We were very impressed with this 36-inch fan, which combines top cooling performance and four excellent modes for a great price.
Its four-speed settings are among the quietest that we tested, with a max decibel count of only 50. All four of its modes, including a Sleep mode for nighttime use, work exactly as advertised. An included remote has great range and responsiveness. Great for medium-sized rooms.
Its power cord can be a little tough to wrangle.
This straightforward oscillating fan is all you need to help you stay cool when temperatures rise during hot summer months.
An “Auto” mode uses smart sensors to adjust its airflow based on the room’s temperature, and it can generate as little as 28 decibels at its quietest. It has five fan speeds and four total modes: normal, turbo, sleep, and auto. Despite being fairly affordable, it pushes quite a bit of air.
The LED display is bright enough to trouble some people at night.
This tower fan’s excellent control options and bright LEDs make it a treat to use during hot summer months.
The included remote can fully control each feature of the fan, and the onboard controls are clearly marked and responsive. The LEDs show how long its timer has been set, or which of the three fan speeds is activated. Despite being fairly powerful, the entire unit is quieter than other options on the market.
The slats on the front can be difficult to properly dust.
This 42-inch fan offers six fan speeds and four modes, providing plenty of versatility for hot summer days and nights.
We were impressed with the six fan speeds, finding that even the middle speeds offered impressive power and cooling performance. Its extra modes are useful, including a mode that cycles through three wind speeds to simulate natural wind. Great for using as white noise.
Its base didn’t seem especially sturdy.
This top-notch 42-inch fan comes with plenty of convenient smart features and is quiet even at top speeds.
During testing, its cooling effect was felt immediately at 75% power, and even at that setting it only produced 45.8 decibels. Setting up the smart connectivity took little time and the connection was strong and consistent. Its attractive silver-and-black design is sure to look great in any home.
Its remote can be finicky. Its large size may not work for small rooms.
After going through an intensive research process to narrow down our short list of top products in this space, we tested most of our top five to be sure that these products are worth your time. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter and test to verify manufacturer claims.
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When it’s hot out, a fan is an easy way to stay cool and comfortable — and far cheaper than running an air conditioner. The best tower fans provide powerful cooling winds that can make even large rooms feel chilly. They also typically come with a range of extra features, including timers, air purifiers and even thermostats.
The BestReviews Testing Lab researched dozens of tower fans and tested models from some of the top brands on the market to see how they stacked up. We thoroughly evaluated aspects such as the fan’s cooling efficiency, wind speed and noise generation. We also checked out whether each fan was easy to operate and the effectiveness of any extra features and settings.
Our favorite of them all is the Dreo Nomad One Tower Fan. It quickly and quietly cools down a room and offers the same features found on more expensive fans for less than $100.
Best of the Best
Product specifications
Speed settings: 4 | Height: 36.22” | Airflow: 25 ft/s | Weight: 9.9 lb | Oscillation: 90 degrees
Offering efficient cooling, a compact build and convenient features all at a decent price, the Dreo Nomad One Tower Fan is tough to beat. This bestselling model combines four speed settings and four modes with powerful airflow and an easy-to-maintain design. It took about five minutes for our testing room to feel noticeably colder, and even at max speed it only generated 50 decibels (which is about as loud as quiet rainfall), making it ideal for bedrooms.
In addition to an eight-hour timer, its offers a Sleep mode, which dims the display and slowly lowers the fan speed, and an Auto mode, which adjusts the fan speed based on nearby temperature and humidity; both performed perfectly during our tests. However, its Natural mode, which intermittently changes the fan speed to mimic gusts of wind, wasn’t our favorite because of the changes it made in noise generation; still, it’s a fine option if you want to mix things up.
Lastly, we loved the responsiveness and range of its included remote control, making it a cinch to adjust from across the room.
More Speeds for Your Needs
Product specifications
Speed settings: 6 | Height: 41.73” | Airflow: 24 ft/s | Weight: 9.8 lb | Oscillation: 90 degrees
Of the fans we tested, this one has the second-highest number of speed settings with six total — each one delivering a good degree of comfort. For instance, we tested its airflow range and speed at speed setting four, and we measured cool 3.8 mile-per-hour winds at 6 feet from the fan and 1.8 miles per hour at 15 feet away. It also offers more extra modes than most other fans (Sleep, Auto, Natural and Normal), and it was easy to switch between them with the responsive remote control.
It is a little loud on the highest speeds, giving us 52 and 53.1 decibels on the fan’s fifth and sixth speed settings, respectively, which is a few points noisier than most others. However, it was whisper quiet on low speeds, with a reading of 41.1 decibels on the second speed setting. We also thought that its base was a bit unstable. But like the Vornado, its cooling performance is so top-notch that these minor issues shouldn’t stop you from seriously considering it.
Best Smart Tower Fan
Product specifications
Speed settings: 12 | Height: 42.52” | Airflow: 26 ft/s | Weight: 10.12 lb | Oscillation: 120 degrees
If you’re searching for a premium fan and don’t mind paying extra for all the bells and whistles that come with it, this one is just plain excellent. The main draw is its broad compatibility with smart-home systems. We tested it using a Google-based system, and it worked flawlessly, though the commands did take a little time to trigger. Its app is also straightforward, making it very easy to use.
In addition to its smart connectivity, there’s even more to love. It comes with an impressive 12 speed settings (the most of any fan we tested), with even setting 9 making our testing room feel instantly cooler while only generating 45.8 decibels — we almost forgot it was there it was so quiet.
Unlike most fans that offer 90 degrees of oscillation, this one can do 120 degrees, allowing you to cool down a wider area faster. And its silver exterior and base make it one of the sleekest-looking fans out there.
Best Bang for the Buck
Product specifications
Speed settings: 3 | Height: 40” | Airflow: NA | Weight: 6.55 lb | Oscillation: 90 degrees
Compared to the other fans we tested, the Better Homes & Gardens fan was the most affordable of the bunch. While it didn’t cool the room down as quickly as other fans we tested, it’s still a solid option. Its steady, strong breezes made the room feel slightly colder after about 30 minutes. It’s reasonably quiet, too, with the noise peaking at 51.6 decibels on the highest of the three speed settings.
However, where this fan truly shines is in its aesthetic design. The black-and-white color scheme looks gorgeous, and it doesn’t hurt that the oscillation part of the fan nests inside the central pillar, meaning it doesn’t wobble while it works and you don’t have to guess where the oscillation begins and ends. We also liked that its timer can go up to 7.5 hours before automatically shutting off, and its Sleep mode, which turns off the beeps and display and uses the timer to switch off the fan at your set time, worked perfectly.
Best for Whole-Room Circulation
Product specifications:
Speed settings: 4 | Height: 41.3” | Airflow: NA | Weight: 9.7 lb | Oscillation: 130 degrees
From a trusted name in fans, the Vornado OSC84 is unique among the tower fans we tested due to its diagonal airflow pattern that efficiently circulates the air to cool a broader area of the room faster than the average fan — even when the oscillation is turned off. During testing, it decreased the temperature of the room a full degree after about 30 minutes on the second highest speeding setting.
However, it was the loudest of all the fans we tested, with a peak of 56.5 decibels. While it does have four speed settings, it lacks additional modes outside of an eight-hour timer feature. But these are minor issues that shouldn’t dissuade you, especially if you have large rooms. Overall, we think it’s a sleek, powerful fan that won’t disappoint.
A tower fan’s cooling capabilities come down to two important considerations: speed and angle.
Tower fans generate some noise, measured in decibels, with the best fans generating the least. There are some reasons why you may want more noise at the lowest speeds. For example, you could want to hear the whirring of the blades as a sleep aid without cooling your room as much.
All of the fans we tested had rough decibel ranges of 40 to 55, which is about as loud as a light rain. For more perspective, a whisper is around 30 decibels while a loud restaurant is around 80.
For size, most tower fans share a similar enough width (somewhere between 11 and 13 inches) that height becomes the defining dimension. If you plan on keeping it in one spot, consider the size of the room it will be in. Try to get shorter fans for smaller rooms. Tall fans in small rooms can create an illusion of less space or make the fan seem imposing.
If you plan on moving a tower fan around as needed, check a tower fan’s listed weight and whether it has a carrying handle or not. Often, the handle on a tower fan is a cutout at the top of the fan in back that you can hook your hand on, so you don’t need to worry about a handle sticking out awkwardly.
The exterior of most tower fans is made mainly of plastic — and usually, the more you pay, the more sturdy the plastic is. For durability, this means the exterior of any given tower fan is almost guaranteed to outlast the interior components, minus taking the occasional scratch or two. In a nice symmetry though, maintaining the exterior and keeping it free from dust also lengthens the lifespan of the interior parts.
Maintenance on a tower fan typically means dusting it about once a week. Then, every one to three months, you need to dust the interior. Some tower fans make this easy by using detachable grates, but others may not. For these fans, take them outside and use compressed air to blow the interior dust out. This helps the key components of your tower fan last longer. Even then, most fans’ important components only last three to five years with regular use.
Some tower fans up the game and the price by including useful extra features. Many have timers so you can have the fan shut off after a certain time (all of our top picks include this). You can also find tower fans that have humidifiers or air purifiers that do more to your air than move it around, while others have thermostats and temperature displays so you can have tighter control on their effects. The most advanced tower fans can connect to your Wi-Fi to be part of your smart-home setup.
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