The Vornado 630 Medium Air Circulator Is Simply the Most Powerful Home Fan You Can Find

The great thing about this fan is that it’s effective even if you’re not sitting directly in front of it. That’s because Vornado fans actually keep the air in constant motion, like a gentle breeze that’s always moving through the room. The company’s unique blade design dates back to a patent from 1938, which in turn was based on an experimental airplane engine (video)—giving the 630 an impressive pedigree of propulsion that actually works. Sure, an oscillating fan might seem nice in the moment. But a Vornado fan can actually cool down everyone in the room at the same time.

It’s also great if, like me, you have a stuffy home-office space without any windows, and you just want to get the air moving so you don’t feel trapped in a stale and desolate room. In fact, Vornado even has some recommendations for how to get the most out of the air-circulation feature in different seasons. And you can use your fan in the winter to help distribute the heat more evenly around the room (which could ultimately help you save money by using less heat).

The Vornado’s air-circulation feature means this fan is likely to last longer, too, because there are fewer mechanical parts that could break. It’s also easier to clean than most other fans we’ve tested.

And if anything does go wrong, Vornado has a remarkably generous five-year warranty (PDF), with a fantastic track record of actually providing that customer service free of charge (which unfortunately can’t be said about every fan manufacturer).

We’ve tested dozens of fans since 2012, and Vornado consistently makes some of the best available, including the Vornado 630 Medium Air Circulator.

• The Vornado 630 circulates air much more efficiently than any other model, despite being ¾ the size of a standard box fan.
• This fan is quieter than every other model we’ve tested, except for the Dyson Air Multiplier AM06, which costs nearly $200 more.
• With no screws to remove or difficult seams to wedge apart, the Vornado 630 is easier to clean than most other fans, especially tower fans.

While we think the 630 is the best all-around choice, the company’s other fans combine their own unique features with the same impressive air circulation:

• The Vornado 660 AE is larger and even more powerful, and it automatically connects to your Alexa (if you have one). Those voice commands are particularly handy when you can still feel it blowing from 20 feet away.
• The Vornado 610DC has a variable speed-control dial, so you can customize your windspeed beyond the standard high, low, and medium settings. Its DC-powered motor also uses a fraction of the energy of other fans, and this fan comes with an impressive 10-year warranty (though the rest of the fan is still guaranteed for only five years, like other Vornado products).
• The Vornado Silver Swan Alchemy is even easier to clean, with an attractive, Art Deco–esque design that turns it into a genuinely nice piece of home decor. Unlike our other Vornado recommendations, this one has the option to oscillate, too (though you don’t really need it, for all the reasons we’ve mentioned).

Clean your fan! We cannot stress this enough. Even if you run it constantly, it will still collect dust and dander over time. This can eventually become a potential health risk—especially if you’re someone like me, with sensitive lungs and allergies.

Cleaning will also help ensure that your fan continues working as efficiently as possible. If too much gunk builds up, it could slow the gears or create more friction, weighing down the blades so they can’t cut through the air as well. This could make it harder for the fan to build up the air-circulating vacuum that makes the Vornado fan so good in the first place. If anything goes wrong, the five-year warranty should cover it—though we’ve seen plenty of Vornados that last even longer.

Luckily, the Vornado 630 Air Circulator is easier to clean than other fans we’ve tested. It also comes with its own set of cleaning instructions (though we have our own advice to offer, too). It doesn’t require any screws or painful panel separation, either. All you have to do is press down on the grille clips to remove the grille face, and then get in there and wipe the blades with a towel and soapy water. Let it dry, pop the grille back on, and you’re done!

At least until next month, when you should probably clean it again.

The original version of this post was part of our 2021 “52 Things We Love” series, an ode to Wirecutter picks that have withstood the test of time. Read the entire series. The current version was edited by Rachelle Bergstein and Catherine Kast.