitely the quietest, but are not in everyone’s price range. In the past, I’ve found portable evaporative coolers are about as noisy as regular portable fans. Have you considered a fan with a timer? That way the noise isn’t going all night, but you could fall asleep with the fan on (if the noise isn’t an issue for you falling asleep).

The Dyson’s aren’t quiet. I’ve got one, and got it cheap on staff pricing so the price is right, but I’d never recommend someone paying retail get one. They’re effective, but not much more so than a typical blade fan. The big draw back is the aircraft wing design that is used to accelerate the air forced out by the impeller means it’s both very loud, and quite high pitched. So it is intrusive, particularly on higher settings and much more so than a bladed fan.

Queen_of_the_Bun said :

I’ve bought a Dyson and I love it. Plus it does look really cool.

Those dysons are niiiiiiiiceeeee but very dear.

If the heat is unbearable, you can also see if your landlord would come to the party on a wall-mounted split system air con….super quiet and they’re pretty attractive nowadays too. Depending on how long you will live there, you can even offer to chip in for it…I know that sounds crazy to most, but what’s your comfort/sleep quality worth? 🙂

Glad there hasn’t been too much hatred for Dysons….my partner and I love them (we were called nuts for our recent purchase of a handheld vac for over $600 but it works damn it….they’re a cruel master! Hell, I even want one of those air blades (the hand dryers) for my bathroom).

Queen_of_the_Bun said :

I’ve bought a Dyson and I love it. Plus it does look really cool.

I have been thinking of getting one. Is it the straight fan or the heater fan combo? How is the noise level?

Thanks for the suggestions all.

I once owned a portable air conditioning unit, but it was like having a truck engine in the room with me, so they are not an option. I bought a larger fan (50cm) based on the arescarti42 theory, but the larger fan seems to get a larger motor and it was noticeably louder than the smaller fans. Possibly I should be looking for a fan with the smallest wattage instead…

I like the looks of the those Dyson bladeless fans, but holy crap they are not cheap. I wanted to go and listen to fans as postalgeek suggested, but I have not found too many places that have their pedestal fans set up and operating. Plus it’s hard to judge the noise level when they are on a busy shop floor.

Clearly my only option is to lobby my local member to pass a bill requiring all fan manufacturers to list the decibel output of their products on the box.

I’m pretty confident Giulia with a G will take some time out from her busy schedule of tracking down the narrabundah slasher and lobby for it on my behalf.

How the hell does your missus sleep in the heat then?

I have to say, ceiling fans are the best. Thery keep the air circulating which is the trick.
If you are going to pay for a fan why not ask your landlord about ceiling fans and offer to pay for some of it (ie the cost of a pedestal fan).

Also the good thing in Canberra is ducted evap A/C works really really well. Plus its a lot cheaper to run and install over those wall mounted A/C refrigerative units.

arescarti42 said :

Typically the bigger the fan, the slower it can turn to move a certain volume of air, and the quieter it will be.

I personally find the Dyson air multipliers to be a phenomenal waste of money. In my experience they’re just as effective (and noisy) as the $12 pedestal fans you find at places like BigW.

+1 re the Dysons – elegant design, I suppose, but I tried one, in a fit of sheer extravagance, found it surprisingly noisy and was very grateful to be allowed a full refund when I took it back the next day.

I can recommend a Zante pedestal – a gentle whir and a slight periodic click (which seems to have something to do with not using the oscillate function) which is really quite soothing – three speeds, and a fair range of tilt adjustment for the fan. From recollection, it was $20 – $30 when I got it a few years back.

In this weather any fan that works is a winner and buy ear plugs for the wife.

I’ve bought a Dyson and I love it. Plus it does look really cool.

Never encountered an portable evaporative cooler or portable air-conditioner that I would consider to be quiet. And the Dyson I’ve used isn’t quiet either.

Oi reckon you’ll have to do the leg work and go listen to fans.

Typically the bigger the fan, the slower it can turn to move a certain volume of air, and the quieter it will be.

I personally find the Dyson air multipliers to be a phenomenal waste of money. In my experience they’re just as effective (and noisy) as the $12 pedestal fans you find at places like BigW.

Passing by Homeart t’other day I noted they had ‘misting’ fans for about $130. Felt very cool when I stood next to it. I’m assuming you fill some part of it with water and it then spews it out as an icy mist. Wasn’t overly noisy and they had tower or more squat versions. Honestly been considering a purchase myself.

Get a second-hand fan off a hovercraft, apparently they aren’t noisy.

The Dyson ones are definitely the quietest, but are not in everyone’s price range. In the past, I’ve found portable evaporative coolers are about as noisy as regular portable fans. Have you considered a fan with a timer? That way the noise isn’t going all night, but you could fall asleep with the fan on (if the noise isn’t an issue for you falling asleep).

“It needs to be as quiet as possible or the missus gets the hump…”

Could be a win/win situation.

In my opinion, a little evaporative cooler would be the way to go. Quiet and cheaper to run.

Ah yes…..this is why I only ever live in places with fully ducted air con (don’t deal very well with the heat) 🙂 And can also relate to the noise of fans at night…

You can get portable air conditioners (evap ones) that seem pretty good…and those Dyson air multipliers are effective (and have the added bonus of looking really really cool – downside of being about 45 times more expensive than a standard pedestal fan)

Good luck surviving the heat 🙂