Best cooling fan 2022: Top desk, floor and tower fans for hot days

Best: For powerful cooling

• Speed settings: Three
• Format: Floor
• Oscillation: Yes
• Timer: No

This is a fan that is incredibly easy to put together – with a few turns of a crosshead screwdriver it was complete. It’s incredibly sturdy, with a wide base which allows it to strike the perfect balance between being top-heavy and too light (it seems somewhat ironic that so many pedestal fans topple over with the first hint of a breeze). It has simple controls – push the button on the top and the fan will move from side to side (it tilts upwards and downwards, too) or scroll between three-speed settings. And it’s also surprisingly quiet, too.

We love its portability, thanks to a wire handle and an extending mechanism which means the upper section of the supporting arm won’t pop out if you pull it too enthusiastically.

Best: For low noise levels

• Speed settings: 26
• Format: Floor
• Oscillation: Yes
• Timer: Yes

This is the quietest fan we’ve come across – even when blasting us with powerful gusts of deliciously chilled air, it was wonderfully silent. Rather than being extendable, this remote control fan can be shortened by simply removing a segment from the main supporting arm. We loved the ease with which we could tweak the controls, using either the app, the remote control (for which you’ll need to purchase a battery) or the ingenious dial on the base. For example, activating the night setting doesn’t just mean lower noise levels, but a dimmed screen and a quieter beep.

The best bit? Not only is it wonderfully easy to assemble but the crosshead screwdriver you’ll need comes with the fan. The packaging is pretty sustainable, too – there was no plastic, only paper and fabric coverings for the individual components.

Best: For high-tech homes

• Speed settings: Four
• Format: Floor
• Oscillation: No
• Timer: No

The first thing that came to mind when we saw this fan? A stormtrooper – and we’re pretty sure any self-respecting Star Wars fan will agree with that sentiment. It’s seriously sleek, with a monochrome, minimalistic design stabilised by an ultra-sturdy base. It’s also the easiest fan to assemble – you don’t need any tools, and the separate parts simply click together, making it ideal for storage.

A dial handily placed atop the main support pole (why aren’t more dials placed in such logical spots?) makes it easy to flick between the four settings, and it can be manually rotated to cover 270 degrees. However, this is another fan that covers a huge area even when left pointing in one direction. It’s also incredibly quiet – we’re somewhat sensitive to noisy fans but we were more than happy to leave this going during a four-hour Netflix binge.

Best: For desks

• Speed settings: Three
• Format: Desk
• Oscillation: Yes
• Timer: No

There’s a supersized dose of retro styling to this beautiful desk fan, with its lustrous copper finish and sculpture-like blades. Its size – a compact base but large, wide blades – makes it more than capable of dealing with a range of room sizes, from corner workspaces to larger offices. The three settings are more than enough to cover all bases, whether you’re using it in the evening to cool down sweatbox-like bedrooms or to boost airflow in rooms with less efficient air circulation.

As well as the choice of three-speed settings, we could plump for left-right oscillation across an 80-degree angle. Although there are fans that have wider oscillating angles, its efficiency means that if you choose to use it in a fixed position, it’s more than capable of cooling you, and the room, quickly.

Best: For style

• Speed settings: Three
• Format: Desk
• Oscillation: Yes
• Timer: No

Since when did wood effect fans become a thing? Either way, it’s a development we’re somewhat smitten with, and this stylish 12-inch-wide fan is a brilliant example. With four wooden blades that look like they’ve been whittled from Swedish spruce, it’s a short squat fan that is perfectly suited to desks, although the ultra-efficient blades (modelled on the aerofoil design on plane wings, apparently), combined with three-speed settings and an oscillating function allow it to effortlessly cool larger spaces, too.

Best: For gadget geeks

• Speed settings: 10
• Format: Floor
• Oscillation: Yes
• Timer: Yes

Although we’re standing by our assertion that this Dyson fan will be a hit with gadget geeks, we’re keen to emphasise its broad appeal. It’s incredibly hi-tech but simple to use and assemble – no tools required. It’s controlled using an app and remote (there’s also an on/off button on the fan itself), and does much, much more than the average fan, not only helping to cool the air but clean it too. But don’t take our word for it – simply glance at the digital display which lists data relating to everything from air quality and temperature, to humidity and tree pollen presence.

It does look similar to its predecessors, however, Dyson recently updated the fan’s tech. Adding Hepa H13 filtration (it’s also 20 per cent quieter) which means it captures 99.95 per cent of pollutants as small as 0.1 microns. Its bladeless fan technology means it’s wonderfully quiet and takes up minimal space – we enjoyed a blissful, cool night after placing it in the corner of a hot first-floor bedroom and switching it to night mode, which meant low noise levels and a dimmed screen.

Best: For stylish lounges

• Speed settings: Three
• Format: Floor
• Oscillation: Yes
• Timer: No

Say hello to another wooden wonder from Russell Hobbs, which is on a mission to alleviate the stress of sweaty summers with its gorgeous pedestal fan. The Scandi style doesn’t just apply to the main support – the curved blades and the centre of the fan are both oak effect too. Although a certain amount of assembly is required there’s nothing too taxing – and that’s coming from a tester who struggles to replace batteries in toys – so, it’s absolutely worth the effort. The tilt range is wider than most fans, and the three-speed settings did a great job of cooling a sauna-like living room on a swelteringly hot day.

Best: For lounges

• Speed settings: Three
• Format: Floor
• Oscillation: Yes
• Timer: Yes

This became the most important fixture in our very hot lounge during one of the hottest weeks in June. Although, its lightweight design meant we could simply move it into our bedroom at night time when we relied on the timer setting – choosing to leave it going for anywhere from between 30 minutes to 7.5 hours.

If we’re honest, we’d like this fan to accompany us everywhere we go. It’s powerful and stylish, with three modes and three settings, all of which can be programmed using the tiny remote control. It’s also one of the more compact fans we’ve come across, with a slim but sturdy extendable main support. The timer setting makes it a brilliant option for bedtime and we also loved the control panel mounted on the fan – it’s refreshingly simple to use and its angled design makes for unbeatable accessibility.

Best: For children and teenagers

• Speed settings: Four
• Format: Desk
• Oscillation: Yes
• Timer: No

This fan was a reminder that we should never make assumptions based on appearances. Despite the overload of white plastic, there’s something subtly stylish about this minimalistic fan, which has become a staple of our first-floor office. USB-powered fans are increasingly popular, but we’d bet our bottom dollar that you won’t find one as powerful as this.

Four settings (stick to the more-than-adequate lowest one and you’ll barely hear it), ridiculously simple controls – a single button on the base acts as an on/off switch but also allows users to scroll through the modes – and a bafflingly low weight (just 490g) makes it one of the most versatile small fans we’ve come across. It’s particularly suitable for children’s bedrooms, partly because of the great blade protection and the ingenious nightlight at the base. This fan is so popular it’s currently out of stock, but we’ve been assured that it will return in February.