The Do Hiemon Box will cool you down for 20 minutes
It blasts air on you at temperatures of 5°C or 41°F
The units are being sold to construction sites and golf courses
If you're in Japan, you have an alternative to air conditioning units and portable fans when it comes to staying cool in sweltering temperatures: a human-sized refrigerator that you can sit inside when the heatwaves get too much.
This is the Do Hiemon Box from Trusco Nakayama (via The Japan Times), and it'll blast your body with air cooled down to a refreshing 5°C or 41°F — about the same temperature as a chiller in a standard refrigerator.
It requires no installation, can be moved on wheels, and according to Trusco Nakayama it beats other solutions by cooling the entire body down evenly. After 20 minutes, the unit automatically switches off to prevent overcooling, and you're back out into the heat.
As per The Japan Times, a couple of hundred of these units have been sold across construction sites, golf courses, leisure facilities, and university campuses since the chamber went on sale earlier this year.
It'll cost you
You need a standard electrical outlet for this to work, and you also need access to the 1.5 million yen it costs (that's about $9,480 / £7,040 / AU$13,460). These personal cooling machines don't exactly come cheap.
The idea is that you get quick, temporary protection against heat exhaustion and heatstroke — a growing problem in our warming world — rather than using this as an air conditioned office or a space to relax in.
According to a Trusco Nakayama executive speaking to The Japan Times, enquiries about the fridge have come from as far afield as Germany and the US. The company is hoping to find more business at summer festivals and shopping malls.
Before long you might find yourself queuing up for a slot in the human fridge as well as for the loos at your next festival trip — another depressing sign of the consequences of climate change that show no signs of being reversed.
Whether it’s a vacuum cleaner, a hand dryer, an air purifier, or a fan, Dyson products rarely look like anything else on the market — and that’s particularly apparent at the company’s campus in Malmesbury, southwest England, where images of recent launches decorate the walls like modern art. The sprawling complex, in a particularly beautiful patch of Wiltshire countryside, is home to Dyson’s global Research, Design and Development (RDD) center, and the Dyson Institute, where students from around the world study while working alongside engineers on live projects. I visited the center to meet the company’s Chief Engineer Jake Dyson — son of founder Sir James Dyson — and learn more about the company’s approach to design.
Jake Dyson didn’t join his father’s business immediately; instead he set up a workshop and made a name for himself in the world of industrial lighting. Sitting in his office, I asked whether his experience in that sector had contributed to his work at Dyson today.
“Yes, it comes down to identifying problems and solving them,” he explained. “When LEDs first entered the market, I realized people weren’t cooling them properly. The promise of LEDs is that they should last a lifetime, but in reality they were being treated like disposable lightbulbs. I visited Osram in Asia, and they explained that if you keep the diode temperature below about 50C [120F, you can maintain brightness, color quality, and lifespan. That became my goal.
Dyson's unique product designs take center stage at the company's campus in Malmesbury, UK (Image credit: Getty Images / Bloomberg)
“I looked at how satellites manage heat. In space, temperatures swing from extremely hot to extremely cold, so they need precise thermal control. I applied similar thinking by designing systems that passively dissipate heat. For example, the heat moves away from the chip and is cooled by airflow, maintaining a stable temperature even at high power. That process, spotting a problem and solving it, is what drives everything.”
That problem-solving approach has always been the driving force behind the Dyson brand, and explains its unusual portfolio of products; its engineers have never been afraid to venture into new areas when there’s a problem to be solved.
“Sometimes it comes from frustration," said Jake Dyson. "'This product is rubbish, how can we make it better?’ Other times it’s curiosity: ‘Why does this work the way it does?’”
Problem-first design
James Dyson’s book Invention: A Life of Learning Through Failure, describes how the problem-first process led to the creation of many of the company’s most iconic and recognizable products — starting with a humble wheelbarrow. Dyson and his wife Deidre were renovating a house in Gloucestershire, England, and wanted to create a garden, but the traditional tools proved frustrating.
“I used a navy barrow in anger and its limitations became increasingly clear,” writes Dyson. “Cement slopped out of it. Its tubular legs sunk into the ground. It was hard to steer. Its sharp edges damaged doorframes. The more I used it, the more I realized that nobody had really thought about these problems or bothered to fix them.”
After much experimentation with shapes, materials, and manufacturing processes, the result was the Ballbarrow: a molded plastic bucket on a steel frame, with the conventional wheel replaced by a pneumatic ball made from EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate). This spread the weight of the load more evenly on soft ground, and was easier to maneuver than a wheel — and in bright orange, it looked unlike anything else at the time.
Dyson products are always designed to solve a problem — the Airblade hand dryer was created to reduce waste from paper towels in public bathrooms (Image credit: Getty Images, Gado)
The product itself was a success, but due to a series of poor business decisions, Dyson senior eventually lost control of the company he had founded around it, Kirk-Dyson, and was ultimately kicked out by the other shareholders.
“I had lost five years of work by not valuing my creation,” he wrote. “I had failed to protect the one thing that was most valuable to me.”
It was a painful experience, but one he learned from as he pressed on with identifying and solving problems — starting with the creation of the first cyclonic vacuum cleaner, which he designed after realizing that dust bags don’t just serve to collect dust — they also act as filters that block airflow, drastically reducing suction power.
“I remembered the same clogging problem on the calico cloth with the powder coating in the Ballbarrow factory and the giant cyclone we had made to solve it,” he wrote. “What if I could develop a much smaller version and replace the clogging bag in a vacuum cleaner?”
Thousands of prototypes later (5,127 to be precise), he had the world’s first bagless vacuum — and a vast collection of patents to protect it.
The Dyson Supersonic was created to solve the problem of heavy and cumbersome hair dryers, with a lighter motor and a center of gravity that sits in your palm (Image credit: Future)
Dyson’s understanding of airflow and cyclonic technology has informed almost all of the company’s subsequent products; but like the vacuum, each one started with a problem. The Dyson Airblade hand dryer was created to reduce waste paper towels; the Airmultiplier fan solved the issue of ‘choppy’ air from conventional fan blades; the Pure Hot+Cool purifier was made to tackle indoor air pollution; and the Supersonic hairdryer solved the problem of heavy and uncomfortable hairdryers with weighty motors.
In every case, the form of the finished product was dictated by the problem it was designed to solve — even if the result looked totally unlike established versions of the device.
“That’s why Dyson products often look unusual; they’re built around their function,” said Jake Dyson in his Malmesbury office. “They’re also beautiful. A hair dryer has a hole through it because of how the airflow works. Fans and other products expose their engineering principles through the way they look — we’re not hiding how things work, we’re expressing it.”
Creative color
Those unusual designs are often set off by equally unusual color schemes, which tend to highlight buttons, switches, removable canisters, and other functional parts.
“We have a team here, CMF, which is colors, materials and finishes, that look into the appearance but also materials of our products," said Jake Dyson.
The CMF team doesn’t just draw on experience from successful projects, but also failed ones like the cancelled Dyson electric car, which provided finish and material ideas for many of the company’s health and beauty devices.
Most recently, CMF lent its expertise to Dyson's first hand-held fan — the Dyson HushHet Mini Cool — which launched just in time for a series of heatwaves in the UK. It sold out almost immediately, and after testing it myself, I can see why; it’s compact, much more powerful than its closest rival, the Shark ChillPill, and more affordable to boot.
“We’ve seen strong demand [for the HushHet Mini Cool], and it’s one of those products where people don’t initially realize they need it but once they try it, they understand the value,” said Jake Dyson. “It’s designed to be reusable, not disposable like cheaper alternatives. I've seen people with the cheap plastic fans that break very [easily], but we wanted ours to be well engineered, durable, quiet and efficient.
The Dyson HushJet Mini Cool fan is the company's latest product, and proved enormously popular during a hot British summer (Image credit: Future)
“We’re working on scaling production, but demand has been very strong, so availability can sometimes be limited. That said, it is coming back to market.”
So what does the future hold? The company is investigating ways to use AI where it will actually add value, helping machines interpret data and make better decisions, and Jake Dyson says that "vision systems and new product directions" are the most exciting areas for him.
"We’ve historically been very strong in mechanical engineering motors, airflow, performance. But now, adding cameras and vision systems allows machines to detect what they’re looking at, understand it and act accordingly.
"That opens up entirely new categories of products and capabilities, so we’re moving from purely mechanical devices to machines that can see, think, and respond, and that’s where the next wave of innovation is coming from."
It'll be fascinating to see which problems the company will be looking to solve with those new technologies, and there's no way of knowing what the next generation of Dyson products will look like as the company expands into new areas. We'll just have to wait and see — but it's definitely not going to be boring.
Fans and portable air conditioners have been flying off the shelves this summer, but are you getting the most from yours? I asked three leading figures in the cooling-tech industry — Chris Michael, Air Treatment Expert and Co-Founder of Meaco, Ciaran Murphy, CEO of Dimplex, and Norlan Cai, Marketing Director at DREO — for their expert advice on keeping our homes cool and comfortable this summer.
Here, they'll share their tips on how to get the best performance from fans and personal air conditioners — and the experts agree that using both together will provide optimum results.
“Fans don't lower the temperature of a room, but they do help you feel cooler by circulating air,” explains Ciaran Murphy. “Pairing a fan with a portable air conditioner can help distribute cool air more effectively throughout the space."
“If you’re cooling a large room or trying to share AC draft between two connected rooms, use a fan to accelerate airflow and spread the cool air quickly,” adds Norlan Cai, who says the fan-and-AC combo is particularly effective in poorly insulated spaces.
“For high-sunlight areas (like conservatories), pairing a fan with your AC provides an immediate wind-chill effect to keep you feeling cool,” he says. “If running an AC alone leaves your room feeling cold yet stuffy, adding a fan introduces a dynamic breeze that feels much more refreshed and natural.”
Don’t worry if you’ve been unable to get hold of a portable air conditioner, though — a fan can still be effective by itself, if you use it the right way...
Optimize your fan
1. Choose the right model
First of all, make sure you choose the best possible fan for your room. It might be tempting to opt for a budget-friendly table fan, but Cai advises thinking bigger and choosing a versatile tower fan instead.
“Tower fans generally deliver a softer, wider, and more gentle breeze compared to traditional pedestal fans or high-velocity air circulators,” he says. “This makes them ideal for direct, comfortable personal cooling — especially while sleeping or working.
A tower fan like the Dreo Smart Tower Fan 519S will produce a soft, gentle breeze — and if it oscillates, so much the better (Image credit: Future)
2. Create a draft
In the evening, your fan can bring the indoor temperature down rapidly by pulling in cooler air.
“When the temperature outside drops below the indoor temperature, open windows on opposite sides of the room or home,” says Chris Michael. “Position the fan near one window to help draw cooler air in and move warmer, stale air out through the other.
The MeacoFan Sefte 8in has a dedicated night mode that turns off its lights and beeps, and gradually reduces speed to help you sleep (Image credit: Future)
3. Adjust the angle
The angle of your fan can also have a big impact on its effectiveness, so try to focus it where people are sitting or standing for the best cooling effect.
“A fan cools people by moving air across the skin, so position it to direct the breeze towards the occupied part of the room,” says Michael. “If several people need cooling, use side-to-side oscillation. Combining horizontal and vertical oscillation will distribute the airflow more widely.”
Fans like the Dimplex FlexBlade have dedicated night modes that reduce the power, turn off the lights, and silence the beeps (Image credit: Dimplex, edited by Adobe Firefly)
4. Set a sleep timer
During a heatwave, a good quality fan can make the difference between being sweaty and sleepless, and getting a proper night’s rest — but there’s no need to simply switch it on and leave it running.
“Use a timer to run the fan while you fall asleep without leaving it on unnecessarily throughout the night,” advises Chris Michael. “If a direct breeze feels uncomfortable, angle the fan towards a wall or ceiling to circulate the air more gently around the bedroom.”
Optimize your portable AC
1. Choose dual hoses (or a converter)
When you’re shopping for a portable air conditioning unit, you’ll notice that there are two types: single- and dual-hose. Dual-hose units use one hose to pull air in from outside to cool the unit and another to push the hot air out. Single-hose units only have an exhaust hose, which creates negative pressure in the room and can pull in warm air from the rest of the house.
“Dual-hose systems offer superior cooling and better energy efficiency compared to standard single-hose units because they avoid drawing warm air back into the room,” explains Cai. “If you own a single-hose unit, you can convert it into a dual-hose system either via DIY solutions or by using our official Dreo Dual-Hose Accessory Kit.”
Closing blinds during the day will help keep rooms cooler, so your portable AC doesn't have to work as hard (Image credit: Getty Images / aquaArts Studio)
2. Keep the temperature stable
Your portable air conditioner will be most effective if you can avoid the room getting too hot in the first place and use it proactively to keep the space at a comfortable temperature during the day.
“Closing blinds, curtains or shutters during the hottest part of the day can help keep indoor temperatures down,” advises Murphy. “The less heat that enters your home, the less work your cooling appliances need to do.”
Michael agrees that keeping windows covered is important, and advises starting your AC early so it doesn’t have to work overtime. “Start cooling the room before it becomes uncomfortably hot rather than waiting until bedtime,” he says. “Keep windows and doors closed while the air conditioner runs and switch off electrical equipment that generates unnecessary heat.”
All the experts recommend keeping your room at a consistent temperature, rather than allowing it to heat up, then trying to cool it down quickly by cranking up the air conditioner.
“Many people assume setting their air conditioner to its coldest setting will cool a room faster, but that’s rarely the case,” says Murphy. Instead of letting temperatures rise and then trying to cool the space down again, aim for a comfortable, consistent temperature.
“Maintaining a steady setting is often more effective for both comfort and energy efficiency, helping you stay cool while keeping energy use under control.
Even great air conditioners like Meaco's Cirro series will benefit from proper venting (Image credit: Meaco)
3. Vent hot air properly
Portable air conditioners remove heat through their exhaust hose, so it’s important to ensure this fits properly and isn’t allowing hot air to leak back into the room.
“Keep the hose as short and straight as possible, with no sharp bends or kinks, and use a window kit to seal gaps around the opening,” says Michael. “Poorly fitted ducting allows warm air back into the room and reduces cooling performance.”
Cai agrees, and suggests some practical ways to ensure the warm air is vented properly — both in the short term, and if you’re planning to move to a more energy-efficient house in the future.
“Even the best portable AC will struggle if cool air is escaping,” he says. “Keep doors and windows tightly closed during operation to lock in the chill. Thermal insulation matters: thicker walls and energy-efficient window glazing significantly reduce outdoor heat transfer, allowing your room to get cooler faster and stay cold longer.”
4. Keep your space tidy
Dust and clutter can restrict airflow to your portable AC unit, making it work harder than necessary and reducing its performance. A little housekeeping will go a long way when it comes to keeping your home feeling comfortable in the summer.
“Good airflow is essential for effective cooling,” says Ciaran Murphy. “Make sure fans, portable air conditioners and vents aren't blocked by furniture, curtains or other household items, as restricted airflow can seriously impact performance.”
Murphy also recommends cleaning or replacing your AC unit’s filters regularly to maintain strong airflow, improve efficiency and ensure you're getting the best possible performance from your unit - advice that Chris Michael echoes.
“Vacuum the filters around every two weeks during regular summer use and make sure furniture, curtains and other objects do not obstruct the air inlet or cool-air outlet,” he says.
5. Choose the right angle
Finally, remember that as with a fan, the direction of your air conditioner’s air vent can have a big impact on its effectiveness.
Cold air naturally sinks (while warm air rises),” says Norlan Cai. “ Directing your AC’s air vent upward allows the cold air to sink gradually, creating an even, top-to-bottom cooling effect throughout the entire room.”
Dimplex FlexBlade Multi-Directional Bladeless Fan: two minute review
Vertically aligning the fan vents makes the FlexBlade easy to store. (Image credit: Future)
Specifications
Type: Tower
Speeds: 5
Oscillation: horizontal 30, 60, or 90 degrees
Vertical tilt: each blade can rotate 180 degrees
Dimensions (H x W x D): 32.6 x 27.9 x 14.6 inches / 82.8 x 70.8 x 37cm (blades horizontal), 43.1 x 12.6 x 14.6 inches / 109.5 x 32 x 37cm (blades vertical)
Controls: power, speed, timer, plus remote control
Noise level: 36dB to 58dB
The Dimplex FlexBlade isn't your traditional tower fan, although you can use it as one. It's bladeless, Dyson-style, so it delivers smooth airflow without the buffeting of a bladed fan.
The design is very flexible, enabling you to use it as a T-shaped floor fan, a vertical pedestal fan, or any angle in between. Air comes out of two wide vents, and those vents can be rotated 90 degrees in either direction so that you can have wider airflow or cool two areas simultaneously. That could be useful in shared spaces such as offices, although as the fan's stand isn't telescopic, one of you will get a cool back while the other gets cool legs.
The FlexBlade looks like it'll be extremely powerful but the strength of airflow drops off quickly with distance, so at full power with both blades pointing forward it felt like a breeze at three meters. It's fairly quiet, though, and delivers similar airflow and noise levels to our trusty Dyson Hot+Cool fan.
This isn't the most powerful floor fan we've tested by any means but it does move a decent amount of air and that flexible design makes it useful for multiple applications, such as the bedroom at night and home office or living room during the day.
The FlexBlade is very wide in horizontal mode but you can angle it through 90 degrees. (Image credit: Future)
Dimplex FlexBlade fan review: price and availability
Launched June 2026
UK only
£199.99 (about $160 / AU$230)
With fortunate timing, the FlexBlade launched during a month of record-breaking heat in the UK. The Dimplex FlexBlade Multi-Directional Bladeless Fan launched in the UK in June 2026 with a recommended retail price of £199.99 (about $160 / AU$230). It isn't currently available in Australia, and Dimplex doesn't sell its home cooling products in the US.
I'm writing this as more really hot weather is toasting the UK, so I need to temper my usual buying advice with the fact that for many people the only criteria for a fan right now are 'will it cool me down?' and 'is it in stock?', to which the answers are yes and at the time of writing, yes. But I would point out that Dimplex dropped the price to just £123 for Amazon Prime Day 2026, so if you're not reading this in sweltering temperatures you can expect similar discounts in the cooler months when demand sags.
Value for money: 4/5
The two vent arms can be manually rotated independently to blow air in two directions (Image credit: Future)
Dimplex FlexBlade fan review: design
Horizontal and vertical adjustment
Horizontal oscillation
Simple but effective controls
I can't talk about the design of the Dimplex FlexBlade without addressing the elephant in the room, or rather the Shark: the Shark TurboBlade cooling fan, which seems to have inspired Dimplex's designers. Both have a propeller-esque T-shaped design with two independent, rotatable bladeless vents. Both can pivot from horizontal to vertical mode. Both project air up to 20 meters. Both have a magnetic remote control. Both have a quiet sleep mode. And both have multiple speed settings: 10 for the Shark and five for the Dimplex. I think the Shark is a little nicer looking, more flexible thanks to its telescopic pole and less top-heavy — the Dimplex wobbles a bit when you touch it — but it's also £50 (about $70 / AU$100) more expensive when it's not in the sales.
The FlexBlade arrives in six parts: the main motor unit, a two-part riser with a heavy base, and the two vents. It's simple and quick to put together – the only tool required is the provided Allen key for securing the base — and the remote attaches magnetically to the top of the unit so it's always handy.
The FlexBlade can be angled horizontally, vertically or in between, and it oscillates up to 90 degrees. (Image credit: Future)
Controls are kept to a minimum on the fan itself: power/speed, oscillation and timer. The remote is simple too, with the addition of dedicated speed up/down buttons, a full speed button and a sleep mode button to put the fan into its lowest power state overnight.
The T-shaped, two-vent design delivers a lot of flexibility. You can't adjust the 1.1m height of the main motor unit but you can position the two blades vertically, horizontally or in between, and you can rotate them independently up to 180 degrees to push air in two opposite directions at once. The rotating blades are a little stiff but not awkwardly so. The blade adjustments are manual but the fan itself can oscillate automatically, delivering horizontal oscillation of 30, 60 or 90 degrees.
Design: 4/5
The on-board controls are simple: timer, power/speed and oscillation.FutureThe illuminated dots on the front show the current fan speed. There are five settings.Future
Dimplex FlexBlade fan review: performance
Oscillation and adjustable vents
Quieter than similar rivals
Best experienced reasonably close
The Dimplex promises airflow in excess of 6m/s with a 20-meter range and 90-degree sweep, but at full power with both blades pointed directly at me from three meters away it felt like a very mild breeze. At that distance and with the blades arranged vertically the remote control was very hit and miss.
The FlexBlade comes with a straightforward remote control. (Image credit: Future)
The Dimplex is a bit quieter than the Shark – Dimplex's figures say it's 36dB at its lowest setting and 58dB at full pelt, compared to the Shark's 40dB to 66dB – but it still gets loud at higher fan speeds with the telltale whoosh we've come to expect from bladeless fans. It's not Dyson hand dryer loud at full power, though; it's more like a hair dryer on a very low setting.
I compared the Dimplex's airflow to two other room fans: a Dyson Pure Hot + Cool and a Meaco Sefte 10-inch air circulator. Both the Dimplex and the Dyson are bladeless and moved air a similar distance with similar noise levels, although the Dyson's wider diffusion mode made its output quieter at the expense of focused air. But the Meaco was quieter than both and delivered significantly stronger airflow across a large living room.
Performance: 3/5
The FlexBlade has a magnetic perch to keep the remote handy. (Image credit: Future)
Dimplex FlexBlade fan review: should you buy it?
Value
Previous Prime Day pricing suggests that the list price is a little high.
3/5
Design
It looks very like a Shark, but it's well made and feels solid; controls are straightforward and the flexible airflow is clever.
4/5
Performance
Not as powerful as it looks, and venting in two directions reduces airflow in each direction.
3/5
Buy it if...
You like to share
Unlike traditional fans the FlexBlade can cool in two directions simultaneously with or without oscillation.
You like planes
The twin-blade design resembles a propellor or wings, and arranged vertically it looks like something from a space programme.
You need flexibility
It's easy to direct air exactly where you need it to go.View Deal
Don't buy it if...
You want all the airflow
Bi-directional venting inevitably mean splitting the output in two.
Your space is big
An air circulator is likely to do a better job cooling large rooms and similarly big spaces.
You like a bargain
The Dimplex FlexBlade was much cheaper during Prime Day 2026.
Dimplex FlexBlade fan review: also consider
Meaco Sefte 8in Portable Air Circulator
The Shark TurboBlade is the closest rival in terms of this kind of design. But if you don't need the bi-directional air of the Dimplex or Shark I'm an evangelist for Meaco's Sefte table and pedestal air circulators, of which I've bought three so far for my family. They're astonishingly quiet, very powerful and oscillate both vertically and horizontally to really move air around the room.
Unfortunately the big ones are sold out and apparently won't be back in stock until October 2026. However, there is an eight-inch rechargeable model with a list price of £79.99 (about $110 / AU$150) that's in stock at the time of writing. It pushes air up to 17 meters and runs as quietly as 27dB.View Deal
Dimplex FlexBlade fan review: how we tested
I tested the FlexBlade for a week at my home in Scotland during July 2026's UK heatwave. Scotland escaped the worst, because while England boiled the temperatures here were milder, peaking at 27ºC / 80.6ºF. That's hot enough to need a powerful fan but not so hot that I was crawling into my freezer or taking cold showers fully clothed.
I work from home in a long downstairs room that gets sunshine from both directions during the day, and that means it's often warmer inside than out – especially in the evening, as UK homes are typically made to retain heat rather than reflect it. I tested the FlexBlade as a daytime fan in my living room/office and as a bedroom fan overnight to see if it could keep me cool during the day, cool my family in the evening and help me sleep better at night.
The Shark ChillPill is one of the best personal fans around, but it's selling out fast, and if you want to grab one for delivery this week you'll have to be quick. Right now the only option available for rapid delivery is the Shark ChillPill in Dragonfruit for £129 at Amazon.
The Shark ChillPill three-in-one fan has been flying off the virtual shelves this summer, and at the time of writing, the only color available for next-day delivery at Amazon is the hot pink Dragonfruit version.
I've been keeping a close eye on stocks of various fans during this summer's heatwaves, and personal coolers have been especially popular. In fact, according to a report published by the Guardian this morning, Britons are expected to buy eight million mini fans this year. Most of those will be cheap, low-quality devices sold for just a couple of pounds or even given away free, and last year it was calculated that 55% ended up in landfill.
You certainly don't have to spend £129 on a fan to keep yourself comfortable, and there are many cheaper options available. However much you spend though, it's worth taking care of it, and hanging onto it for as long as possible to prevent unnecessary e-waste — and to make sure you're ready when the temperature starts to climb again next year.
Hands-on with the ChillPill
If you do opt for the ChillPill, I think you'll be pleased. It's a compact and lightweight fan with 10 different speed settings, and a choice of three attachments: the standard fan, a misting fan with its own water reservoir, and a cooling plate to place against pulse points when you're getting uncomfortably warm.
I bought a ChillPill myself after trying one out, and it's been very welcome during my daily office commute — particularly when the train is replaced by a bus service. The misting attachment is especially effective, and can be filled from your drinking water bottle, though I recommend using the intermittent mode rather than continuous misting so the reservoir lasts longer between fills.
For more cooling options, take a look at our complete list of the best fans, which includes plenty of desk, standing, and tower fans to keep you comfortable at home.
Fan technology has made huge leaps in recent years, with more powerful and quieter motors, misting attachments, and AI-powered person-tracking all promising to keep you extra cool when the weather warms up. But which fans actually deliver, and actually keep you feeling refreshed on sticky summer days?
We test dozens of new fans every year on TechRadar, and to help you pick the best one for you, I've rounded up the five that have really impressed me over the first half of this year, from brands including Shark, Dyson, and Dreo.
Dyson HushJet Mini Cool
FutureFutureFutureFutureFuture
Release date: April 2026
Score: 5/5
It's a lot pricier than your average handheld fan, but the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool is also a lot more powerful, and unlike flimsy plastic devices, it's built to keep you cool for many summers to come. Despite its small size, the HushJet Mini really packs a punch, even on its lowest setting, and the highest options feel like a cold hairdryer blowing in your face. It's comfortable to hold, can stand on its end for use as a desk fan, and comes with a strap that lets you wear it around your neck. You can twist the angled nozzle to aim the airflow directly at your face and neck for quick relief on sweaty days.
Dyson claims battery life of up to six hours, but in my tests it continued running for almost exactly six and a half, which is impressive for such a compact device that shifts a lot of air even on its lowest setting. It's not quite as quiet as the Shark ChillPill below, despite Dyson's HushJet nozzle, but that's understandable considering it's basically a portable tornado.
Another excellent handheld fan, the Shark ChillPill has a unique twisting design that lets you place it on a desk and angle the airflow at your face, plus three different cooling attachments: a regular fan, a misting fan (with a small reservoir for water), and a metal cooling plate that you can press against pulse points. The misting feature is my personal favorite, with continual and intermittent options — the spray is fine enough to evaporate on contact so it won't make your hair and clothes wet.
It loses half a star compared to the Dyson fan due to its higher price tag and less powerful motor — the ChillPill can reach up to 25,000rpm, while the HushJet Mini Cool can reach 65,000rpm — but the Shark is quieter. During my tests it ranged from 46dB on its lowest setting through to 67dB on the highest, making it a more discreet option in public.
Air circulators are designed to move a large volume of air around a room rather than direct a focused stream in your direction, and the 10-inch version of the MecoFan Sefte Pro does this extremely well. You can run it directly from the mains, or from its rechargeable battery, so you can carry it around the house with you. This works particularly well when paired with the Sefte Pro's Eco mode, which adjusts the air circulator's power depending on the temperature.
I used the MeacoFan Sefte Pro during the last heatwave, and it was a real life-saver at night. Its sleep mode is almost silent, and its remote control means you don't need to get out of bed to activate it, and it's also available as a pedestal fan if you prefer. The biggest drawback is that it's not currently available outside Europe.
The Dreo Smart Misting Fan 516S is another fan that keeps you extra cool with a super-fine spray of water, and our reviewer Harry Padoan said that "it added a nice degree of coolness without making any mess or feeling too intense". The 1.3-liter tank is large enough to keep misting for hours on end, and it's easy to switch to fan-only mode once you've had enough.
It's very reasonably priced too, coming in at $99.99 / £99.99 (about AU$140). That's not bad at all for a misting fan with app controls, and compatibility with both Amazon Alexa and Google Home, so you can operate it using voice commands.
Its lowest mode is quiet enough to avoid disturbing your sleep, though Harry found the turbo option loud enough to break his concentration, so it's best reserved for exceptionally sticky days when you want to just slump on a chair and do nothing.
As you can guess from the name, this fan's key selling point is its ability to detect motion and follow you around the room, so you're never beyond range of its refreshing jet of air, even when you're doing chores, working out, or pottering about the kitchen — all of which are usually extremely unpleasant in hot weather. Paired with its extra-wide range of motion, this could make it the only fan you need.
It has Dyson's signature bladeless design, and our reviewer John McCann said it "delivers smooth air flow that feels like a natural breeze moving through your home, rather than the harsh buffeting you get from some other propeller and tower fans." It's extremely quiet at night (dropping to as low as 20dB), but delivers real cooling power as well.
It's the most expensive fan in this roundup (indeed, it's one of the priciest fan/air purifier combos on the market) but it's hard to argue with its sheer performance. If you've got the budget to spare, it's packed with premium features that really work. I only wish it offered vertical oscillation as well as horizontal.
While the heatwave is over for some, this past week's extreme weather has really highlighted that a good fan is worth its weight in gold. What do you get with so many options on the market, however?
Well, one of the best options this week has to be the Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool for $689.99 (was $849.99) at the official Dyson Store. It's a pricey buy, yes, but this innovative fan seriously impressed us when we reviewed it last month, so it's an easy recommendation if you've got deep pockets.
Despite the price, this is no ordinary fan. The Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool combines an in-built HEPA filter with unique person tracking technology. Put simply, it's able to follow you around the room, while allergy sufferers will appreciate its ability to keep the air free of pollen, dust, or other allergens.
Today's price at Dyson is likely a record low, considering this fan has just come out. Although it's still a pricey buy for a fan (or any appliance, for that matter), this deal definitely makes this excellent fan a more compelling option overall.
Today's best Dyson Find+Follow deal
The Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool is a pricey buy, but a great deal at the official Dyson Store this week makes this the premium fan to get right now. Combining an in-built HEPA H13-grade and K-Carbon filter with an innovative tracking motion that follows you around the room, the Dyson Find+Follow is an impressive all-in-one solution if you want to stay cool this summer — especially if you suffer from allergies.View Deal
Is the Dyson Find+Follow worth it?
(Image credit: Future)
It really depends on your use case, but we were definitely impressed by the Dyson Find+Flow when we reviewed it. For us, the main selling points here are the whisper-quiet operation, excellent air filtering, and lovely premium design.
The air purification in particular is very effective, as it not only cleans the air of allergens and bacteria, but it can also filter smells due to the K-carbon filter. In operation, the Find+Follow is very unobtrusive, with a more natural breeze-like airflow rather than a harsh buffeting.
In terms of tracking, we found the Find+Follow to be relatively accurate and effective with clear sight lines. It's quite a neat trick, but it's also one that you can easily switch on and off remotely. When you're not in the room, the fan will also either revert to a dormant mode or a typical fan-like 360 operation, so it's an efficient setup indeed.
Shark makes some of the best fans we've tested here at TechRadar, including several models that spray a super-fine mist of water that evaporates on contact with your skin for an enhanced cooling effect. Interested? Good news: there's a sale happening right now at Amazon, with big discounts on three of my favorite misting models.
My personal top pick is the Shark ChillPill, which is now $99.99 at Amazon (was $129,.99). This is the same as its Amazon Prime Day price, but this time you don't need to be a Prime member to get the deal. The ChillPill is a pocket-sized fan designed for use on the move, and comes with three attachments: a regular fan, a misting fan with a built-in water reservoir, and a metal cooling plate to use on pulse points when you need fast relief. Check out our full Shark ChillPill review for more details.
Want a full-size fan to keep you comfortable at home? The Shark FlexBreeze Pro Mist is now just $179,99 at Amazon (was $249.99), with its extra-large water tank and rechargeable battery so you can carry it around the house, or even use it in the yard. It comes with two bases too, so you can use it as a standing fan when you're working in the kitchen or watching TV, and a table fan when you're at your computer.
Today's best Shark misting fan deals
The ChillPill is back down to its Amazon Prime Day price right now, but this time you don't need to be a Prime member to save $30 off the list price.View Deal
Get a huge $70 off this super-versatile fan, with an extra-large water tank that enables it to spray an extra-fine mist for hours. This is just a few dollars off its lowest-ever price.View Deal
We gave this powerful portable misting fan four stars out of five, and it's 15% off if you grab it now. You might need to add it to your basket to see the discount.View Deal
Looking for a great deal on a Shark fan, but don't think you'll use the misting feature? Good news: the original version of the Shark FlexBreeze is also on offer, with a $30 summer price cut. Like the FlexBreeze Pro it has a rechargeable battery so you can take it anywhere indoors or out, and it can be used as a standing fan or a table fan by simply swapping the base.
Similar to the FlexBreeze Pro above, but without the misting feature, this cordless oscillating fan has received a $30 summer price cut at Amazon.View Deal
If you're not in the US, here are today's best offers on Shark fans where you are.
The temperature is rising again, and fans are selling out fast, but you don't need to settle for something sub-par that will just waft warm air around. I've done the hard work for you, combing through online stores to bring you a list of eight top-quality fans from big names that are ready to dispatch right now — and they're all under £100.
There's something for every room here, including compact desktop fans for working, and extra-quiet tower fans to help you sleep better at night, plus lightweight handheld fans to keep you comfortable on the move,
Remember, they're likely to sell out fast as the temperature climbs, so I'd recommend grabbing one while you can. Personally, I've just opted for the MeacoFan Sefte 8in Air Circulator, which moves a large volume of air and is ideal for bringing the night breeze indoors when the temperature drops outside in the evening. Which one will you pick?
Planning permission isn't usually required unless you're in a conservation area or listed building
Cooling-only systems aren't covered by permitted development rules
If in doubt, speak to your council
If you're looking for a way to avoid the sweltering heat of yet another heatwave arriving soon, air conditioning looks awfully tempting – so much so that in the UK, portable AC units are sold out almost everywhere or going for silly money on eBay, while air con installers are booked far into the future.
With future summers expected to get even hotter, many of us are now looking into fully installed AC as a long-term investment for our homes and our health, and that means we're likely to encounter a lot of confusion and misinformation about what you can and cannot do under UK planning and building regulations.
That confusion has been partly fuelled by social media and very misleading newspaper headlines suggesting that Net Zero-crazed councils are demanding innocent homeowners 'RIP OUT' their expensive installations.
The UK government's ministry of housing, communities and local government (MHCLG) says that such coverage is incorrect. "In most cases, planning permission is not required to install [air con] for a small home if it would not materially effect the appearance of the building from outside."
The most sensational headlines have been about air con in London and reference the London Plan, a city-specific rule that prioritises passive cooling and discourages extensive use of air con due to the heat it emits outside, which can contribute to heat islands in built-up areas.
As a spokesperson for the Mayor of London told The Telegraph: "The current London Plan does not rule out air conditioning — its policy is only applicable to major developments and requires new developments to address overheating risk from the outset — through measures such as shading, ventilation and other cooling design features."
If you look at the detail of the newspaper stories you'll typically find that the problem wasn't the air con itself, but how and where it was installed.
The problem is that even the the Government's press release above saying "Air conditioning units are not banned" also then says "However, there is no blanket rule. People should speak with their local council to check the rules, and councils should take a common-sense approach." So that' doesn't exactly totally clear things up — but there are basic rules that apply broadly, which are then changed depending on the local council situation.
So here's an overview of what rules you need to know about when you're considering investing in permanent air conditioning, so you at least know where you're starting from, and you can look into your area's circumstances from there.
In this article we'll be focusing exclusively on adding domestic air con to an existing residential home that you own. If your home is a leasehold in England you may need to obtain the freeholder's consent in addition to the other criteria.
What kind of home you have matters
The rules depend very much on what kind of home you have. If you're in a listed building you'll definitely need to apply for listed building consent; if you're in a conservation area, there will be restrictions on changing the appearance of your home, so there will be limits as to where you can place the external unit on the outside of your home.
If your home is neither listed nor in a conservation area, then the rules are largely common sense: under the rules for 'Permitted Developments' you don't need planning permission provided your air con meets some reasonably straightforward technical and location criteria.
The specific criteria are similar across the UK and I've linked to them here:
If you're not sure if your system meets the permitted development criteria, we'd strongly recommend a chat with your local council's planning department: get it wrong and the council can make you remove the system at your own expense. You don't want to make what could be a very expensive mistake.
What are the core rules for home air conditioners in the UK?
The basic rules (before you get into conversation areas, and so on) differ depending on the kind of air conditioning you're thinking of installing.
If your air conditioner can heat as well as cool then it's generally allowed under Permitted Development rules under their Class G permissions, which are enforced by your local council on a common-sense basis.
Provided your external condenser unit (the part of an installed air con that goes outdoors) or heat pump isn't too big, too loud, too visible or too close to your neighbours, you don't usually need planning permission.
That's not the case if the air conditioner cools but doesn't also have a heating element. You need planning permission for that, and councils are keen to discourage such installations.
How big can your aircon be in the UK?
The Class G permissions allow you to install air con on your property or its "curtilage", which is the land associated with and immediately surrounding it including additional buildings. If you live in a castle the curtilage is anything inside the castle walls; if you're in a semi-detached the curtilage usually means your garden, driveway and garage, if you have one.
Most modern air con systems are Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP), which means they can both cool and heat the air they take in and expel.
The Class G permissions were revised in 2025 to specifically include the exterior units of ASHPs, and they state that in a permitted development:
You can have up to two ASHPs on a detached house or bungalow
If you live in a semi-detached or terraced house, you may only have one ASHP
If you live in a block of two flats or more, that also limits you to one ASHP
For a terraced, semi-detached or detached house the ASHP must not be bigger than 1.5 cubic metres. For flats the limit is 0.6 cubic metres.
A cubic metre is 1m wide, 1m tall and 1m deep. That's bigger than a freestanding fridge: sizes differ by manufacturer and product, but as an example the outdoor units for Toshiba's current RAS multi-split air conditioners range from 0.12m³ to 0.25m³ with the very largest model coming in at 890 x 900 x 320mm — that fits easily within the house regulations.
What kind of air conditioner can I install?
Under Class G your equipment must comply with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, or MCS for short. The regulations are a bit odd here because while an air source heat pump must comply with the MCS, it doesn't need to have a certificate. The details of the MCS are online here.
Where can I install my air conditioner?
The rule preventing you from installing your external unit within 1m of neighbouring properties has been scrapped. However, your installation must not negatively impact your neighbours with noise: the noise level of your external unit cannot exceed 42 decibels measured at one metre from your nearest neighbour's front door or window. MCS-compliant units will not exceed that limit.
You can't install the external unit on a pitched roof, or within a metre of the edge of a flat roof.
If you're not in a conservation area or listed building, you may install the external unit on the front wall provided it's on the ground floor.
If you're in a conservation area you cannot install an external unit on any elevation that faces a highway.
The location of your external unit is where the common-sense criteria come in: the external unit, its cabling and any ducting must be sited in such a way that it is "so far as practicable, sited so as to minimise its effect on the external appearance of the building" and sited "so as to minimise its effect on the amenity of the area".
If you have a wind turbine in your garden you're out of luck: Class G doesn't give permission for any air con installation for properties with a turbine within their curtilage.
Your air con installer will be well aware of the regulations and should be able to ensure that your air con meets all the relevant requirements, but if you have any doubts please do talk to your local council's planning officers, because again you really don't want them to actually have cause to force you to remove it.
What do I do to make sure there aren't special rules in my area?
Your council will likely have a whole website dedicated to helping with planning information, including potentially a map showing whether your home is included in any conservation areas, and what the specific orders around those areas are, so you can work out whether they'd affect air con installation.
If not, or if it's still unclear, you council will have a system for enquiries around planning permission, so you can ask if what you're planning needs a permit without going through the process — and it means that if you need one, they can tell you exactly what's needed.
I think it's safe to say that a large majority of the British public have been struggling to get through their daily lives in this extreme summer weather, but if you're a freak for the heat, well, props to you.
Since it's Amazon Prime Day, everyone has been racing to try and get their hands on the best fans before the online retailer is completely ransacked, but we've just spotted this fan and air conditioner hybrid (it's more of an air cooler) for less than £100, and it's quite a steal if you ask me.
One of the few remaining air coolers on Amazon is the Midea 5L 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner, an evaporative air cooler that's now at £89.99 from £93.49. While we haven't had the chance to test it out yet, there's no denying that this is an affordable price point for most people who are searching for the key to cooling their home. But in spite of its undoubtedly handy features, there's something you should know before you add it to your basket.
Today's best Midea 5L Air Cooler deal
This is more than a standard oscillating fan, it uses water to project a cold breeze into a humid room which, given this heat, sounds like a dream on paper. And it's not too expensive either compared to the likes of the premium range of Dyson fans, which are well into the triple figures. View Deal
Price aside, the Midea 3-in-1 fan does come with some functional perks, the main ones being its fan, humidifier, and cooling settings, giving you a variety of options depending on your need.
Its large 5-litre tank is a plentiful, and when it's filled to the top, you can make the most of its air-cooling properties for up to 12 hours each day before refilling, so that way, you're not constantly patrolling back and forth to fill it up. You can also choose from three speeds and two operation modes, normal and natural, to adjust the air flow to your comfort.
Sounds great for its price point right? And it is, but the only caveat is that it adds moisture to your air which, when it gets quite humid in the summer months, can make the air feel even hotter. Therefore, the more moisture added to the air in your home, the more moisture in the air the heat has to work with.
In short, evaporative air coolers like this one will solve your issues in dry heat, but as for humid heat (which it currently is in the UK), the results may not be the same. If this has swayed you in the opposite direction, here's an alternative dehumidifier we've selected below.
We haven't had the chance to test this one out yet, but we've had plenty of hands-on experience with Honeywell's range of other home tech and we've been pleased each time. This model comes with a 3.4-litre water tank and custom humidity controls levels, as well as a smart mode that can automatically adjust dehumidification. And it's not going to make an absolute racket while in use either, it produces sounds up to 44db. View Deal
I tested a mess-free smart misting fan with powerful yet quiet performance and a budget-friendly price — here’s why it’s a must-have device for the summer.
We put Blueair's first-ever sleep-focused purifier to the test to see if combining an air purifier, sunrise alarm and wake-up light in a single bedside device is too good to be true.
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