Looking for Ceiling Fan Recommendations
November 27, 2022 6:18 PM Subscribe
I'm trying to find a ceiling fan with a light for the bedroom, and there are approximately one zillion options so of course I can't decide. Does anyone have one they're really happy with, or really unhappy with? The room is around 17' by 12', and I'd like to spend under $300. The last question on this issue was from 2017 and I figure there's probably new products since then.
Just to be clear, there are plenty of online guides to the best fan based on this and that feature, but I'm looking for recommendations based on actual personal experience in your home. Bonus if you can recommend one that comes with a built-in light, since I'd rather not have to buy an add-on for that. Thanks!
Just to be clear, there are plenty of online guides to the best fan based on this and that feature, but I'm looking for recommendations based on actual personal experience in your home. Bonus if you can recommend one that comes with a built-in light, since I'd rather not have to buy an add-on for that. Thanks!
For some weird reason, I've ended up buying a lot of ceiling fans over the last several years (I think I even have a past Ask about them). The brand I have been most happy with is Fanimation, followed by Hunter. This is based on a combination of looks (good design + not being visibly cheap), performance (how much air they move and how quiet they are), and reliability/longevity without issues. Based on my relatively small but probably larger than average sample size, Hunter is actually probably better quality, but all of my Fanimation fans have been very good and I like some of their styles better. One I have with a built-in light is the Fanimation Xeno.
I personally avoid the big box store brands like Hampton Bay, based on bad experiences, but I'm sure they do vary and some are ok.
posted by primethyme at 7:02 PM on November 27, 2022
I personally avoid the big box store brands like Hampton Bay, based on bad experiences, but I'm sure they do vary and some are ok.
posted by primethyme at 7:02 PM on November 27, 2022
I have this Hunter from Costco. I chose it because it was on sale, like it is right now, and it was locally available.
The fan part works well enough. It is reasonably quiet, quieter than the air purifier in my room, and moves enough air at high speeds to scatter all the loose paper in my bedroom. I really only run it at the lowest speed though. I also needed an additional longer downrod to lower it to the proper height, because it does not come with one and mounting it right against the ceiling makes it perform worse.
It has a light on it, which is better than no light. It has one of those white plastic diffuser things that collects bugs, showing you their corpses when the light is on. I rarely use it.
I dislike using the remote, which is the only way to control the light since I didn't change my wall switches. The light brightness and the fan speed work on two completely different systems - you change the light brightness by clicking and holding, but you change the fan speed with up/down buttons. Changing the light brightness is very slow and error-prone. I stick to two functions: turning the fan on/off and the lights on/off.
If I was regularly changing the fan speed and light brightness, I would spend a little more time investigating other fans and how well their remotes work.
posted by meowzilla at 7:26 PM on November 27, 2022
The fan part works well enough. It is reasonably quiet, quieter than the air purifier in my room, and moves enough air at high speeds to scatter all the loose paper in my bedroom. I really only run it at the lowest speed though. I also needed an additional longer downrod to lower it to the proper height, because it does not come with one and mounting it right against the ceiling makes it perform worse.
It has a light on it, which is better than no light. It has one of those white plastic diffuser things that collects bugs, showing you their corpses when the light is on. I rarely use it.
I dislike using the remote, which is the only way to control the light since I didn't change my wall switches. The light brightness and the fan speed work on two completely different systems - you change the light brightness by clicking and holding, but you change the fan speed with up/down buttons. Changing the light brightness is very slow and error-prone. I stick to two functions: turning the fan on/off and the lights on/off.
If I was regularly changing the fan speed and light brightness, I would spend a little more time investigating other fans and how well their remotes work.
posted by meowzilla at 7:26 PM on November 27, 2022
I have a Casablanca Panama that I bought new on eBay in 2010 for $99 (clearance). I realize this was a steal and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time; usually it retails for over $400, though it sometimes can be found for $300. The fan included blades and a short downrod; I had to buy a light and longer downrod separately. I love the fan overall.
Pros:
Extremely quiet
Powerful
Beautiful finish on the fan and its blades (high-gloss on mine)
I have never needed to balance it, unlike the Hampton Bay I had before
Cons:
Inteli-Touch wall control can't accommodate a remote
If the Inteli-Touch controller breaks, it's about $200 to repair (but given the cost of a similar new fan, I would do it)
(I think newer versions of this fan have a different control system.)
posted by Seeking Direction at 8:01 PM on November 27, 2022
Pros:
Extremely quiet
Powerful
Beautiful finish on the fan and its blades (high-gloss on mine)
I have never needed to balance it, unlike the Hampton Bay I had before
Cons:
Inteli-Touch wall control can't accommodate a remote
If the Inteli-Touch controller breaks, it's about $200 to repair (but given the cost of a similar new fan, I would do it)
(I think newer versions of this fan have a different control system.)
posted by Seeking Direction at 8:01 PM on November 27, 2022
With my last home's ceiling fans, I learned that there is a size of light bulb base smaller than normal but larger than candelabra. It was a pain to find replacement bulbs; I think the LED one I found was meant for a microwave.
Not something I ever would have thought about before, but now I would not buy a fan that uses weird bulbs.
posted by mersen at 8:44 PM on November 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Not something I ever would have thought about before, but now I would not buy a fan that uses weird bulbs.
posted by mersen at 8:44 PM on November 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
I don’t know if it’s available in the US but over here it’s KDK no question. They are the standard reliable excellent ceiling fan. My kids have them with the lights in the middle and a remote. M
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 3:57 AM on November 28, 2022
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 3:57 AM on November 28, 2022
I think it comes down to air movement, especially on the lowest setting - almost all fans are really quiet now.
IMO at that price range, it should be a Hunter with the weird looking blades - those move air the best.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:28 AM on November 28, 2022
IMO at that price range, it should be a Hunter with the weird looking blades - those move air the best.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:28 AM on November 28, 2022
Sharing some personal experience: what matters more than the type of fan is having an electrical setup where you can turn on/off either the fan or the light INDEPENDENTLY. There's nothing worse than a ceiling fan where you can only control the light with the remote, esp. after turning off the main light switch. The little remote it comes with? It sucks. If you don't already have that sort of wiring in place, pay for it to avoid the hassle, or order something like this which does it virtually (but still requires a bit of rewiring).
posted by furtive at 11:47 AM on November 28, 2022
posted by furtive at 11:47 AM on November 28, 2022
I think as long as the remote has a wall mounting plate - where the buttons on the remote are accessible and able to be operated with it mounted on the wall, then extra wiring is unnecessary.
I have this, and almost never remove the remotes from their wall mounts.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:17 AM on November 29, 2022
I have this, and almost never remove the remotes from their wall mounts.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:17 AM on November 29, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
My criteria were matte black (which was available at the time), remote, changeable temperature LED lighting. Note that this isn’t a bulb-compatible system - once the LEDs die, that’s it - but they’re all super quiet and perform well. It is also not a flush mount.
posted by hijinx at 6:49 PM on November 27, 2022