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137 of 142 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a very powerful fan in a small, quiet package, June 10, 2001
By A Customer
I can't say enough good things about this fan.Four years ago, I was living in an apartment that had one window air conditioner in the living room which wasn't running all that well, and I couldn't convince the landlord to recharge the freon. So I was looking at big, powerful fans at Target to move cooler air into my bedroom when someone walked up and highly recommended this small fan - the 510W (just 12" high). Told me it would shoot air up a stairwell from downstairs to upstairs. The 510W is so quiet that on the lowest setting, I sometimes can't tell by listening if it's running - I have to hold my hand in front of it. Yet I often don't point it directly at me (six feet away) when I'm sleeping because it effectively moves the air around the room even if you're not directly in front of it. It cost more, but I can tell you it moves more air than all those cheapies I had combined. I soon got rid of a couple other fans because they were worthless by comparison. And I've checked out recent look-alikes at Home Depot, Target, etc., and they don't even compare. Vornado fans are built really sturdy and stable, and I'm convinced they'll be good for years and years. (new ones have a lifetime warranty) This thing doesn't put out gale-force winds to be effective on low settings. Somehow it creates a focused "beam" of air so that you still feel a faint breeze on the other side of the room even on low. On higher settings, it then air moves back around the sides of the room so it makes a difference even when the fan's not pointed directly at you. I was so happy with the small 510W that I later bought one of Vornado's mid-size fans on a stand (model 615?) and an air cleaner AQS35. This summer I picked up a couple of the reconditioned 610B fans from Amazon (perfect size to put in windows), to bring in cooler air from outside (esp. at night). The 615 (a stand model) is in the dining room of my apartment, and I sometimes aim it over the open "bar" between the kitchen and dining room when cooking gets the kitchen too hot (10 feet away). Instant results. Or I aim it into the bathroom with the door open (again, 10 feet away) after the mirror is steamed up, and it clears up in no time. And I'm convinced it's saved it's worth in air conditioning bills. (It's aimed at me from 10 feet away on the lowest setting as I write this, and it feels like a nice, gentle breeze). I usually only need the more powerful settings if it's *really* hot, or I'm trying to move lots of air in/out a window or from one room to another. When people see (feel!) these fans, they decide they're worth the price. Friends and family bought three of the large 750B (reconditioned), two of the medium 610B, and three of the small 510W or 550G. My parents got the Vornado Intellitemp heater, and recently bought a second one for their unheated bathroom downstairs. All three fans can move air a good distance. The difference is how wide the "swath" of air they send out, and how much air they move (to move air-conditioned air down a hall or through a window to bring in cooler outside air). The 750B feels as strong at 10 feet on lowest setting as the 510 does on medium or high (and will be quieter to get the same effect - they all make noise on higher settings). The 750B is a leap above the 500 and 600 fans in power - the main disadvantage of the 750B is it's a little wide for a hallway or doorway, and is a little large to sit in a window unless you could make some kind of platform for it. Reconditioned Vornado fans I've seen have all worked like the new ones - a few of them are a little louder than new (will have a slight buzz at certain angles). Wichita Kansas is big in the aircraft industry, and I'm convinced an aircraft engineer designed this fan. Vornado products are industrial strength, and are simply amazing.
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