A mid-range fan with high-end performance

The Nomad One is Dreo’s entry-level tower fan, but its features make it more of a mid-range model when compared to other tower fans on the market. It claims to offer maximum air speeds of 24 feet per second, easy maintenance and whisper-quiet operation, but is it as good as it seems? 

The BestReviews Testing Lab put these claims to the test and not only came away impressed but even gave it our “Best of the Best” designation. The combination of powerful cooling, excellent controls and low decibel counts, all for a decent price, makes it a tower fan we’re happy to recommend.

What is the Dreo Nomad One Tower Fan?

The Dreo Nomad One features a Sleep mode that slowly lowers the fan’s speed to zero.

Product Specifications

Speed Settings: 4 | Height: 36.22” | Airflow: 24 ft/s | Weight: 9.9 lb | Oscillation: 90 degrees

The Nomad One is a midrange fan with powerful performance and extra features that are usually found on more expensive fans. It has four speed settings, with the most powerful setting cooling our testing room considerably after just five minutes. Even better, that performance only generated 50 decibels, which is the lowest decibel count at max speed of all six tower fans we tested. Its lowest speed generated 39.8 decibels, which was only 1.6 decibels higher than our base reading.

Its three special modes, Natural, Sleep and Auto, cover a broader range of needs than simple cooling. Though the general design is a bit plain, the construction is sturdy and excellent overall. Its onboard and remote controls are highly responsive. And a carrying handle on the back of the fan makes it easy to reposition throughout your home as needed.

Price and where to buy

It retails for $69.99. You can buy it on Amazon and Walmart.

Why we like it

Modes and settings

We like that it has four speed settings, one more than most tower fans offer, but we were most impressed by its four modes. The Normal mode works perfectly when you’re simply looking for a steady breeze, but the other three excellent modes (Natural, Sleep and Auto) give you more versatility. 

Quiet operation

The Nomad One’s peak decibel count was 50, which is the lowest max decibel count of all six tower fans we tested. Though its fan speeds don’t go as high as most of the others, it’s still quieter when there’s speed parity.

Responsive controls

We were surprised by how responsive the touch screen was, both in speed and in recognizing our input. Plus, the remote it comes with feels excellent in the hand and is equally responsive.

What we don’t like

Ambient temperature difficulties

The Auto mode relies on an ambient temperature sensor to work. Despite the sensor taking a temperature reading, it doesn’t display on the control screen. The only way to view it is if you buy the Dreo Nomad One S, a $20 upgrade that includes smart connectivity, and even then it’s only viewable on the Dreo app.

Plain design

It’s tough to make a tower fan look beautiful, but the Nomad One doesn’t even bother to try. It uses a plain all-black color scheme without any design elements to make it more attractive. 

Dreo Nomad One Tower Fan setup

Air comes in through the sides and back and out the front of the fan, so make sure you leave sufficient room all around it.

Setting up the Dreo Nomad One takes barely five minutes. First, pull it out of the box and dispose of all the loose cardboard. Then, attach the two halves of the base plate (they snap together easily) and attach the base plate to the tower. Lastly, plug it in and start cooling.

Airflow and cooling efficiency

The grill and impeller wheel are removable for easier and more thorough dusting.

Despite having limited speed settings, the Dreo Nomad One’s airflow and cooling efficiency were still fantastic. It took only five minutes for our testing room to feel noticeably cooler on the highest settings, and its middle settings still felt cool while being quiet enough for us to almost forget it was running.

Design and construction

If you need to reposition the fan, there’s a hidden handle in the back. This is also a great place to store the remote when you don’t need it.

We weren’t enthusiastic about the plain black design. We thought it didn’t blend well enough with the rest of its environment like most of the other fans did. This made it feel a little out of place, even tucked away in the corner. It would look better in larger rooms (our testing room was approximately 100 square feet).

Its construction, though, is undeniably good. The materials feel high quality and its performance is topnotch across the board. We have no complaints here.

Features and functionality

When cleaning the touch screen, use a soft cloth that you might use for your smartphone, tablet or glasses.

The Dreo Nomad One’s features and functionality break down into four modes, its oscillation ability and a timer.

• Normal mode blows air straight ahead at the speed you set. It was more than effective enough to impress us.
• Natural mode switches between high and low fan speeds at intervals to make a faux wind. We thought it was distracting, but it’s a cool mode for the right person.
• Auto mode uses a built-in sensor to adjust fan speed based on ambient temperature. Our testing environment was too stable to test this thoroughly, but no other modes disappointed us.
• Sleep mode switches off the display, turns off the control’s beep sound and slowly lowers the speed to zero. It worked like a charm for us.
• Oscillation is the standard 90 degrees on most fans, tower or not.
• The timer can be set at one-hour intervals up to eight hours. When it expires, the fan switches off. We had no issues with it.

Controls and display

The testing team evaluated the Nomad One on airflow, noise, settings, modes and more.

On the Dreo Nomad One, the controls and display are one and the same since it uses a touchscreen. We thought the screen was bright and easy to read, plus the controls are snappy and never acted incorrectly. It also comes with an equally responsive remote.

How does it compare to other tower fans we’ve tested?

We tested three Dreos in total, this Nomad One, the Cruiser Pro T1 and the Pilot Max S. Of the three, we liked the Nomad One the best because of its quietness, great controls and high-end performance. Even better, it costs the least of the three. However, the Cruiser Pro T1 is only $20 more for more powerful speed settings. The Pilot Max S is nearly double the cost, but it has smart connectivity and a whopping 12 speed settings.

Testing the Dreo Nomad One Tower Fan

The testing team found the Nomad One to be a solid mid-range fan.

We ran six tests on the Dreo Nomad One.

• Airflow: This test timed how long it took for us to feel a change in the room’s temperature. It also checked the oscillation range against the stated range.
• Noise: This test checked the decibel levels of the testing room, starting at a baseline and followed by measurements at each speed setting on the Normal mode.
• Settings and modes: This test simply checked the descriptions of each mode against the experience of using said modes.
• Design: This test involved taking weight and size measurements, plus considering the ease of portability.
• Safety: Like the settings and modes test, this was a simple case of checking the stated safety features against the fan.
• User experience: This test examined the responsiveness of the controls and considered our overall impression of using the fan.

Should you get the Dreo Nomad One Tower Fan?

The testing team evaluated three tower fans, and the Nomad One was the best because of its quietness, great controls and high-end performance. Even better, it costs the least of the three.

Yes. It offers superb cooling and a wonderful user experience for an excellent price. You could save some money on a more basic fan should you not need high-power cooling, though, or spend a little more to get advanced features such as smart connectivity. But there’s hardly a better mid-range fan than the Nomad One.