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Switching to Heat mode, I found that the airflow measured from 15cm away was 40ºC in both the highest and lowest setting. There was a significant difference with air speed, moving from 1.9m/s at the lowest to 2.45m/s at the highest heat setting. With the highest setting, I could feel a column of warm air from across my test lab. Unfortunately, it doesn’t move as much air as its 120W motor would suggest and is a little bit more unwieldy than the other tower models. But it’s solidly constructed, has a big water tank and should last a long time. Dyson’s latest fan has claimed our top spot thanks to its outstanding range of air speeds, which helped our testers feel comfortable in hot conditions. They found it easy to use, and praised the versatile design that also acts as an air purifier and humidifier – an effective feature on test, which will come in handy if you find fans quite drying.
Like Princess’ traditional tower fan below, this connects to a user-friendly app and is compatible with voice control. It also feels sturdy and has a good range of air strengths. It's not tall though, and it only oscillates 50 degrees, meaning it works best when positioned nearby and directed at one or two people. AirConDirect’s Victor Stoica, another longstanding aircon expert, adds that they’re more environmentally friendly than refrigerant units, since they don’t use harmful chemicals. “Also, unlike air conditioners, they’re suitable for outdoor spaces like garages, workshops and patios,” he says. “They create spot cooling, dropping the air temperature by a few degrees.” The associated HomeWizard app (for iOS or Android) allows you to give it voice commands using Siri or Google Assistant. I will never use those. Some will, but I can’t help feeling it would be cheaper without them. In fact, that is probably the ideal use, because it’s heavy enough to pose a problem getting up and down stairs if used at home, as well as taking up a lot of space and making a fairly industrial noise. You wouldn’t choose it for cooling your bedroom at night, but it’s the only one we reviewed that can stand a chance of cooling a 40 square-metre space. In this test, I haven’t given any 10 out of 10 scores because I don’t want to give the impression that air coolers are perfect. In a heatwave, an air cooler will be just enough to make the difference between sleeping and not.
Including many of the more advanced features seen in models from some of the bigger brands, but without the matching price, the Princess Smart Heating and Cooling Tower is a useful product that you can use all year round. Both heating and cooling modes support Natural mode, which apparently adjusts fan speed up and down to make air feel more like a natural breeze. In reality, I remain unconvinced that such modes feel any better to the Standard mode, which uses a constant fan speed. I put the Princess Smart Heating and Cooling Tower through my standard tests. Starting with the regular fan, I measured air speed at 3.08m/s on maximum setting from 15cm away, falling to 1.31m/s at 1m. That’s not bad, although I have tested more powerful fans. For this test, I either tried the air coolers at home during a very hot spell, looking for a temperature reduction of at least two degrees, or consulted independent retailers with long experience in the market. I wanted noticeable cooling efficiency at a reasonable price, but also took into account the noise level (most of these will be used at night) and how easy they were to move around and store.
Still, in Alexa, the Princess Smart Heating and Cooling Tower appears as a proper device, so you can use it in routines. Performance Firstly, we consider its power, looking at the strength of each setting and the difference between them. To do this, we use an anemometer to understand how much air it blows, measured in feet per minute. The greater the range of speeds and the wider the difference between them, the more you can adjust the fan to suit you. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ The Princess – a Dutch brand – was the first air cooler I tried, in the middle of 2022’s heatwave when all the big-beast proper air conditioners were sold out. It was a bit of a revelation, reducing the temperature in my bedroom from an entirely unreasonable 23 degrees (at midnight!) to a more bearable 19. Surprisingly, its lowest setting wasn’t that energy efficient, but its night mode will come in handy if you’re after versatility. Ion technology also sets it apart – by generating ions, it also freshens the air in your room. These costs will obviously add up if you run your fan for hours on end. But if you’re after one for occasional use, none of the models on our list should add much to your energy bill. Lastly, a panel of testers sit in a room kept at 30 degrees with each fan for half an hour and assess how comfortable it makes them (yes, really). Every model is then scored according to its performance, ease of use, design and product information. Changes made via the app are replicated on the LCD, and changes made via the remote are displayed in the app. Well, for the most part. Using the remote to switch between Cold and Heat modes didn’t always update the app with the correct settings.
You can control this fan via its accompanying app, voice command or a traditional remote. Its instructions are clear, as is the app, which can change settings even if you're in a different room. We found the voice activation effective too. Even the least energy-efficient – the Princess Smart Air Cooler – wasn't much more expensive, averaging about 2p an hour. In terms of size, weight and cooling ability (they rate it at 12,000 BTU) electriQ’s 40-litre unit begins to approach portable air conditioners. It’s the one you’d want in a workshop or office at the height of the summer.Our runner-up fan is a strong all-rounder. With 12 air speeds, it can provide everything from a gentle breeze to a strong flow. It has a broad range of movement too, oscillating at up to 130 degrees to cover multiple people at once, or adjustable downwards if it’s only catering to you. As a result, our testers found it successfully increased their comfort levels. Not all fans do this, but some, including every Dyson and the SmartAir, also help to clean the air they're distributing. Some have filters that trap pollutants, while the Dimplex Ion Fresh Cooling Tower Fan freshens air around it by emitting neutralising ions. Do fans use a lot of electricity?
The Princess has a ‘sleep’ setting, which means it comes on only intermittently to maintain a cool temperature. In theory, that means it’s silent most of the time. But on a very hot night the constant on-off may keep light sleepers awake. (See our guide to the best earplugs for help there.) The Symphony has the largest water tank we tested, which doesn’t translate into more power – it just means it lasts longer (two days and nights, in this case). But as it happens, the Symphony is powerful, too, with an airflow of 840 cubic metres per hour that allows it to cool rooms up to 12m 2. That’s a bigger space than many air coolers – although still not huge. No air cooler can chill a big living room. For that you will need a proper air conditioner. The clear instructions, complete with text and images, make this fan a breeze to set up and use. It’s well made with thoughtful design details, including the option to tilt the body of the fan, offering extra control over the direction of air. Its highest setting was notably strong and quiet too. Many fans offer different breeze styles, allowing you to adjust the feel of the air. For example, the SmartAir Cool+ Purify Bladeless Tower Fan has four different modes on top of its air settings, including a day mode and a night mode. The latter is a key one to look out for as it sets the fan to operate at a quieter volume, and sometimes dims the display, limiting any disruption to your sleep. OscillationAll the fans on our list rotate to some extent, but the models with greater ranges of motion can help improve the comfort of several people at once. For a living room, try the Dyson Purifier Cool Auto React, which rotates just shy of 360 degrees. Weight
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