When I was putting the Silentnight Airmax Pro360 Pedestal Fan through its paces in my home, it was unseasonably warm with temperatures hovering around the 20 degree Celsius mark. So I felt very fortunate that it was literally my job to review cooling products to determine that Best fans you can buy
I was particularly keen to try the SilentKnight fan as it claims to be very quiet and costs under £100.
In short
I’m a big believer that you get what you pay for when it comes down to it fansWith great functionality and looks usually come in at over £100. But having said that, I was definitely impressed with the Silentnight Airmax Pro360 Pedestal Fan, which is available for under £100.
It is very quiet, offers a good range of wind speeds and oscillations, while being very easy to use. On those factors, it can certainly hold its own against more premium fans that command a much higher price point.
However, along with the lower price point, it is missing some of the design considerations that make more expensive models worth their money. It doesn’t feel as premium as other fans I’ve tested, the power button on the remote feels like it’s in the wrong place, and, while the height is adjustable, the height options available depending on the configuration chosen don’t seem great.
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 Silentnight Airmax Pro360 Pedestal Fan in my 1970s three-bed house every day for more than three weeks during an unseasonably warm spring. As well as trying it out in my kitchen diner to see how well it performed in a larger space and in my living room, I used it in my bedroom every night. Learn more about how we test fans.
specification
Silentnight Airmax Pro360 Pedestal Fan in Pedestal Mode
(Image credit: Future plc/ Sarah Handley)
- Fan Type: Pedestal (but acceptable for desktop)
- RRP: £99
- Weight: 3.5 kg
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 32.5 x 63-93 x 32.6 cm
- Wattage: 30W
- Wind speed (meters per second): 1.2–4.9 m/s
- Running cost per hour (Based on energy price cap at time of writing): 0.74p/kWh
- Number of fan speed settings: 12
- Noise in dB: 31-66dB (based on my measurements)
- Smart Features: no one
- Dual Functionality: no one
- Oscillation: Omnidirectional (140° horizontal, 90° vertical)
Unboxing, setup and first impressions
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The fan came in a cardboard box, with the fan parts enclosed in inflatable packaging, which can be recycled. Attaching the fan head to the base via the poles requires a bit of assembly, but in my experience, this is quick to put together (it’s where you have to assemble the fan head itself so things can be a bit messy.
As I unpacked the pieces, I was initially struck by how light the pieces were, including the base. Will it be heavy enough to hold the fan steady? I was curious to know.
In the packaging, you get the fan base, two poles (which allow you to choose desktop or pedestal height – more on that later), fan head, power cable, remote control and instruction manual. While most of the packaging was really easy to remove, I struggled when it came to the packaging around the power cable. It was fixed quite tightly using sticky tape, which made it too tight to remove.
But once that was done, it only took me two minutes to assemble the fan and be ready to go. It requires screws into the base to fix the pole, which I mostly managed with my fingers, but I did tighten it with a screwdriver. Depending on how tall you want it, you screw one pole into the base, if you want pedestal fan height, screw in another pole, and then screw on the fan head. Then I just needed to connect the power cable and pop the batteries in the remote.
When assembled in pedestal mode, I found that they were significantly shorter than other fans I’ve tested (93cm compared to about 110cm of the Meaco Sefte 10” Pedestal Air Circulator), so I was curious to see how this difference would affect my use of the fan in practice.
What is it like to use?
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It was really easy to move the fan into position due to its light weight – in fact it’s the lightest of the fans I’ve tested. I could hold the stem, or slip my fingers into a groove in the back of the fan head, and lift it easily with one hand.
But while its weight is certainly an advantage in terms of portability, it does mean the fan doesn’t feel as premium as some of the heavier fans I’ve used. However, considering the RRP of this fan is under £100 and the weight doesn’t affect the performance of the fan, I don’t mind too much.
That aside, this fan really holds its own against other fans I’ve put through their paces. First, it’s really quiet. I clocked it at 31dB in the lowest power mode, which was barely audible. Of the 12 wind speeds, I found the first 4 to be really quiet, with speeds 5 and above making a bit more noise, up to 66dB at top speed. It is similar to chatting with friends.
Second, it has got the right spread of wind speed. The wind speed at the lowest setting is a very gentle 1.2 meters/second (m/s), which is very pleasant on the skin. While it reaches a top wind speed of 4.9m/s, which is actually more powerful than the top speed settings of other fans we’ve tested (I’ve broken this down in our best fans guide linked above), I couldn’t tell the difference between some of the medium speed settings, even though my anemometer registered different wind speeds.
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It is also really easy to use. While it doesn’t offer app control (which certainly isn’t a dealbreaker for me), it does have both remote and on-board controls which are pretty self-explanatory. Through both, you can select the mode, wind speed, oscillation and set the timer.
The only thing that would be a minor niggle on my part is that the power on button on the remote is not in the top right or left corner, unlike any other fan remote I’ve used (or TV remote for that matter). Instead, the power button is the lowest button on the remote. While you’ll certainly get used to this over time, several times during testing when I intended to turn the fan off, I inadvertently set the timer instead.
I enjoyed using this fan in the bedroom because of its low volume and gentle wind speed on low settings, and the timer function, which meant I didn’t have to worry about turning it off before bed. While I could adjust the night settings myself, I also really liked the night mode. This mode automatically keeps the fan on speed 4 for 15 minutes, before dropping it to speed 2 until you or your timer turns it off. I’m not particularly sensitive to light when I’m sleeping, but I like that whatever mode the fan is in, the display turns off after a minute or so, so you don’t have to worry about being woken up by the light.
In addition to the normal mode, it also has a very nice natural wind mode (which you can use at speeds of only 1-5) that mimics the feeling of real wind, and is very pleasant.
While the fan was easy to use and made for a pretty customizable setup, I found the fan height to be a bit low compared to other fans I’ve tested. In desktop mode it felt very tall (despite the use of two short poles to attach the head to the base) and I felt air blowing over my head when I put it on my desk while working. At the same time, it didn’t feel high enough in pedestal mode next to my desk until, unless I had vertical oscillation turned on, it was blowing on my torso instead of near my face. For me, the height of the pedestal in the bedroom wasn’t an issue when I was sleeping, but it can be if you have a high bed. I also tried it in desktop mode on my bedside table, but the scope of that oscillation didn’t angle the fan head down so it was blowing on me, and I couldn’t feel the effects at all.
It also starts in speed 5 by default, and doesn’t remember what speed you had when you turned it off, which I found a bit annoying, especially when I was using it at night. While spinning it at low speeds isn’t challenging, every time I turn on the fan it grinds a bit.
Running costs
Using only 30W of power, the Silentnight Airmax Pro 360 fan is by no means an energy guzzler. It would cost around 0.7p per hour to run based on April 2026 energy prices of 24.67p per kWh of electricity.
But while it doesn’t use a lot of energy, this fan uses more than the other fans we’ve tested. Duke’s Whisper 3For example, only uses between 1.6 and 19W.
Cleaning and maintenance
This SilentKnight fan didn’t get particularly dirty during testing, so a light dusting with a soft, damp cloth was all it needed to keep it looking its best and performing well (make sure it’s unplugged before you clean it).
When it comes to storing the fan when not in use, Silentnite recommends keeping it somewhere safe and dry and protecting the fan head from dust. They recommend storing it in the original packaging, but if you still don’t have it, you can pop an old pillow case over the head of the fan to keep it dust-free.
Who should buy this fan?
If you’re looking for a super quiet fan for under £100, I’d definitely recommend the Silentnight Airmax Pro360. It offers a wide range of windspeeds and three modes which means you can very easily customize it to your personal comfort level.
If you have a little more to spend and want more customization, then Duke’s Whisper 3 It’s quieter, offers better height adjustment, and comes in some neutral colors that give it a premium look.
For better air circulation, you can’t go wrong with either Meaco Sefte 10” Pedestal Air CirculatorWhich reaches a wind speed of 5.2m/s at its peak setting, and goes further to reach every corner of your space.
