Lasko Wind Curve T42905 Oscillating Tower Fan Ry Crist / CNETI love the sleek silhouette and wood grain accents of this Lasko tower fan. It’s also the third quietest fan I’ve tested, just a few decibels noisier than the Honeywell. In addition, it features Bluetooth, which allows you to control the oscillating fan through an app on your phone. The problem is that the app is all that gets away as far as the remote control is concerned. This is not ideal for shared spaces, as fans can only connect to one device at a time. In other words, if someone else is paired with a fan, your connection will be cut. This might be forgivable if the app offered advanced features like voice control or the ability to set custom schedules, but it doesn’t. You can turn it on and off, turn the oscillation feature on and off, adjust between three speed settings or start a sleep timer; the same controls that you will find on the fan itself. It doesn’t ask for permission except for Bluetooth access, the app doesn’t seem to offer a privacy policy. All of that makes this Lasko fan easy to run at $80. Vornado V-Flow Air Circulator Tower Fan Ry Crist/CNETThe Vornado V-Flow tower fan has a sleek shape that wraps around the fan grill around the base of the cylinder. It’s one of the best-looking tower fans I’ve tested, but it doesn’t oscillate like a traditional tower fan. Instead, it relies on a twisty design to move more airspace around the room. It may be enough in the test when I have aimed at me, but the coverage varies in the side angles, where the airstream is positioned lower or higher because of the diagonal grille. The bigger issue is that the Vornado V-Flow was the noisiest fan we tested, sounding at 50 decibels at the highest of three speeds from a distance of 30 inches. On top of that, my remote doesn’t work, which echoes the frustration I’ve seen from user reviews at retailers where V-Flow is sold. That, plus the lack of features beyond the usual sleep time, has me saying no thanks to Vornado’s $70 price tag here (and I will also skip during the sale). That’s a shame, because the Vornado’s five-year warranty is the best of all the fans I’ve seen this round, and it’s more than double what you get with the $550 Dyson TP04. AmazonBasics Oscillating 3-Speed Tower Fan Ry Crist/CNETAmazon continues to sell a variety of products under the AmazonBasics brand and now includes tower fans. As the name suggests, it’s nothing fancy. Remote batteries are not included, but at least you get some natural wind settings on top of low, medium and high speed settings. Unfortunately, I had a disappointing experience with this fan. The remote stopped working shortly after I started testing, and the fan detached from the flimsy base after a few moves between rooms. Although the 35-watt draw is the lowest of all the fans tested, the airflow is weak, even on the highest setting. At $60, this tower fan is a bargain. Unfortunately, many tower fans will not work well with smart plugs. Chris Monroe/CNET
