The 10 Best Tower Fans
This wiki has been updated 37 times since it was first published in June of 2015. If you're looking for a way to circulate air in any room of your home or business, one of these tower fans may be perfect for the job. We've included a range of versatile models that offer sleek profiles with small footprints, powerful motors, intuitive controls, filters for trapping allergens, and multiple speed settings to keep you cool and comfortable without relying solely on air conditioning. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Lasko Wind Curve
2. Seville Classics UltraSlimline
3. ComfyHome Evaporative Cooler
Editor's Notes
September 02, 2020:
Living on the coast, you might think the weather always stays frigid. But I have to tell you that when San Francisco's Indian summer hits, it gets hot! We might not experience the intense humidity or so-called "dog days" of summer like some other parts of the country, but we have our fair share of toasty days. My family and I live in a house that was built back in the 1920s, so certain things about the home's layout aren't optimal by 21st century airflow standards. For example, many of our interior windows are old-style and don't open as easily as those in a home built in more recent decades. Additionally, because coastal cities typically don't get as hot as inland locations, window and portable air conditioners aren't as common, nor are they very practical for our location. But the problem with this is that when the heat does come, it builds up and rises indoors, turning the upstairs of our house into a furnace. So, when those incredibly warm days actually arrive, the only thing we can do to beat the heat is to set up fans around the house. These tower fans are useful for cooling down various rooms without eating up a lot of electricity.
We've removed the SPT Reclinable due to availability issues.
Newly added this year is the ComfyHome Evaporative Cooler, which can accept ice packs into its one-gallon water tank and use the moisture to blow humidified air into your indoor living space.
Albeit pricey, we've included the Dyson Pure Cool for its HEPA filter and backward flow mode that makes it possible to use it as an air purifier.
The Ozeri Ultra is compatible with Bluetooth technology, so you can use an Apple or Android mobile device to control it in lieu of the remote control that comes with it.
We've also added the Arctic-Pro Digital with an integrated nighttime mode that automatically turns off its LED screen so that the unit won't keep you up when sleeping.
Finally, the Genesis Avalon gives you the choice of four oscillating modes, an integrated temperature display, and built-in overload protection.
June 15, 2019:
The Lasko Wind Curve takes the top spot for providing what most users want in a tower fan at a great price. This unit is so popular because it's a reliable, durable fan that includes a timer and fresh air ionizer, plus it looks nice in your space, making it appropriate for usage at a place of business.
We dropped the Vornado Cirulator off this list due to concerns about its overall durability and replaced it with the Lasko High Velocity. While not as stylish and quiet as it's competitors, it offers air circulation more comparable to a box fan but occupies the smaller footprint of the tower design.
Special Honors
EcoJet Hurricane Reservoir While it's not a tower fan in the strictest sense, the EcoJet Hurricane Reservoir is definitely well suited for cooling large commercial outdoor settings. This powerful misting fan is equipped with a 26-gallon water tank and capable of circulating air at a volume of 5,885 cubic feet per minute, cooling up to 1,500 square feet by as much as 10-20 degrees for several hours. It has a sturdy, weather-resistant plastic casing and also features rolling casters on its base, one of which locks for stability. ecojet.us
4. Honeywell Fresh Breeze
5. Dyson Pure Cool
6. Lasko High Velocity
7. Ozeri Ultra
8. Arctic-Pro Digital
9. Ozeri 3X
10. Genesis Avalon
Better Health And Comfort Through Better Air Circulation
Those afflicted with mild sleep apnea may not require any invasive treatment, but creating an ideal sleeping environment with cool, fresh air is a prerequisite for safety.
While nobody likes to inhabit a hot, stuffy room, proper ventilation and air circulation can play a much bigger role than simply enhancing one's comfort. Proper airflow and moderate interior temperatures are also important for one's health and well-being. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration recommends an interior temperature range between 68 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
While ideal room temperature ultimately depends on personal preference, it's important not to work, cook, socialize, or attempt to sleep in a room that is too warm for comfort. Heat exhaustion can have far-reaching effects on human health, including cognitive and physiological problems.
Sleeping in a room that is too warm and still can increase the prevalence of sleep apnea issues. Those afflicted with mild sleep apnea may not require any invasive treatment, but creating an ideal sleeping environment with cool, fresh air is a prerequisite for safety.
Definitely leverage open windows (when exterior air temperatures prove suitable), central air conditioning systems, stand-alone wall units as needed, and fans to keep the air moving.
The use of a fan in a bedroom provides several benefits, the first of which is circulation. Second, the fan helps create a cooling effect by lifting cooler air from the floor of a room, and by increasing the evaporation rate of perspiration when it passes over human skin. Finally, a fan creates white noise that helps to drown out other sounds that could be a distraction during sleep (or during the attempt to fall asleep).
White noise, such as the whirring of fan blades and the rustling breeze they create, hits multiple audible frequencies at once, thereby creating a constant and consistent sound to which the brain can quickly grow accustomed.
Choosing The Right Fan For Your Home
If you are hoping to circulate and cool the air in a small, confined space, you might need to use a desk fan or even a diminutive clip on-style fan. If the space in question has at least a square foot or so of free floor space, then a tower fan will prove to be the most effective, efficient way to move air around any room.
This is true because most tower fans stack several smaller fans atop one another within their vertically-oriented bodies.
Tower fans have the benefit of a slender profile that can still produce as much (or in some cases more) airflow than traditional disc-shaped fans. This is true because most tower fans stack several smaller fans atop one another within their vertically-oriented bodies. Other variations on the standard tower fan, such as an air multiplier type of unit, use powerful fans set in a base that pushes air out of an open top section. Both designs create a large swath of moving air that can help create plenty of movement inside a room.
As all decent tower fans will move air in the same manner, your choice of which unit best suits your needs should first be defined by magnitude. Some fans are rated to move as much as 500 cubic feet of air per minute and can produce breezes felt as far away as 100 feet (under the right conditions), making them suitable for a large master suite or a generously-sized living room. Other tower fans may only move enough air for a ten-by-twelve bedroom, but they will cost a fraction of the price. There's no need for a fan that's more powerful than a room merits, as beyond a point, faster air circulation won't provide additional cooling.
Once you have established the volume of air you need moved, consider the customization options offered by various tower fans. Almost every tower fan has at least a low, medium, and high speed setting, but some offer as many as eight or even ten different speed settings. While all good tower fans oscillate, not all have timer functions. These details should be the deciding factors.
Some Ideas For Ideal Fan Usage
To ensure your fan is operating in the most efficient and effective manner, take care to place it properly in your home. A fan placed near the bottom of a staircase will send cool air up to the next floor, often a welcome relief for the bedrooms likely located upstairs. If you can position a fan near the open entrance to a subterranean basement, that will help draw up air that might be as much as twenty degrees cooler than the ambient interior temperature above ground. While a fan blowing across a bed can provide short-term cooling, one blowing air out of a bedroom's door paired with a cracked window (provided it is cool enough outside) can create an even more appealing cross breeze.
Always consider the air beyond the direct current of your fan. If your fan is creating an upward draft, for example, that might bring warm air down from the ceiling, ultimately elevating the apparent temperature in a room. A fan toward an open window might be intended to create a cross breeze inside, but might in fact have the opposite effect of preventing an interior breeze if the outdoor air currents are behaving differently.
Pay attention to the existing conditions in and around your interior space before choosing how and where you will use a fan. Doing so will reap the biggest rewards from its use, both in terms of freshness and coolness of the air.
Jeff is a dedicated writer and communications professional from San Francisco with a bachelor of arts in anthropology from UC Berkeley. He began his career in computer consulting and later branched out into customer service. Jeff focuses on making complex topics easy to understand. With over 10 years' experience in research, his relentless curiosity fuels a love of writing and learning how things work, and has helped to build expertise in categories such as heavy-duty power tools and computer equipment. Jeff's passion for animals affords him a strong understanding of pet products, including dog houses, beds, and grain-free foods. When he's not writing, he prefers spending time with his family and three dogs, while kicking back and relaxing with a nice glass of red wine.