A fan’s RPM, along with the shape, size, and angle of the blades, determines how much air a fan moves. Most fans are made from either steel or high-grade plastic. Steel pedestal fans are more durable but are also heavier, which makes them more difficult to knock over but harder to move around. Their steel also means they are prone to rust, which makes them poorly suited for humid coastal regions. Pedestal fans must accommodate the dimensions of the space they’ll be cooling, so it’s essential to consider room size so as not to end up with a model that’s too small.
There may be a night mode, which runs the fan at a quiet speed for 6 hours before shutting off, and a turbo mode, which runs at high speed for maximum airflow and cooling power. The user can set these modes on a control console on the fan or, if included, via a remote from across the room. This Vornado fan did not require us to do much assembling other than putting its head onto its rod and curved U-shaped base. It doesn’t come with a remote control, and it doesn’t feature a control panel. It simply has a three-speed dial on the back of the unit’s circular head, much like the Lasko 16-Inch Oscillating 2521 standing fan. The whole look of this Vornado Whole Room 783 reminded us of the Vornado Energy Smart 533DC circulator fan, as its head is basically the same, just larger, and it sits on a long metal pole and base.
With a small footprint and plenty of cooling power, a tower fan is great for a living room or bedroom, where you want to keep the air moving without a lot of visual distraction. The Vornado’s directional settings were easy to select and secure in operation, and while it wasn’t quite as adjustable as the Lasko Wind Machine 3300, it gave us a good range of usable settings. We also preferred the Vornado’s silver speed dial, which let us adjust settings with one continuous, smooth, quiet motion, to the controls on the other circulators.
You can wait for the blades to air dry or dry them with a lint-free cloth or paper towel. Check to see whether you need any tools to put the pedestal fan together. Some models require tools for assembly, while others don’t. Pedestal fans may also have telescopic poles that allow the user to adjust the head to different heights to target specific parts of a room.
Looking for the best floor fan for your home, or in-home yoga studio? From classic metal fans to innovative space-saving pedestal fans with a contemporary look, you’ll find the best pedestal fan for your needs right here. Whether you prefer the wind machine effect of a Cyclone® fan or the sleek good looks of our Elegance & Performance fans, a standing fan with remote makes the ideal choice.
This fan is available in white with chrome highlights or green with gold and chrome highlights. The plastic and metal fan features a 16-inch head that produces 2,436 cubic feet of airflow per minute. The control panel includes an 8-hour timer and an energy-saving mode that automatically sets the fan at optimal speed. All of these settings are controllable via the fan’s convenient remote control. The fan’s height is adjustable from 39 to 54 inches tall and is supported by a large, round base.
Though powerful and well made, we think the other fans we tested would look better in a home or dorm environment, as the Vornado is kind of bulky and hard to miss visually. If you’ve already decided that you definitely want to purchase a pedestal fan, then you can skip this section, but if you’re still pondering the benefits of pedestal versus tower fans, keep reading. The biggest difference between these two types of fans is obviously the shape. Pedestal fans generally take up more space, but they are also usually cheaper, and have a much more powerful airflow.
Bedrooms and other smaller rooms may require only an 18-inch fan that is quieter and takes up less space than a more powerful model. Bigger spaces, such as a garage or warehouse, may require a larger, more powerful fan that is capable of moving a lot of air. The products listed here were selected according to the above considerations to narrow the field to some of the best pedestal fans on the market. Any of these fans will provide better circulation and a cooler feel to a living space or garage.
The dial let us turn it to set three different speeds, and with each turn, we heard a loud clicking sound. This was unlike the dial on the Vornado, which lets you grip it comfortably as you smoothly and quietly rotate it around clockwise and back. This Lasko fan was easy for us to set up since, like the other circulator fans we tested, it requires no assembly; we just lifted it out of its box and plugged it in. We liked its alen breathesmart fully tiltable head, which we were able to push all the way around to cool off either side of our testing area. But we found its blue control knob on the back of the fan to be a bit cumbersome to reach, as we had to tilt the fan down to access it, and even then, the knob felt a bit wobbly in our grip. This was unlike the firm, smooth motion we enjoyed while turning the knob on the Vornado Energy Smart 533DC circulator fan.