Pedestal floor fans: Design, efficiency, and price compared

Pricing is always an important consideration for home appliances. For fans we know that cheaper prices usually mean less transparancy around specs. That generally isn't a good sign. Think of it like a lie of omission - if the manufacturer isn't confident enough to tell you about the device it probably isn't great. Regardless, a cheaper price is still better for the consumer, so we scale accordingly in our ratings.

Blade sweep takes into account the breadth of the fan blade, as well as it's lean and skew. These factors that make up the design of a fan can impact noise levels, overall performance, and airflow capacity.

The breadth of a fan is measured by its diameter - so tip-to-tip of the fan blades. The wider this size, the more air a fan can take in and circulate, but that doesn't mean that bigger is better. Too big and you can create an unpleasant breeze, too small and it won't make an effect.

Skew relates to the directionality of the blades from the centrepoint, while lean to their curve. Most fans have curved blades which reduce operational noise when compared to straight ones. Straight blades on the other hand can be more efficient, provided they have a winglet at the tip, but are significantly louder and much harder to come by. Skew looks at whether the blades sit perpendicular to the fan's axis, or if they tilt. Theoretically tilted blades can once again reduce noise, but you'll be hard pressed to find them in household fans.

Naturally this is only relevant for pedestal fans with blades, bladeless fans only really have to worry about airflow.

Measured in CFM, or cubic feet per minute, the airflow indicates how much air the fan can circulate per minute. The higher this number, the more efficient a fan is at circulating air. This metric needs to be balanced against the room size however - if a fan is too powerful it can make it uncomfortable in the space. Think about that feeling when you're in a wind tunnel. Not great hey?

Ideally you want the CFM to equal your room volume (in cubic feet), divided by 60. This would have the whole room's air circulated each hour.

I know, we're an Australian site and should be using metres instead. Believe me, it bugs me too. CFM is the standard, but you'll sometimes see this measured as the Fan flow rate in metres, or see it represented in Litres per minute or second - in this case you can use the same equation in metres or just look up a unit converter online to save yourself some math.

Coupled in with airflow is speed. The faster a fan can rotate, the better its cooling efficiency. 

Generally anything above 2000 RPM is classified as a "High Speed" fan, which is usually used in industrial settings or in gyms. Fans with 1200-1400 RPM are your regular house fan, and anything in between doesn't have a classification. You won't really find too much in that in-between space, but if you do just know that they'll be more powerful than your usual pedestal fan.

High speed fans are better suited to large spaces since they can handle more airflow at a faster rate. While it can be tempting to get a high powered fan for the home, they're a double edged blade. The higher the RPM, the louder the fan becomes. Some of these can get above 70 decibels, which won't damage your hearing but will be as loud as having a vaccuum cleaner running. Probably not something you want for hours on end.