Review: I forked out on tower fan but it's cured my sleepless nights in hot weather
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Muggy, hot weather during Summer in the UK means endless sleepless nights for me, especially as a woman in her 40s heading into the menopause. I live in a house where during sunny days, the heat traps into upstairs bedrooms, making it stifling and sticky when it comes to bedtime.
Leaving windows open hasn’t been enough to cool me down into sweet sleep so as a last resort, I started investigating the best value fan I could get. There’s plenty small, cheap fans on the market but then I started looking at the amount of electricity they use, how noisy they are and their power versus the price tag.
It led to me forking out on a tower fan but it’s been the best investment for my health I’ve ever made. Without sleep, I was groggy, argumentative and wasn’t making the most of those long Summer days.
Although not the most expensive on the market, the Hotsnap Vortex Air Pro Bladeless Cooler Tower Fan I got from Amazon for £169.99 was still more than I’d ever paid before for a fan. I’d previously had small electric deals from a supermarket that cooled me down but were so noisy, I still wasn’t getting much shut eye.
I’d heard how tower fans were a way to go in cooling rooms quicker so was scouring around. While Dyson seemed to be the big brand leader, prices were upwards of £299 and up to £359.90 for the Dyson Jet Focus fan.
What first drew my attention to the Vortex Air Pro was that it was slightly cheaper and described as “quiet” and with 10 speed settings. Its customer review rating is four out of five stars from over 190 people too with comments that called it a “game-changer” and “as good as the big name brand”.
When it came to energy efficiency, this tower fan, which also doubles as a heater in the winter, has a good rating of Energy Class A+.
I’d found out that fans up to 2KW costs 68p an hour to use and another nod in its favour was that this Vortex Air Pro from Hotsnap was within that range as a 1.6KW model.
I opted for the white and silver version that I think looks pretty stylish and unimposing at 64cms high, but there are various colours available for shoppers that want something that stands out. There’s a black and gold Vortex Air Pro, white and blue Air Pro tower fan, or even a striking black and purple version for the same price of £169.99.
The fan is light and easy to carry, so I move it around the house with me on hot days, to keep refreshingly cool on those terribly balmy, heatwave days while watching the TV, working or sleeping. The top section where the cool air jets out is adjustable too, so I can direct air to come out higher or lower, directly pointing it at wherever I feel most hot.
It can be quite refreshing on swollen ankles and pregnant women or new mums would probably find this powerful fan pretty handy.
This Hotsnap fan comes with a handy little remote control, so I find myself doing short blasts to save on electricity as it’s so easy to set it on and off from the other side of the room. There’s also a button to make it rotate air from side to side to cool a large space.
How noisy is the Hotsnap Vortex Air Pro fan?
One of the big crunch points for me was the noise level and I read plenty of reviews before I plumped for this fan. While I don’t think any fan will be completely silent and yes this isn’t without some background noise, the regular speed noise isn’t distracting and I fall asleep easily, drifting off and not noticing that it’s on.
I use it regularly on warm nights now and if I do wake up slightly chilled, then I can quickly press the off button on the remote control. There is a timer function though if you want to limit how long it is running through the night.
For me, the Hotsnap Vortex Air Pro is the best long-term gadget I’ve ever bought. Mid range on price and although it’s not the top of the range on the market and completely noiseless, personally I’m more than happy with what it offers.
This has been a life-changer for me. No more huffing, puffing, sweating and eventually resorting to the sofa in the cooler living room in the early hours. I’ve got my good night’s sleep back and for that, this fan was worth every penny.
The Hotsnap Vortex Air Pro Bladeless Tower Fan costs £169.99 on Amazon here. It is also available from the Hotsnap website for £159.99