The Very Best Floor Fans

Height: 39.6 inches | Oscillation: Yes | Noise: 40 decibels | Special features: Remote, timer, and compatible app 

For the ultimate cooling experience, go for this Dyson. The brand’s cooling devices are pricier than the other options on this list, but Strategist senior editor Ailbhe Malone says it’s worth the money. “Compared to the two other tower fans I own — generic brands — it’s really cooling,” Malone says. “You get a huge waft of air, rather than the little slats from a regular fan.” The fan is an especially good option for people with young children or pets because it doesn’t have exposed blades. Malone’s been using her Dyson fan to cool her daughter’s nursery — the hottest room in the house — for two years. “We are all jealous of Aoife, when we are lying in bed, with two tower fans circling humid air, and she is snoring under a breeze,” Malone says. 

Just note, according to Malone, the fan has two downsides: a finicky remote and a top-heavy structure. “You’re more likely to knock it over than a regular tower fan,” she says. But if those drawbacks don’t bother you, you’re in for a cool summer.

Height: 20 inches | Oscillation: No | Noise: NA | Special features: None

After New York photographed the home of musician Eleanor Friedberger and artist Michael Berryhill, our Strategist eyes were drawn immediately to the purple box fan in the corner of the living room. Eager to know more, we called up Friedberger, who told us she’s been using Lasko’s box fans since she was in her 20s. This purple one was a Wal-Mart find, she says, and “almost an absolutely perfect object,” save for the white handle that she wishes were purple (Lasko now offers a blue option with a handle that matches). As for its performance, Friedberger says the three-speed fan effectively cools her large living room “just as well as the ceiling fans do in other rooms” and has become a decorative focal point. “I can’t think of another $20 object that is that useful and that capable of holding a space,” she adds. McDonnell seconds her praise and says that the only difference between the one that his customers love and Friedberger’s is this one’s fun color, which makes it “a little bit more cool” (pun intended) than the black fan in his store. 

Height: 14 inches | Oscillation: No | Noise: 55 decibels | Special features: None

Manufactured by Vornado — a premium brand that came up multiple times in my reporting — the 633 is quiet, has three speeds, is easy to tuck out of sight, can be set up at various angles, and, despite its small frame, will circulate air as far as 75 feet away. It’s the strongest fan of the smaller ones that McDonnell has come across. “Compared to all of the small fans, it’s incomparable,” he says. This model also comes recommended by Megan Warshaw, manager of Warshaw Hardware, which has been serving the Gramercy Park neighborhood since 1925 and where this fan is a best seller. “It doesn’t oscillate, but the very large face spreads the air around as it moves it forward,” she says, adding that it’s the first fan she recommends to customers looking for the most value over time. “We sell cheaper fans, but those consume more energy and break more often. This one includes a one-year warranty, but we’ve had people finally bring theirs in for repair after 15 years with no issues.”

Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio includes an older model of 633 in her personal lineup of cooling fans — of which she has many. In the five years that she has owned this fan, she has found it to be plenty powerful. Its noise level isn’t bad, she says, with the exception of being “more disruptive on the higher settings, as you’d expect.” Trolio adds that it “kind of depends on where you put them: In a corner they aren’t too bad, especially on the medium settings, like ‘loud white noise’ over ‘full wind tunnel.’” However, if you follow McDonnell’s advice, this shouldn’t be a problem: Put it in the corner of the room facing the wall to create the wind-tunnel effect he looks for. One more thing to note: Since the fan doesn’t have a remote, Trolio sometimes struggles to adjust the fan’s settings, which are on the back of the machine. But, “They look a bit nice more hidden,” she says.

Height: 11.3 inches | Oscillation: No | Noise: NA | Special features: None 

If you’re budget-conscious, this small-but-mighty fan is the best option for you. Strategist writer Tembe Denton-Hurst initially bought hers in 2016 to fill in the gaps in her air conditioner’s BTUs. She was immediately smitten: “I took it home, plugged it in, and was so impressed with it that I kept it running nonstop for the next six months, even after I bought the AC.” Given the price tag, this fan doesn’t have any bells and whistles. “There’s a knob at the back that toggles between three modes: high, medium, and low,” Denton-Hurst says. “The coolest thing about it is that it has a 90-degree pivoting head, so you can point it toward you and then tilt it to any angle you like.” Despite its simplicity and size, the fan is remarkably powerful, albeit fit for one person: “Its size actually works in its favor. The stream of air is concentrated — dare I say person-size — and offers spot cooling rather than transforming the temperature of the entire room,” Denton-Hurst says. Just one thing: Neat freaks should consider that the fan is difficult to clean. Denton-Hurst cleans her with a wet paper towel wrapped around a butter knife, but if you’re particularly handy, you can try your hand at disassembling it yourself.

Height: 14.4 inches | Oscillation: No | Noise: NA | Special features: None 

If a power outage has ever knocked out your air-conditioning, you’re not alone — and you’ll be glad to have this battery-operated fan on hand should it happen again. It has three speeds, can rotate 360 degrees, and was a lifesaver for Trolio during a recent power outage. “I never thought about the convenience of a rechargeable fan until I tried it,” she says. “It’s so easy to just pick it up and move from room to room, or to place it on the floor or a side table and not have to worry at all about being near an outlet or having a cord run across the floor.” You can see how much battery it has left on its battery indicator on the back, but, Trolio says, “it easily goes eight to ten hours at a reasonably mid to high speed because we were able to use it overnight during our recent power outage.”

Height: 17.4 inches | Oscillation: No | Noise: 53 decibels | Special features: None 

If you’re looking for the signature power that Vornado is known for in slightly prettier packaging, you’ll be pleased to know that this fan exists in two color options (white and the deep teal pictured) and four sizes (nine inches, 11.4 inches, 17.4 inches, and a 55-inch pedestal). I used a junior-size version of the fan throughout college and found it was a simple way to make my otherwise dorm-y dorm room seem more mature. On nights when my dorm hadn’t turned off the central heating despite warm temperatures, this little fan became my only savior. However, you’ll do even better with this larger version. It’s worth noting, though, that with three speeds and the ability to pivot up and down, the fan is basic in its capabilities.