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Pedestal vs. Tower Fans

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When you shop for a fan, two styles you’ll run across are tower fans and pedestal fans. Tower fans are tall, cylindrical, and sit on a base. A pedestal fan is a traditional fan head that sits on a stem.

Both have their strengths and both function well in different situations. Depending on the features you want, fans today can cost quite a bit of money. So, you’ll want a firm understanding of what each style offers before you shell out your hard-earned money.

We took a look at both and compared them. This article summarizes what we learned. We hope you find it valuable and that it helps you make a smarter choice.

Pedestal Fan vs. Tower Fan: Pros and Cons

Pedestal vs Tower fan

A pedestal fan takes a traditional fan unit and puts it atop a stem that can be adjusted for height. Tower fans are a cylinders that sit atop a base and circulate air from the floor to the top of the fan.

Both styles of fans have their strengths and their intended uses. In addition, both cost roughly the same. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both.

Pedestal fan pros: Pedestal fans are powerful and work best in large rooms. The stem is adjustable for height and you can angle the head up or down. This gives them superior room coverage potential.

On average, they use less electricity than tower fans because they are simpler appliances. They are also quieter.

Tower fan pros: Tower fans work best in tight spaces and in places where you want to move air at ground level. They can come with a lot of built-in features like ionizers to help clean the air and timers.

Compared to pedestal fans, they are safer because they sit lower to the ground and have a much lower center of gravity. They also have fewer cords to get tangled in.

Pedestal fan cons: Since they are up off the ground, pedestal fans are top-heavy and more likely to tip over. They’ve also got more exposed cords, which creates a greater risk for tripping over the fan.

In addition, they tend to have fewer built-in features than tower fans and, because they are more powerful, they require more space. They also tend to look like old-school fans which is great if that’s the look you want, but otherwise could be limiting.

Tower fan cons: You wouldn’t want to put a single tower fan in a large room because it isn’t powerful enough to cover the entire space. While they work best in small spaces, they also make more noise.

They are also limited in terms of airflow control, because you can’t angle it to hit a specific spot.

The extra features are great, but it comes at a cost. The more complex something is, the faster it will die. A tower fan that comes with a variety of electronic features might be handy, but there is also a lot that can go wrong.

Does a Tower Fan use More Electricity Than a Pedestal Fan?

Electricity usage

There is a wide variety of both styles of fans, so there’s no simple answer to which fan uses more electricity. In general, however, you can expect tower fans to use more.

One reason is that tower fans tend to come with more features. More features usually translates into more electricity usage. Those extra features include built-in ionizers, remote controls, timers, and even temperature controls.

They also have more complex operations, since they move air along a column from the ground to their general height. Pedestal fans consist of a motor connected to spinning fan blades. Simplicity usually translates into greater energy efficiency.

Thanks to consumer demand, it’s possible to find pedestal fans that come with their own set of features. Those include remote control units. The motors are also more powerful and the greater the power, the more electricity a fan will likely require.

If electricity consumption is important to you, we recommend that you look at individual models to see how much electricity they use. Usually, tower fans will use more, but you might be surprised.

What’s Better a Tower Fan or a Pedestal Fan?

When deciding which type of fan is better, the answer is always going to depend on what you need.

Tower fans work great in tight, confined spaces, especially if they are in a high-traffic area where you can show them off. You might also like them if you are looking for something that can help clean the air.

However, they aren’t as powerful as pedestal fans and aren’t all that effective in large rooms. Plus, they make noise.

Pedestal fans are more powerful and, since they put the fan head on top of an adjustable stem, are great at operating at different heights. The heads are adjustable so you can angle them up and down depending on your needs.

They are best in large rooms and don’t fit into small, confined spaces. They are also a bit top-heavy, so tower fans are generally safer.

You’ll want to take these things into account when deciding which style of fan is best for you.

Conclusion

Pedestal vs Tower fan

A pedestal fan is great for moving a lot of air at a specific height. You can circulate air well in the middle of a room, which is where people are generally the warmest.

Tower fans come with a lot of features and circulate air well at ground level. They are designed to look sleek and modern and are most often used where the most people congregate.

Both have their strengths and, hopefully after reading this article, you better understand them. If you did, please let us know in a comment. You can also share this article on social media.

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