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- Verified Buyer
I bought one of the first of the more simplistic earlier generation of this fan, the Model 460 (which is still being sold) based on two factors … the small compact size which was necessary for the limited space available in my bedroom; and the sleek contemporary look, also important to me since it would always be in view.I generally liked the earlier model despite a lot of negative reviews, mostly from people who did not understand how Vornado fans are designed and are supposed to work. The complaints were mostly that it is expensive, that it doesn’t blast air as far as some people expected, and that it is noisy. I wasn’t put off by the price … just like Dyson, Bose and Oreck to name a few people pay for certain innovations that are supposed to make them work better. Usually with those companies they offer a few features people love and will pay more for, but they also have a few duds. I understood when I bought the Model 460 that Vornado fans aren’t supposed to oscillate or blast air all over but rather create a column of diffuse air “circulation” that can be felt quite a distance away but NOT a strong wind like most fans. And as far as noisy, my experience with Vornado is, while every fan that actually moves air has to be noisy if it’s going to be effective, Vornado fans operate at a different frequency and are a bit more soothing to listen to. That being said, it is true at even at the lowest speed the Model 460 is noisy. Would this newer model be any better?The Model 460’s design had some flaws. The on/off/speed switch was mounted on the back behind the motor where it was impossible to see and all but impossible to reach and operate. That was made worse by the fact that a few times a week the knob literally fell off in my hand. The original style has a bright chrome semicircle that the fan is supposed to slide up and down about 90 degrees. It is beautiful to look at but unfortunately my fan body never slid smoothly up and down the ring. And the thing that I liked the least is that there were only three speeds. Fast was much too fast and noisy for such a small fan and I rarely used it. Slow was a little too slow and didn’t move quite enough air. And the medium setting was too close in speed to the fast speed to really be useful. Yet with all of those little downfalls I continued to like the fan for its size and styling because I could tuck it discreetly into a corner in my bedroom.The new Model 5303DC is almost identical to the original in terms of fan blade and grill size and seems to work about the same way. But the biggest improvement is that now the speed control is continuously variable from hardly moving to ridiculously high, and I can set it exactly where I get the maximum airflow but minimum noise for sleeping. And the speed can be replicated day after day because of the 99 step digital readout. Another advantage is that the controls are on the front where they are easy to see and operate. Even at the fastest speed the Model 5303DC is reasonably quiet but where it shines is at the “ideal” speed I use in my bedroom (about 14 on the readout) where it is whisper quiet yet moves about the same amount of air as the Model 460 at its lowest speed.NOT SO POSITIVE THINGSOn the not-so-positive side of the coin is that the base of the fan takes up a lot more table space but worse, being a rectangle I can’t squeeze the fan tightly into a corner like I could with the small round base of my old fan. While I understand that Vornado fans don’t oscillate, it would have helped if the base could be rotated to face in one direction while the fan blows in another direction. The up/down tilt mechanism is all plastic and seems cheap compared to the Model 460.Personally, I think the styling of the new model is awkward compared to the sleek aerodynamic look of the Model 460. The base looks like it was designed by an entirely different group of people and stuck on to the fan part as an afterthought. In fact, everything about the fan’s design seems like it was made by an entirely different company, it’s that different.Another thing on the not-so-positive list is that the price has gone up by almost double to cover the cost of the fancy electronics, while the mechanical parts inside are almost identical. Adding a remote control is a nice feature as I learned lying in bed and being able to adjust just the right amount of air flow from across the room. The handheld remote puts style over function and I have mixed feeling about it. I can operate it by touch in total darkness. However, as many people have noted, the first impression is that it only works from a few feet away. Across the room … nothing. But there is a fix for that and I suspect those complaining about the limited range of the remote haven’t tried it yet. In fact the remote will work 50’ or more from the fan IF you raise it high enough that you are pointing it downward at about a 45 degree angle to the fan. It seems the remote sensor on the fan points upward so if you are holding the remote directly even with the front of the fan or lower it can’t “see” the IR beam. This becomes a negative for example if you are lying in bed and the fan is even with you or higher. I have to sit up and hold the remote over my head to get the fan to “see” the signal. Memo to Vornado … for your next version place the sensor facing forward, not upward.Finally on the negative list is Vornado’s horrible choice to put a big bold flashy permanent label right on the front of the fan that says “Energy Smart”. The fan is in my bedroom, who do they think they are advertising that to and who cares after you decide to buy the product? The label is ugly and unnecessary.BOTTOM LINELike some of the other brands that are trendy and cost more, Vornado tends to hype their “features” to the point that I think sometimes they confuse their customers. The honest truth is that this is a very small personal fan meant for a desktop or a small bedroom. It’s not fair to condemn it as some reviews do because it’s not a powerful fan. The simple answer is if you want a more powerful fan you’re going to have to get a BIGGER fan, and Vornado makes a ton of them. The hype also overdoes it with the 80’ claim. If you read it carefully they are saying that it MOVES air 80’ and that’s true, under the right conditions air that far away is being moved ever so slightly by the fan, but unfortunately Vornado is setting people up to expect to feel a blizzard 80’ away … that’s not going to happen. If you’re going to buy a Vornado you must realize that they don’t call their products “fans” they call them “circulators” and there’s a reason for that and the best way I can describe it is the difference between putting food in a blender and stirring it with a spoon … a fan creates turbulence like a blender, while a Vornado’s job is to just move the air around like a spoon in a pot.To me it the Model 5303DC is a good product and I like it, which Amazon describes as being a 4-star product. The infinitely variable speed makes it better choice for my bedroom in terms of quietness. And I do like being able to control it from my bed or to set a timer for it to shut off after it gets cooler late at night. It’s a good product but not a perfect product.Never bought one of these before. Price seemed high for a fan and I thought all fans were basically the same. This fan's technology was new to me.I will start by saying the Vornado does make a huge difference in lowering the temperature feel in a room especially in smaller rooms. We have central air in the house but don't run it often. I like my room cold so have been running a window air conditioner on max almost every night in the summer for years. Had to get rid of the window AC this year due to a damaged window. I have to say the Vornado has performed admirably on 90 degree days alongside central air. The Vornado re-circulates the air extremely well and you really feel the difference. Even on its own you immediately feel the difference over a standard fan.The remote works well. For anyone bothered by the light on the fan display you can put a piece of mail over it without blocking out the sensor so the remote still works. The fan timer is a nice touch. You can set the timer for 6-8 hours so it shuts off before you wake up. If you are looking at buying a Vornado I would highly recommend this model over the others for ease of use, power, and reliability... for some reason people had a lot of issues with some of the other more basic Vornado models without the remote.As for the many reviews complaining about the noise, I actually like it. Running at 50 speed, the noise of the fan helps to greatly reduce outside noise. The fan creates more of a white noise sound anyways and you quickly get used to it. Have run it at 70+ speed as a change of pace and the noise did bother me though. But running it at 50 speed is the best of both worlds, blocks out outside noises that might wake you up in the morning and makes a big difference in how cool the room feels.Overall, for a regular sized bedroom, the Vornado comes highly recommended. But for very large rooms or open areas you would probably need something else entirely like a high powered window air conditioner.I didn't need another fan. But I bought this one hoping that the claim that it uses 80% less energy is true. This fan has a different type of motor (DC). The claims they make should be accurate. I happen to live in the state where energy costs are higher than in any other state in the nation. When fuel costs go up, so do our bills. On top of that, our last coal plant closed as we turn to greener sources. We were told our bills would go up another 18%. I went shopping immediately. I have air conditioners I can't afford to run. By the end of next year, my energy savings should recoup the higher cost of the fan.Other reviewers mentioned squeaking or ticking noises. I haven't had those. There were also complaints about it being noisy. I run mine at around 50% power. I don't find it more noisy than other fans. But if you want a really quiet fan, you may want to pass on this one. There were complaints about the fan breaking down after only a few months of use. Vernado has a 10yr warranty that they're usually pretty good at honoring.I have other Vornado fans, but I love this one because of the remote control, and the fact that you can adjust it anyway you want it. I liked it so much, I got another one on a pedestal for a different room. Yes, It can get loud at the higher speeds, but if you just want some air circulation at a much lower speed, it is actually pretty quiet. If you have any Vornado fans with the preset speeds, you would find this to be so much better. I’m so happy with it. Also, excellent warranty.Once I tried this fan with adjustable speed, I’m never going back to the standard fans with low/medium/high settings. This fan is expensive, but worth every penny.The lower speeds are so quiet and still do abreast job at circulating air.Remote is handy. A little archaic but does the job.part of the problem (among many) of this unit is the fan blade design throws air laterally to the sides (instead of how the picture shows there being a air tunnel moving forward).-And I know- I have two other fans by this company and they're very good (albeit over priced for value, but I'm happy with them). The Classic Sr, and the 683DC. I'd recommend them both.But never have I been so enraged by a product like the 5303DC. THE $40 Honeywell's would destroy this 5303DC. Absolutely false "claim" of units power to move air 80',... try 20' tested by hanging a piece of paper from a string taped to the ceiling. The fan is unable to make the dangling paper move ...No air movement beyond 20'My apartment gets hot in the summer and I have no A/C so I've been using regular fans for years. My trick is to set a fan in the window facing inward to draw cooler air in, then have another fan at the open sliding door at the other end of the apartment to blow the hot air out. This worked, but was slow. Last night I did this with 2 Vornado fans at full speed and lowered my apartment temp by 3 degrees in about 20 minutes. I could actually feel the air moving between the fans from one room to another. I'll be donating my other 3 regular fans. The fans are still new (got my second one 2 days ago) but so far I love them. Highly recommended.This model is less powerful and is louder than the regular Vornados (ie. not energy-smart models). Comparing it to another model I bought, I had to go on a higher setting to replicate the same fan intensity, but the fan was much louder and quite disruptive in my opinion. The fan was generally louder than the regular Vornado for both high and low settings. I also found it unnecessary to have 99 settings as it took longer to make adjustments between low, medium, and high. My general assessment is that it's not worth paying extra for the energy smart model because the regular Vornados are of better quality.I really wanted to like this product because of the energy efficiency, timer, and remote, but I think Vornado has a lot of room for product improvement.Vornado, please consider the following improvements:- increase the availability of fans with remote/timer- add more colour options, especially black for the energy smart models - this better matches my furniture and decor- remove the 99 settings feature; it's so unnecessary and is a hassle rather than a convenienceIts a very mediocre fan. They really make it sound like it is going to move a lot of air, but I'm really unimpressed. I was upgrading from a little $20 that was quieter and moved more air.Don't waste your money! It's noisy and isn't nearly as impressive as I had been led to believe.
