80 out of 80 people found this review helpful.
Holmes Blizzard Table Fan - Hold On To Your Hat!
Date of Review: Aug 11, 2003
The Bottom Line: Powerful and really moves the air. May be too strong unless placed a few feet away.
Our recent heat wave prompted me to look for a small table fan to use in my office while I'm at the computer. This particular room is upstairs and gets quite hot and stuffy, so I needed something to move the air around.
The fan selection at my local Wal-Mart wasn't that great when it came to small table fans, in fact the Holmes HAOF90 Blizzard Table Fan was about my only option, and at $17 the price was okay. Actually I was looking for something even smaller, almost like a personal fan, but couldn't find one at the time, so I went home with the Holmes.
~ Product Description
The Holmes Blizzard Table Fan is a very nice looking unit, made of very dark gray, heavy-duty plastic, and a sleek design. Here's some of the features this model offers:
- Three speeds - Hi, Medium, and Lo
- Oscillation option
- Can be mounted on the wall if desired
- Total Flex head can tilt in four positions
This fan's footprint is about 10" X 9", and 16" high. It has a 6 ft. cord, with a polarized plug.
The oscillation control is simply a button that you push down for oscillation, and pull up to stop the oscillation.
The speed control knob is a dial that you turn, and it does have an Off position.
To adjust the tilt of the fan head, you need to just push it backward and it clicks into another position.
~ My Experience
This is a simple fan that comes fully assembled and ready to use out of the box. I just set it up on a nearby desk and turned it to the Lo speed. Good grief! I thought for sure I had it set on Hi! There was some serious wind coming out of this little fan, and papers blew all over the place. But the air felt good because it was so hot in this room.
After I collected all my papers and weighted them down, I tried the oscillation feature, which worked just great. The knob was easy to use, and wasn't wobbly and clicked firmly into position. The oscillation is fairly quick back and forth
I also tried adjusting the tilt of the fan head, and at first I couldn't figure it out. But, after reading the directions, discovered all I had to do was push the fan head back. It took quite a firm push, but then it clicked into place with the head tilted upward. There is one more position tilted even further back. This feature worked nicely.
I found that the Holmes Blizzard Table Fan operated relatively quietly, with no rattles. Yes, there is the expected whirring sound from the fan blades of course, and even on Lo, if it's right next to you and you're talking on the phone, it could be annoying. The oscillation of the fan head was smooth and even, with no squeaks.
With the speed control set to Hi, you really get a wind, a blizzard if you will. Medium is just slightly less than Hi, and Lo is still very strong. This is a fan that you'll want to set a couple of feet away, I think. If you had it right on the corner of the desk you're sitting at, it could be too strong, even on Lo.
The Holmes Blizzard Table Fan is working fine in my current situation, with the fan sitting about three feet away from my desk, on Lo, and using the oscillation feature. It really cools off this hot, stuffy room, and moves the air well. It creates a VERY strong breeze.
I haven't tried the wall mount option because it doesn't suit my situation. The fan mounts to the wall by putting screws into the wall, and the base of the fan has slots to hook to the screws. You just slide the base of the fan onto the screws in the wall. The fan can be taken down, and then replaced on the wall whenever you want. The oscillation feature still works when it is wall mounted. The head has an additional fourth position tilt for when it is wall mounted.
It seems like it would work well as a wall mounted fan, however they did not include the screws, so it would require a trip to the hardware store or at least the garage to locate the appropriate screws. They do include a mounting location guide/diagram so you can properly line up the screws though.
~ Final Thoughts
The Holmes Blizzard Table Fan really gets the air moving, and is quite powerful, yet it has a fairly small footprint. It's somewhat bigger than a personal-type fan, but smaller than most table fans.
I find myself wishing it had a lower speed sometimes, and I would never use the Hi setting. I think you'd need to set this fan at least a couple feet away, rather than right on the corner of your desk. While it has a smooth operation, the wind this thing puts out does get somewhat loud and may bother you while you're on the phone, unless it is placed far enough away.
It's a great fan though, and really cools down the room and moves the air. The wall mount option is a nice feature and could be just the ticket for certain situations.
