Best Tower Fan for 2024

2 weeks ago 12

Regular fans usually do the trick when it comes to staying cool, but they often come with more than their fair share of bulk. In the long run, tower fans are pretty good at doing the exact same thing but better and are worth considering adding to your home. Not only do they cool your space effectively while being more energy efficient, they also save you from a hefty electric bill.

We love tower fans' capacity to enhance airflow through cross-ventilation, effectively lowering indoor temperatures at night and keeping your space cooler for far longer. Additionally, tower fans occupy less space than box fans or AC units, minimizing the risk of tripping hazards for you and your pets. Tower fans are also fairly light and designed to be easily picked up and moved from room to room. Plus, their smaller and slimmer size makes it easy to tuck these fans away without blocking walkways or obstructing views.

In case you didn't know, the shape of a tower fan isn't just for looks -- it also ensures that a well-positioned one can quickly create a comfy temperature across an entire room. The best tower fans usually oscillate from side to side, covering the majority of a room -- ideal for living rooms so the whole family can enjoy the cooling effect. Furthermore, tower fans come in various designs, with features like programmable timers, quiet operation and oscillation. Some even have built-in air purifiers. Alongside these nifty features, brands like Lasko's Smart Oscillating Tower Fan are incorporating phone controls and voice activation via Alexa or Google Assistant.

After hours upon hours of testing multiple models, our team of CNET experts selected several top tower fans for hot, humid days.

Lasko Wind Curve T42905 Oscillating Tower Fan

I loved the sleek silhouette and wood grain accents of this Lasko tower fan. It was also the third-quietest fan that I tested, measuring just a few decibels noisier than the Honeywell. On top of that, it features Bluetooth, which lets you control the oscillating fan via an app on your phone.

The problem is that the app is all you get as far as remote controls are concerned. That 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, your connection gets cut.

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 feature on and off, adjust among three speed settings or start the sleep timer; the same controls as you'll find on the fan itself. It doesn't ask for any permissions aside from Bluetooth access, the app doesn't seem to offer a privacy policy at all. All of that makes this Lasko fan easy to skip at $80.

Vornado V-Flow Air Circulator Tower Fan

The Vornado V-Flow tower fan features a neat-looking build that twists the fan's grille around the cylindrical base. It's one of the best-looking tower fans I tested, but it doesn't oscillate like a traditional tower fan. Instead, it relies on that twisty design to move a wider field of air throughout the room.

It worked well enough in my tests when I had it aimed at me, but coverage varied at those side angles, where the airstream is positioned lower or higher due to that diagonal grille. The bigger issue was that the Vornado V-Flow was the noisiest fan I tested, ringing in at 50 decibels at the highest of its three speeds from a distance of 30 inches. On top of that, my remote wouldn't work, which echoes frustrations I've seen from user reviews at retailers where the V-Flow is sold. That, plus a lack of features beyond the usual sleep timer, has me saying no thanks to Vornado's $70 price tag here (and I'd probably skip it during a sale too). That's a shame, as Vornado's five-year warranty was the best among all of the fans I looked at for this roundup, and more than twice as long as you get with the $550 Dyson TP04.

AmazonBasics Oscillating 3-Speed Tower Fan

Amazon continues to sell a growing variety of products under its AmazonBasics brand and these days that includes a tower fan. As the name suggests, it isn't anything too fancy. The remote batteries don't come included, but you at least get a couple of natural wind settings on top of the typical low, medium and high speed settings.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a good experience testing this fan out. For starters, my remote stopped working shortly after I began my tests and the fan itself came out of its flimsy base after I'd hauled the thing back and forth between my bedroom and living room a few times. The 35-watt power draw was the lowest of all the fans I tested, but I felt that lack of power in the form of an underwhelming stream of air, even at the highest setting. At $60, this tower fan might be selling for twice as much as it's worth.