As I write this review, it is 27°C outside. And I’ve never been more grateful that part of my job is testing a whole host of cooling products in my own home.
I have been putting Best fans In their stride ahead of summer, but surprisingly the roasty toasty May heatwave meant I really got to see what they were made of.
Recently, I have been putting aircraft LUME A quiet air circulator fan for good use, and this is how it performed in our fan testing process.
In short
If you want a fan that can blow your socks off, this is it. The Aircraft LUME Quiet Air Circulator Fan offers the highest wind speed of any fan on our Best fans Round up, which means it can move air faster to remove stuffiness in seconds.
While it’s powerful, it’s also really quiet. When testing it in my own home I could barely hear it at low-to-medium power settings, which is a huge bonus in my book. Multidirectional oscillation is also great for giving a boost to airflow.
What makes this fan stand out from the others on our round up is the inclusion of ambient lights on the back of the fan head. While I was testing this at a time of year where it’s still light well into the evening, this light is a great alternative to glow.
Adaptable between desktop and pedestal configuration, I liked that the base was compact enough to easily fit on a side table, which made it even easier to use on a table top. However, I wish it was a little higher in pedestal mode.
Sarah Handley
In addition to being Ideal Home’s renovation editor, I also oversee all of the website’s heating and cooling content, which means I’m well-versed in what it takes to keep your home at a comfortable temperature year-round and how you can do it in the most energy efficient way possible. I tested the Aircraft LUME Quiet Air Circulator Fan in the living room, kitchen diner and bedroom of my 1970s three-bed house, over three weeks. Learn more about how we test fans.
specification
(Image credit: Aircraft Home)
- Fan Type: Pedestal (but acceptable for desktop)
- RRP: £149
- Weight: 4.2 kg
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 36.5 x 63-95 x 28cm
- Wattage: 24W
- Wind Speed (m/sec): 1.4-5.3m/s
- Running cost per hour (Based on energy price cap at time of writing): 0.59p/kWh
- Number of fan speed settings: 12
- Noise in dB: 36-60dB
- Smart Features: no one
- Dual Functionality: Fan, ambient light
- Oscillation: Multilateral (30/60/90°)
Unboxing, setup and first impressions
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The first thing I noticed when the aircraft arrived at LUME was the plastic wrap around the cardboard box, which seemed a bit unnecessary. However, when I opened the box I was delighted to find that the fan inside was in molded cardboard forms, with the pieces wrapped in paper.
In the box, you get the fan head, base, power cable and pole, as well as the remote control and a clear instruction manual.
Assembly seems very intuitive. All I needed to do was twist the fan head into the base (if I wanted it in desktop mode), or twist the extra pole into the base first and attach the fan head to it if I wanted it in pedestal mode. I first chose the pedestal mode, which I immediately noticed was shorter than the pedestal mode of other fans I tested.
Then I just needed to plug it in and turn it on. All in all, it was out of the box and ready to go in about 60 seconds.
When it comes to looks, my first impressions were mostly positive. The models I tested from Pro Breeze and Silentnight have similar designs, The fan head is attached to the base by two arms instead of a hinge at the base. Even though it’s a modern fan, there’s something a little retro about it, which I like. It can be found in off-white and black colorways below.
What is it like to use?
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The first thing I like to do when I’m testing any fan is run the wind speed to see what we’re dealing with. And I love it when a fan can provide everything from a very gentle and comfortable breeze to a stronger breeze that feels like it could blow cobwebs off the ceiling. And I was not disappointed.
At the lowest speed setting, my anemometer (which measures wind speed) measured the aircraft LUME at 1.4 meters per second (m/s), which is very soft, pleasant, and ideal when I was sitting close to the fan. Of the 12 speed settings, there is a noticeable difference between each, up to the most powerful, which I recorded at 5.3m/s. That was the strongest wind speed I recorded from any of the fans in our best buy round up.
At top speed, the fan easily hung on the wall on the other side of the room, four meters away. With vertical and horizontal oscillation turned on, I could feel the effects of this speed setting wherever I was in the room, which was great, especially when a heatwave hit toward the end of my testing period.
It’s also quiet, with my decibel meter recording noise levels of 36-60dB, equivalent to a whisper to a gentle background noise like the hum of a fridge.
When I used the fan in desktop mode, I really appreciated the fact that the base was small enough to easily fit on a side table in my living room and on my bedside table (some similar fans I’ve tested have large bases that feel a bit bulky when on a tabletop). However, in pedestal mode, I found I wished it was a bit higher. At full height, it is 95cm, about 14cm shorter than that Meaco Septe 10” Pedestal Fan Which takes the top spot on our list as the best fan.
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In terms of using the controls, it’s pretty simple. Five touch buttons on the fan itself allow you to turn it on, adjust the wind speed and oscillation, as well as turn on and adjust the brightness of the ambient light. You can do the same on a simple remote control. However, you get a little extra functionality with the remote. Switching between Normal, Sleep and Natural modes can only be done via remote.
In normal mode, the fan will stay at your selected wind speed until you change it. In natural conditions, you can select an average speed and it will alternate speed to mimic the natural wind. Instead of showing a symbol on the LED display to indicate the natural state, it shows the letters CF. Sleep mode will show SL, and once you select a starting wind speed, it will slow down every 30 minutes until it reaches speed 1 where it will stay.
(Image credit: Future plc/ Sarah Handley)
I enjoyed using this fan at night. Not only does the display automatically turn off after a few seconds, but you can also mute the button-press tone, which is a lifesaver if you want to change settings but share a room with a very light sleeper. There’s also a handy timer, which means I can set it to turn off when I go to sleep.
The ambient backlight is a welcome addition to the design. It’s not a reading light, but it does give off a nice glow with three levels of customizable brightness.
Running costs
If you’re looking for a fan to see you through the next summer heatwave, you’ll be happy to know that this one won’t cost the earth even if you need it all day. Based on the April 2026 electricity price cap of 24.67p per kilowatt hour, aircraft LUME will cost around 0.59p per hour to operate.
Cleaning and maintenance
Like most fans I’ve tested, not much is required in terms of cleaning or maintenance. To keep this fan in good and efficient working order, it is best to keep it free of dust with a dry cloth. If dust accumulates in the mesh on the fan head, you can use a vacuum cleaner (or a hair dryer on a cool setting) to remove it.
When not in use, it is best to store it in a clean and dry place. It may be an idea to hold on to the original packaging so that you can safely store the disassembled parts.
Who should buy this fan?
If powerful wind speed is what you are looking for, the Aircraft LUME is an absolute fan to buy. It will be perfect for effective air circulation even in large spaces, benefiting everyone in the room rather than just those sitting nearby.
However, if you want something with a similar look that you can control through an app, then Pro Breeze Air Flow 43” Hybrid Pedestal Fan with Smart App Could fit better.
For the lowest running costs, and for something more stylish, the Duke’s Whisper 3 Looks great and costs between 0.04-0.46p/kWh to run.
If you want something more affordable, then Silentnight Airmax Pro360 Pedestal Fan with Remote Control Has similar proportions and efficiency, although it does not reach the same wind speeds.
