Our unit also had a heavy, droopy head, which limits its angles of operation from straight ahead to slightly down. We measured this fan as having just under a 2 mph difference between the lowest (8.5 mph) and the highest (10.3 mph) speeds. We’re not sure the low price and extra features are worth the long list of shortcomings. The Honeywell Double Blade 16 is a standard pedestal fan with enough upgrades to make it a solid model and a solid value, too.
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 Lasko Box Fan 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.
Not only does this high velocity feel great in your face after a prolonged period outside on a hot day, but it also helps to circulate air around a room more effectively — exactly what this model is made to do. The Lasko Cyclone is also quite powerful and has the added bonus of oscillation and a timer, both of which the Vornado lacks. Also notable for their similarly high top speeds are the Honeywell Double Blade and Rowenta Turbo Silence Extreme 5-Speed.
Despite being the smallest of our tested fans, the Vornado 683 Medium is also among the most powerful. Though this certainly helps you cool off when pointed directly at your face, it’s also fairly effective as an air circulator when positioned just right in larger spaces. Instead of a solid base, this lightweight model has five sturdy legs that give it a small but stable footprint.
Here we break down the metrics we evaluated and the tests we used to pinpoint the best ones for specific jobs. In stock expedited shipments will ship the same day, or the next business day for orders placed on a weekend, if the order is placed before 12 PM Central Time. Non-expedited orders are processed for shipment within two business days of payment verification, excluding Lasko Box Fan holidays. The e-mail will provide your tracking number and link to the shipping carriers tracking page. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. Item prices do not include fees for pickup, shipping or delivery (if applicable) unless noted in the item description.
The super-wide, 21-inch circular base takes up a significant amount of room and slides readily across hardwood floors. As a light, plastic unit, ours bounced and vibrated at every speed — not audibly, but visibly. Though, if you’re a fan of white noise and a powerful breeze, you may just love this big unit exactly as it is.
Of all the models we tested, this one operates at the lowest pitch, sounding more like a hum than the traditional whirring of a fan. Though it can’t point down, it can be angled nearly vertically to bounce air off the ceiling and blow it effectively around an entire room. It’s the only one with the cord coming out of the bottom of the stand, as well, rather than dangling off the base of the motor halfway up the stand. It’s easily felt from across a room, though only if you’re standing directly in its tunnel-like path.
Weighing just 13.85 lbs., the lightweight frame offers easy portability so you can quickly carry this fan into rooms where you need it most. Just about every pedestal fan we tested oscillates roughly 90 degrees with the exception of the Vornado 683, which doesn’t oscillate at all but can be twisted on its stand to face any direction. However, the Vornado offers one of the widest pivot ranges, at nearly 90 degrees, whereas most others are closer to degrees at most. Pedestal fans have a reputation for being ungainly and large — but how ungainly and how large? We measured the dimensions of every fan, checked to see how much their heights are adjustable, and considered their base size and the blade housing size. Of course, since larger fans are often more powerful, we considered other values of their sizes when calculating scores in this metric.