Vornado Box Fan Model 80X for $100: While most people who need a box fan are, frankly, going to run out to Walmart or Home Depot and grab one for 20 bucks, you should be aware that there exists a Rolls-Royce of box fans. “It has 99 speeds,” the brand’s rep told me when it came out. “Yeah, right,” I thought. But, sure enough, this thing actually has 99 speeds, accessible via up and down buttons. I have no idea under what circumstances one might need this many speeds, but there they are. It’s also got a kickstand to reduce wobbling, a digital display, and a 1-to-12-hour timer. Plus, the silver-and-black casing looks good—like you meant to have it in your house, not a remnant from that one summer your AC broke during a heat wave.
Shark TurboBlade (Bladeless) for $250: Though this 2025 bladeless model is billed as a tower fan, it doesn’t look or act like any tower fan I’ve ever seen. It evokes a windmill more than it does a fan, with a horizontal bar that sits on a telescoping base, like a big “T.” The ends of the bar, which are articulated, feature the vents, and each end can be bent straight up, straight down, or at any point in between for fully customizable air direction. The whole bar can also be turned vertically to look more like an “I,” if you’d rather have a tall, thin breeze as opposed to a long, thin breeze. It has all the usual features you’d expect of a fan at this price point, including 10 speeds, oscillation, a magnetic remote, and three settings, including “Sleep,” which makes sense as the TurboBlade, in its “T” configuration, is about the right height for a bed. It’s a great choice if you need airflow in different directions at once, but be forewarned that it makes a fairly loud, jet engine–like whine, which is noticeable even on lower settings. There’s also now a TurboBlade Heat + Cool ($400), which adds a 1,400-watt heater to the middle, but WIRED reviewer Matthew Korfhage tested it and didn’t find the heat feature to be worth the extra $150.
Dreo Tower Fan 519 for $110: Dreo’s first brushless fan, this tower has a round display at the top that lends it a somewhat retro speedometer vibe. This means it uses an electronic system instead of physical brushes in its DC motor, extending its life and ostensibly requiring less maintenance. It’s no slouch at 1,100 feet per minute and features nine speed settings, as well as all the goodies you’d expect from a midrange smart fan, including a timer, sleep mode, remote, and operability through the Dreo app, Siri, Alexa, and Google Home. It’s still a solid fan, but it’s slightly less powerful and more expensive than Dreo’s Nomad One.
Vornado Ara for $209: This tower fan is a little chunkier and a lot pricier than nearly every other tower fan I tested. However, it does offer ambient light and a sleek, high-end aesthetic, with an amber strip light that runs down the back and around the base. My teen son had one in his bedroom for about a year, and other than the grille attracting visible dust, it’s been extremely reliable and comes with a five-year warranty. It just doesn’t have enough features to justify the price.
Shark FlexBreeze for $200: This was my favorite misting fan of last year. I love that it’s rechargeable, so it’s possible to use without an electrical outlet nearby. I also enjoy that the head detaches from the pedestal with legs that fold out, allowing it to double as an easy-to-transport floor fan. Shark claims the FlexBreeze can reduce nearby ambient temperature by 10 degrees Fahrenheit when using the misting attachment. Though I was never able to measure a reduction of more than 6 degrees Fahrenheit using multiple thermometers, the difference in air temperature using the FlexBreeze versus without is dramatic enough to make the difference between an unbearable summer dinner outside and a pleasant one. However, the mist deployed by the detachable misting attachment (Shark now makes a version with a tank, but I haven’t tried it) is a bit on the heavy side. It made most of my deck quite wet and dampened the clothes of anyone sitting within 5 or so feet. On the plus side, this meant the mist didn’t immediately blow away, as was the case with the FlexBreeze’s portable sibling, the HydroGo (below).
Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo for $140: I loved the bigger Shark FlexBreeze, but not the fact that it had to be connected to a hose, so I was very excited to see a rechargeable, portable version in fun colors. Shark says it can run for 30 minutes with the mister consistently on, or 60 minutes in “interval mode,” and after testing it at my son’s soccer practices, I found these estimates to be more or less accurate. However, the mist that comes out of the middle is so fine and in such a small stream that it blew away quickly, before it had a chance to cool anyone farther than a few inches away.
Lasko Whirlwind Orbital Pedestal Fan for $90: This fan looks a lot like Dreo’s TurboPoly 508S, and indeed sports some of the same features—it oscillates vertically 105 degrees or horizontally 150 degrees, it’s quiet (I clocked 27 dB on low), and it’s got a remote. It’s not smart, it doesn’t have RBG lights, and you’ll hear some occasional noises from the oscillation, but if you’re looking for a more affordable pedestal fan that offers 3D oscillation, this isn’t a bad option.
