What Are the Benefits of a Tower Fan

A tower fan's main benefit is its footprint: its base is 20 to 23 cm across, against 46 to 51 cm for a pedestal fan. If you have the floor space and want the most airflow, a pedestal fan with large blades is the better buy, because pedestal fans averaged an 81 percent expert rating against 70 percent for towers.

The tower's second benefit is how it moves air. TechGearLab finds towers give quiet operation with decent airflow. Keep it out of walkways and away from small children's reach. A tower also makes sense over a table fan if you want to keep more than one person cool.

Height tells you little about airflow. Look at the vent: one 40-inch model had a vent of only 18 inches. If you are still choosing a model, see the best tower fan for the full comparison.

A tower fan moves air; it does not make the room cooler. DOE puts it plainly: fans cool people, not rooms. EPA sets a limit too. EPA says, "Do not use electric fans for cooling when the room temperature is in the mid-90s or higher." It adds that at that temperature fans will not prevent heat-related illness. If your room gets that hot, you need air conditioning, which removes heat and humidity with refrigerant. A fan only blows air.

Find the line that matches your room:

• Your only free spot is a narrow gap beside the sofa or desk, and you want to start and stop the fan from your seat: get the Tower Lasko, which stands 48 inches tall and comes with a remote and a 7 hour timer.
• You're a light sleeper and the fan goes beside the bed: get the Tower Lasko Elevation. Lasko lists 24 dB on its low setting, and it adds a 12 hour timer and a height that adjusts from 42 to 54 inches.
• The room is large and you want the breeze felt across it: get the Tower Dreo Cruiser Pro. TechGearLab rated it best for large rooms, with 508.8 CFM measured and airflow felt 60+ feet away.
• Noise bothers you more than raw strength: get the Tower Lasko Wind Curve ionizer. TechGearLab measured it at 45.5 dBA, the lowest noise result among the tower fans it tested.
• You want to run the fan from your phone or a voice assistant: get the Tower Levoit Smart, which adds app control and a sleep mode that adjusts fan speed by room temperature.
• Your air is dry, a door or window can stay open, and you want air that's cooler rather than just moving: get the Evaporative Honeywell evaporative cooler. It cools by evaporation and needs relative humidity of 60% or less to make a noticeable difference.
• You have floor space and a big, open room, and you want the strongest airflow: get a pedestal fan with large blades rather than a tower.
• Your room sits in the mid-90s or higher: don't rely on any fan. Move to an air-conditioned space.