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Ceiling Fan Quality Ratings
No one likes a noisy wobbly ceiling fan that does not move any air. What you want is to feel a nice cool breeze from a fan that looks great in your room and runs perfectly smooth and quiet...for years to come...without breaking down...right?
Our Rating System combined with our CFM Performance information will help you find that fan.
We have given each of our fans an overall rating between 1 to 5 where 5 is the very best when considering quality, design and overall performance. In most cases, the rating we give a fan is directly related to the motor it uses. Aside from the motor, we equally consider the quality of the additional components used to make up the fan as well as the outward appearance in both style and finish. The highest rated fans will have precision made components that make them run smooth and quiet and last a lifetime. The outward appearance will be of superb quality that is both stylish and substantial.
We suggest you use this information in conjunction with the CFM and Efficiency data published on our site to help you decide which fans are right for your needs. It is our opinion that you should first look for fans that have the highest CFM rating, then consider our Overall Quality Rating as the deciding factor between models of similar CFM. The ultimate best fans would be those that move the most air (say over 6,300 CFM) and an Overall Quality Rating of 5.
For a more complete discussion of the differences between ceiling fans, read "Which Ceiling Fans are Best".
| Fan
Motor Rating Chart
|
| RATING |
TYPE |
DETAILS
|
PRICES |
|
5 |
K55
XLP
Cast-Iron |
Hi-Performance
Motors
No wobble or noise. Fans with these motors are precision crafted throughout including the balancing of blades and
careful engineering all components so they run perfectly smooth and quiet. You can leave fans like these running 24 hours a day for years on end
without every worrying about the motor burning out. You will find them to be the most attractive as well since they are designed to appeal to
those who can afford the very best. This is our Top Recommendation! |
$300 to
$1000 + |
| 4 |
188mm |
Very
Good Performance
Great air movement. Very
little wobble or noise. Will last many years. Good for small to
medium size rooms. 2nd most recommended! |
$200 to
$500 |
| 3 |
172mm |
Above
Average
Acceptable air movement. Very
slight noise. Very affordable. Recommended for smaller rooms if a
higher quality fan is not affordable. |
$150 to
$350 |
| 2 |
153mm |
Average
Less air movement. Some noise
or wobble over years of use. Recommended for contractors where
projects require inexpensive fans. |
$95 to
$200 |
| 1 |
*Typical
Import |
Below
Average
Very little air movement.
Annoying wobble and noise when new or within 1 or 2 years of use.
Not recommended for any application. |
Under $95 |
(chart provided by Emerson Fan
Company) |
*Fans with smaller motors
are typically found at home centers and mass merchants. We do not supply
this type of fan at Home of Decor.
Important
Note:
Fans with extra wide palm leaf, wicker, or canvas type blades will
only provide a gentle breeze and are considered to be more decorative than
functional. Because this type of blade will tend to overwork an average
fan motor we recommend that you choose only brands that offer these styles
with Hi-Performance motors. Otherwise, your fan will overheat and start to
make annoying noises and eventually burn out. (There is more this in the
details below)
For a more complete discussion of the differences between ceiling fans, read "Which Ceiling Fans are Best".
DETAILS: What makes
some fans better than others?
The motor inside your
fan is the most important component!
The most important
consideration when purchasing a fan (aside from the way it looks) is the
size, power, and durability of the motor. Larger more powerful motors are more expensive than smaller more generic mass
produced motors...but they will move substantially more air without wobbling or making noise and can be left
running for days, weeks, even years on end without burning out.
There are 5 major factors
that work together to determine how much air a fan will move as well as
it's overall performance and durability. The most important factor is the
motor. A strong precision made motor will move the most air without noise
or wobble if the other 4 factors are present.
The 5 basic factors are:
-
Blade Pitch
-
Blade Shape and Size
-
RPM
-
Height from Ceiling
-
Motor
Looking more closely at
each of these factors will show how they affect each other and why a fan
with the most powerful motor can produce the most
air movement.
-
Blade Pitch:
The angle at which the blade sweeps through the air is called the
"Pitch" of the blade. The easiest way to understand how
blade pitch effects air movement is to equate the blades of a fan to the oars of a rowboat. If
you have ever tried to row a boat, you know that if you put the
oars in the water virtually flat, it takes very little effort to
row...but even if you row very fast, the boat moves very slow. If, on
the other hand, you tilt the oars at a steep angle in the water, it
becomes very difficult to row the boat...but each stroke makes
substantial progress. You will need to be much stronger and in better
shape to sustain a high rate of speed for any period of time in this
case.
The same is true with ceiling fans. Believe it or not, a fan spinning
at a high RPM encounters substantial wind resistance if the blades are
set at a steeper pitch. A fan that has blades with a very
flat pitch (between 10 and 12 degrees), does not require a very
powerful motor to make the blades spin fast. However, even at full
speed, the fan will move very little air and may have a tendency to
wobble or make noise.
On the other hand, a good blade pitch (between 14 and 15 degrees) requires a well
engineered finely tuned powerful motor to move the blades through the
air at a high rate of speed for extended periods of time without
overheating and burning out.
Just as well, a good blade pitch with an average or lower grade motor
will not be able to reach as high an RPM and may in fact be overworked
resulting in a fan that overheats and eventually burns out.
Therefore, the pitch of the blade and the power of the motor must be
well engineered to work together to create air movement without going
beyond the motors capability in order for a fan to operate efficiently
and last a lifetime.
-
Blade Shape and
Size
Imagine rowing a boat with short narrow oars compared to wider longer
oars. The wider and longer the oar is, the more effort it takes to pull it
through the water. But once again, more effort means more progress.
With ceiling fans, when you combine a wider longer blade with a steeper
pitch, you get even more air movement...at least to a certain point.
There is a limit to the shape and size that the oars or fan
blades can and should be. If the oars or blades are too wide or too
long, you will
not be able to move maneuver them them fast enough no matter how
strong you are. As with ceiling fans, blades that are too wide or long
cannot be moved fast enough to be effective with even the most
powerful fan motor. So...larger does not always mean better...but too
small or narrow is not good.
-
RPM
RPM is simply how fast your fan blades spin at a given speed setting.
Faster means more air...but only if the blades are pitched properly.
Also, some fans have a lower RPM at low speed and a higher RPM at high
speed, which means they give you more flexibility in the cooling
effect required. The best fans will give you 6 speeds from very low to
very high.
-
Height from Ceiling
In order for a fan to operate efficiently, there needs to be about 10
to 12 inches between the blades and the ceiling so that the air can
flow freely around the blades without bouncing up and down between the
blades and the ceiling. For this reason, you will find that ceiling
hugger fans (fans that mount flush to the ceiling) don't move very
much air. This type of fan will always have a small motor with
relatively flat blades so that it does not create enough turbulence to
cause it to wobble or shudder. You just won't find a
"Hi-Performance" hugger fan.
The blades on a typical hugger fan will be 7 or 8 inches from the
ceiling as opposed to 10 to 12" for a good quality performance
fan. The additional 2 or 3 inches makes all the difference in the
world...kind of like having a tire on a car that is just a little out
of balance. It may only take a small .5oz weight to balance the tire,
but without the weight, the tire will bounce up and down like crazy at
certain speeds. You should only use hugger fans if your ceilings are
lower than 8' high or there is some other restriction (such as a bunk
bed) that prevents you from installing a Hi-Performance fan that drops
down a few more inches.
For higher ceilings, a longer downrod is recommended in order to bring
the fan blades to about 8 or 9 feet from the floor so that you will
feel the air movement.
-
Motor - Size,
Power, and Quality
The motor is the most important component of a ceiling fan. The most
powerful motors will move the most air, providing the above factors
are present. High power fan motors are only available in the top of
the line models from each of the major name brands. You will find
these fans to be more expensive...but the difference in the amount of
air you will feel is quite remarkable and the performance, durability,
and efficiency is well worth the extra money.
Conclusion:
A well engineered ceiling fan takes all of the factors on this page
into account, and with precision testing, a "Sweet Spot" is
determined with the most efficient combination of blade pitch, shape and
size of the blades, RPM, height from the ceiling, and most importantly,
the capacity or capability of the motor. The
fans on our site that are rated 4 or 5, or are referred to as
"Hi-Performance" are fans that are well engineered to the
"Sweet Spot" and will give you the best performance for many
years. We are sure you will be satisfied if you purchase one of these
fans. We believe any other rating to be a compromise that manufacturers
make in order to design fans to meet lower price points.
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