Customer Reviews

Vornado 540B High-Velocity Personal Clip-On 2-Speed Air Circulator

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have an old (model 280) Vornado air circulator which I love-- big air flow and minimal noise, so I automatically gravitated towards Vornado when I needed a new compact fan that could move a lot of air.

This new fan is loud for a Vornado. Despite some cushioning material in/around the clip, it has a heavy/audible vibration even at its lower (of 2) settings, and the desk it's attached to vibrates. I intended this fan to cool a hot spot created by computers in my office, but its noise (even on low) is a bit louder than the computer fans and spinning hard drives.

Disappointingly, this fan moves less air than other compact Vornado fans, but its saving grace is the big clip and multi-directional adjustable head. It can be aimed at pretty much any angle (in roughly 20 or 30-degree steps) and the clip is strong enough to hold the fan in place upside down without slipping off its mount (ie, with the closed end of the clip towards the ground, it doesn't work lose with gravity, at least not in a short test).

Vornado fans are now made in China instead of the US. This may have affected quality/quietness versus older fans...

I give it 4 stars, instead of the 3 the fan by itself rates, for its ingenious swivel-head clip design.

I think I'll just have to get a big Vornado for the computer room and find floor space for it, after unsuccessfully trying and returning several compact Vornados because they were just too noisy.

I just bought the new 540B clip fan & I am an immediate "fan" of this model.
Although it is incredibly powerful, it is far smaller than I thought (which makes it even cooler),
so it easily installs rather inobtrusively.
Don't let the clip or term "personal fan" fool you, although compact, this baby packs a punch!

I have been searching for a fan to mount in a doorway between rooms to equalize the climate
in (way) hotter/cooler spots of the house & this is PERFECT!
Most of the doorway fans I found were flimsy, ugly & ineffective.
I was thinking how I wish vornado had a doorway fan &
visited the website to find vornado had indeed just introduced this clip fan !!!!

So small, yet so effective & versatile, and it even looks great !
I installed 2 inobtrusive screws in the doorframe & popped it up there
I felt an immediate, vast difference in both the temperature & airflow.
The unit does indeed blow at least 65 feet and incredibly quiet.

Even better, because the mounting plate uses keyhole openings,
I can easily pop the unit off & install or clip somewhere else when needed without removing the screws.
Additionally, the swivel bracket is well designed allowing a multitude
of positions.

Vornado products are amazing in quality as well.
I have a vornado 700 series (full size) circulator fan, which
I've owned and used almost daily for at least 5 years & it operates as
efficiently and quietly as if I received it yesterday.
Considering the quality, they are not all that expensive either.
Vornado full size units boast a lifetime warranty & the clip fan a 5 year warranty.
Intuitive design & excellent quality, allows for great warranties.

As advertised, vornado fans don't merely blow a bit of air around,
they actually create a force that circulates all the air in the room.
This small unit puts my large holmes pedestal fan to shame.
I immediately packed the holmes up & placed it in my guest room.

I love this fan & you will too!
I will highly recommend to all my friends & family
Thanks vornado I am a "fan for life" !

This is another example of the superior products manufactured by Vornado. The fan is a standard 2 speed vortex action which really circulates the air better than any other fan I have ever used. I have several Vornado fans for different rooms and uses. But the spring action clip is what sets this one apart. I was pleasantly surprised at the strength of the clip as well as the many different positions it can be placed in. It swivels, pivots and turns and has rubber feet so it doesn't mar any surface. It's great to clip onto a door to move air from one room to another or clip onto an outdoor chair to move the air on your deck. The high speed is a bit too fast for nighttime but the low speed is perfect!

I have two other (manufacturers) clamp fans and they pale by comparison to this Vornado. This is my first Vornado fan and it lives up to its hype. Definitely worth the extra money and I don't easily part from my money. Pros: Throws the air an amazing distance, quiet...can barely hear it on Low speed, low vibration even on High speed, the three pivot joints allow for any angle, long power cord. Cons: Not really much in the negative department except I felt that the clamp part could have been more stout since it has to bear a heavier fan head. From experience, I can tell you that it takes little force to dislodge the fan from whatever it's clamped to. So exercise a bit of caution.

I would have given this Vornado clamp fan a 5 but had to take away a point because of the clamp. If Vornado can beef up the clamp a tad and yet maintain the same price point they'll have an unbeatable winner. And, of course, I wish it had a 3rd speed (medium) but that's asking a lot for $40. Overall I am very pleased and pleasantly surprised with the quality of this fan. My next fan will most certainly be a Vornado.

This product is relatively heavy, but the clip held it fine. I actually clipped it to my bed rail and it stays in place even on high speed - Very cool and super quiet.
Thanks to Vornado - a super product.

Pros:

On low speed, it is very quiet. In fact, with my computer running, I can not even hear it if I am to its side. Even on low setting, it is easily as powerful as the high setting on the cheap O2 Cool fan I had (which had an inconsistent speed when plugged into AC power, and both fell apart and died after only a week). I am pleased that when plugged into the same power supply, this fan is just fine.

On high power, this fan gets a little noisy, but moves several times as much air (they call it an "Air Circulator", not a fan). I can point it at my closet, ~10 feet away, and make my shirts swing back and forth. Also, it has a reasonably long cord and a 2-prong plug which is great for my old dorm room.

Cons:

For the price, I could have bought 2 or 3 cheaper fans.

Other:

This fan is nearly as large as a basketball (plus the clip), and the clip can open to a full 2-3 inches. The neck allows it to rotate and be pointed in nearly any direction. Right now the fan is clipped to the side of my bed and it does not slide down at all due to its own weight.

Design: Great.
The swivel is very sturdy and has a ball detent built-in that clicks as the swivel rotates around its axis. The fan body is very robust and not cheap feeling or looking. The switch is high quality and very easy to find and operate rocker type switch.

The clamp is great. Both sides of the clamp have rubber pads on its feet. This should help prevent destroying what the fan is clamped to and give it extra friction to prevent the fan from moving when it is clamped. The clamp will also automatically adjust to any thickness material as both rubber feet stay parallel and fully contact the clamped surface. It does not pinch like a clothes pin. Very nice attention to detail. It also has two slots that allow the fan to be wall mount.

Noise: Very Good. Hi spped is loud but moves a lot of air. Low speed is quiet and moves a decent amount of air. In my opinion low speed is perfect for keeping some cool at night while they sleep.

Overall. Very good fan. I bought this fan to be used on the upper bunk of a child's bunk bed. I am sure that it will last a long time and that the child is safe too. A true value.

Performance:
Moves air very well on high speed, but is loud. Noise may be acceptable for a busy office or workshop, but is not acceptable for a quiet room in your home.
Low speed is quiet but is only good for moving air in very small areas.
Clip build quality is very solid.

Features:
Great mounting options with clip, base, or screw options.
Doesn't oscillate (big drawback for me).
Only two speeds: loud and powerful or quiet and weak.


Size:
It's smaller than a normal tabletop fan, but isn't as small as the pictures may lead you to believe. It's about 2/3 the size of a normal tabletop fan.

Value:
Normal price is way too high in my opinion, especially considering the company recently packed up their factory and went to China for production.

Looks:
All plastic modern industrial look. Not likely to fit in with your living room decor. Would fit in fine in an office or workshop.

Cleanability:
Fans that are used frequently need frequent dusting. The front grill is held on with a screw and four clips that don't look like they will hold up well to much disassembly/reassembly. The rear grill is part of the motor and cannot be removed from the fan for cleaning. Deep plastic grill will be tough to clean thoroughly.

Drawbacks summary:
High speed is too loud for use in a quiet home environment.
Price.
Not easy to clean.

Conclusion:
If you want a lot of air movement in one direction in a moderately noisy environment this thing is perfect. If you want to add cooling comfort to a quiet room this is a poor choice.

Popped this fan on my treadmill and it works wonders. Clamp is nice and tight and sturdy. I can get up to 10 mph which is pretty stressful with lots of vibration and the fans hold tight. This is it on "high". Can get noisy, but on a treadmill while running no concern. It isn't noisy enough to drown out music or tv on treadmill. The "low" setting is nice and quiet, great while walking.

The "high" is a brisk breeze enough to keep me cool at those speeds. The "low" perfect for walking or cool-down.

Enjoy!!!

Although this is marketed as an air circulator, I use it as a fan. I have it pointed at me from across the room in my home office, which gets to be quite warm in the summer with my computer and six monitors.

On the lower setting, it is super quiet. Quiet enough that I can easily use the fan and phone at the same time. Medium setting is a good bit more noisy, but that would be too much air, so it's a moot point.

You can swivel the arm in just about any direction. There is a screw in the arm that you can loosen to adjust the orientation of the fan. I had to take advantage of this to get the fan where I wanted it.

This product does not rotate while running. Wherever you point the airflow, that's where it stays.

Despite the price, I couldn't be happier with my purchase.