Summer heat makes me feel deathly ill, and were it not for my Pelonis tower fan, I'd get very sick and would never sleep. I have chronic health conditions and my body is unable to cool down or heat up properly and without AC at home, it's hard to cope.
But that's where my Pelonis Tower Fan from Amazon has rolled in like a knight in matte gray armor. Hurrah for this budget-friendly oscillating fan as it is the only thing that helps me stay cool and sleep at night during blazing summer heat.
I personally reckon it's one of the best fans out there, with so many amazing features that have changed my summer sleep habits forever.
Why I needed a good tower fan
Learning how to cool down a room without AC has become my life mission. The UK, where I live, might be known for its generally terrible weather, but when heatwaves hit, the high humidity and lack of AC in homes makes it unbearable.
Heatwaves, like the recent one that sent UK thermometers soaring to 89° Fahrenheit, had social media users commenting the heat here was worse than Louisiana or Italy in the height of summer.
My home is also a typical newly-built UK one, packed with features to keep the heat inside because most of the time, that's what we need on this little gray, cold island. In the summer or during heatwaves, it's just awful.
Out of desperation two hot summers ago, I impulse-bought this three-speed remote-controlled Pelonis Tower fan in the middle of a heatwave that was stealing my energy, sleep, and sanity because the reviews were great (averaging 4.6/5 stars) and the price was even better.
I hoped it would turn out to be one of the best fans and it has not disappointed, getting a 4.5 rating from me.
Why I love the Pelonis tower fan
What a fabulous purchase the budget-friendly this tower fan has turned out to be. First and foremost, it's cheap! Even without Amazon's current near 20% discount, the 40-inch oscillating Pelonis tower fan usually retails in the US at $69.99, and in the UK for £75.99.
It's quiet too, unless it's on fan speed 3 (the highest) but I sleep with earplugs anyway. But if you don't have earplugs, no bother — it has a quiet mode and, overnight, fan speed 2 gives enough blast, no matter the heat.
I love the remote control, which means the chronic pain I endure as a result of connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos syndrome doesn't get twinged by me having to get up to tweak the settings overnight. It's also lightweight enough for me to move around despite my manual grip issues and pain.
The timer option is super too, as my nervous system issue often sees me grow uncontrollably cold or hot without warning. Using my Pelonis tower fan's programmable timer is also a great way to protect the environment by reducing energy consumption when I am fast asleep, and reduces the overall cost of running a fan, too.
The one thing I don't like about the Pelonis tower fan
The only thing I don't rate about the fan is the varying sound levels when it's on eco mode. It intermittently blows loudly, then quieter, then louder and back around in an endless intrusive circuit. The variation in decibels makes it harder to ignore or tune out.
I tested my fan's sound levels on the Decibel X app for iPhone, by placing my phone on my pillow, and placing the fan three feet from the foot of my bed, on oscillation mode, exactly as I would at night, and the results were:
I tested the decibels
- Fan speed 1: 35.7 dB (rustling leaves)
- Fan speed 2: 40.8 dB (quiet whisper)
- Fan speed 3: 43.2 dB (quiet whisper)
- Fan speed 3 + quiet mode: either 43.8 db (rustling leaves) or 35 db. (quiet whisper)
So you see, it's not much noise either way and if you don't like the varying noise on quiet mode like me, there there is an easy solution: just don't use that mode! I never do and I do not miss it in the slightest, usually running it on fan speed 2 overnight.
It's wonderfully cooling, and though it doesn't have air cooling technology, when you put your hand in front of it, the blast of air genuinely feels cool enough for relief from heat.
It also has a 15-hour programmable timer, 90 degree silent oscillation, and LED light on top to help you see its functions at night.
If the Pelonis tower fan aren't for you, don't worry. Here are some alternative tower fans I have handpicked instead. I have not had an opportunity to review the units myself, but I have used my consumer and product knowledge as editor of Real Homes, and read hundreds of reviews to bring you three great alternatives.
Editor's pick: alternative tower fans
Price: $69.99
This freestanding fan comes in three colors, black white and silver, and comes packed with similar features to my Pelonis, including a remote. It boasts one more speed, and is four inches shorter. It has a sleep mode, 8 hour timer (Pelonis has 15), and auto mode unlike mine. It's the Amazon number one bestseller, with 70,000 shoppers purchasing it in the last month. That's in comparison with a thousand or so on my other picks. Of the 26,000+ customers who averagely rated their Dreo purchase a 4.6/5, many commented on how quiet it is and how cooling the effect.
Price: Was $119.98, now $89.99
This cools down the room fast, with it being able to chill 28ft/sec versus Dreo's 25ft/sec. Like my Pelonis it has three speeds and modes, and sits in the middle with a 12-hour timer. Whilst my Pelonis and the Dreo have hidden handles at the beck, this has a visible one at the top so that's an aesthetic choice. I think this Azonanor fan looks more high-tech because of that gap. I do love that this fab offer Wi-Fi compatibility for easy control home-wide. It has an average rating from shoppers of 4.7/5 with 85% of those who reviews their purchase giving it 5 stars though when you click into the reviews, it shows comments for a desk. I will check this again tomorrow and update this space.
Price: Was $89.99, now $80.99
Our HVAC tech Josh said Vornado was his favorite fan brand, up there next to Dyson. Given that he has spend years fixing and installing AC, dealing with fans and plumbing and knows cooling tech insight out, I selected this Vornado tower fan for its brand and spec. For Alexa households, this fan is Alexa enabled, and has two types of oscillation which is helpful for families or people like me who are sharing a home office with another member of my household. This one has 75ft range, three times more than the others. The energy saving mode is a boon too, and the usual wattage is 47, making it below average for consumption against other US fans. It comes with a longer warranty of five years, versus one or two on the others and shoppers say it's very quiet.
The biggest endorsement I have for this fan is I love it so much, I have since bought two more. I keep one rotating between my daughter's bedroom and my home office, and the other in my bedroom. When I am downstairs, one of them comes with me for chilling in the living room in the evenings, or in the kitchen when I'm cooking because the heat of that makes me feel ill too.
Our tried and tested best portable fans also has great options to consider if you're on the move a lot or short on space.
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