Ceiling fan - what do you recommend?

[radhak]

Need to replace my mbr ceiling fan. Room is 19 x 16 with just a single fan. We use the fan more than the airconditioning :wife does not like AC - in So-FL ! , and it does not function now (crawls at max speed).

Checked out some the fans at HD, range from $99 to $299. How do I choose? I am half inclined to go for just a fan without the lamps underneath; I'd prefer a separate lighting; of course that'd be more work.... I also find the ones with the hanging wire-strings (for controling speed or on/off) a bit of a nuisance, so should be with a remote.

Is there any hands-down-winner choice here? Don't want to spend too much time and energy picking a fan, but even less wishing to end up with a bad buy and having to go thru all that again.

[burrellski]

We've had pretty good luck with the Hunter brand. Probably not the best brand in the world, but have seemed to work well so far. I'd stay away from the Hampton Bays. Tried them on 2 separate occasions and four fans later we've got Hunters in those rooms as well. The last fan we got was a Quorum. Our neighbor works for a high-end "lighting showroom" and brought it home for us. Its obviously better built than our other fans, but not sure if its worth the price.

[Tundra_Man]

I've got one Hunter, two Hampton Bays and a fourth off-brand. I used to have one Hunter and three Hampton Bays, but my LOML heard a faint rattle, so I replaced it with the off-brand. The new replacement is much noisier than the old fan, but I told my wife she'll have to live with it cause I'm not putting in another one until this one stops spinning.

The Hunter is definitely the best fan of the ones I own.

[jAngiel]

Check Lowes, around here they routinely rotate through their fans. At least twice a year they put a bunch of them on clearance. The last time I needed a fan I found a $250+ fan on clearance for $30. I don't remember the brand but it is definitely more quiet than the cheaper fan it replaced.

[paintandbodtman]

Hunter fans are one of the oldest fans made and of the best quality. Unless they have changed their policy they carry a lifetime warranty

[Slik Geek]

We've had cheapo ceiling fans, and Hunter brand. Now, we just buy Hunter fans. They are worth the extra $ for the low-noise.

[eezlock]

ceiling fans

Hunter or Casablanca or maybe Hampton Bay, these are some of the better known brands. We have 4 ceiling fans installed in this house, they run
24/7 non stop year round no problem...they are life savers sometimes.
eezlock

[Cheeky]

I think the lighting on ceiling fans is poor quality lighting, and just not worth it, also, the fans look less hideous without them...just my opinion.

Also, a remote is your friend....great option, and should be standard

I'm throwing a negative vote against Hunter. They are just an ok fan IMO, even though mine still works, it isn't anything special (was about $300 5 years ago).

I'm comparing it to Casablanca (helped my brother install 2 in his home). The Casablanca blows the Hunter away .

I have to be honest, Casablanca is not available in big box stores, and I have no idea how much the ones I installed cost, but they are much nicer IMO.

[Ed62]

I'll give another thumbs up to Hunter fans. IMHO they're a big step above the cheap fans. You might be able to get the fan without the lights, then add them later if you decided you wanted them.

Ed

[radhak]

Thanks all. Wow, those Casablanca fans are expensive - $400! Look stately, though. Wish there was a brick-and-mortar showroom around for it.

Btw, does the room size dictate the wing-span? Like 52" / 56" / 60" etc?

[mschrank]

Thanks all. Wow, those Casablanca fans are expensive - $400! Look stately, though. Wish there was a brick-and-mortar showroom around for it.

Btw, does the room size dictate the wing-span? Like 52" / 56" / 60" etc?

Yes, this link to the Hunter fan website has a table showing recommended blade size based on room size.

We've always just stuck with Hunter fans...I can't justify the $400-700 fans in the lighting showrooms. I figure we'll be tired of the style in 5 years anyway, so just replace it with another $150 fan.

[LCHIEN]

Thanks all. Wow, those Casablanca fans are expensive - $400! Look stately, though. Wish there was a brick-and-mortar showroom around for it.

Btw, does the room size dictate the wing-span? Like 52" / 56" / 60" etc?

from an engineering viewpoint, bigger blades = more air movement and more electricity used, assuming the speeds and blade pitch and width are unchanged.
so if you have a big room and need more air movement get the bigger fan. If you have a big room but only need small air movement, get the smaller fan and save money (probably won't save electricity because you'd run a bigger fan at a slower speed).

[Russianwolf]

I will tell you one thing to avoid. Light kits that have a unique pieces of glass. Reason, they discontinue the styles every year or so and replacement glass can be difficult if not impossible to find.


I currently have one in my media room with a large blue glass plate in place of the original frosted glass. It was the only thing I could find that was translucent and fit.

[radhak]

All good advice, thanks.

I currently have one in my media room with a large blue glass plate in place of the original frosted glass. It was the only thing I could find that was translucent and fit.

ok, lesson learnt, thanks!

[Kristofor]

I keep my bedroom ceiling fan running 24x7 year round for the last 6 years. For me noise was the most important factor. I picked up a Casablanca model with the "stack" rather than "pancake" style motor. (names in quotes since that's what was on the propaganda at the store and probably isn't the technical term). Based on the salesperson's description that it tended to start and stay the quietest. After 6 years I would say that I agree with that statement, there is no audible motor noise from more than 12" away (and conveniently it's further than a foot from my head when I'm sleeping)

I'm pretty sure I paid less than $300 at the local "Fan Man" store ($268 with tax seems to ring a bell), including the very basic light kit. However, that was for a previous year's model. Also, I like pretty simple designs, there were models that were more ornate but LOTS more expensive. This model didn't have the built in remote, but I did have separate control lines for light and fan so $15 at Radio Shak made it X10 remote controlled.

The fans in the other bedrooms are Hunter's and they're not bad, but they didn't seem quite as nice, and I know they're louder (but they weren't purchased with noise being the primary concern).