Dyson’s Handheld Fan Is More Powerful And Louder Than I Expected

Two years agone I attended a picturesque outdoor wedding successful August wherever nan basking and humid upwind had guests occasionally ducking into their cars to bask a blast of AC. Dyson’s caller $99.99 handheld instrumentality would person provided immoderate much-needed alleviation then, though I’m not judge I would person been comfortable powering it up during nan work aliases reception. The HushJet Mini Cool is arsenic slim and sleek arsenic Dyson’s caller thin vacuum and hair dryer, but it’s not quiet capable to gain nan sanction “Hush.”

That’s unfortunate because nan HushJet Mini Cool is yet different merchandise Dyson has redesigned to look and execute amended than what’s already connected nan market. All of its components — including nan motor, 5,000mAh rechargeable battery, and spinning blades — are safely contained wrong a cylindrical assemblage 38mm successful diameter that’s easy to gaffe into a pocket. Many handheld fans usage elastic aliases folding blades that are near exposed and not perfect for kids, aliases they worldly nan moving parts into a bulbous conception connected top that limits pocketability.

At 208 grams nan HushJet Mini Cool is astir nan aforesaid weight arsenic an iPhone 17 Pro, truthful it’s not a unspeakable load to schlep astir erstwhile temperatures soar, and it’s incredibly easy to use. A toggle move turns nan instrumentality connected and off, while a rocker fastener lets you measurement up and down done 5 different instrumentality speeds indicated by a portion of 5 mini achromatic LEDs. There’s besides an moreover stronger Boost Mode that’s only activated while you’re holding down nan “plus” broadside of that rocker button.

The only learning curve was remembering to grip nan instrumentality supra nan vent that wraps astir its guidelines truthful arsenic not to artifact nan airflow. Some added texture connected nan extracurricular of nan HushJet Mini Cool to people guideline wherever your manus should grip it would beryllium welcome.

Dyson claims up to six hours of artillery life astatine nan fan’s lowest setting, but astatine its highest velocity (not Boost Mode) it died aft 62 minutes. I was still impressed, because I didn’t expect nan instrumentality to past that agelong astatine afloat power. The remaining artillery life is displayed utilizing nan fan’s 5 achromatic LEDs, but only erstwhile it’s turned off. Being capable to way really accelerated nan artillery level drops pinch nan instrumentality moving would beryllium a useful measurement to estimate really overmuch cooling clip you person left.

The HushJet Mini Cool is bottom-heavy and tin beryllium utilized arsenic a self-standing fan, and Dyson includes an accessory to widen nan guidelines and amended its stability. It helps, but it’s besides an accessory that’s easy to lose. And while you tin powerfulness nan instrumentality indefinitely by connecting it to a powerfulness root complete USB-C, you’re constricted to nan lowest velocity setting. At that mounting you’ll request to enactment wrong astir 5 feet of nan instrumentality to consciousness anything.

Dyson’s trading for nan fan, including nan HushJet branding, emphasizes really it’s engineered to beryllium quiet. “Dyson’s obsession pinch acoustics intends tonal comfort: pinch nan HushJet nozzle, we’ve lowered frequencies, eliminated high-pitched whirring, and silenced nan sound of whining motors,” nan institution said successful a property release. But it was decidedly not arsenic quiet arsenic I expected it to be.

It doesn’t get anyplace adjacent arsenic large arsenic Dyson’s cordless vacuums aliases hairsbreadth dryers, but nan HushJet Mini Cool isn’t whisper-quiet, moreover astatine its lowest setting. The handheld instrumentality besides has a akin high-pitched whine arsenic those different Dyson devices, contempt its mini electrical centrifugal spinning astatine little than half nan velocity of theirs.

For nan past twelvemonth my family has been utilizing Nitecore’s izzCool 10 Pro fan to hit nan power whenever AC isn’t available. Its creation makes it harder to gaffe into a pocket, and astatine afloat powerfulness its blast is obscurity adjacent arsenic beardown arsenic Dyson’s — moreover astatine half power. While some fans were likewise large astatine their lowest settings (measured utilizing nan NIOSH Sound Level Meter app connected my iPhone), Dyson’s was good complete 10 decibels louder astatine afloat power. That’s not astonishing fixed Dyson’s instrumentality acold outperforms Nitecore’s, but nan sound of nan HushJet Mini Cool was mostly acold much noticeable, since it produced sound astatine higher frequencies.

At a noisy outdoor euphony festival, crowded carnival, aliases bustling authorities adjacent I tin spot myself comfortably pushing nan fan’s velocity to its 3rd aliases 4th velocity mounting without worrying astir getting excessively galore irritated looks. But successful quieter settings, for illustration that stifling-hot outdoor wedding I attended, I would beryllium hesitant to occurrence up nan HushJet Mini Cool. At slightest until nan wedding DJ took over.

Compact electrical aerial dusters for illustration nan Wolfbox MF100 are stronger and cheaper than nan HushJet Mini Cool, but they’re typically overmuch louder because they’re designed to beryllium pointed astatine keyboards covered successful Doritos crumbs, while fans are designed to beryllium pointed astatine your head. Dyson’s HushJet Mini Cool is amended astatine balancing size, performance, and artillery life. If utilized nonstop it tin past half a time astatine an amusement park. You tin decidedly find a quieter alternative, but I uncertainty you’ll find a much powerful 1 this size.

Photography by Andrew Liszewski / The Verge