Vornado 530B 3 Speed Compact Air Circulator, Black

I have owned Vornado fans for many years, and they always have moved the air in a vortex, as advertised. This compact 3 speed air circulator effectively creates a current of air that not only propels a focused wind that sets the air in motion around the room but also provides some very pleasant white noise — a soothing whirring sound. Mind you, I do not always get the full benefit of this fan because my dog, Dundee, plunks himself in front of it and lets the fan ruffle his fur big time, as he is doing right now…

Vornado 530B 3 Speed Compact Air Circulator, Black

No offense, but the previous review is a bit shortsighted. I had a similar, skeptical initial reaction when I saw a Vornado. At first glance, it looked very similar to other low-cost, plastic department store fans. Upon closer inspection, there is no comparison.

The 530B, due to its unique blade and housing design, and superior motor (see their site for details), blows WAY more air for its size than any other fan. Take a close look at how shallow the average fan blade is. Then look at Vornado’s deep, sculpted blades. It blows as much or more air on the low, quiet setting than competing fans do on their high setting. It’s pretty amazing, actually.

The 530B blows enough air for my bedroom, whereas competing fans this size I have to aim directly at me. As advertised, the fan is well used as a room circulator, in that you feel the gentle breeze throughout the room, rather than sticking it on a table and pointing at you.

People often gripe about “paying for the name” when it comes to consumer products. This is usually an unfair assertion with most products. You are not paying for the name, like you are in designer jeans, where only the name counts. Instead, you are paying for the superior quality and design of the manufacturer whose name is stamped on the housing. Simple market princples here — if there was nothing to back up the name, the name wouldn’t be valuable. They sell at the higher price because you get what you pay for.

Vornado 530B 3 Speed Compact Air Circulator, Black

I’ve been using it for about three months now. It is very powerful and the noise is more than tolerable. It is solidly built and is great for refreshing a stuffy room. It’s pricier than other fans, but you really do get what you pay for with this little fan. I found that it does get a little noisier as it gets older, so clean it regularly if possible.

Vornado 530B 3 Speed Compact Air Circulator, Black

Purchased this fan for my grandson who is a cadet at West Point and he doesn’t have air conditioning in his barracks room, just a window. He said it works great when he puts it on his desk while he is doing his work and it circulates the air in the room.

Vornado 530B 3 Speed Compact Air Circulator, Black

Don’t let the small size fool you-this fan moves a lot of air. There are any number of fans on the market, priced in the $10-$20 range, that are about the same physical size as the 530B (B=black) but, they don’t perform anywhere near the Vornado. I had oft wondered why the Vornados were priced considerably higher than the competition. After plugging it in and turning it on I had my answer. I couldn’t believe the air circulation this thing puts out. Definitely proof that you get what you pay for.

If you want a compact fan that gives great performance then this should be your first choice, I highly recommended it.

On the downside-the “warranty”. This product comes with a 5 year warranty. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? Well, when you read the fine print-if it needs service you have to send it back to the manufacturer along with $20.00 to cover return shipping and handling. So, it will probably cost about $10.00 for shipping to Vornado plus the $20.00 return shipping to you and you’re out $30.00. Pretty sad for a product priced slightly less than $40.00 from Amazon. I suspect that what they will do is send you a refurbished unit. You’d be better off throwing the bad unit away and purchasing a new one. Having said that I still think it’s a fine product. Now, if they could do something about that “warranty” (like having a local repair facility) I’d be completely satisfied.