The best news is that the QuietSet name isn’t just marketing hype: the HY245E is noticeably quieter than most conventional tower fans, even at its higher settings, with a night mode you might actually sleep through. Other fans are bigger and put out more air over a wider space, but this one delivers more than enough cooling for the average living room during the day and works better in the bedroom at night. And if the price is a little higher, it’s well worth paying. Controls - The fan has an easy to read digital control panel which has a temperature display. It can also be controlled with the included remote control from across the room when you're in bed, on the sofa, etc. Vented Blade Guard - The unit has a vented safety guard which protects the blade (and fingers) from damage, whilst ensuring maintained air flow.

You can never bank on getting hot weather in the UK but, when it does come, it can come with a thump. When the mercury rises and the air stays still, it’s almost impossible to escape the humidity and heat, yet – for most of us – air conditioning is overkill. Get hold of a fan, however, and you can get a breeze going inside your home and make the temperature a bit more bearable. Put one in the lounge and you can properly chill out; get one in the bedroom and you might just get some sleep. Finally, it’s worth looking at the practicalities. Is the cable long enough to place the fan where you want it? How stable is the fan on its stand? Some tower fans we’ve tested have been surprisingly wobbly, and while they tend to be less prone to falling over than your average pedestal fan, you still want to know it won’t tip over at the slightest provocation. Suitability - The LIVIVO Tower Fan is designed for indoor use. It's particularly useful in living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, pet rooms, conservatories, home offices, and more. That’s a lot of cooling power, even if we’d say that the airflow is strongest relatively low to the ground. Noise levels are relatively high as well. If you struggle to sleep through the 41dB at low power, you can forget about the 49.9dB at full. Still, the old-school mechanical timer works surprisingly well, and if it’s not the most refined of fans, you’ll appreciate its icy blast as the temperature soars. Instead, the best reason to get this fan is that it pushes so much air out over such a high and wide area, thanks to the sheer size of the fan, a 2.4m/sec maximum airflow and an 80˚ degree oscillation feature. It’s just a shame that it’s noisy, putting out 46dB at its highest settings and 40dB even in Sleep mode, while the Natural mode is plain distracting, constantly revving up and revving down the fan speed. Still, if you want a fan for a large space and noise doesn’t matter, this one’s a keeper, and one of the few tower fans we’ve tested that can rival a pedestal fan on reach and range. It doesn’t take up as much space, yet it’s a serious tower of power.Speeds / Modes - You can choose from three fan speeds - Low, Medium and High. There are also three operational modes - Normal, Natural and Night Mode. Normal runs the fan constantly at the set speed. Natural cycles through these speeds to mimic outdoor conditions. Night Mode starts off on high speed but lowers the speed over time, helping you to get to sleep. Portability - The appliance has an ultra-slim and free standing design. It also has a moulded carry handle which lets you relocate and reposition the fan with ease.

Timer - The fan has a scheduling timer which automatically switches the appliance off when it ends. Deliver warmth wherever and however much you need . With 90º oscillation, thermostat control, low and high power modes. It’s easy to use, has a timer and a great natural breeze setting, and is reasonably powerful by compact tower fan standards; we measured the maximum airflow at 2.2m/sec. It’s also light enough to lug around everywhere, which is handy in a heatwave. Throw in low energy consumption, even at higher speeds, and this is the best of the compact options. On the front of the LIVIVO Tower Fan is a digital display which shows the room's current temperature. Underneath this display is the control panel which is well laid out and easy to understand. There's also a remote control for use from across the room. We like the portable nature of the appliance. It features a moulded carry handle and a lightweight design. About LIVIVOOscillation - The fan has a 90 degree oscillation option. You can choose to cool a specific area with the function off, or cool a wide area with it on. Decided that a tower fan is for you? Well, now your choice comes down to size and features. Generally speaking, the larger and taller the fan, the higher the airflow and the bigger the room it can cool, with the added bonus that you might not have to push it so hard to have the same effect. This means you can run the fan at a slower speed with – usually – less noise. That’s handy, as noise is the second-biggest factor. A noisy tower fan can be distracting in the daytime, but a real issue if it stops you dropping off to sleep at night.

Oscillation is the other key feature. Nearly all tower fans oscillate, turning slowly from side to side to cover a larger area, but they differ in how wide the angle of oscillation is. Again, the bigger the space you want to cool, the wider you want it – and you can always turn oscillation off if you just want to keep yourself comfortable. How we test tower fans As the name suggests, this fan also has basic smart features through the Climate Wizard smartphone app, but these don’t extend beyond remote control functions and a timer. Enable the Alexa or Google Home skills, and you can also turn it on or off or change the speed using voice controls, but you can’t switch between the Normal, Sleep and Natural modes. You may find other settings that vary the speed to give you the feeling of a natural breeze – although the rise and fall of the fan noise tends to spoil the overall effect – and sleep settings designed to minimise the hum and keep you cool without keeping you awake. Our fan tests start with a battery of airflow tests, where we measure the speed of the air pushed through the fan at a distance of 1m with an anemometer. We test at maximum and minimum fan speed settings, plus a medium setting in-between. We also measure sound levels at these settings, along with power consumption at the highest and lowest. From there, we use the fan in a selection of different rooms to gauge how effectively they work in different situations and layouts. We also try out any special modes and get to grips with both the built-in controls and the remote control, if supplied. What controls and features should you look for? This isn’t the perfect fan for sleepers, as even on its lowest setting it’s far from silent, but it’s fine for cooling down a small living room or taking some heat out of the bedroom before sleep. Looking for maximum cooling for a minimal cost? The Igenix is pretty hard to beat.Key specs – Dimensions: 107 x 30 x 30cm; Weight: 5.7kg; Oscillation angle: 60˚; Cord length: 1.8m; Warranty: 2yr; Power: 45W Key specs – Dimensions: 54 x 15 x 14cm; Weight: 2.4kg; Oscillation angle: 90˚; Cord length: 1.6m; Warranty: 2yr; Power: 18W