Last Updated March 08, 2024
Fans, also known as air circulators, provide effortless cooling in a variety of situations. They are powered machines, which create a flow of air through rotation of blades. By circulating air around a room efficiently, fans provide a constant feeling of freshness. New technology and the latest features have made fans a viable cooling option available at a fraction of the price of Portable Air Conditioners and Evaporative Air Coolers.
If you're just looking for the best fans on the market, check out our Top 10 Fans.
How Does a Fan Work?
As mentioned, fans work by circulating air around a room. They consist of a rotating assembly of blades and a hub called a rotor. The rotor is contained within the housing. The housing can direct the airflow, ensuring safety by preventing the fan blades touching objects. Ventilating the ambient air of a room naturally stimulates the movement of cold and warm air flow.
This variation of flow causes an overall lowering of the temperature to provide a sensation of cooling and freshness. The more volume of air is displaced, the stronger the feeling of cooling. The potential volume of air that can be displaced depends on the size and power of the fan. It is important to consider that fans, even of a high power, are not able to significantly lower the temperature of a room as well as an air conditioner.
Tower Fans – are ideal for cramped spaces due to their tall and narrow shape. They offer an oscillating mode so the cool air can be circulated throughout the room, or in one area. They are safer for households with young children and pets, as the blades are safely concealed. They are strong and sturdy, capable of strong air output and are favoured for their quiet noise operation.
Desk Fans – are perfect for individual use in the office or at home when quick efficient cooling is required. They also have an oscillating feature to spread the cool air around the room. They can simply be turned on and the refreshing airflow will be noticed immediately.
Pedestal Fans – are larger than Desk Fans making them better for covering bigger rooms. They consist of a large blade inside a housing unit that sits on top of a stand, allowing a wider range of oscillation to spread the cool air. Many Pedestal Fans are height adjustable making them suitable for a wide range of applications.
Floor Fans – are larger than Desk Fans but smaller than Pedestal Fans and can cool down rooms of all sizes. Most Floor Fans will resemble a Pedestal Fan minus the stand, with an open design allowing more air to be drawn through the fan. They feature more powerful motors with variable speeds, to cool the room faster.
Ceiling Fans – as their name suggests, suspend from a ceiling and have the ability to cool whole rooms, making them great alternatives to air conditioning systems.
Tower Fans vs Pedestal Fans
In general, Tower Fans have more and better features such as night lights and purifiers compared to Pedestal Fans. They also come in a variety of styles, sizes and are normally much quieter. However, Tower Fans are generally less powerful than Pedestal Fans and have a smaller output size. If you are looking for a fan similar to the Dyson Air Purifier, check out our new Devola Bladeless Fan.
Pedestal Fans are more powerful than Tower Fans as they have much bigger blades giving them more airflow output. This makes them an ideal choice for larger rooms. The direction of the airflow can also be easily controlled without the need to physically move the unit. However, Pedestal Fans tend to be much louder than Tower Fans. They also have limited features and variations in terms of style and size.
Key Considerations For Your Fan
Fan Power - A combination of two key factors determines how powerful a fan is: the size of the fan and its speed settings. The higher the power output of your fan, the higher the airflow will be. Desk Fans have the lowest airflow, Tower Fans and Floor Fans are in the middle, and Pedestal Fans have the highest airflow.
Fans by Room Size - A small fan suits a small space, while a bigger fan is suits a larger space. If a fast, portable cooling solution is needed in a bedroom, pedestal fans work well because the height can be adjusted and angled so the unit is facing the bed (with the fan facing one direction or oscillating around). On the other hand, Tower Fans tend to suit living room areas because they’re more compact and can be positioned out of the way.
If something more permanent is required for the home, a Ceiling Fan is a cost-effective way to cool bedrooms and living rooms. Ceiling Fans require a ceiling height of at least 2.1 - 2.4 metres to perform best, and the fan may need to be lowered if the ceiling is higher. Ceiling Fans also consume less electricity than air conditioners, and most Pedestal Fans and Tower Fans (depending on which fan speed they are using). Fans with a DC motor are the most efficient to run.
Fan Speed - A fan with higher speed settings and a higher wattage provides more power and airflow.
Fan Noise Levels - It is important to take consideration of the noise level a fan will produce when operating. A loud desk fan can break your concentration while working, with the close proximity of the fan making the noise more noticeable. It is essential to look at a desk fan with a quiet noise level. If you are looking to cool down your bedroom so you can sleep peacefully at night, a Tower Fan is the best option as they are the quietest models. Tower Fans are generally quieter than Pedestal Fans, and come with many night modes.
Note: It is always important to check the room's requirements against the fan's specifications before purchasing.
Oscillating Head – a rotating fan head which ensures all areas are covered.
Speed Settings – multiple speed settings to control the amount of air being displaced.
Tilt Action – allows a fan to be manoeuvred in various directions.
Timer – controls the operating time of a fan. Some fans also feature a sleep timer program to switch the fan off late at night whilst sleeping.
Remote Control – allows the fan to be controlled conveniently from a distance.
Noise Level – how loud a fan is on a certain speed setting.
Protective Cage – A safety feature to protect small children and pets.
Reverse Speed – reverses the speed of the blades to heat a room to an even temperature.
Integrated Lights – light fitting option that some fans may come with.
A leaf blower is a summer and fall staple for outdoor equipment. What if you don’t have one though? What if you need a new one and don’t know which is best? Acme Tools always wants to help people be able to do their best work, so get ready for the ultimate leaf blower buying guide.
Each one designed for a specific space in mind but they all serve the same function. All can blow leaves with no problem, but if you desire a quieter machine, you may pick one over another. If you need something to handle a bigger yard or field you may need something heavy duty. Not to mention a green person would like to reuse leaves for mulch or compost. You can get a specific kind of attachment for your blower to fit that need. There are three types of blowers that you can pick from; handheld, backpack, or walk behind.
For maneuverability, versatility, and lightweight, this is perfect for porches, gazebos, and any small lawn. Lacks the power to blow large debris away but can handle light snow, dust, and sawdust with no bogging down.
This is the blower you need to look at if you need more power and longer run time. Ideal for garages, large shops, and fields that have to cover a lot of ground. Can easily blow away wet leaves, twigs, pebbles, and metal shavings.
The big guns for jobs that need lots of power and completed quickly. Walk Behind Blowers are what a professional crew would use as it can blow away leaves, heavy paper and cardboard, and other garbage left out on the ground.
When you are looking at buying a new blower there a few things that you should consider. What you need to take note of is the power of the tool, the energy it uses: (gas, corded, or battery), and how much noise the tool makes.
The amount of noise a blower makes can influence what you are shopping for, and keep in mind who might have to hear you when you are working outside. For residential uses the quieter, the better, you do not want to have a problem with your neighbor complaining every time you are working on your lawn, cleaning out your gutter, or just blowing dust out of your garage. You also don’t want to wake up anyone in your house who could be sleeping and deal with the consequences. Here we have a link to decibel levels and their equivalents so that you can have a better idea of what the numbers mean. A good rule of thumb though electric equals quiet, gas equal loud, also the bigger the motor, the more noise it makes.
For most residential areas it doesn’t matter how loud it is until a specific time frame called “quiet hours.” Now depending on your state and city, these can vary, so it is always good to know when those hours are, especially if you are an early riser and likes to get things done as soon as possible.
Power is important to your next purchase, but you want to find one that has a balance of two important things. The two things that you need to look at are the CFM (cubic-feet-per-minute) and MPH (miles-per-hour), are both high and are close together in value.
A mistake most first time buyers have thinking greater MPH will mean more power to push. Yes, the air will be coming out faster out of the barrel but the more leaves there are, the blower needs to do more work. With higher speed doesn’t mean there is more leaf blowing power, it just means air will be coming out faster. In a tube going an equivalent of 200 MPH, it doesn’t add to much work getting done. What you need to look at actually is CFM of the blower in addition to MPH.
CFM is the volume of air that flows out of the leaf blower’s tube in one minute. The number of CFM translates to how far the fan pushes the leaves in a specific area. However being able to push a lot of leaves in an area doesn’t add too much if it takes too long to do the job.
Both values are needed to get the job done as fast and efficient as possible. Too much speed and not enough covered area will mean spending more time pushing through the leaves. Covers a lot of space but does it slowly means you will be standing outside for a while.
As mentioned earlier in this post, each blower works the same but has an area and space in mind.
For a smaller yard or cleaning off a deck or patio, a handheld blower would be best. This tool is light and easy to store in a garage without taking up much space. Though this one is a bit weaker when it comes to power and how much work it can do.
For larger yards and longer work times, the backpack blower would be your next choice. This blower is the best of both worlds as it does offer more power and run time but still has the mobility and comfort thanks to the straps. Though comfort is a relative term, it does make it easier than holding onto a six to ten lb. tool for over an hour. It can easily clear snow from your car and sidewalks after a massive storm.
Finally the walk behind blower. This wheeled blower is best for bigger lawns and areas, like parks, farmland, or any backyard that is over 1 acre. A wheeled blower has the power that can send debris flying, so be sure that you have a clear area of people and animals. The wheeled blower doesn’t have the same mobility as the other two options but has movement nonetheless. With the wheels, it makes it easy to maneuver around an open space and makes quick work of large areas. You would see this in a park where a lot of leaves have fallen or maybe at a stadium after a big game to clear all the trash left over.
Fuel for your machine is necessary and knowing which one will fit your needs is crucial to your decision. Three types of fuel for blowers break down into Battery, Corded, and Gas. Each is useful and gets the job done but depending on the job one might be better suited than another.
For first-time owners and established brand fans, battery operated is an option you should look into pursuing. Brand fans would find it useful to have a machine that already works on the tool batteries that they have already own. If you have never owned a blower before and have not been around the gas and oil versions, it can be quite overwhelming. With the battery operated option, it is as simple as clicking a battery into the tool and squeezing the trigger. Depending on the type you get, motor maintenance could be as little as non-existent or once in a while check-up. Handy for the first time users.
If you do not own any battery brands and still want to go electric you can, with corded leaf blowers. Corded leaf blowers are a middle ground between electric and gas powered as you get more power than the battery and still don’t have to hassle with gas and oil. The drawback of this tool though is what makes it more powerful, and that would be the cord. Lightweight and maneuverable, it can get snagged and caught in the cord. The cord limits reach to how far you can go with the tool. For average yards with a fence, this can be perfect. Otherwise, you may need to look to something else.
Though stated several times before gas and oil blowers can be intimidating, but if you have had one before or are ready to learn about them, this tool can be the most effective for cleaning the yard. This blower has the most power behind it on average but takes a lot of care to maintain, not to mention that it is the loudest compared to the others.
For gas and oil blowers there is a ratio between how much oil and gas you need in the tank before starting. The oil in the gas is to help lubricate the engine while and after its use. This amount can change depending on the how much your gas tank can hold, but the ratio will remain the same. Luckily there is premixed fuel, so this can take a lot of the guesswork out of mixing it yourself. Pure gas blowers exist as well and are as simple as they sound. Just fill the gas tank, close it, and you are ready to go.
There are accessories for leaf blowers like extensions, vacuum kits, variable blower head tips, gutter kits, and disposable leaf bags. So depending on the time of year you can pick this tool up to make the cleanup easy.
Some people like to repurpose their things and recycle their leaves into something for their lawn and garden. Well for some models they have special attachments that turn their blowers into a vacuum and mulcher. Handy for those times when you want to reuse the material for a garden.
Not to mention during light snow you can use this to clear your front walkways instead of shoveling. Blowing snow away is helpful in preventing ice from forming or having to bring out the snow plow or shovel. With light snow, a leaf blower makes it quick and easy work.
For other uses of a leaf blower check out our blog post for Year-Round Leaf Blower Uses. It is a fun read and a good way to maximize the use of your leaf blower beyond just one season.
Though a leaf blower uses vary during different seasons, it will most likely not see use, especially during the winter. There are a few things you have to do to have your tool protected when you are not using it. If you are storing it in your garage or close by, just run the tool once a month in a well-vented area, and that will exercise the carburetor and the motor. If you are planning on storing the leaf blower in a storage shed and have little access to it, here are a few tips to help winterize it.
Buying a leaf blower is a big purchase and should take some time and consideration when looking. This breakdown of what you should look for is a great way to start, but if there is something that wasn’t mentioned, please let us know in the comment section down below. Use the buying guide to help pick out the best leaf blower for your needs and share this a friend or coworker who might find this useful.
Check out our full list of blowers at acmetools.com and follow our blog for more tool buying guides and tool highlights. Acme Tools here to help you Do Your Best Work.