The 3 best desktop fans we’ve tested — including an affordable model that ‘blast out impressively strong airflow at a pleasingly low volume’

Okay, so summer might not quite be here yet, and maybe it’s wishful thinking that I’m already looking at fans. But there’s a practical side to it too: waiting until you’re already too hot is a recipe for disaster — every year the best fans sell out the minute the first mini-heatwave hits. You don’t want to be that person shelling out over the odds for the only disappointing fan still in stock, and which will arrive too late to actually help, do you? Thought not.

We’ve tested a whole bunch of fans of different shapes and sizes, but in this mini roundup I’m going to focus on our favorite desktop models. These are compact fans that are designed to be positioned on a surface, and are easy to move about to exactly where they’re needed (in contrast to pedestal or tower fans, which sit on the floor). Read on for our top-reviewed picks…