this thing's incredible

I Sleep Like a Smug Baby During Heat Waves Thanks to This Quiet Fan

Honeywell quiet oscillating tower fan product photo
Photo: The Strategist; Photo: Retailer

Every summer, I’m guaranteed two things: questionable sunburn and overheated, sleepless nights. Properly applying SPF fixes one problem, but the other’s a little trickier. I tried sleeping without a duvet and felt too exposed. Cool packs from the fridge just made my sheets damp, and keeping the windows open meant that loud seagulls disturbed me at 5 a.m. I needed a tower fan or a desk fan, but hesitated to spend money on something I’d only need for a few weeks of the year. So I always procrastinated, and then it was too late — fans had sold out everywhere.

Last year, I swore things would be different. I knew my future fan would need to cost under £75, and — as I’m a very light sleeper — be quiet enough to run at night without waking me. The Strategist had previously picked out the Honeywell Quietset as the best-rated quiet tower fan on Amazon, with reviewers praising its eight quiet settings, white-noise feature, and soundless remote control. The reviews and £65 price point convinced me, and — crucially — the fan was in stock.

First impressions: It was almost suspiciously lightweight, making it easy to move from room to room while I wondered if that might make it prone to tipping over. Instead, the fan oscillated with silent ease, rooted sturdily even on the lumpy carpet of my rented flat. Most importantly, its five power levels cooled me, instead of just moving warm air around. The air flow is also gentle enough that it’s more like a natural breeze rolling in from the sea, rather than being blasted by a walk-in freezer.

The true test came at night — would it really be as quiet as I’d hoped? Its built-in timer allowed me to set it to run for two hours on the lowest setting, designed for sleep. I had my best night’s kip in weeks. The gentle sound of the fan soothed me to sleep, while the cool air helped me get comfortable in the stagnant heat of the British summer. I also used the fan’s silent remote control to increase the power, change direction, or turn it off, without having to get up. With only three buttons, the remote’s easy to use in the dark, and won’t wake anyone up by beeping. Since then, I’ve used the fan every night during the warmer months, and can easily take it from room to room when I’m working from home.

Not long after I bought it, the Honeywell Quietset fan became a best seller among Strategist readers, eventually selling out online as another heat wave approached. My only regret is not buying it sooner, and all the sticky sleepless nights I could have avoided — but this year I’m considering ordering another to have as a spare just in case. Before they all sell out again.

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