Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Your desktop fan can be a constant workday companion, or provide you with white noise and a comfortable breeze as you fall asleep. But whether you want a desk fan for your home or your office, finding the perfect one can be tough.
We brought a range of top fans into our labs for testing, and found that the Vornado Pivot Personal Air Circulator (available at Amazon for $19.99) is the best overall desk fan, offering the perfect mixture of wind speed, quiet operation, variable settings, and aesthetics. While it is our favorite overall, there are a lot of great picks on this list you may like even better.
These are the best desk fans we tested ranked, in order:
The Vornado Pivot was the best overall desk fan, with a small footprint and settings that offer a good mix of strong breeze and quiet operation
Good powerful airflow
Breeze feature
Remote control
Most settings are fairly noisy
Less portable than other desk fans
Adjustable
Oscillating
Powerful
Loud
Time mode
Low speeds
Loud
Odd design
Hello! I'm Mark Brezinski, and I've been testing and reviewing consumer tech for over a decade. At Reviewed, I’ve developed testing for dozens of different categories, from smart phones to headphones and more.
Point A was directly in front of the fan, point B was 3 ft. away, and point C was 6 ft. away. We also took measurements 4 ft. away from points B and C (points D, E, F, and G).
To test fans, we set up a closed-off testing area to isolate our measurements from any external airflow. Once the fan was up to speed, we took measurements at seven different points in the room: three directly in front of the fan, and four to the sides.
We measured average wind speed at each of these points during a 30-second window and calculated the volume of air being moved, measuring air flow in cubic feet per minute, or CFM. We performed the same tests again with oscillation on (if applicable), and recorded the average air movement at each measurement point for five full oscillation cycles. On average, we recorded desk fan wind speeds between 3 and 21 mph.
While a fan’s ability to move air is its primary function, we also tested other aspects of the fans’ performances as well. We measured how much energy the fan required to run at full capacity, both with and without oscillation. We also utilized our headphone testing lab to isolate exactly how much noise the fan makes at each of its speeds, and we also tested how easy and intuitive each fan’s controls felt to use.
While desk fans can have all kinds of different designs, you can clean most of them in the same way. Start by unplugging it, then remove the grating covering the blades. From there you can use a vacuum to get rid of the majority of dust clinging to the blades, then use a damp paper towel to clean up the rest.
In short, no. Oscillation is where the fan swivels from side to side on its base to help spread a breeze around. If you’re trying to disperse smoke or provide air coverage for a wide area, oscillation might make sense for a full-size fan.
On the other hand, desk fans’ small size mean that they rarely have the power necessary for oscillation to be particularly meaningful. Our measurements showed almost all wind movement had dispersed after a few feet. You lose a lot more than you gain by oscillation.
While oscillation did allow some desk fans to distribute airflow across a wider area, the amount of cooling breeze felt by a single, stationary person will be greatly reduced. Almost across the board, we recorded speeds of less than 2 mph at our closest side measurement points (spots D and F in the diagram). At the two points flanking the 6-foot mark (spots E and G in the diagram), the breeze was barely perceptible and didn't even register on our anemometer.
In general, yes, fans are pretty inexpensive to run. They use about 100 times less energy than a traditional air conditioner.
Desk fans use even less—about 1% of the energy of a full-size fan. We find this is true across the board, so energy efficiency isn’t a meaningful differentiator between the fans we tested.
Given how energy-efficient fans are, in almost every instance you should use one instead of a traditional air conditioner. The only exception to that rule is when temperatures are above 90°F, because at that point or hotter they actually worsen the effects of heat stress.
Mark Brezinski is a senior writer with over ten years of experience reviewing consumer tech and home appliances.
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