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After one week of warm weather, it is probably time for me to prepare for summer. I have previously covered the best pedestal fans for sleeping. The key to these fans is as many speeds settings as possible, allowing you to run it as slowly as possible and, therefore, silently.
It is the opposite for fans you intend to use for the gym. You are going to have to weigh up how big and noisy you are willing to put up with.
I am a heavy sweater, and after most of my Zwift sessions, there is literally a puddle of sweat on the floor, even if it is freezing in my garage.
My Tacx Neo Bike Smart Trainer has built-in fans, and they make things marginally more pleasant, but the tiny fans are nowhere near enough to keep me cool in the warmer months.
At the moment, I have the Tacx fans and a generic pedestal fan, but I want something with a bit more power to try and keep me cool.
Wahoo Kickr Headwind
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wahoo KICKR HEADWIND Heartrate/Speed Controlled Cycling Fan... |
£229.99 | Buy on Amazon |
- Price: £199
- Max Fan Speed: 30 mph/48 kph
I am listing the Kickr Headwind first because it is specifically made for indoor cycling and Zwift. Most fans list provide some performance data such as cubic feet per minute (CFM) or litre/second, but Wahoo only states speed. This makes me suspicious of its performance, and I doubt the overall cooling ability is as good as others on this list.
On the other hand, this is a smart fan that can pair up with your HRM and adjust the fan speed based on your effort.
It is not the best value for money but if you want a dream Zwift setup this should be part of it.
Vacmaster Air Mover / Cardio54
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vacmaster Air Mover Cooling Fan - Low Noise, 3 Speed Setting... |
£60.99 | Buy on Amazon | |
| Vacmaster Cardio54 - Fitness and Gym Cooling Floor Fan with... |
£99.99 | Buy on Amazon |
- Price: £69 / £99
- Max Fan Speed: 33 mph (54 km/h)
- 518 CFM / 244 l/s
So many people were buying the Vacmaster Air Mover for fitness that they created the Cardio54. They are basically the same, but the Cardio54 has a remote control that you can strap to your bike.
It is half the price of the Headwind, and it appears that it can move more air.
XPower P-80A / P-250T / P-450T Air Mover
- Price: £69.99 / £75 / £140
- 350 CFM / 700 CFM / 1600 CFM
These are a similar concept to the Vacmaster, designed to be fan dryers for commercial use.
The XPower P-80A is probably not worth it; it blows less air for the same amount of money as the Vacmaster Air Mover. However, the larger P-250T and P-450T could be worth it. The P-250T seems to be a good buy, only £5 more than the P-80A & Vacmaster while moving a lot more air.
Industrial Floor Fan
The following fans are basically all the same design, big ugly floor fans. You can search for floor fan, industrial fan or box fan and buy whatever is the cheapest/best performing.
Annoyingly, most of the options on Amazon don’t state CFM rating. You may have to risk looking at Amazon reviews to work out how good a fan is. Fans quite basic products so it I can’t imagine many or bad value for money.
Screwfix HF-45A Industrial Floor Fan
- Price: £39.99
- 250 CFM / 118 Ltr/sec
- Size: 18″
Screwfix is always good for affordable commercial equipment. On paper, this seems to provide the best performance for your money out of the floor fans I have found.
Sealey Industrial High Velocity HVD24 & HVD30
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sealey Hvd24 Industrial High Velocity Drum Fan 24 230V | £169.93 | Buy on Amazon | |
| Sealey Hvd30 Industrial High Velocity Drum Fan 30 230V | £256.41 | Buy on Amazon |
- £177 / £243
- 155.3m³/min(5484cfm) / 283.4m³/min(10008cfm)
- Size: 24” or 30”
I am not sure I’d actually recommend this one, you can take things too far sometimes. With a CFM that’s ten times greater than the Vacmaster, this is perhaps a bit extreme. It moves so much air you probably don’t want it too close to you. The noise level is 84dB(A) for the smaller model and 78dB(A) for the bigger, which could be unpleasant in a small room or garage.
MYLEK 20″ High Velocity Floor Fan
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MYLEK High Velocity Floor Fan Air Circulator Industrial... |
£39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
- Price: £59.95
- 98 m3 per hour or 27 l/s
- Size: 20″
This is about the only option I could find on Amazon with some idea of how much air it moves.
Pro Breeze 20″ Chrome Gym Floor Fan
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Breeze® 20" Chrome Gym Floor Fan with 3 Speeds and... |
£59.49 | Buy on Amazon |
- 120W Motor
- Speed: 4.25 m/s
- Price: £79.95
- Size: 20″
Pro Breeze is generally a good option for fans on Amazon. There is no CFM value, though. It will be good, but it is difficult to know how good compared to the Screwfix HF-45A
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
Last update on 2024-04-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Or use your bedroom Dan – or a portable a/c unit.
Cooling is about resetting to your basometabolic rate.
You remove heat by radiation (55%) convection (40%) or conduction. (Percentages are ish)
Fans provide little improvement in radiation – some, as they cool the room. But cooling the room means more differential to increase radiative dispersion. So a/c that blows…. Ideal!