Lasko Wind Curve T42905 Oscillating Tower Fan
I loved the sleek silhouette and wood grain detailing of this Lasko tower fan. It was also the third quietest fan I tested, measuring just a few decibels louder than the Honeywell. On top of that, it features Bluetooth, which allows you to control the oscillating fan through an app on your phone.
The problem is that the app is all you get when it comes to remote controls. This isn’t ideal for a shared space, as the fan can only connect with one device at a time. In other words, if someone else pairs with the fan, the connection drops.
That might be forgivable if the app offered advanced features like voice controls or the ability to set a custom schedule, but it doesn’t. You can turn it on and off, turn the oscillation function on and off, adjust between three speed settings or start the sleep timer; The same controls that you will find on the fan itself. While it doesn’t ask for any permissions other than Bluetooth access, the app doesn’t appear to offer any privacy policy. All of that makes this Lasko fan an easy one to skip for $80.
Vornado V-Flow Air Circulator Tower Fan
The Vornado V-Flow tower fan features a sleek structure that rotates the fan grille around the cylindrical base. It’s one of the nicer looking tower fans I’ve tested, but it doesn’t oscillate like a traditional tower fan. Instead, it relies on that twisted design to move a wider field of air throughout the room.
It worked pretty well in my tests when I pointed it at me, but coverage varied at those side angles, where the airstream is positioned lower or higher due to that diagonal grille. The biggest problem was that the Vornado V-Flow was the loudest fan I tested, blaring at 50 decibels at the highest of its three speeds from a distance of 30 inches. On top of that, my remote didn’t work, which echoes frustrations I’ve seen in user reviews at retailers where the V-Flow is sold. That, plus the lack of features beyond the usual sleep timer, makes me say no thanks to Vornado’s $70 price tag here (and I’d probably skip it during a sale, too). That’s a shame, since Vornado’s five-year warranty was the best among all the fans I looked at for this roundup, and more than double what the $550 Dyson TP04 offers.
AmazonBasics 3-Speed Oscillating Tower Fan
Amazon continues to sell an ever-growing variety of products under its AmazonBasics brand, and these days that includes a tower fan. As the name suggests, it’s nothing fancy. Batteries for the remote don’t come included, but at least you get a couple of natural wind settings in addition to the typical low, medium, and high speed settings.
Unfortunately, I did not have a good experience testing this fan. For starters, my remote stopped working shortly after I began my testing, and the fan fell off its flimsy base after I dragged it back and forth between my bedroom and living room several times. The 35-watt power consumption was the lowest of all the fans I tested, but I felt that lack of power in the form of a disappointing draft, even on the highest setting. At $60, this tower fan could sell for twice its value.
Unfortunately, most tower fans don’t work very well with smart plugs.
Chris Monroe/CNET
