Anyone who is looking for a small fan that can move plenty of air, look no further. This Vornado fan is great. It moves more air than many fans three times as large.

I have four Vornado fans at home (two small, two large) and I purchased this one after the AC went out in our office. While setting it up in our conference room (approx. 18' x 25') someone asked "What is that little thing supposed to do?" After I turned it on the question was answered!

Even though this has a variable fan speed so that the fan can run at a whisper quiet speed, it has a motor that is loud and operates at a very annoying frequency. In addition, the fan is high priced. I returned it.

Pros:

1) Light enough to move around.
2) Variable speed dial.
3) Sharp looking unit.
4) Whisper quiet on low settings

Cons:

1) Motor died within a year.
2) Small fans have to spin more times to move the same air as a large fan, therefore this fan is very loud at higher speeds.
3) The Price. A fan that cost this much money should last more than a year when it is used under regular circumstances.

Avoid.

The Vornado 550B was not a good solution for us. It had a low electronic hum, almost a buzzing hum like some flourescent lights. The hum came from the speed controller, not the fan motor. In a quiet room, with the fan at a low level, the hum could be easily heard across the room.

We use fans at night to create a soft breath of air as we go to sleep. For this purpose, "quiet" is good. We live in the country and the natural sounds are pleasant. "White noise" is unneeded.

Without the hum, the Vornado would have been a great solution. For a given amount of air movement, it would be quiet compared to other fans - slightly quieter than the Soleus FTY-25.

The Vornado creates a strong breeze at high speed. At the maximum setting it makes a lot of noise, but no more than our other (larger) fans that move as much air. It can create a stronger breeze than the Soleus.

It is likely that other Vornados would be more satisfactory than the 550B. The 550B has an infinitely variable speed control that appears to be the source of the hum. 3-speed Vornado models probably do not have the hum. In our particular case, we will probably get a second Soleus.

Hi:

It is 84 degrees and hot so my roommate and I went shopping for a good fan. The Vornado got praises so I bought one for my small bedroom.

WELL, it doesn't COOL anything. And I mean nothing. It is still so hot that I had to put two other fans in my room.

I don't know what you guys are talking about - about this fan being great - this fan is functionally horrible.

It's aesthetically pleasant, sturdy, easy to put together, and looks like it is durable, however, I believe I must take this back. Three fans and STILL hot?

The Vornado is just not worth the cash.

For now, I am simply sweating in New York City.

This is a very small fan. If you are looking for a fan that will truly cool you in a hot room, this is not the fan for you. You will need something bigger. I live in an upper floor apartment of an old building, with only one window unit air conditioner in my dining room and this little fan that I move around the apartment as necessary, and it really doesn't cool at all when the outside temperature rises above 80 degrees. It seems to do a pretty good job of circulating the air (though it doesn't oscillate), but it will not cool hot air. I was also hoping it would be noisier than it is; I like a lot of white noise to block out distracting noises around me. Even on the most powerful setting it's not all that loud.

I have had Vornado vans before and there great.
This one is fine also.
I would rather have Vornado vans in my home then those tacking ceiling fans .
This van you can just unplug and put it away.
For the winter this fan is also good, as you can put it in a corner of a room , aim it at the ceiling, or what ever works for you, and it will circulate the warm air through out the room from the fireplace ect..
This fan is not noisey as other fans are, that look like Vornado, for less money.So don't waste your money on the look alikes.
There are many copies out there, but they suck.

The reason I gave this 4 stars, is because I just bought this from Amazon and it said it was on sale for $49.99,Now I see that is Amazon's Regular price, and now its $44.99!
Amazon is becoming like the stock market, there price's change daily grrrr, so beware, and check.
This price differents, isnt as much as I have seen Amazon do with other idems.

Amazon If this was not on sale when I bought this, why did you say it was a Sale price, when now its Cheaper??????

This fan is mighty powerful and the best thing about it is the fact that it's very quiet. Of all the fans I've tried this size, this is the quietest. Especially on low....you'll hardly hear it running. Great for moving a little extra air conditioning into another room. Well made. Durable. Sturdy. For the few extra dollars for a fan this size, it's adds up to a great value.

It arrived today. It's June in Atlanta and I've been searching for a fan to help cool my home office. I didn't want to go to the expense of installing a ceiling fan, and felt sure that an inexpense floor or table fan would suffice. Unfortunately, I initially went to my local Target store. First I bought a 17-inch tilt-up floor fan made by Honeywell. I soon discovered that the on/off switch was cheap and that the lowest setting was enough to fly a kite in here. I took it back. My next choice was an oscillating fan on a floor stand. Cheap, cheap, cheap workmanship-- plus, you had to assemble it. The motor was metal and seemed durable enough, but once mounted, it sagged sadly toward the floor-- the plastic apparatus and stand, too weak to support it. I took it back. Ok, I told myself. Don't be in such a hurry. Go to Amazon and do some research. Vornado fans were generally given high ratings. Mine arrived and I am elated. It is just the size I need, is sturdy, the fan-speed settings are unlimited, it runs quietly, and puts out a wonderful breeze. Vornado fans have many fans (and visa versa). Now I am one of them!

4.5 stars, actually.This fan is great. It's really small, so it can be placed in a window frame or almost any where you need air to be moved from, and doesn't obstruct like a larger, yet less-powerful fan would.It's really powerful. It really does shoot a tight beam of air, and in turn circulates air around an entire room. This is especially helpful, in say, small, un-air conditioned dorm rooms at colleges too cheap to install AC. This fan is also very good at moving cool air from one room to another. My room at home, also, ironically, does not have AC. The family room down the hall does. So I just place this baby in the hall aimed into my room, and the lovely cold air is pulled in from the family room and shot into mine, and my room is now AC'd, somewhat.The variable speed control is very nice, letting you control exactly how much air you want moved. The lowest speed is almost silent, but is meant more for just personal cooling, while the fastest speed is rather noisy (but nothing unbearable, it's not bad at all), it IS moving quite a large volume of air, and good for whole-room air circulation/cooling.I would give this gem a 5, but the frame is just a bit mal-aligned. It can get bent just slightly which causes the blades to smack against the plastic frame, and while this is easily correctable, it is annoying.

I just received this Vornado Fan and although UPS mangled the box, the fan itself is great. I was highly impressed by the quality and the air output of this fan. For it's size it will really amaze you. The continuously variable speed is great!!!. It's not like a regular fan that has 1. 2. 3 settings you can adjust it to any output. It's whisper quiet at its lower setting but relatively loud at it's highest. The noise doesn't come from the motor but from the deep scoops of the fan blades themselves....it maybe a little loud at the higher setting but for the amount of air that it can push, highly worth it!!! The Grill and fan blade comes off easily for cleaning and Vornado offers a 5 year warranty on this model. I would recommend it to anyone

Did I mention quiet? Sounds like good dating material? No its a very lovable fan. You can't buy a better fan than vornado. A small one will do a better job than a couple big noisy ones. I wilt in the heat so i carry this sweet babe around with me from room to room rather than use another kind. I can put it right by the bed and on low its so quiet it's hard to hear if its on. If you point it at the wall or ceiling quickly you'll feel the air coming back. I thought it was expensive at first but a number of other fans have worn out and this one is like new so it is economical if you use fans alot. Very easy to clean also. I love my vornado. Don't buy them all save them for me.

don't buy this fan unless you enjoy the sound of a motor humming. even at the fans highest speed, you can still hear the hum. at it's lowest speed, you can barely hear the fan over the annoyingly loud motor hum.

I call my new Vornado 'The Little Black Fan That Could'. It's saved my life! Or at least my productivity. I plunk it down near a window and it blows fresh, cool air inside whenever it gets hot up here. My little black fan chugs on and on and on, all day and night long if I want it to with nary a complaint, which might make it even better than a boyfriend ;) It packs a mean punch, a lot more than my big, loud, cumbersome oscillating fan. I also really love the variable slide-speed thingy, which lets me decide exactly how much cool air I want. And if I move into another room, the Vornado comes with me without any lugging a big fan around.If you are having problems with heat or air circulation, get this fan. I mean it. It looks expensive, but it's the best fan you'll ever own.

Most fans just blow air. This one circulates all the air in a room. This is perfect for a bedroom that gets hotter than other rooms due to the sun hitting it or other heat sources like a computer or large TV. The variable adjustment assures that you can find just the perfect balance of wind noise and comfort. Its small size allows you to put it in just the right location, and the size also allow you to take it with you. Most fans you need to have directly blowing at you to make a difference, this one just sits in the room and keeps the air moving so you don't get that hot feeling when warm air sits on you.

really,really powerfull fan for it's size. Everyone remarks on the power it throws off. Good deal.

Although this is not an oscillating fan, it nonetheless manages to circulate the air quite well through the curved vanes in front of the fan blades. It is a variable-control fan meaning that there are not just two or three settings but dozens of them on a sliding dial. It is small and unobtrusive. However, if you really need bigtime fan power I would go with a much larger and more powerful fan like a PATTON High Velocity cheek rippler. Well, a PATTON High Velocity anyway. The cheek rippler part is just editorial license. But for our small bedroom the Vornado 550B Compact Air Circulator works quite well.

Bought a second one just because the first unit was so effective. This product is high efficiency in a tight package. The variable speed control is key - some [other] models come with 3-speeds, but this is the one you want. The tilt head is great for positioning. After 5 years with my first one, the tilt mechanism is a bit loose but should be easy to tighten. The outer circle creates a natural safe handle. Pricing is somewhat hefty, but it's worth it. There are copycat products who claim to have similar performance, but they don't deliver the air movement like this product.

I saw this fan work, and I had to have one...its really small, but it kicks so much air around..its amazing. Great for an apartment.If it seems "loud" it's because it's moving so much air...highly recommended.

Despite checking and rechecking, the fan blade catches against the inside of the housing, within seconds you get that wonderful electrical-motor-burning-out smell. This was the first Vornado product I ordered, needless to say, it is the also the LAST. I will make sure to tell everyone I know not to buy Vornado products.

This fan is an indispensable tool for any stuffy dorm room. This fan blows A LOT of air. for its size it prob moves as much air as one of those big window fans. Only problem being at high settings this fan becomes very loud. Not a real problem in the dorms since the music is usually blaring neways. Kinda pricey, for a fan, but seems very sturdy, 1 year of almost continuous use, no problems. Great buy and with Vornado u cant go wrong.

I was freezing in my apartment, but I thought it would cost too much to use the built in heater. So, I used this Vornado and WOW it heats up FAST - the whole room in 12 minutes. You can sleep, read, relax and watch tv in warmth and comfort. It doesn't produce an odor and does not dry out the air. Once you find the temperature you like, you don't need to keep setting it up or down. My heating bill only changed $3 on the month I used it like every night!!

Oddly enough, my great grandfather invented the design for this fan. It fell out of popularity for a while, but reimmerged when another company bought the design and name. It works wonderfully and everyone in my family has one...the heating fan works great for the same reasons the regular fan does--it is quiet and it circulates air very well. The one we have in our house lasted for 5 years of being continually run (year around)in my bedroom. When the motor finally stopped, I took it out back and cleaned it up with a compressed air canister. After that it ran again like a charm and hasn't stopped since (2 years).

Contrary to Amazon.com's description, this fan has a CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE speed control, which is one of the features which makes this fan so great. For its size, nothing comes close to moving this much air, and it's very quiet too (per amount of air moved).

This fan is great. I ordered it based on the other reviews and the reputation of Vornado air circulators. I was not disappointed. The fan is very quiet and I think the totally adjustable speed is great. I highly recommend this! Enjoy!

Believe it or not, I love loud noise (like a fan.) This fan is only 24/7 and works like a charm. It's the best little fan you can buy -- get one!

The best fan... EVER! I've been living in sweltering hot conditions for the past few months...I purchased the Vornado 550B with the hope it would be the fan of my dreams. And my friends, I can't believe I've lived this long without a Vornado! It is the quietest fan ever created, and its infinite variable speed control can provide anywhere from "just a bit" of refreshing air to "vortex-like" windstorms. This is THE fan to purchase. You WILL NOT be disappointed!

Good continuous-action speed control (not 1-2-3 speed like most small fans).Very quiet at low speeds; relatively loud at maximum speed. At maximum speed, however, you may find that this fan blows too much air for your needs.We purchased this fan after my wife complained about the noise created by a small Honeywell-branded fan purchased at A Large Home Improvement Warehouse. This Vornado fan costs four times what the warehouse version did. It's worth it, because it's much quieter than the warehouse fan, while moving more air.

This thing is the best. It does the trick. It blows a lot of air for such a little guy.