The fan I rely on to keep me cool in my overheated NYC apartment is only $35

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Vornado

In recent years, I’ve moved from my childhood home to a college dorm to my own apartment, leading me to purchase a lot of new home goods.
One of the only products that’s been with me through all of these phases is this $35 fan.
The Vornado 573 Panel Air Circulator is small, affordable, and powerful enough to circulate air up to 60 feet, keeping my entire bedroom cool, and making it a valuable product that any room could benefit from having.

We all have those products that hold a special place in our heart. Maybe it’s the blanket that you’ve been sleeping with since you were a child, or the panini press that made you many a late-night snack in college. Whether it’s value lies in it’s usefulness, affordability, longevity, or your own nostalgia, there’s something there.

For me, it’s the Vornado 573 Panel Air Circulator.

You may be wondering why anyone would hold a fan near and dear, so — if you are — I can tell you.

Where it all began — I don’t even remember; that’s how long I’ve had this thing! As a child, I spent my summers at a sleepaway camp and slept in cabins without any sort of air conditioning. This one did its job so well, I brought it with me when it came time for college too. Now I’m on my own in New York City, but in an apartment that lacks central air to keep me cool.

One of the best parts of this fan is its price — it’s just $35. That’s just about a week’s worth of fancy lattes or a few months of a Netflix subscription. There are a lot of ways you could spend $35, but most do not offer a lifetime of cool, well-circulated air.

Then, of course, there is the functionality. Interestingly, this fan is different than most you’ve probably used before. Technically, it’s not even called a fan at all, but rather an air circulator (though I’ve been using the names interchangeably). A traditional fan moves the air directly around it, providing you with a cool blast. Air circulators, on the other hand, are more aerodynamic and keep air in the room moving continuously. So, rather than a quick blast of cool air when you’re facing the fan, you get a cooler room, no matter where you are in relation to the device.

The Vornado Panel Air Circulator comes in a small, medium, and large size. I have the small, which is powerful enough to circulate air up to 60 feet — perfect for use in a smaller bedroom. The device itself is small — it weighs just over 3 pounds, and is just over 10 inches tall, 10 inches wide, and 7 inches deep, making it small enough to keep on my windowsill.

There are three speed controls, which come in handy depending on the cooling and noise levels you’re looking for. I have a heat pipe right next to my bed, so my room can get very hot, even in the winter. On the high setting, this fan really does cool the air so I can actually sleep comfortably. It’s not particularly loud, but it provides some nice white noise. Even when I don’t need to cool down, I like to turn it on to the lowest setting at night to lull me to sleep.

Over the years, I’ve gotten a lot of use out of this product. Even more impressive than its longevity is the fact that it’s sustained being dropped multiple times, but still works just as well.

This fan probably won’t change your life, but if you’re in the market for a fan (or an air circulator if we’re being technical), it’s a great product at a great value that you’ll likely be able to use for years to come.

Get the Vornado 573 Small Panel Air Circulator, $34.99, available at Amazon and Walmart