I live in a 70-year old house, so believe me when I say that a ceiling fan makes a difference in temperature. I tested the best option on Amazon, focusing both on style and energy efficiency.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. WarmiPlanet - 52-Inch 5-Blade Brushed Nickel with Light
Highlight: Creates updrafts in winter and down drifts in summer.
Helpful review: My husband and I purchased this so we could replace our older fan that used a chain to control it. When it’s on and working, it’s on the quiet side and doesn’t vibrate or make any humming sounds. I will say that the light isn’t as bright as it could have been and my older fan definitely gave off more light. I ended up having to install brighter ceiling lights in it after installing the fan. It’s an easy fix but kind of a hassle. That being said, it still moves the air around in the living room well and operates the way it's supposed to. The remote works, but it doesn’t seem like there is much difference in the fan speed between four and six, but that might just be me being nitpicky.
These are my main issues with this ceiling fan:
- The directions are really terrible. I’ve installed a lot of fans and have a pretty good idea how to go about it and this is the first time I’ve run into actual issues. There’s only five pictures in the manual and zero words. Like talk about a lack of effort. There’s more info on how to install batteries than how to install the actual fan.
- When it’s on loud, it’s super noisy. Maybe I’ll get used to it, but still, it’s annoying.
- There are some odd features on this thing. When I turn the light on, there’s a delay for the actual light bulb to come on. But when I use the remote to turn it on, it’s almost instant.
So yeah, I’d say that the directions could be better, the noise level at high is annoying, and the delay is weird. It’s a pretty fan, and it seems to circulate the air really well. I think it’s worth it, but just keep that in mind.
A FEW WORDS FROM A NEIGHBOR:
I would say that the light on this thing is just okay. I do love that the blades are super extended and because I expanded my living room, it just fits really nicely into the room as a whole. I also love how the remote can change the direction of the blades and I don’t have to touch the fan at all to do it. I like rotating my fan blades as I find it helps keep it working and circulates the air over and over and it’s just super nice that it can work that easily with the remote. I also love how many speeds it has. Despite some of the other reviews, I’ve found that it’s super quiet on all the different speeds. I’ve had it just under a month and have had it on continuously that whole time and it’s worked super well. So far so good!
MY FRIEND’S REVIEW:
I really like this fan so far. It has a seek, nice, and modern look to it. It’s got a stable mountain base and it arrived at my house super well packed with all the necessary parts. I didn’t even attempt to install this thing myself. Sorry, not my wheelhouse. I hired an electrician, and I one hundred percent recommend people do that. Although I did connect the fan blades together… that part wasn’t hard. Just be aware that if you order the metallic fan, one side of the blade is painted white and the other is silver, and it’s kinda hard to differentiate which side goes where, especially since the manual was black and white. Pro-tip: if you look super closed at the image in the manual there’s a tag that says this side up. Besides that, the fan is great and I’m really happy with my purchase. — Angela Wiseman
Get it from Amazon now: $159.99 & FREE Returns
2. Hunter - 52-Inch 3-Blade with Pull Chain Control
Highlight: Super powerful airflow while still performing quietly.
Helpful review: My old fan, the one this one replaced, had five blades, and for that reason, this fan, with three blades, gave me hesitance. I wasn’t sure if it would cool things the way I expected it to. Surprisingly, it somehow moves more air than my five blade fan, and cools things off a lot faster than my older fan. I ended up calling an electrician, mainly because I couldn’t find the breaker in my house, so yeah, the ease of installation wasn’t the best. I think if you’ve switched out a fan in the past you can probably figure out how to do this, but that’s likely a subjective experience.
I wanted this model because it didn’t come with a remote control and I just wanted the very basic ability to turn it off and back on. I’m kind of questioning whether or not I should have gotten a model with a remote, but I have so many remotes on my coffee table, I kind of just wanted to make it easier. Turns out that didn’t exactly make it easier. I live in Florida and the summers are hot HOT and sometimes the air conditioning doesn’t cool down as much as I would like it to, so being able to have a fan that I can just turn onto high would make my life easier, and it’s annoying to have to use the chain for the fan all the time. Yeah, I sound lazy, but unless you live in Florida, you don’t understand how humidity in summer can exhaust you! Also, I’m on the shorter side so I have to use a step stool to reach the chain. I should have got the remote, but at this point I’ll probably just get an extender for the chain. Ultimately, it’s up to you. I’m just glad I have a fan that works again, and this one definitely does.
MY NEIGHBOR’S REVIEW:
I was able to install this fan by myself and it really wasn’t that difficult. I just followed directions and figured it out on my own. It looks great in our sun room, and that’s saying a lot considering our ceiling is actually green haha. Somehow it actually compliments it really nicely. It’s a quiet fan, it moves the air around really well, but it’s definitely not the easiest I’ve ever installed. It’s straightforward for the most part, but the housing for the lower switch is difficult, mainly because the switch that controls the air flow is connected to the housing of the upper switch, and it’s difficult to get the wire bundle and switch module set up around the lower cover. You’ll understand more when you try to get it together, but it’s as complicated as it is to explain. Eventually I did get everything put together, there was just a learning curve to it. Overall, I am really happy I ended up getting this fan, just keep in mind that installing it can be tricky. Obviously an electrician is an easy answer for that.
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
I own four of these fans now, and for the most part I’m happy I got them, but I will say that my older, larger fans move air around a little quicker in my shop. It’s about 1200 square feet, and although those fans seemed to cool things a little faster, I’ve found that these newer fans actually move way more air around. I thought the older fans were working because it got cool fast, but I’m realizing that they were actually defective in the actual purpose of what fans are supposed to do: move air around and circulate it. I can actually feel real air moving in the garage! It's so much cooler now, I’m so happy that I made the decision to get these. I’ve found that after a month of having them installed that they actually use less power too! Which is just awesome. — Richard D. Pugh
Get it from Amazon now: $129.99 & FREE Returns
3. Honeywell - 62-Inch 8-Blade Dual Finish with LED light
Highlight: Three settings for speed.
Helpful review: I have a Honeywell thermostat so I’ve already been pretty happy with this brand, but I still wasn’t entirely sure how it would work as a fan. And I’m so happy to report that it has been above and beyond what I wanted. My husband installed the fan for me fortunately so I didn’t have to worry about that, but unfortunately for him, now I want to replace all the fans in our house with this brand haha so it looks like he has some work ahead of him.
UPDATE:
These fans are so quiet, and everything I wanted, I ended up buying two more in both the nickel and copper color. I will say that the copper one arrived in an already used box with the wires cut. It was clear someone had returned it after not wanting it and the manufacturer didn’t even glance inside it before reselling it. Fortunately, I purchased this with Amazon Prime, so it wasn’t much of an effort to return it and get a new one. Even that being considered, I would still purchase this again and again.
Just a recommendation based on some of the negative reviews I saw…there were some comments about there not being enough air movement. Make sure you put the pitch at fourteen degrees or more if you’d like to increase the air movement. It’s an easy fix. Also, you can control the brightness of the fan by pushing the remote to each side to make it dimmer or brighter. Just read the directions people. It’s also not an outdoor fan, so if it stops working when you install it outside, that’s on you and your lack of ability to read very basic directions. Even if your fan doesn’t get wet, there are still environmental conditions that will affect how it works outside. Not that complicated people.
Below is my friends' review. I really think they got a seriously defected item, but I decided to include their review as well. I think it's worth reading if you're considering purchasing this item.
ON TO MY FRIENDS' REVIEW:
All my original fans are starting to fail, mainly because they’re from the 80s and I think the parts just aren’t holding anymore. I decided to try out this fan on a test run because I’ve always been a fan of Honeywell products. Plus, the price point was affordable and I figured it wouldn’t hurt. I’m not super happy with it honestly. On the inside of the box, there’s all these warnings about how Honeywell isn't connected to the product and that a Chinese manufacturer paid Honeywell to have the name on the product. Like what? Talk about false advertising. Not to mention what it says about the Honeywell brand in general and that they’re just willing to sell their name for a profit that has nothing to do with their own products.
Installing it seriously took forever. The instructions sucked, and the design of the product in general is frustrating. You have to install the remote receiver on the top of the fan mount and that leaves like no room to work with it. You have to remove the shipping block that’s screwed into the fan, but the manual fails to tell you that you need to keep the screws that are holding the block on because you’ll have to reuse them when installing the lights. Seems like a pretty basic thing to include in there. And the worst part is that you don’t even figure it out until the end when you’re looking for the screws that are supposed to come with the product and you realize that it doesn’t have any.
After I finally got it put up, the light had a weird flicker to it. I appreciate that the light dims (this wasn’t in the description of the product), but it’s aggravating because the fan makes a loud humming sound at pretty much any speed you run it at. The remote is bad as well. So cheap. You have to be standing at the perfect angle in order for the fan to even register it. And the worst part is that you can’t control the fan without the remote. So yeah, overall, I prefer my broken fan than all the nonsense it took to get this thing to barely work. Look elsewhere for fans. Sometimes you do get what you paid for. — Judi Hazel
Get it from Amazon now: $269.99 & FREE Returns
4. Chriari - 60-Inch 3-Blade Walnut with 6 Speeds
Highlight: Technical support and customer service is superb.
Helpful review: Amazon has a lot of sellers for this fan (about an average of 10) and it’s important to keep in mind that some of them don’t allow for sloped ceilings and this specific maker was the only one that came with two remotes and three rods. I will say that the speeds of the first and second setting are similar to the same speed, just like three and four are similar, and five and six. But there is a noticeable difference from the lowest to the highest. You’ll need two triple A batteries for the remote and I definitely recommend using it. The fan also rotates in two directions which is awesome, but the fan needs to be on for that to work.
The only thing that annoys me is the cover for the battery on the wall remote was kind of difficult to close.
Now let's talk about ceiling fan wiring. In terms of the installation recommendations, I’d say that the instructions were for the most part easy to use but you did have to remove the blades to add in a ring. When you’re installing the downrod, I’d recommend removing the hanger ball off of the rod so you can get the wire through the shaft. The wire between the receiver and the motor use the typical coloring for electric wiring, and since that was something I was familiar with, I had no issue with it. However, if you’ve never done electrical work, I’d be careful with that.
I ended up using the middle rod and as a result, the wiring from the bracket to the motor is on the longer side.
For the most part, I’d say that it was pretty easy to mount up and it’s on the lighter side when it comes to its weight. It was extra convenient that it came with a mounting ball and a socket. I would say that I had it all up and running within forty five minutes, and yeah, the task was daunting, but once I got started on it, it went pretty straightforward and easy and the end result was definitely with it.
MY NEIGHBOR’S REVIEW:
I used this fan to replace my last fan, which was pretty, but just really not functional in the slightest. Honestly, it was the reviews that really sold me on this, specifically about the brightness. It’s so bright that it takes a little getting used to. If there’s a dimmer switch in this, I haven’t been able to find it, although it can be adjusted to cool or warm light, but it’s not the easiest to figure out. There’s three blades instead of five, but they’re strong and thick and really circulate some serious air. My son had some issues with the installation, but once we got past that, I’ve found that six speeds work really well. With the installation, the fittings are really tight, but again once you can figure that out, it works really well and is definitely worth it!
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
I just love this fan so much! My girlfriend bought me the one in the darkest color and I installed it in the living room in a quick afternoon. I didn’t realize how much I needed this until my old fan was gone. My older one was missing a light, but beyond that, it was so noisy! I use it every night, during every season, and have found that it really helps me circulate the air and I ‘ve found that I can breathe so much better at night now. The fan is super quiet, too, and it somehow just manages to put out the perfect amount of air! My favorite feature is the three light tones that vary from bright to soft white to a warmer yellow. I love it. It looks modern, it's made of solid wood, and it's super affordable for what you get! Ten out ten stars! — Andrew Hall
Get it from Amazon now: $189.99 & FREE Returns
5. Obabala - 52-Inch 3-Blade Carved Wood with Lights
Highlight: Fan helps conserve energy.
Helpful review: I really wanted a quiet, good looking fan, so after some research, I ended up getting these fans, but I have a few regrets. The instruction manual is completely worthless. The photographs look like they are designed for a different fan and the explanations don’t even make sense. They describe using things like suspenders but don’t give any information on what a suspender even is. None of it is even explained. My husband even knows how to install fans, and yet this one gave him a lot of trouble. The videos online were helpful, but the model of the fan wasn’t exact, and he ended up having to watch about five videos to figure out how to make it work.
The remote that comes with the fan is really annoying, and although it took some time, I figured out that in order to change the type of light and the level of brightness, you have to repeatedly hit the on and off button. Surprise, surprise, this was never mentioned in the manual. There’s a button on the fan that changes the direction of the blades and it’s situated on the remote in the worst possible spot so it’s actually easier to hit that button than anything else. There’s a fan off button, but no fan on button. Again, not listed in the manual.
I would honestly send these fans back, but at this point it would take more effort to do that than to just figure out how to make it work and stick with it. It kind of seems like that once it’s installed, you have to circle back through the different color brightness every single time, but I actually figured out how to set a default temperature.
- With the remote, you have to turn the light on and off and this lets you cycle through all of the color temperatures. When you land on the one you want, set it as a default and just leave the light on.
- After you put the light on your chosen color temp, hold down the light on and off button and let go once the LED light turns off.
- Then you’ll need to wait about five seconds and the next time you switch the light on and every time after your preference will be set.
NOTE:
If you want to clear your preset, just turn the light on and off super fast and that will reprogram it.
UPDATE:
It’s been a few months since I’ve had these fans and I’m upgrading my review from four stars to five stars. While the issues about the remote and the manual remain the same, I still like them. They look good, and they work very well. That’s what matters.
A FEW WORDS FROM A NEIGHBOR:
My house is under construction as we are building a new porch, and we decided to replace our older fans with the outdoor version of this brand. I just love them so much. Our contractor had no issue installing them and I love how the color matches the ceiling. They perform really well, they’re on the quieter side, and they have a lot of light and speed options. I had no issue with customer service and contacted them really easily to get the warranty up and running. I just sent a quick email and sent them the Amazon invoice. I also managed to ask them about programming stuff and they communicated quickly and effortlessly and answered all my questions.
MY FRIEND’S REVIEW:
I bought this fan because of the styling and I liked that the wood blades were solid and it was rated for outdoor temperature and weather. A coupon was offered so I ended up picking up two of them. The fan looks so good, I love it. The breeze mode lets it move faster and it slows down, too. I had no issue setting the light temperature either, but just keep in mind that it resents when you cut off the power to it, so to avoid that, I just keep the power to that on and use the remotes to control it. Pretty easy solution if you ask me. Installation was pretty straight forward, but there wasn’t a lot of space for the receiver and the wires so keep that in mind. Overall, this is definitely the fan I was hoping to get and I’m really happy with it. — Jacky S. Moses
Get it from Amazon now: $169.99 & FREE Returns
6. Sofucor - 52-Inch 3-Blade Carved Wood for Indoor/Outdoor
Highlight: Motor offers very strong, quiet air flow.
Helpful review: I love this ceiling fan! I would give it more than five stars if I could! That’s how awesome it is. I don’t have much technology knowledge, so I had an electrician install it so I didn’t have to pull my hair out when I put it in. The appearance of fans is more important to me than anything, and I chose these because they looked the most sleek and visually appealing. The remote control works really well and lets you adjust the color temperature in three different lighting options. There’s also six speeds, which is what I hoped for when it came to how well the fan worked. There’s also an option to reverse the fan blades depending on the season and I love that. An even added benefit? There’s a two and four hour fan timer. It's a nice plus to have! Also, even when you set the fan to its highest setting, there’s no noise and you can definitely feel the air moving around. I’m really happy I did my research and that these work as well as they do!
Pros:
- It's really nice looking.
- Most of the fans I found on the market were fake wood and I liked that this one is real.
- Installation was super easy as it comes with a plate that easily mounts to your ceiling.
- It has six speed settings.
- Air circulation is super strong.
- You can use the remote to reverse the fan direction which is super convenient.
CONS:
- The light engine is a weird color that I plan to replace.
- The motor has an audible sound to it…not completely silent.
- The remote is extra complicated for what it does.
SUMMARY:
It’s under three hundred bucks so I can’t complain in that regard. For that price, it’s a good looking, functional fan and I’m happy I’d get it. Would probably give it about four and three quarter stars.
A FEW WORDS FROM A NEIGHBOR:
I ended up doing some in person research and shopping around before going online to get this fan, and I ultimately settled on this one because the price and the design are what I want. When the fan arrived, it had screws missing, but they got back to me almost immediately and shipped me the missing pieces back. After putting the fan together, I installed it without much work, and honestly it’s been working so well ever since. I’d say that the customer service was top-notch. My only complaint is that at night the light started glowing kind of weird and after reaching back out to customer service, I found that it was about conductivity and they instantly shipped me what I needed to fix it. Now that it has everything it needs, it works great. It’s quiet and fits nicely into our home.
MY FRIEND’S REVIEW:
I needed a new fan in my living room when the old one died, and I mainly wanted something that fit with our contemporary design and actually worked well. I ended up getting this one because it was on sale, and I’m so happy that I did. The reviews were great, and they didn’t lie. Our electrician installed it, and he liked it so much he ended up snapping a picture of it to give to his other clients. — Michelle Gilbert
Get it from Amazon now: $169.99 & FREE Returns
7. Ocioc - 22-Inch 3-Blade stainless Steel with LED Light
Highlight: Made from high-quality ABS and stainless steel.
Helpful review: First off, I need to come out and say that I had an electrician install this for me, and that made all the difference in the ease of this thing. They had no problem installing it. Overall, the motor is super powerful and the light is on the bright side which is what I hoped for. I’m really happy with this purchase, and although there was no info in the manual about how to change the light, I figured it out on my own.
CONS:
- There is a delay when you turn the lights on and there’s an audible sound when do you so as well.
- It seems like on the description of the product that it’s advertised that the brightness is controllable but I didn’t see any information in the instruction manual on changing the colors or brightness of the light.
PROS:
- Quality is durable and well made.
- Wasn’t difficult to install (although an electrician did it).
- Definitely a quiet fan.
- Output is solid and it circulates a lot of air.
- The blades can alter directions and it works for both winter and summer.
- Love the remote control.
MY NEIGHBOR’S REVIEW:
Love the remote control that comes with this fan. It lets you change the brightness of the light temperature and I think it has a good memory, too. When you switch it on and off, you can pick the temperature you want and it will automatically return to that. I need a good quality fan in my house, I always run on the hot side and I wanted something that produced quality air and this definitely does that. I ended up having to turn the speed down. It worked so well! For a compact ceiling fan with moderately sized blades, it packs a pretty hefty punch, and that’s exactly what I was hoping for! The price is affordable, and it functions just as I hoped! I ended up getting a second one in a different color and I’m so happy I did!
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
I love this fan so far. It fits perfectly into each of my small bedrooms and it circulates a really good amount of air. Having the ability to set a timer for the fan is a huge plus, too. The installation was straight forward, the instruction manual was clear, and the full color photos were helpful. It worked so well, I bought a second one as soon as I finished installing the first one. I really don’t have anything negative to say about this fan, but it looks like it’s advertised as having multiple color temperatures like daylight and amber, and I didn’t see anything in the instruction manual that gave information on this. I only use the daylight option anyways so it doesn’t make much of a difference, but that’s something to be aware of. — Chris Amaral
Get it from Amazon now: $89.99 & FREE Returns