Lasko Wind Curve T42905 Oscillating Tower Fan
I loved the sleek silhouette and wood grain accents of this Lasko tower fan. It was also the third quietest fan I tested, only a few decibels noisier than the Honeywell. On top of that, it has Bluetooth, which allows you to control the oscillating fan via an app on your phone.
The problem is that the app is all you get as far as remote controls go. It's not ideal for a shared space, as the fan can only be connected to one device at a time. In other words, if someone else pairs with the fan, your connection is terminated.
That might be forgivable if the app offered advanced features like voice controls or the ability to set a custom schedule, but it doesn't. You can turn it on and off, turn the oscillation function on and off, adjust between the three speed settings, or turn on the sleep timer; the same controls as you would find on the fan itself. It doesn't require any permissions other than Bluetooth access, the app doesn't seem to offer a privacy policy at all. All of which makes this Lasco fan easy to pass up at $80.
Vornado V-Flow Air Circulator Fan
The Vornado V-Flow Tower Fan has a neat construction that twists the fan grille around the cylindrical base. It's one of the nicest tower fans I've tested, but it doesn't oscillate like a traditional tower fan. Instead, it relies on that twisted design to move a wider field of air around the room.
It worked well enough in my tests when I had it pointed at me, but coverage differed at those side corners, where the airflow is positioned lower or higher due to that diagonal grille. The bigger problem was that the Vornado V-Flow was the noisiest fan I tested, blaring 50 decibels at the highest of the three speeds from 30 inches away. On top of that, my remote wouldn't work, echoing the frustrations I've seen from user reviews at retailers where the V-Flow is sold. That, plus the lack of features beyond the usual sleep timer, made me say no thanks to the Vornado's $70 price tag here (and I'd probably skip it during a sale, too). That's a shame, because the Vornado's five-year warranty was the best of all the fans I looked at for this review, and more than double what you get with the $550 Dyson TP04.
AmazonBasics Oscillating 3-Speed Tower Fan
Amazon continues to sell more and more different products under its AmazonBasics brand and these days that includes a tower fan. As the name suggests, it's nothing too fancy. Remote batteries are not included, but at least you get a few natural wind settings in addition to the typical 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 came loose from its flimsy base after a few moves between rooms. Although its 35-watt output is the lowest of all the fans I tested, airflow was poor, even at the highest setting. Priced at $60, this tower fan is not worth the price.
Unfortunately, most tower fans won't work very well with smart plugs.