12 Best Cooling Floor Fans | The Strategist

12 items in this article 9 items on sale!

12 items in this article 9 items on sale!

Whether you’re battling a heat wave, an overzealous radiator, or a landlord who takes months to turn on the central air, the right floor fan can bring instant relief to the stickiest of situations without putting much of a strain on your energy costs. Floor fans aren’t just a practical purchase for the warmer months; whatever time of the year, they’re useful for circulating air around your space and helping do away with lingering cooking and smoke smells.

It’s no surprise, then, that the market is full of various kinds of floor fans — from oscillating towers to raised “pedestal” structures and low-to-the-ground designs. The biggest players in this space are Lasko and Vornado, and we’ve got picks from both brands and a few others below. To help you choose the best for your home and budget, we spoke with nine experts (including managers at hardware stores) to discover their favorites and learn what they look for when considering whether to stock a particular model.

Update on October 22, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.

When it comes to choosing your fan’s height, you’ll need to consider the size of the room you want to cool. “Taller fans, like pedestal fans, can stand up to five feet tall and are perfect for covering larger areas with their adjustable height and wide oscillation. Whereas, portable fans, such as desk fans, are designed to cool smaller spaces like an office cubicle,” says Austyn Hoelter, a merchant at the Home Depot. However, if you’re going for power, you’re better off with a taller fan, which has two benefits, according to Matthew Brown, the former director of AC and fans at Home Depot: “One: The taller it is, the more air is typically being moved. But also, most of the heat in your body escapes through your head, so the more quickly you’re able to cool your face and upper body, the better you’re going to feel.”

Though oscillation isn’t a requirement for a good cooling fan, it contributes to a better cooling experience, according to Patrick McDonnell, operations manager at Mazzone Hardware. “You want to almost create a constant wind tunnel,” he says. Oscillating fans create that effect because they “have the air rotating around the room completely, and instead of having the fans on you, you feel the ambient air hitting you, which a lot of people prefer,” he says. For each fan included here, I noted whether or not it oscillates.

Anyone who’s been kept up at night by the whirring of a fan will know the value of finding one that’s relatively quiet. For each fan, I’ve included the decibel number — which indicates how quiet or loud it will be — when provided by the manufacturer. Most fans will be in the 50-decibel range, but your fan will be noticeably quieter if its decibel number is lower than that.

Fancier fans might have features like Alexa compatibility for hands-free adjustments, but typical special features for a fan include having a remote and a timer capability. If you’re trying to keep your electric bill low, a timer can ensure your fan’s not left on too long. These timers can keep a fan going for up to seven hours, or just long enough to keep you cool overnight before heading off to work. I’ve noted these special features when applicable.

Height: 48 inches | Oscillation: Yes | Noise: 51.3 decibels | Special features: Remote and timer

Lasko has been making fans of all shapes and sizes since the 1900s, and its expertise shows. Every hardware-store employee I spoke to praised the brand, and McDonnell notes that the quality of the fans is especially high for the relatively low price. Not only do they recommend the Lasko fans to their customers, but some even opt for the fans in their own homes: “If I’m shopping for myself,” Brown says, “I’m looking for Lasko.” The height of this particular model cools spaces very quickly, and because it’s a “nice, sleek black unit,” it still looks “pretty clean in the room,” Brown says, even though it takes up a little more space.

Brown likes the Lasko’s remote control, three speeds, efficient energy use, quiet oscillation, and built-in timer that can be set for one to seven hours. It’s not just professionals who love the brand — interior designer Ariel Okin told us she relies on her Lasko oscillating tower to get her through the weeks before her building turns on the central air, praising both its performance and affordability.

Height: 36 inches | Oscillation: Yes | Noise: 64.5 decibels | Special features: Remote and timer

Like the model above, this slightly smaller Lasko has three speeds and a timer that can be set up to seven hours. If you’re going for the optimal cooling experience, you’ll want to consider the 48-inch fan above because the extra height makes a difference in its ability to cool the room, according to McDonnell. But if you’re hoping to save a little money, you’ll be happy with this 36-inch tower fan, which is actually one of McDonnell’s favorites. His customers like it, too: “It’s very rare that we get a return on one of those fans, because people enjoy it very much,” McDonnell told me. He particularly appreciates the low volume on this less expensive oscillating tower fan. “While most of the cheaper machines are louder,” he says, “Lasko really prides itself on still making quiet fans all across its range.”

Height: 39.6 inches | Oscillation: Yes | Noise: 40 decibels | Special features: Remote, timer, and compatible app

For the ultimate cooling experience, go for this Dyson. The brand’s cooling devices are pricier than the other options on this list, but Strategist senior editor Ailbhe Malone says it’s worth the money. “Compared to the two other tower fans I own — generic brands — it’s really cooling,” Malone says. “You get a huge waft of air, rather than the little slats from a regular fan.” The fan is an especially good option for people with young children or pets because it doesn’t have exposed blades. Malone’s been using her Dyson fan to cool her daughter’s nursery — the hottest room in the house — for two years. “We are all jealous of Aoife, when we are lying in bed, with two tower fans circling humid air, and she is snoring under a breeze,” Malone says.

Just note, according to Malone, the fan has two downsides: a finicky remote and a top-heavy structure. “You’re more likely to knock it over than a regular tower fan,” she says. But if those drawbacks don’t bother you, you’re in for a cool summer.

Height: 20 inches | Oscillation: No | Noise: NA | Special features: None

After New York photographed the home of musician Eleanor Friedberger and artist Michael Berryhill, our Strategist eyes were drawn immediately to the purple box fan in the corner of the living room. Eager to know more, we called up Friedberger, who told us she’s been using Lasko’s box fans since she was in her 20s. This purple one was a Wal-Mart find, she says, and “almost an absolutely perfect object,” save for the white handle that she wishes were purple (Lasko now offers a blue option with a handle that matches). As for its performance, Friedberger says the three-speed fan effectively cools her large living room “just as well as the ceiling fans do in other rooms” and has become a decorative focal point. “I can’t think of another $20 object that is that useful and that capable of holding a space,” she adds. McDonnell seconds her praise and says that the only difference between the one that his customers love and Friedberger’s is this one’s fun color, which makes it “a little bit more cool” (pun intended) than the black fan in his store.

Height: 14 inches | Oscillation: No | Noise: 55 decibels | Special features: None

Manufactured by Vornado — a premium brand that came up multiple times in my reporting — the 633 is quiet, has three speeds, is easy to tuck out of sight, can be set up at various angles, and, despite its small frame, will circulate air as far as 75 feet away. It’s the strongest fan of the smaller ones that McDonnell has come across. “Compared to all of the small fans, it’s incomparable,” he says. This model also comes recommended by Megan Warshaw, manager of Warshaw Hardware, which has been serving the Gramercy Park neighborhood since 1925 and where this fan is a best seller. “It doesn’t oscillate, but the very large face spreads the air around as it moves it forward,” she says, adding that it’s the first fan she recommends to customers looking for the most value over time. “We sell cheaper fans, but those consume more energy and break more often. This one includes a one-year warranty, but we’ve had people finally bring theirs in for repair after 15 years with no issues.”

Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio includes an older model of 633 in her personal lineup of cooling fans — of which she has many. In the five years that she has owned this fan, she has found it to be plenty powerful. Its noise level isn’t bad, she says, with the exception of being “more disruptive on the higher settings, as you’d expect.” Trolio adds that it “kind of depends on where you put them: In a corner they aren’t too bad, especially on the medium settings, like ‘loud white noise’ over ‘full wind tunnel.’” However, if you follow McDonnell’s advice, this shouldn’t be a problem: Put it in the corner of the room facing the wall to create the wind-tunnel effect he looks for. One more thing to note: Since the fan doesn’t have a remote, Trolio sometimes struggles to adjust the fan’s settings, which are on the back of the machine. But, “They look a bit nice more hidden,” she says.

Height: 11.3 inches | Oscillation: No | Noise: NA | Special features: None

If you’re budget-conscious, this small-but-mighty fan is the best option for you. Strategist writer Tembe Denton-Hurst initially bought hers in 2016 to fill in the gaps in her air conditioner’s BTUs. She was immediately smitten: “I took it home, plugged it in, and was so impressed with it that I kept it running nonstop for the next six months, even after I bought the AC.” Given the price tag, this fan doesn’t have any bells and whistles. “There’s a knob at the back that toggles between three modes: high, medium, and low,” Denton-Hurst says. “The coolest thing about it is that it has a 90-degree pivoting head, so you can point it toward you and then tilt it to any angle you like.” Despite its simplicity and size, the fan is remarkably powerful, albeit fit for one person: “Its size actually works in its favor. The stream of air is concentrated — dare I say person-size — and offers spot cooling rather than transforming the temperature of the entire room,” Denton-Hurst says. Just one thing: Neat freaks should consider that the fan is difficult to clean. Denton-Hurst cleans her with a wet paper towel wrapped around a butter knife, but if you’re particularly handy, you can try your hand at disassembling it yourself.

Height: 43 inches | Oscillation: Yes | Noise: 51 decibels | Special features: Remote, timer, compatible app, and Alexa

This fan is not only remarkably powerful — it has eight different speeds — but it’s also remarkably quiet. In fact, it’s one of quietest fans on this list, which is reflected in the higher price point. However, like the Dyson above, it’s worth the price for its special features, including an eight-hour timer, handy remote, free app, and Alexa device compatibility. Its most impressive feature, though, is double oscillation: In addition to oscillating up to 120 degrees both left and right, the fan can oscillate up to 105 degrees up and down, resulting in even better air circulation.

Unlike other fans I tested, this one was easy to set up — a feature that I value as a writer, not an engineer. I tested it out during this summer’s particularly steamy New York City July and found that it was powerful enough to fill in the gaps in my air conditioner’s BTUs, quickly dry my laundry on my drying rack, and create that wind tunnel McDonnell advised simulating. Since the fan can oscillate at 60, 90, and 120 degrees, you’ll want to consider where you place it depending on your oscillation of choice. “For the most effective room placement, position your 90-degree fan in a corner,” Hoelter says. “A fan that rotates 180 degrees works best along the center of a wall.”

Height: 16 inches | Oscillation: Yes | Noise: NA | Special features: None

If you’re willing to forgo the Dreo’s special features, you’ll be happy with Lasko’s 47-inch pedestal fan, which has three speeds and can be raised up and down depending on your cooling preferences. “It’s good for people looking for something cheap, quiet and it has very good power,” McDonnell advises. So if that’s you, go for the Lasko. Like the Dreo pedestal fan, this one also oscillates both left and right and up and down — just with less range at 90 degrees. And with that smaller oscillation range, you’ll want to place this fan in a corner for optimal performance.

Height: 37 inches | Oscillation: Yes | Noise: 47 decibels | Special features: Remote, Alexa, and timer

What sets this model apart from the Lasko tower fans above is that all of its settings — including oscillation, four speeds, a timer that can be set from three to 12 hours — and even powering on and off, can be controlled through an Alexa device. It’s McDonnell’s top choice for a floor fan. “It’s strong, quiet, and produces great air quality,” he says, in addition to the convenience its smart capabilities provides. McDonnell says he’s had only one unit come back in the decade-plus he’s been in business.

Height: 41 inches | Oscillation: Yes | Noise: 61.4 decibels | Special features: Remote and timer

If you prefer to have fewer appliances taking up valuable real estate in your home, you should consider Dyson’s fan-purifier. It’s one of Lowe’s store manager Gary McCoy’s favorite devices of its kind. “While it automatically senses, captures, and traps pollutants to purify a room, it also has 360-degree oscillating technology to help cool down the entire room,” he says. Like the other Dyson fan on this list, this one is worth the premium price in my opinion. Considering it has ten speeds, the fan is noticeably quiet. In the month that I’ve been testing it, I’ve also found myself preferring it to my actual air purifier. My apartment lacks ventilation, so when I cook, it often gets smoky. The Dyson helps dissipate any cooking-related smoke, and when I move it to the bedroom to help air-dry my laundry, it rids my room of any musty smells that arise from the added humidity.

Height: 14.4 inches | Oscillation: No | Noise: NA | Special features: None

If a power outage has ever knocked out your air-conditioning, you’re not alone — and you’ll be glad to have this battery-operated fan on hand should it happen again. It has three speeds, can rotate 360 degrees, and was a lifesaver for Trolio during a recent power outage. “I never thought about the convenience of a rechargeable fan until I tried it,” she says. “It’s so easy to just pick it up and move from room to room, or to place it on the floor or a side table and not have to worry at all about being near an outlet or having a cord run across the floor.” You can see how much battery it has left on its battery indicator on the back, but, Trolio says, “it easily goes eight to ten hours at a reasonably mid to high speed because we were able to use it overnight during our recent power outage.”

Height: 17.4 inches | Oscillation: No | Noise: 53 decibels | Special features: None

If you’re looking for the signature power that Vornado is known for in slightly prettier packaging, you’ll be pleased to know that this fan exists in two color options (white and the deep teal pictured) and four sizes (nine inches, 11.4 inches, 17.4 inches, and a 55-inch pedestal). I used a junior-size version of the fan throughout college and found it was a simple way to make my otherwise dorm-y dorm room seem more mature. On nights when my dorm hadn’t turned off the central heating despite warm temperatures, this little fan became my only savior. However, you’ll do even better with this larger version. It’s worth noting, though, that with three speeds and the ability to pivot up and down, the fan is basic in its capabilities.

• Matthew Brown, former director of AC and fans, Home Depot• Tembe Denton-Hurst, Strategist writer• Eleanor Friedberger, musician• Austyn Hoelter, merchant over ACs, fans, air quality, and floor-care product categories at Home Depot• Ailbhe Malone, Strategist senior editor• Gary McCoy, store manager, Lowe’s• Patrick McDonnell, operations manager, Mazzone Hardware• Ariel Okin, interior designer• Jen Trolio, Strategist senior editor• Megan Warshaw, manager, Warshaw Hardware

Additional reporting by Louis Cheslaw and Jordan McMahon.

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