Temperatures continue to stay high (it is summer, after all) and while there is air conditioning available in many places, there are some places air conditioning just can’t go, like garages, decks, or cabins. So you might be contemplating some ways to keep cool. We’ve got some ideas to help you with that.
Fans vs. Circulators
The most widespread devices are your traditional fans. They are inexpensive, available everywhere, and can, in general, “get the job done” when it comes to making things more tolerable at your desk, in your bedroom, or even in a larger living space. But they are also limited in their ability cool mostly what is in front of it, and they do so at increasingly louder levels as you increase the speed. Attractive options include the Lasko Wind Curve Tower Fan and the Lasko Cyclone Pivoting Fan (if you’ve got kids or pets in the house and want to be safer).
Air circulators, as the name implies, focus on cooling an entire room, and so they are normally pointed upwards. Their goal is to send the hot air down from where it’s sitting and by continuously circulating all the air in the room the temperature of the room inevitably cools. They are generally quieter than traditional fans, though they will also usually cost a bit more. Amazon Basics has one for the budget-minded; should you want to get one a bit more muscular, Vornado has you covered.
But What about the Dyson?
Of course you’re curious. We were too! The thing looks like it just stepped out of a supporting role in a science fiction movie. Where are the blades? How does it work?
So, just because it’s marketed as “bladeless” doesn’t mean there aren’t any. You just can’t see them. They are inside the pedestal stand, powered by a brushless motor (that helps to keep the noise down). That air is then pushed out through small slits in the frame of the fan at a 16 degree down slope. This, like air going over the wing of a plane, creates negative pressure, and hence draws in surrounding air to create a constant stream of air that feels like a breeze, rather than the chopped air of a fan. If you want to geek out on the mechanics of it a bit, you can’t do better than watching Sir James Dyson demonstrate it for you himself.
Unsurprisingly this is the most expensive product on the market, coming in both a full-size and only slightly less expensive desk-size. If bringing Star Trek into your living room wasn’t enough, this machine will also purify your air! For those with allergies, this can be a real aid…and it’s all controllable via the Dyson App, which can even track historical data for you. It’s a bit of an overachiever, but we’ve come to expect this from a company obsessed with quality and design.
Do you have a handy fan or air circulator that you would add to our list? Put it in the comments below so we can share them with other members.