Alexandra Ramirez
1. Rowenta
Best Overall Pedestal Fan
5/5 Product Rating
Outside of its very low noise output, which is easily its main and best selling point, it’s also just a great standalone fan by all traditional standards. Even if you know you’ll be using the fan in an already-noisy environment, I certainly wouldn’t recommend overlooking this fan. In fact, the manufacturer makes another accurate claim in noting that the fan can move over two thousand cubic feet of air in as little as a minute. For the unaware, this is much more powerful than your average pedestal fan.
– Sarah Lytle
2. Honeywell
Best Overall Pedestal Fan – Runner Up
4.8/5 Product Rating
For example, it has five different speeds which each have their own level of noise. One of said speeds emits a white noise. If you’re unaware, white noise is a frequency which has been said to have therapeutic and sleep-promoting effects, though I can’t say whether or not you’ll notice such effects from white noise in the first place. If you’ve had good experiences with this form of alternative medicine; however, you’ll find this fan does a great job in this regard.
It also has a timer which will shut off the fan after a predetermined time. It operates at one, two, four and eight-hour intervals. This is great if you’re like many folks in that you wake up a whole lot colder than you were when you feel asleep. If so, this is easily one of the Honeywell QuietSet’s better features. You’ll also find it to be a very powerful fan as well, which is certainly a great thing to ask for in fans of any sort. While it already performs great in this regard when stacked up to other fans, it performs even better when stacked up solely to fans which are equally quiet in operation.
– Sarah Lytle
3. Lasko 1843
Best Budget Pedestal Fan
4.6/5 Product Rating
The pedestal’s tilt where it connects to the fan is also a nice convenience that you just don’t see in a whole lot of fans on the market. This way, you can simply give the fan a flick of your wrist to change where it blows air, as opposed to messing around with the pedestal until you get the right air flow you want. As another convenient bonus, it also requires no assembly on your end, even when you order it online.
– Sarah Lytle
Pedestal Fan Buying Guide
What is a Pedestal Fan?
Even if none of the above fans seem to suit your needs, there are a wide variety of options available at your disposal. Despite the above three fans being some of the very best on the market, you may wish to continue shopping around some more in hopes of finding something more suited toward your needs. While I can’t come shopping with you, I can certainly pass down a couple of tips to keep in mind when shopping. Before picking out your next fan, try answering the following questions first.
How quiet is quiet?
If your goal is to not have your fan disrupt you with its level of noise, how quiet a unit you need to purchase depends on where you’ll be using it. While one fan might be annoying when used at the side of your bed, it might go unnoticed by your couch when you’re watching TV. Typically, a lower level of sound will come at a price, whether that price be a lack of other features or a higher cost at the checkout. As such, it helps to take a look at just how quiet any given fan is before purchasing it, this way you can be sure it won’t annoy you without having to spend fifty dollars more than you otherwise would have just to get a fan that is unnecessarily quiet.
Do you need a timer?
If you often forget to turn off your electronics before leaving the house, or if you’d like to have your fan send you to sleep without staying on all night, getting a fan with a timer is a great choice. Typically, the timers in question will allow you to select between one, two and four-hour settings and sometimes even more. On the other hand, if you know you won’t be using the timer, you can bet you’ll be paying a bit of extra cash for nothing.
Will you use a remote control?
Much like a fan’s timer, a remote control can be an extremely convenient product if you actually end up using it. On the other hand, it will likely only prove to be a money pit if you know you’ll have no need for the remote in the future. As always, the inclusion of one feature means the disappearance of another or an elevated price at the very least. Only buy the features you need to get the best deal possible.
Other Variable Features
There are a couple more potential features you can choose from when selecting your next fan. Whether or not each feature is any good – or downright detrimental – all comes down to you. Do you know which features you need in a fan?
- Noise Control – While low-noise fans are more likely to have this feature, it’s worth noting that noise reduction and noise control are two different things. With noise control, you have some say in terms of what noise your fan will produce. One of the fans we covered earlier is a great example of this, as it comes with a white noise setting. Of course, this is a very specialized feature and might not be something you would particularly look out for under most circumstances.
- Lots of Speed Settings – To many of these are probably not necessary if your fan is in the corner of a room; if it’s hot enough that a fan will make a difference from that far away, it’s hot enough to stay on the highest setting. However, if you plan on having your fan focused directly on you, having many different speed settings is a great idea, being that you’ll have more control over how cool it leaves you once everything is all said and done.
Common Features
The features listed above are only good if you know you’d use them at some point or another. Otherwise, their only purpose is to eat up your money. The features listed below; however, are always nice to see in a fan.
- A Tilt – For a fan to have a tilt, its pedestal need only incorporate one more joint into its make. As such, you can be sure it costs next to nothing to have one of these thrown in a pedestal fan’s list of features.
- Height Control – Much like a fan’s tilt, adding height control to a pedestal costs next to nothing for both you and the manufacturer. Without height control, you never know when your fan will come in handy and when it will be completely useless due to being unable to meet you at your height level.
- Lots of Power – There’s a reason you’re getting a fan in the first place; it’s just too hot. As such, you can never have a fan with too much power, especially if it comes with its own speed settings. The more power, the better.
Conclusion
In terms of what is necessary in a fan, even the above three features might be a stretch. Truly, all you need is a thin, plastic blade which rotates quickly. In terms of being happy with your fan; however, keeping all of the above tips, factors and considerations in mind is your best bet. A fan can be cold enough to give you goosebumps, or can merely circulate air around a room in an unnoticeable fashion. Because both fans and people vary so much, it’s up to you to decide which features are important to you and which ones will merely mark up a pedestal fan’s price.
