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Bionaire BT16
by spirit19
I bought this fan a few years ago for around £40 and it still holds that price tag on a few internet sites that I checked which emphasizes the quality of this fan.
The box contains 3 pieces of the fan (the main tower, front half of the base and back half of the base), screws to connect these parts and a power cord. There are ... instructions supplied, which I highly recommend you read first due to the somewhat strange way of positioning the pieces and the power cord. All in all though, it was a relatively painless experience considering there were only 3 pieces that required any sort of assembling, and even then it was just a few screws.
Once all the pieces are attached, the fan is a solid structure. Many other, more expensive fans, no longer use screws to make the setup easier, but this means that the tower can be toppled from the base very easily. This problem is averted with this model meaning that it is harder to topple due to the base weight and lower center of gravity, and even if it does fall, it will not break into pieces.
There are 4 large buttons on the top of the fan to control all the settings (there is a remote as well but more on that later). The 4 buttons are; power/speed control, mode control, timer setting and rotation control. The power/speed button is used to both turn the fan on as well as to increase the speed of the fan. This could be considered convenient as it is all packed into one button, but the huge downside is when you want to turn it off. There are 3 speed levels, so for example you turn it on and it is on speed 1 and after a while you go to turn it off you need to press it 3 times, pressing it once will go to speed 2, again speed 3 and when you press it again it will turn off. This is very annoying and has often resulted in me just pressing it once and accidentally leaving the fan on for hours on end. The speed levels are good, offering control of the strength and coolness of the air, although I have found that on hot days, however rare they may be in the UK, even the highest fan speed doesn't really do the job. On most days though it is fine providing a level that is acceptable for most temperatures. I have never really used the modes available because I prefer the constant stream of cool air rather than 'breeze' which mean that on a hot day, the fan decides when the fan is on and when it isn't. This may be beneficial to some people as it creates a more natural effect, however it was just not for me. The timer setting, albeit slightly limited, is an excellent feature. It offers a timer setting for 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours and 8 hours. I often use it at night especially on days when it is hot but cools down through the night. At the end of the timer period the fan automatically switches off also aiding with saving electricity. The rotation feature is again slightly limited, there is only one mode for rotation; the distance it rotates is pre-defined and cannot be changed. The distance is very long, it rotates over 180 degrees, which for most people is way more than is required so I rarely use this feature either. There are small green lights that display which, if any of the 4 button options you are currently using. These are good to see the settings you like/don't like and they are not harsh enough to keep you up at night.
The remote has all the same buttons as the ones located at the top of the fan, albeit smaller versions. The remote requires 2 AAA batteries which were not meant to be supplied but for some reason I got some in my pack. The battery life of the remote is great, I have only ever had to change them once and that was very recently. There is a discreet storage compartment for the remote on the back of the fan where you push the remote in and when it clicks it is securely stored. Then you have to push again to get a click and bounce back to release the remote. The remote has great range and it works from anywhere on the floor that the fan is located for me, although I have heard reports that it only works within a 10m range. Although this is still a good range, and far more than is really necessary in a fan remote, you may want to get a replacement.
All in all a good, solid fan for a reasonable price. Recommended to anyone who wants a fan that is just a fan and does what it does well.
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Proline DKF30
by lak11
HOW COOL IS THIS FAN?
(Proline DKF30 High Velocity Fan)
WHICH FAN IS COOL?
I always seem to be buying fans for somewhere or other in my home. I now own all sorts ranging from a large tower fan, mini tower fans and the more traditional type.
I thought everyone in the house had a cooling fan in ... their room until my daughter paid us a visit (she's living away whilst at university) a few months ago. This particular visit took place during our early summer. She had previously swapped rooms with her brother but after a night or two in her "new" room informed me that she didn't "even have a fan in this room!" I said I would buy her one.
Her room is small and even with the window open it can get stuffy, but as space is very limited I was planning to buy a mini (desk type) tower fan. But the weather cooled and the lack of a bedroom fan was forgotten until the 'real' summer put in an appearance, and this daughter was once again home for a while. When it came to looking around for a fan the weather was hot and, as always happens in this part of the world, fans were in short supply in the shops and choice was limited.
I chose to visit a particular Comet store (I have a few within easy travelling distance) which is next to an Argos store so that I could see what Comet had to offer and how they compared to Argos.
Comet had a small choice of fans let and a few empty spaces on the shelves. The fan that seemed to best suit our purpose was the Proline DKF30 desk fan. This is a twelve inch (diameter of guard) white plastic fan which was selling for the reduced price of £9.99; it had formerly been priced at £39.99. I then nipped next door to Argos. When looking through the catalogue I saw they were selling a small value fan for less than £10 which only had two speeds. The fan which was most comparable cost £19.99. I was looking for three speeds as I know that with the fan in my bedroom I tend to use all three speeds and so this was a deciding factor in my purchasing decision.
ASSEMBLY
The fan comes in a smallish box which is fairly light in weight. Our box contained five pieces (a front and a rear guard, blades, base, motor spindle) to be fitted together plus an instruction booklet.
Assembly was very simple. My husband fitted the fan together in about five or six minutes and this didn't require any tools. When no tools are needed it's always a welcome relief, as then there's no mad hunt to find the always elusive screwdriver.
OPERATION
The controls on he top of the fan are:
0=Off
1=Low speed
2=Medium speed
3=High speed
To make the fan oscillate, which is how I usually use the fan, there is a knob at the top of the fan which needs to be pushed down and alternatively, pulled up to stop the fan moving from side to side.
TILT
To get the best angle to get maximum cooling affect the fan can be tilted. I think, in this respect, traditional types of fan win over the more modern and streamlined tower style fans. Being able to angle the fan enables the stream of col air to reach the desired area making a big difference to one's comfort, especially if using during the night or undertaking a task such as ironing or cooking.
NOISE
I don't find this fan is noisy, or not as fans go. It is noisiest when used on speed three but doesn't keep me awake. I don't really mind if a fan does make a little noise as it's a constant whirr which can help, a little, to drown out my husband's snoring. But this one isn't really noisy enough to help in this respect.
I have used this fan in the living room whilst watching television and haven't felt I needed to turn the volume up on the T.V.
INSTRUCTION BOOKLET
Assembly, as I've mentioned, is simple but for those new to this type of task then the instructions contained in the booklet are extremely simple and clear to follow.
If English isn't your first language then it may help that instructions and operating instructions are written (as well as in English) in German, French, Dutch, Czech, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. Although for assembly diagrams are included alongside the written instructions.
CLEANING
To clean the fan it needs to be unplugged and then disassembled. Once this is done the blades and guard can be easily washed in detergent and the motor body can be wiped clean.
SPECIFICATIONS
* Dimensions 46.2x46.0x20.3 (H/W/D) cm
* 90 watt power
* 30 cm diameter
* 3 speed settings
WHERE/PRICE
This fan is currently available from Comet at the reduced price of £9.99. It can also be purchased on-line at www.comet.co.uk or reserved either by phone or on-line to be collected from store. The item should be available from thirty minutes after reserving.
SO HOW COOL IS THIS FAN?
Because my daughter has been back and forth to university accommodation (and also traveling about visiting friends) I've been able to pinch this fan several times. I actually think it's much more effective than the small tower fan I usually use in my bedroom but admittedly it doesn't look quite so good, not being as modern and compact looking. Because it's fairly small and light in weight it's easy to move from room to room, and this proves to be handy. The base fits securely on flat surfaces and when placed in a strategic place works wonderfully and does the job it's supposed to.
I find that this fan often cools effectively, even on the lowest speed as opposed to my usual bedroom fan which mostly needs to be set on the middle setting. When used on three it blast the air out at high speed and is very welcome in hot weather.
And so, in summary, I would say that this fan is very cool!
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