The Honeywell HYF290B Quietset space saving fan

Honeywell HYF290B Quietset 8-Speed Whole-Room Tower Fan ★★★★☆

I got this fan for my 18’x13’ game room. Unfortunately, I found it’s not very powerful, even at top speed. There are eight speed settings and the top is labeled “Power Cool.” The term is a bit misleading. In reality, the force of this fan is comparable to my Honeywell Tabletop Air-Circulator Fan HT-904 on its lowest setting. The positive is that the fan has a decent spread at the sides, making the rotating feature less necessary in scenarios where people are sitting in a close proximity (such as the same couch). Due to lack of power, I find it’s better suited for a standard 11’x11’ bedroom, not a master bedroom, gaming room or living room.

That said, if you are looking for a quite fan at low speeds and don’t need a strong air push (cutting), then this would be a decent choice. The lowest setting, “sleep,” produces a very low hum. The forth speed, “White Noise,” is approximately as loud as the lowest speed on my Honeywell Tabletop HT-904. The eighth and top speed, “Power Cool,” is approximately as loud as the HT-904’s medium speed.

The fan speed does not affect the speed of the fan rotation (aka “Oscillation”), which has only one speed. (A low fan speed doesn’t slow the rotation down, nor does a high fan speed make it rotate faster.) It takes about 10 seconds to completely rotate from one side to the next. That puts the fan position in the center of the unit every 10 seconds as well.

The unit was easy to assemble. It’s simply a matter of snapping together two plastic pieces for the base, attaching them with two screws (can use fingers, no need for a screwdriver), lowering the fan housing into the base, securing a locking nut (hand tightened), and then snapping the cord into place.

The bottom has six small, hard-rubber feet that let the fan sit nicely on flat surfaces, such as hardwood floors and tile—doesn’t jump around or move position when in use. It sits nicely on carpet too.

The remote is a welcomed option, which seats at the back of the fan when not in use—this is a handy storage location because it is out of sight yet convenient to access.
As a result, the remote is shaped somewhat funny (boxy, square), so it doesn’t rest in your hand as comfortably as a more traditional, slimmer, rectangular remote.

Also, it uses infrared technology, which means you have to point the remote directly at the fan—it won’t work through things like walls, furniture or people standing in front of you. Requires two AAA batteries, not included. The remote will turn the fan on and off, adjust the fan speed and toggle the fan rotation. The latter is nice in that you can start the rotation and then toggle it off (with the fan still running) once in position, all without having to get up. Note that there are no controls on the remote to trigger the sleep timer or control panel light brightness.

Speaking of which, the sleep timer can be set to 1, 2, 4 or 8 hours. The control panel lights can be set to 100%, 75%, 50%, or 25% brightness. Or you can turn them off altogether. When you turn the unit off either by the remote or at the base, it remembers the fan speed once you turn it back on, but it does not remember the rotation, sleep timer or brightness setting. So, when powering back up, the brightness goes back to 100%, the rotation is inactive, and the timer is not set. I can understand the timer, but I would have liked the other two settings to remain in memory. For instance, if you only run the fan at night in your bedroom, it would have been nice if the unit remembered you wanted the lights dimmed at 25%. Toggling each time can get cumbersome. After all, the toggling is not a + or – situation, it’s only one button which cycles through at one direction.

For example, the fan speed button advances the setting from lower to higher, so once you get to the eighth speed, it jumps back down to the first. In an ideal setting, I would be able to go from eighth to seventh with a single back button click. But on this fan, to get from eighth to seventh, you have to click the button and climb back up. Meaning, it takes seven clicks to go from the eighth speed to the seventh. (The same is true whether using the button on the base or remote.)

The manufacturer recommends using a pipe cleaner, flexible dust wand, vacuum cleaner or compressed air to remove dust from the grills and blade. Use a soft cloth to gently wipe the outer surfaces of the fan.

Overall, I was disappointed by the poor power level. Using the current eight settings as a measure, I would ideally have wanted the fan to reach up to a power level of sixteen. But this fan is designed more for being quiet, which makes a better bedroom option IMO. Though limited, I really like having a remote, and as mentioned, it has a great storage location on the fan itself. This unit makes for a good space saving option, as it’s slim and does not take up a lot of width on the floor (it is 40” tall, however, so keep that in mind). I rated it 4-stars because “I like it” overall, and in the proper location, it makes for a good solution.

→ Click to view Honeywell HYF290B Quietset on Amazon