The hot weather we’ve been craving has finally arrived, and while we couldn’t be happier to enjoy the sunshine, when temperatures rise in the UK, so do our levels of discomfort.
As many of us now work from home, we miss out on the benefit of icy air conditioning units in the office. If you do commute for work, stuffy trains with little relief from the heat can also make journeys uncomfortable. All of this means now is the perfect time to invest in a fan to keep you cool.
If you’re looking for localised cooling to target your desk as well as a breeze for when you’re on the go, a small portable, tabletop fan could be the option for you. Luckily, John Lewis & Partners has come through with a portable gadget that’s so good it’s been a sellout hit year after year.
An excellent and cost-effective way to keep cool as temperatures rise, the handheld and foldable desk fan is part of the retailer’s Anyday collection, which encompasses more than 2,400 products that are, on average, 20 per cent cheaper than its other own-brand items.
Costing just £12, the fan has hundreds of five-star reviews and even comes in a choice of four sleek colours, from muted sage (already sold out) to statement dark orange.
Whether you want a fan to pop in your bag, help you drift off at night or keep you cool while you’re working, here’s everything you need to know about the top-rated John Lewis & Partners buy.
John Lewis & Partners handheld and foldable desk fan: £12, Johnlewis.com
Get ready to make surviving the working day in the heat a total breeze – literally – with this small yet powerful portable fan. Measuring 4in in diameter, the fan is compact, meaning it’s not only a great option for setting on your desk but can also be easily slipped into your bag when you’re on the go.
The gadget is rechargeable using a USB port, making it the perfect companion if you're spending a lot of time in your home office, as there’s no need to keep changing batteries.
It also has three different speed settings, so you can adjust the breeze to suit you and, once fully charged (which only takes five hours), it will operate for approximately nine hours on low speed, six hours on medium speed and four hours on high speed.
The fan is designed with a built-in fold-out stand, so you can use it as a handheld option or prop it up on a table. It also comes in four different colours: white, deep orange, navy and sage (although the latter is currently sold out).
If it’s a larger fan you’re looking for, we have plenty of other recommendations in our guide to the best ones to suit every space and budget.
Earning the top spot in our round-up, this Vonhaus portable 31in tower fan (£59.99, Amazon.co.uk) was praised by our tester as being “powerful enough to really make a difference when temperatures soar.” They added that it oscillates up to 70 degrees, yet “it’s only 31in high, so won’t dominate a room. It’s also only 3kg and has a carry handle, so can easily be moved anywhere in the house.”
If you have the budget for it, it’s also worth considering Dyson’s purifier hot+cool formaldehyde fan (£699.99, Dyson.co.uk). The high-tech device doesn’t just cool but can also heat a room and eliminate pollutants, including pollen, dust and now also formaldehyde.
Our tester praised the excellent cooling, super-effective heater and impressive air purifier. “We especially loved the fact we could see how clean the air was on the LED screen on the front,” they said.
“No other fan in this round-up has quite the year-round bang for its buck, but you’ll need to be sure you’ll use all its features before blowing the budget on it,” they added.
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Keep cool when temperatures rise with the best air conditioning units and fans
