A Review of the Vornado 500 Fan Series

I’ve long been a fan of the Vornado series. When we bought our little Vornado 500, we knew we’d get our satisfaction. For starters, the compact twelve inch height makes it ideal for placing on the desk or small table while still giving room for everything else. Mine is on a working desk, right next to the printer.

Another great feature of the Vornado 500 is the excellent blowing power. In past experiences with other brands, I’ve found they weren’t worth the bulk or weight since most blew too lightly and unfocused. If I’m going to run an electric-using machine, I want to get my money’s worth of blowing. The Vornado 500 is definitely up to that challenge. Its deep-angled blades seem to inhale a great amount of air from the back while punching a massive amount of wind forward - wicking away any bead of sweat daring to show. I have, on several hot days, used the Vornado 500 to dry my hair after washing. It works just as well as my hot air blow dryer while I sit in my comfortable desk chair. 

Even though the Vornado is powerful, it is amazingly quiet. There are three angled adjustments to use, but there is no oscillation feature—so make sure it is facing the right direction. There are also three speeds to choose from which is a great feature for different uses. I like to blast it when coming into the house after a hot day, then turn the speed down to circulate the room’s air. The box claims that it can move as much as 50 feet of air. Now that’s a lot of hot air! When we turn on our room’s air conditioner, we find that the cool air is circulated well and our a/c does not have to work so hard. 

With repeated use, the Vornado does naturally gain dust and needs to be cleaned. However, frequency of cleaning does not seem to be as often as other fans I’ve owned. I wonder if this is due to the strong breeze that pushes through the grill. The unit is easy to open with the detachable back. I usually run it through with a Swiffer or a wet cloth.