Black+Blum Propello 12-3/4 by 12-3/4 by 6-1/2-Inch Desk Fan, Grey

by Black+Blum

Product Features

• Adjustable airflow direction
• Powered by Johnson Electric ball bearing motor
• Cast Aluminium body
• Silent running and safe to touch with blades made from soft natural Rubber
• Available for 230v or 110v

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 6.5 x 12.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B001A4DX9K
• Item model number: propello
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,015 in Home & Kitchen (See Top 100 in Home & Kitchen)

Product Description

This desktop fan has soft natural rubber blades, which allows a guardless design. Combined with the highest quality motor, this makes Propello virtually silent. Propello will make you feel cool, even when it is turned off. Propello won the 2004 Homes and Gardens Classic Design Awards. Available for EU-UK 230V or US-JAP 110V. We want to show that designed products can be made affordable without compromising their quality. The aim is to create innovative products that will charm and entertain. Hopefully you will get as much enjoyment from a Black+Blum product, as we got from designing them.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sleek design, produces a gentle breeze., July 13, 2009

By 

Bruce Hellmich (Madison, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black+Blum Propello 12-3/4 by 12-3/4 by 6-1/2-Inch Desk Fan, Grey (Kitchen)

Short Summary:
The pluses: Sleek, minimalist design, solid construction and a very smooth quiet ball bearing motor. People notice it and comment on the unique very cool design.
The minuses: Only one speed and you need a tiny easily lost allen wrench to lock the tilt of the fan (it comes with the allen wrench).

Extended Summary:
I like the fan because it looks so cool and sleek and I will keep it, but I have some issues with it. It is not silent while running but the sound is a rather soothing soft white background noise of moving air. It has a wide breeze that is gentle from 6 feet away. The darkish grey blades are made out of fairly thick semi-firm rubber that won't cut fingers, so a fan guard isn't at all necessary. The blades are darker than they appear in the photos. The metal ring is die cast and nicely finished.

I have to admit that I expected more for the $139 I paid for it. Having to keep track of a very tiny allen wrench just to change the tilt lock seems an oversight in the design but it can be tilted upward at a fairly steep angle. Also, it really needs two speeds as having only one speed means it produces too much breeze to be placed close by on a desk though if you had a very warm office it would be fine. It is turned on and off with a clear plastic rocker switch that is on the cord about 8 inches away from the fan housing. The rocker switch seems sturdy, but it would have been much nicer to have a switch on the unit itself since the rocker switch sort of looks like an afterthought and detracts from the smooth clean appearance you are paying for with this unit.
Designed by black + blum (English/Swiss) but it is made in Taiwan according to a sticker on the bottom of it. I gave it three stars because of the need to use a tiny tool (that has no storage spot on the fan) to adjust the tilt lock and the lack of two speeds. It would have gotten 4 stars if those issues had not been present. Soleus Air makes a similar looking product for $30 but it isn't as svelte and artsy.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars not efficient, August 23, 2009

By 

jake-a-zon - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black+Blum Propello 12-3/4 by 12-3/4 by 6-1/2-Inch Desk Fan, Grey (Kitchen)

Nice looking fan, nice materials, nice design, but it generates more heat in the motor than the cooling delivered by the fan blades. Not very efficient at all. Would look great for a design photo shoot(and I've seen it in magazines and catalogs), but not worth the money at all. May as well be a paper weight.

Avoid this fan if you want cooling power. This fan produces less air flow than portable battery operated hand held fans.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice design, but definitely not silent, August 17, 2009

By 

Cari S "Cari" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black+Blum Propello 12-3/4 by 12-3/4 by 6-1/2-Inch Desk Fan, Grey (Kitchen)

My boyfriend and I purchased this fan because of a long-running disagreement over fan/no-fan in our newly shared bedroom. He hates white noise, but I love having a breeze at night. We hoped this fan might provide a nice compromise -- and I think it would if there was a "low" setting, because it IS silent for like 4 seconds while it starts up. But once it builds up speed it's really not much quieter than a $20 fan -- just prettier. We settled instead on a super small Vornado (?) brand fan that was over a $100 less expensive and is also quieter on the low setting.