Gadgets: bladeless Dyson Air Cool may be pricey, but it will have its fans

The Dyson Air Multiplier: a lack of spinning blades meant an end to nasty accidents with fingers. Reuters

The Dyson Air Cool is the latest iteration of the company’s Air Multiplier, launched in 2009, that gave us a fan with no rotating blades.

A lack of spinning blades meant an end to nasty accidents with fingers, as well as enabling really cool tricks with balloons if you have plenty of time on your hands.

This time around, Dyson promises the new Air Cool – which goes on global release this month – will provide the same blade-free refreshment, but it will be 75 per cent quieter than before.

Before getting into its stealth capabilities, it’s worth mentioning the Air Cool’s design, which drew “oohs” and “aahs” from all corners of the office. Like the original Air Multiplier, the Air Cool sports a sleek, futuristic look akin to a large magnifying glass. Our test model came in “black/nickel,” with “iron/blue”, “iron/nickel” and “white/silver” colour schemes also available.

Apart from a power button on the base (which tilts backwards and forwards), oscillation and fan speeds (of which there are 10) are controlled from a simple, Apple-esque remote control that enhances the Air Cool’s space age feel. For those who want to be gently fanned as they go to bed, there’s even a sleep timer.

Good looks are all very well, but how quiet is it? By using some very fancy sounding engineering, Dyson claims its new model trumps the original Air Multiplier on noise emissions.

At medium speeds the Air Cool does indeed run with next to no volume, certainly compared with our picture editor’s slightly ancient standard fan. It makes its presence felt more at higher speeds, with a soft hum and a hiss of air, although again this is ninja-like compared to the standard fan at full blast.

So the Air Cool has a sleek design, nifty remote control and won’t deafen you if it’s perched beside you on your desk. Is it worth the money? Dyson wouldn’t say how much it will cost, but make no mistake, the company makes premium products that are priced accordingly.

Much cheaper fans that do a satisfactory job are available. But the Air Cool’s design and impressive noise reduction make it an attractive prospect for the high-end market.

q&a high-tech way to keep cool

A blade-free fan? How does that work?

According to Dyson’s helpful marketing department, “air is drawn in by an energy-efficient, brushless motor. Airflow is then accelerated through an annular aperture, passing over an air foil-shaped ramp, which draws in and channels its direction. This creates and projects powerful, smooth, high-velocity airflow.”

Sounds clever. Apart from keeping my fingers safe, what difference does a lack of blades make?

Well, Dyson claims that “the blades on conventional fans chop the air before it hits you, creating an unpleasant sensation”, whereas its own Air Multiplier technology “amplifies surrounding air”, giving an uninterrupted stream of smooth air.

“Amplifies surrounding air?”

No, me neither. It does feel quite nice when blowing cool air on your face (it doesn’t heat air like Dyson’s AM05), but I can’t say for sure that the “choppy” air of our picture editor’s conventional fan is particularly unpleasant in comparison.

How is it made so quiet?

According to Dyson: “A specialist team of Dyson acoustic engineers designed a Helmholtz cavity to capture sound waves travelling through the fan. The cavity alone eliminates tones of up to 1,000Hz, similar to the tone produced by a mosquito’s beating wing.”

That’s really cleared things up. How much do they cost?

Dyson hasn’t announced pricing details yet, but the original Air Multiplier is still on sale at Ace Hardware for Dh1,199.

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