Sitting somewhere between an air conditioning unit and a fan, the Princess Smart Air Cooler uses a tank of water to cool the air through evaporation. This makes it more effective than just a fan on a hot summer’s day, although this model is also a powerful fan in its own right. Next, this model is also a humidifier, adding moisture to the air when needed. Again, it’s a fully automated system that will only add moisture when it’s needed. This helps improve the home environment and can help with dry skin and make it easier to breathe. Air flow isn’t particularly fast. At full speed, just 15cm from the grille, we measured air at 1.9m/s, but the wind speed was unmeasurable by 1m. As this is a personal fan that physically cools the air, the evaSMART doesn’t need to blow air any faster. In fact, at times it felt too cold sitting in front of this cooler.

As anyone who’s tried to buy a new fan in the middle of summer can attest, there’s a ridiculous amount of choice out there and mostly from brands you’ve never heard of. Just take one look at the available wares of some of the biggest online retailers and you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about. The Princess Smart Air Cooler is a powerful fan, too. At 1m away, the fan is capable of blowing air at between 2.5m/s and 4.1m/s, so you can feel its full effect even in a larger room. We didn’t find this fan noisy, but it does have a slightly annoying whine to it. It’s a touch on the expensive side, but if you want a small cooler that can keep you comfortable while you work or sleep, this one is very effective.

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All fans can adjust the amount of air that comes out of them by adjusting how fast their blades spin: the slower they go, the lower the air flow. Having control over the air flow is very important for different situations, and where you sit. So, as our tests show, the slower the fan speed, the less the impact is at distance, so if you sit further from the fan or want to cool more people, you need a higher fan speed. Conversely, if you’re sitting at a desk and just want to cool yourself, then you can get by with a lower fan speed, which will also mean that you don’t blow papers around on your desk. Fully smart, the Wave 2 can be controlled via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which makes it exceptionally easy to set up and control; there are onboard controls if you prefer. Most fans can only be used in the hotter months of the year, taking up space when they’re not wanted. Not so with the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde. As well as being a powerful fan, it’s also a purifier and a heater, complete with thermostat. Unlike a fan, which can’t affect the actual temperature, the evaSMART can reduce the temperature of the air it blows at you: we measured a 3C drop. This is a small amount, but the cooling envelope of air around us made us feel much cooler than if we’d just used a fan.

There’s also a difference in noise at different fan speeds, with lower fan speeds quieter, and faster louder. This is important at night, where you may want a slower, more gentle and quieter fan speed, rather than roar of full cooling power. We found the heat mode to be reliable, too. This fan can help push a cold room into a comfortable space, and the thermostat helps cut down on electricity bills, as the heater will turn off automatically when the right temperature has been reached. Dimensions 26 x 27.5 x 67.5 cm, weight 6.45 Kg, water tank capacity 6 liters, power 55 watts, energy efficiency class A+, 3 speed fans, caster wheels, water gauge, 7-hour timer. There are controls at the base of the fan although these are a little confusing: you have to tap, rather than hold, the power button to change modes. Fortunately, there’s a remote control in the box, which makes it easier to use the Duux Globe.Tower fans are a great space saver but they often sacrifice power to get a slimmer body. Not so with the VonHaus 35″ Tower Fan, which manages to deliver some of the best fan performance that we’ve seen, both up close and across a room. Plus, the Princess Smart Air Cooler costs a lot less to run than an air conditioner. We measured power and this air conditioner will cost around 2p per hour to run at current costs.