Best Tower Fans for 2026, Tested by CNET

John Carlsen/CNET

As I deliberate my tower fan assessments, I thought of why individuals use followers. For instance, airflow, loudness and vitality effectivity are instantly apparent standards, however I thought-about different methods tower followers might be snug. In the end, I made a decision that air texture and sound profiles (white noise and machine sounds) have been additionally vital.

There are 10 whole factors potential for every check criterion. Here is how I calculate the product scores:

• Airflow (20%): You will get the utmost cooling impact with larger airflows — measured in ft per minute on an anemometer — as a result of it helps sweat evaporate sooner.
• Air texture (15%): How a tower fan feels is a sport changer for people who find themselves delicate to airflow like I’m, however my texture check may be very subjective as a result of I lack the sources to review whether or not turbulence is the deciding issue. Whereas I evaluated medium and excessive speeds, I did not check the low pace on this class. It’s because a number of the low speeds have been nearly imperceptible, like Dyson and Levoit, whereas sooner followers from Amazon Fundamentals and OmniBreeze weren’t a lot completely different than the medium speeds.
• Loudness (15%): Even when a tower fan sounds good, being overly loud can grate on the senses, particularly while you or a toddler is making an attempt to sleep. I measured this in decibels (dBa) throughout low, medium and excessive pace settings.
• Sound profile (15%): What a fan appears like when it comes to white noise, and the flexibility to show off interface sounds significantly enhances the consumer expertise. Evaluating white noise is the subjective half of this check, whereas the flexibility to mute and disable machine sounds types the target half.
• Power effectivity (15%): The typical vitality consumption of tower followers, measured in watts, is not notably excessive, but it surely provides up in your electrical invoice. That is doubly true when working a number of followers 24/7.
• Value (10%) and options (10%): These spherical out the rest of the rating, however usually depend upon static specs quite than qualitative testing.

Airflow: Pace

I beforehand used an anemometer to check handheld vacuums and automotive vacuums, but it surely was tough to log knowledge over time. (Plus, a very highly effective vacuum broken it.) For tower fan testing, I upgraded to an app-enabled anemometer for extra computerized logging.

For this check, I used pace in ft per minute as a substitute of quantity in cubic ft per minute to maintain the check easy sufficient to go away time for different testing. For instance, utilizing cubic ft per minute would triple the check time as I would have to measure the airflow in multiple place. Likewise, it requires understanding the realm of every fan’s air outlet, which is harder to find out on the slender retailers of bladeless followers. Utilizing FPM means I’ve a fairly balanced comparability between followers of every kind and sizes, even when I lose a number of the nuance that comes with measuring quantity.

My airflow testing makes use of a easy tunnel — courtesy of Dreame’s large delivery field — to isolate airflow between the fan and the anemometer. Initially, I used clear plastic to seal one finish across the fan so solely the exhaust blew by the tunnel, but it surely interfered with bladeless followers just like the Dyson. So I added a second check with the tunnel unsealed. As a result of I did two sorts of tunnel assessments for low, medium and excessive speeds, this implies a complete of six one-minute assessments per fan. I examined every pace repeatedly for one minute, giving sufficient time between every check for speeds to degree out. Throughout 14 followers, that is over 5,000 second-by-second knowledge factors.

Unsealed-tunnel testing: By way of pure energy, the Dreo TurboCool is the undisputed champion. Not solely did it produce the very best median speeds within the medium and excessive classes, but it surely was the one tower fan with a most pace above 1,000 FPM (1,043 FPM). Throughout the three speeds I examined, it had a median pace of 689 FPM, making it the one fan to surpass 600 FPM.

Zafro 42, Dreo Sensible, OmniBreeze and Zafro 36 all produced distinctive airflow above 500 FPM, whereas the Vornado OSCR37 got here in at 492 FPM. Not one of the different followers got here in above 400 FPM, with the Midea, Levoit and Vornado Strata within the 300s. The entire bladeless tower followers produced decrease airflow general than the normal fashions. A part of the explanation for that is the comparatively tiny air retailers on bladeless followers, making measurement harder. Dyson and Lasko tied for the bottom median airflow — 197 FPM.

Sealed-tunnel testing: Basically, many of the followers carried out worse within the sealed-tunnel check, so it performs nearly no function within the scoring. Nevertheless, Midea (472 FPM median) and Amazon Fundamentals (453 FPM median) carried out higher when sealed. I believe these followers deal with again strain extra successfully, but it surely does not actually have an effect on day-to-day use outdoors these remoted assessments. Lasko and Vornado Strata did not persistently do effectively in sealed-tunnel assessments, however did higher at high and low speeds, respectively.

Airflow: Air texture

Excessive airflow is just a part of the equation for a wonderful tower fan — the feel of the airstream issues simply as a lot. In contrast to wind pace, my texture check is purely subjective — it is merely how persistently I loved the breeze from a tower fan at medium and excessive speeds. 

Though the bladeless tower followers from Dyson, Dreame and Shark did not carry out as effectively when it comes to uncooked energy, they produced probably the most snug air textures at medium and excessive speeds — 10 out of 10. The Vornado Strata 8 Omni and Levoit Basic additionally earned good texture scores on each settings. Whereas Dreo TurboCool earned 9 out of 10 in each classes, it achieves a ten when the misting perform is energetic. Lasko WhisperForce earned an ideal texture rating at medium pace, although its max pace was barely extra turbulent.

This is not to say the opposite followers have been uncomfortable, as Midea and Zafro usually felt good, whereas Dreo Sensible and Vornado OSCR37 misplaced some appeal at high pace. Nevertheless, the wind from OmniBreeze and Amazon Fundamentals — the one followers beneath $40 — was solely satisfactory.

Sound profile: Loudness

I used my trusty sound meter to measure the loudness of every fan from 39 inches away (1 meter). Whereas this can be a good way for testing, most individuals place followers farther away, so your expertise will doubtless be quieter than these outcomes. I lowered noise as a lot as potential in my dwelling workplace for this check, which meant leaving the AC off on a scorching day and taking occasional breaks to chill the room because the indoor temperature reached into the 80s.

On low speeds, many of the followers weren’t loud sufficient for the sound meter to register a outcome — it could’t measure under 30 dBa. Nevertheless, Midea (39 dBa), OmniBreeze (41 dBa) and Amazon Fundamentals (42 dBa) have been extra audible, however not all that loud.

The standouts throughout medium-speed assessments have been Shark (39 dBa), Vornado Strata (41 dBa) and Levoit (42 dBa), as a result of they have been equal to or higher than the worst performers within the low-speed check. OmniBreeze was the loudest on this check, producing 54 dBa, whereas Dreo Sensible and Amazon Fundamentals each got here in at or simply above 50 dBa. Basically, I discovered most followers beneath 50 dBa to be greater than quiet sufficient for a bed room at night time.

Though not one of the followers was quieter than 50 dBa within the high-speed check, Amazon Fundamentals (51 dBa), Vornado Strata (51 dBa), Shark (53 dBa), Dyson Cool (54 dBa) and Zafro 36 (54 dBa) have been all equal to or quieter than the loudest fashions of the medium-speed assessments. Each Dreo fashions have been the loudest on this check at 59 dBa.

Sound profile: White noise

In the event you depend on the noise a tower fan makes nearly as a lot as its skill to blow air, you possibly can relate to how some followers have idiosyncrasies like wobbles, whines and hums that spoil in any other case nice white noise. Followers with fewer of those, or the place they have been nice, earned extra credit score.

The tower followers with the cleanest, most pleasant white noise have been Dreo, Dyson and Levoit. I am notably keen on Levoit’s respective hum and whoosh on high and low speeds. Dyson’s nice hiss was equally excellent as was the loudness of Dreo’s white noise. Whereas Midea’s slight wobble and Zafro’s buzzing oscillation on low speeds have been almost as nice, the general white noise high quality is superb.

Vornado Strata, Shark TurboBlade, Dreame, Lasko and Amazon Fundamentals all had varied wobbles, whines and hisses that stood out as I listened. Quick-term white noise is nice, however would possibly grate on the nerves of individuals with sensory sensitivities after some time. Vornado OSCR37’s whine and wobble have been much more distracting. Nonetheless, the worst white noise profile was OmniBreeze, which has a whir and a whine which are borderline annoying, particularly as a result of the whine modifications pitch while you activate the oscillation.

Sound profile: Beeps and clicks

One other sound consideration past white noise and loudness is how the tower fan sounds while you’re controlling it. The gold commonplace is a fan that has beeps, but in addition permits you to disable them till you need them once more: a persistent mute perform. Dreo, Shark, Levoit and Zafro all have this setting, although Zafro retains a startup chime, even in the event you unplug the fan to maneuver it to a different room. Dreame has a semi-persistent mute that resets when altering retailers.

Dyson, Lasko and Vornado all lack beeps totally, however this removes an audio suggestions choice that may profit individuals with visible impairments.

Whereas OmniBreeze has a mute perform, it resets each time to show the fan off, which I’ve discovered very distracting. Midea lacks a mute perform totally.

One other factor I listened for was how clicky a distant was, once more giving extra credit score to silent remotes like these of Vornado and OmniBreeze. Dyson and Shark’s distant made noise, but it surely was comparatively quiet. Nevertheless, most tower fan remotes landed within the reasonably clicky class — Dreo, Zafro, Levoit, Midea and Dreame — they don’t seem to be loud by any means, however noticeable. Lasko’s distant felt the loudest and had a harsh click on that I discovered disagreeable.

Power effectivity

Whereas tower followers aren’t essentially vitality hogs in comparison with different cooling strategies, having extra environment friendly units can save a good quantity on vitality payments, notably when utilizing a number of followers in a family.

The typical energy draw on the bottom fan pace was 9 watts, with the Vornado Strata 8 Omni (1 watt) incomes the prize for most effective, even when it is a small fan. Lasko, Levoit and Zafro weren’t far behind at 2 watts of vitality draw. Aside from Midea (20 watts), Amazon Fundamentals (21 watts), OmniBreeze (24 watts) and Vornado OSCR37 AE (36 watts), the opposite followers all got here in under 6W on low.

Vornado Strata (13 watts) and Levoit Basic (19 watts) maintained dominance within the highest-speed testing as effectively, with Zafro and Dreo Sensible falling under 25 watts. Amazon Fundamentals, Dreo TurboCool, Lasko and Midea kind the middle of the pack, largely holding near the typical of 34 watts. Shark, Dyson, Dreame, OmniBreeze and Vornado OSCR37 AE have been the least-efficient fashions on this check, averaging 49 watts.