We almost couldn’t hear it at its lowest speed amongst all the other sounds in the house. The remote is both simple and fully functional, controlling every aspect of this fan — including oscillation — with a beep-less push of a button. Cool large rooms quickly with this Lasko 20-inch oscillating remote control pedestal fan. The 20-inch blades and powerful motor deliver impressive airflow, and the four speed settings let you choose your ideal level of cooling.
To find the best pedestal fans on the market today, we spent hours combing through the top options before selecting the most promising models to purchase and test side-by-side. Tasked with cooling us off through some of the hottest days of the desert summer, we put these fans through a litany of laboratory and real-world tests. We used them while watching movies, sleeping at night, reading books, and working out at home. We measured airspeeds Lasko Box Fan and took decibel readings, comparing them all head-to-head to see which ones offer the most settings, the most power, sturdiest bases, and quietest experiences. Oddly, the jump from speeds 8 to 9 is far more noticeable than any other speed change, jumping a full 6 decibels. It doesn’t have a memory for its last settings, instead always powering up on level 18 with no oscillation and chirping offensively as you scroll through all 24 speeds.
The rest of the fans have at least one screw holding the grill onto the head of the fan. The Vornado 683 has several screws but also includes directions on how to remove both the grill and the blade for more thorough cleaning. This review is spearheaded by Senior Review Editor, Maggie Nichols, who lives and recreates in the hot high deserts of northern Nevada. Maggie grew up enduring the oppressive heat/humidity combination of the Midwest, spending sticky afternoons keeping cool in front of fans. She’s spent a huge chunk of her life battling heat and humidity from teaching in the jungles of South America and plains of Africa to living on a remote Caribbean island.
The Rowenta VU5670 Turbo Silence Extreme 5-Speed remains impressively quiet while offering an impressive range of speeds which we measured as low as 4.7 mph and as high as 12.9 mph. Silent Night mode didn’t even register sound on our instruments, blowing a very modest amount Lasko Box Fan of air at close range. Turbo Boost acts and sounds exactly like what you’d expect from the name, and the Normal settings are the three middle speeds. This fan exhibits one of the larger and taller height ranges while its heavy base securely anchors it to the floor.
It includes a timer and a remote — though no CR2032 battery — and features a remote caddy on top of the motor. We also love that it remembers its last settings when you turn it back on and is surprisingly quiet and pleasant at every speed. Our favorite pedestal fan is the PELONIS Silent Turbo for its myriad options and fully functional range of speeds. This fan has 12 different speeds, allowing you to achieve the ideal airflow for your needs. The Lasko S16612 with Thermostat offers surprisingly convenient functionality beyond its optional thermostat functionality — which we love. This fan emits a lower-pitched hum that more easily fades into the background than many other models’ higher-pitched whirring noises.
The Double Blade also won’t recall your last settings and defaults to the lowest speed without oscillation when powered back on. It’s not a quiet fan either, particularly on the highest settings, which makes it difficult to watch TV without turning up the volume. Though the operation lights on the front 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, this is a useful fan with a fair range of features and good power for less money than many others, making it a great value option. This elegantly engineered white pedestal fan from Lasko blends into surrounding decor and cools the largest home spaces.
However, if you prefer a very light breeze and value silence, this may be a good fit. Though its sound is quieter than many others of similar power, the quality of noise this fan emits is, at every speed, rather similar to the whirring of a small airplane. It also lets out a chirping “beep” every time you plug it in or change a setting. Though its timer allows you to program more precise half-hour increments, the oscillation feature isn’t controlled by the remote — only by the classic push-pull tab on the back of the motor. It’s also more wiggly than we’d like, though the very solid base adds a lot to its overall stability.
Turn on the oscillation feature to distribute air through a wide area, ideal for circulating the air in large spaces. The controls on the fan’s base are awkwardly located partially behind the bottom of the blade cage. It chirps loudly with every setting change, and the light on the base never turns off — though it’s just one small red dot, which is less intrusive than many others. The remote caddy must be removed from the stand to put the head all the way down, and you can’t control the oscillation function with the remote, only with the traditional knob on top of the motor.
Despite having 12 different speed settings, the highest rate of airflow measured at just 10.5 mph, which is below average for this group of contenders. With all that in mind, we highly enjoy the convenience and less intrusive noise you get with this model. Though those that love simplicity will appreciate this straightforward 3-speed design controlled by a simple knob, the Vornado 683 is likely to disappoint alen breathesmart if you’re after settings and features. 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. However, 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.