From the ostrich feathers fans of Tutankhamun to the breeze folding fans of Japan, air circulator fans have been around since antiquity! The purpose of an air circulator oscillating fan is to do just that, circulate the air around to cool you down by circulating air really fast, which is the basic purpose of air circulators, including tower fans, pedestal fans and table fans such as the Devola desk fan seen pictured.
While air circulators are designed to push as much air as possible while making as little noise as possible, the real measure of an effective air circulator is how quietly it can operate at a given air flow (fan speed). The Devola desk fan has nine fan speeds. Level 9 is the highest and also the loudest (up to 70dB of noise), while level 1 is the lowest fan speed and the quietest (up to 35dB of noise) in Normal mode.
The Devola desk fan has four touch sensitive buttons, which are located alongside a circular LCD display, which is right below the fan blade protective cage. The buttons are activated by touches rather than taps and make a high pitched loud beep every-time they're pressed. The beeping sound can be disabled but only via the included IR remote control, which measures 8cm long, 4cm wide and 0.6cm thick. The remote weighs 19 grams.
If the timer is set to 5 hours also, the fan will also automatically turn off. The addition of "wind modes" is a neat touch that makes the Devola fan more versatile to use than a regular fan. That said, because wind modes can only be enabled via the IR remote, it means if you misplace or lose the remote you won't be able to change the wind function. The timer can be set between 1 hour and 9 hours (in 1 hour increments). The LCD display shows the fan speed, as well as icons for each function
The included plastic IR (infrared) remote is Devola-branded. It is small and thin and, it attaches to the side of the fan magnetically. The IR remote has a 10 meter wireless range of operation and has 10 physical buttons for controlling all functions remotely, including turning off the LCD display and muting the beeping sound. The IR remote powers via a coin cell battery (CR2025 or CR2032), which is included. The remote buttons have a springy/mushy actuation with a clicky sound when pressed. The feel of the remote is very similar to the mini IR remotes you get with smart led lights.
The Devola desk fan has motorized pivot hinges, which allows the fan to oscillate horizontally (swivel left to right), as well as oscillate vertically (tilt up and down). The fan blade cage does the vertical oscillation (up to 90 degrees), while the base of the unit does the horizontal oscillation up to 80 degrees. The Devola desk fan can tilt and swivel at the same time, although you can choose tilt or swivel, as well as keep the oscillation at a particular fixed angle. When the fan is powered off, the current oscillation angle stays in place but you can manually rotate the base and cage to orient the fan when it's turned off.
The tilting and swiveling motion is gradual, regardless of the fan speed setting. It takes around 10 seconds for the fan to complete a vertical 90 degree tilt and 17 seconds to complete a full 80 degree swivel. The Devola desk fan consists of four main parts: the rotating base plate, the u-shaped main body, fan blade protective cage and the 7-inch fan blade itself. The u-shaped main body has two arm posts shaped like a yoke, which hold the protective cage in place via two motorized pivot hinges. The protective cage has a depth of 16cm, while the body is larger, making the total depth 22cm deep. The Devola desk fan measures 31cm high and 30cm wide. The rotating base plate is hollow underneath with rubber pads to keep the unit secure on a surface.
The protective cage front guard has a solid plastic mid-frame with a 9-inch spiral cutout grille, while the rear guard also has a grille to allow air to move from the back out the front. The vent cutouts are relatively narrow, although it may not entirely prevent little fingers from hitting the blade. If you have kids around, it's best turning off the fan or placing it high up out of reach. Also, there is no safety cutout when the fan tips over. The rear guard grille has a large handle cutout built-in, which is deep enough to accommodate a hand to securely lift the fan and carry it around. There is also four fasteners for unclipping the cage and gaining access to the fan blade for cleaning purposes. The fan blade can also be removed from the DC motor by twisting it anti-clockwise, making cleaning the Devola desk fan much easier than a tower fan.
As far as power consumption, it is low. The Devola desk fan uses a 20 watt DC motor with a maximum 1850 RPM; hence the fan will consume 20 watts of electricity at maximum fan speed, which is a lot less than a ceiling fan or the average table fan. The Devola desk fan has a bulky compact form and, it's made entirely of plastic, including the fan blade. It weighs 2.1 kg and has a 1.6 meters long power cable with a rubber outer sheath. Like all air circulator fans, the Devola desk fan is able to provide a cooling effect at temperatures below 35 Celsius. Anything above 35 Celsius and the air will be too hot that circulating it won't make a difference. In that case, you will need an air conditioner or one of those fans with a water tank that you can add ice into to cool down the air. You can buy the Devola desk fan air circulator (model DF9DCFAN) from amazon and AirConCentre. Check out also the Devola dehumidifier and the Devola glass panel heater.
As far as power consumption, it is low. The Devola desk fan uses a 20 watt DC motor with a maximum 1850 RPM; hence the fan will consume 20 watts of electricity at maximum fan speed, which is a lot less than a ceiling fan or the average table fan. The Devola desk fan has a bulky compact form and, it's made entirely of plastic, including the fan blade. It weighs 2.1 kg and has a 1.6 meters long power cable with a rubber outer sheath. Like all air circulator fans, the Devola desk fan is able to provide a cooling effect at temperatures below 35 Celsius. Anything above 35 Celsius and the air will be too hot that circulating it won't make a difference. In that case, you will need an air conditioner or one of those fans with a water tank that you can add ice into to cool down the air. You can buy the Devola desk fan air circulator (model DF9DCFAN) from amazon and AirConCentre. Check out also the Devola dehumidifier and the Devola glass panel heater.
