It\u2019s summer. You are sweaty. There\u2019s some unprecedented heat wave that\u2019s even worse than the last unprecedented heat wave. You are uncomfortable. You\u2019re getting sweatier by the second. What do you do?<\/p>\n
This predicament \u2014 one that\u2019s becoming more and more common \u2014 just flat out sucks. But if you have a handheld mini fan on you, the situation can change from \u201cactively horrific\u201d to \u201cless than ideal.\u201d In sweaty circumstances, that\u2019s a miracle. <\/p>\n
Over the last few summers, I\u2019ve bought a handful of random mini fans on Amazon or TikTok Shop. While those $10 to $15 devices have become staples in my summer purse, I noticed that premium brands like Shark and Dyson were rolling out their own handheld fans at much higher price points ($100 to $150). As someone who suffers from the SSRI sweats \u2014 if you know, you know \u2014 I was curious whether these higher-end products are really that much better than the drop-shipped fans I\u2019d bought in summers past.<\/p>\n
The verdict is: they\u2019re all pretty good in their own way! But the best one for you depends on your budget, the size of your go-to summer bag (or pockets), and your tolerance for drawing attention to yourself with a large device blowing air in your face.<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t surprised to find that the Dyson HushJet<\/a> is an exceptionally powerful mini fan \u2014 this company is best known for vacuums, air purifiers, and hair dryers. Dyson knows how to make stuff that blows air! But at about 7 inches tall, the HushJet is the tallest and heaviest device I tried. It will still fit in most purses, but it\u2019s not pocketable.<\/p>\n The HushJet comes with a travel bag, a charging\/desktop stand, a neck lanyard, and a USB-C charger (all of these fans charge via USB-C \u2014 woohoo!).<\/p>\n If my desk weren\u2019t directly below an air vent, I could see myself using this while I work, since it functions so well on a desktop. The neck lanyard looks a little dorky, and I imagined myself wearing it while pushing a stroller at Disney World. This is an odd image, since I don\u2019t have children, but maybe the reason I envisioned a hot day out with kids is because the lanyard frees up your hands? Or, maybe it\u2019s because if I had to give one of these devices to a kid and bet they wouldn\u2019t break it, I\u2019d say the Dyson is the most kid-proof? Unfortunately, the lanyard doesn\u2019t really help the fan blow air at you while you wear it \u2014 you still have to pick it up to direct it at your face.<\/p>\n The HushJet is more powerful than any other mini fan I tried, but that power comes with some noise. Luckily, it has five different power settings, and the lower ones are quieter.<\/p>\n The Shark ChillPill<\/a> is the most expensive fan of the bunch, but to be fair, it also does the most. The ChillPill comes with three attachments: a fan, a water mister, and a cooling plate that you touch to your wrist or temple to help you cool down. Like the Dyson HushJet, the ChillPill can sit up on its own for desktop use. It\u2019s about 4 inches long and about double the width of the other options because of its dual-cylinder design.<\/p>\n I chose to bring the ChillPill with me to a softball tournament, since I knew I\u2019d already be sweaty enough that a mister would benefit me without making me look unnecessarily damp (there is no universe in which I would not appear damp at an all-day outdoor event in the summer). <\/p>\n You just have to pour a tiny bit of water into the attachment and it works great. The cooling plate is interesting, but I personally found the fan more immediately effective \u2014 plus, it has ten speeds!<\/p>\n I might be more inspired to bring the ChillPill with me in my bag if it came with a case for all of its accessories \u2014 I wasn\u2019t really sure what to do with the extra little components. I mostly used the ChillPill with its fan attachment, but I was impressed by the product design when it comes to changing out attachments. There\u2019s a locking mechanism, which you toggle when you want to remove or add a new attachment. It feels secure enough that it would be pretty difficult for an attachment to accidentally fall off or something.<\/p>\n I understand why the ChillPill is as wide as it is \u2014 there\u2019s probably a lot of technical components in there that make the 3-in-1 design possible. The design works for outdoor events like music festivals, sports games, or beach days, but I prefer smaller fans for other circumstances, like when you\u2019re the only one at the bar who thinks it\u2019s a little hot inside, and you feel weird about that.<\/p>\n The JISULIFE 3-in-1 Portable Fan<\/a> was the first mini fan I ever bought, and it\u2019s served me well for the last three years \u2014 it still works just as good as new. I\u2019ve taken it on vacations without AC and found it endlessly valuable. It has a flashlight, though not one that\u2019s any better than your phone flashlight, and a USB plug-in to charge your phone. Of all the fans I tested, the JISULIFE is the weakest (though still decent), and it can be kind of annoying to flip open. Then again, it has little bear ears on it. Does Dyson randomly put little bear ears on its fans? I didn\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n This product isn\u2019t going to knock your socks off. The charging is slow, yet effective. The fan is fine. The light is kind of dim. But it gets the job done well enough that it\u2019s accompanied me on a few \u201cglamping\u201d trips and a trip to Paris during a heat wave. Sure, those trips all took place before I had tried any of these other fans, but I wasn\u2019t sitting around thinking, \u201cGee, I sure wish I had a better fan.\u201d (Rather, I was reflecting on how the most American thing about me is that I love AC.)<\/p>\n The fan is about 4.5 inches when folded, and about 8 inches when using the fan.<\/p>\n While over $250 worth of review unit mini fans sat at home, I couldn\u2019t stop reaching for this random MACMORE fan<\/a> from Amazon when I went out. It\u2019s definitely some sort of sketchy drop-shipping situation \u2014 the images on the listing all look very obviously edited. The company, MACMORE, only lists two products (both mini fans) on Amazon. But what can I say? I love this little thing. I even bedazzled it. (Bedazzling kit sold separately, but highly recommended to maximize whimsy.)<\/p>\n At 4 inches tall, this fan is both the smallest and lightest one I tried. It\u2019s not as strong as the Shark or Dyson fans, but it works well enough that I\u2019m not wishing the fan were stronger. It comes with a removable clip, so you can attach it to your shirt or the strap of a crossbody bag to keep cool, hands-free. Like every other fan, it makes some<\/em> sound, but it\u2019s small and quiet enough that I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m drawing attention to myself when I use it in public.<\/p>\n When it comes down to it, the size (and low price) is probably what makes me love this fan so much. It takes up less space in my purse than my keys, and it fits in a pocket too, so it\u2019s become a staple. But really, this all comes down to personal preference. I\u2019m optimizing for discretion, but maybe you\u2019ll choose to optimize for a fan with the most features or that has little bear ears on it.<\/p>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\nMost powerful: Dyson HushJet ($99)<\/h2>\n
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Most versatile: Shark ChillPill ($149)<\/h2>\n
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Good enough: JISULIFE 3-in-1 Portable Fan ($13)<\/h2>\n
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Best overall: This random fan from Amazon ($15)<\/h2>\n
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