Dyson vs Cheap Fans - What YouTubers Missed

There are so many videos comparing Dyson fans with cheap fans that have got crazy views but there are a whole load of really important details that they are totally overlooking. In this video I look at my personal experience with Dyson (not sponsored in any way) as wall as an evidence-based look at what is actually some pretty remarkable engineering.
Dyson eBay Store (Affiliate links):
(UK) ebay.us/vqEtiw
(US) ebay.us/p9JgrY
Sources:
mcdermottlab.mit.edu/papers/M...
cfpub.epa.gov/roe/indicator.c...
(PDF) cfpub.epa.gov/roe/indicator_p...
ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/inha...
www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/part...
www.health.ny.gov/environment...
science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-...
www.healthline.com/health/sle...
www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep...
www.sleepadvisor.org/sleeping...
amerisleep.com/blog/is-sleepi...
Why You Should Subscribe! 🚀
(Remember, if you're new to KZbin, Subscribing is free!)
This channel is all about uncovering unconventional wisdom to optimize day-to-day workflows. I cover all kinds of interesting ideas from custom keyboards ⌨️, outdoor gear and camping 🏕️, cars 🚗, EVs ⚡, pocket tools and EDC 🔧, interesting workflows around the home 🏡, and more.
Join this channel to get access to perks 🎁 (joining is a paid membership that lets you support the channel):
/ @benvallack
White label CMS platform for web design agencies and in-house teams (my day job!):
SetSeed: www.setseed.com
My Favourite Products (Affiliate links) 🌟
LG G2 - Best TV For Wall Mounting! 📺
Amazon UK: amzn.to/3uKUhpH
Amazon US: amzn.to/3uBFi1n
YOUNGHUNTER Roof Top Tent ⛺
shopyounghunter.com/?ref=xe9a...
Use Code BENVALLACK for a discount
Outin Nano Portable Espresso Machine ☕
outin.com/BENVALLACK
Carpodgo Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Display 🚘
www.carpodgo.com/?ref=beidjwto
Use code BENVALLACK to get $50 off
Sony ZV-E1 📷
Amazon UK: amzn.to/48JtLM3
Amazon US: amzn.to/3TomaOt
Knipex Cobra XS 🔧
Amazon UK: amzn.to/3DT51nh
Amazon US: amzn.to/3s9LzjG
Thank you for your support! 🙏 Don't forget to like 👍, comment 💬, and share this video with your friends. Let's build a community together! 🤗

[@MrBoboka12]

It still overpriced and simply not worth it. Not all of them have filers.

[@AviatorXD]

So taking everything into account i understand that buying a cheap fan that blows alot of air and just an air purifier is better, buying both of those would be half the price of the dyson fan and they would do their job alot better cause they do ONE job.

[@jamesclow108]

If both of those would be half the price of the dyson fan then that leave money left over for noise cancelling headphones. Bonus.

[@AviatorXD]

@@jamesclow108 Hhahahahaha true

[@trashviewer3521]

The problem with air purifier functions in this fans is with how expensive they are, one can afford a standalone air filtration system with far more efficiency and lower noise. It is actually the same with fans. You are saying that weird noises can affect certain people. Well on 600$+ you can have not one 20$ fan that runs at 50% speed, but instead several 100$ than runs on minimum. And about air purification. The norm for air purification is around 4 room volumes in an hour. This the reason you need almost any single device running on a maximum power, because otherwise it won't be cleaning the air in the whole room adequately. I very much doubt Dyson fans can do so for something larger than 10m² room. With how tiny their filters are. Like it's just half the size of typical cylinder size filters in 100$ chinese air purifiers. And you can have several of those on a budget of dyson fan for a much quieter operation. Also about gentle airflow when it's not hot. The noctua recently released a flow optimiser (also free 3d print file) for any 120\140mm pc fans. Along with other types of accessories. And you still can have a dozen of those for the price of dyson fan and you can adjust it far more precise than even dyson fan. Not like you'd ever need this type of control since most of 5v silent fans are already pretty silent. So my recipe is replacing one 600$+ fan for 2-3 air purifier and 1 - 2 fans. Yes, maybe it will take a little bit more space but it will be cheaper, more versatile and much quieter.

[@BenVallack]

Some great ideas thanks!

[@peanutbutterjellyjam2179]

"A cheap fan can be damaging to your health." I must have died multiple times according to that claim.

[@ronblack7870]

how much is the filter replacement cost

[@bunger8658]

I ended up making my own dyson fan out of an air purifier and 3d printed housing, works great at about 1/2th the price. Great video as always Ben, those comparisons always annoyed me.

[@BenVallack]

Great stuff!

[@joyhappiness]

1/2th

[@blobson]

dyson fans have an annoying drone that sounds like a vacuum even on low settings. after switching to silent fan with blades i sleep way better than with a dyson

[@norgtube]

I'm not sure I follow the pricing logic, if you're concerned about PM2.5 you should be running filters at a rate congruent with your house's ventilation system (and if you don't have one, either you're very badly insulated, or your CO2 ppm's will be through the roof when occupied). Then you can use decent but affordable fans without making all the ignored PM2.5 airborne again. Another thing is that the Dyson units don't have cleanable/reusable pre-filters, and replacements are quite expensive. Corsi-Rosenthal boxes and cheap fans work great IMO. Super interesting discussion regardless!

[@shayes.x]

Govee smart air purifier (small room one $50, I think it's 40% off right now too on Amazon) plus any fan of your liking $100 or less and you come out a solid chunk cheaper than a used/refurbed Dyson fan. I haven't tried a Dyson in my own home though, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say it may be a suitable choice for a number of folks. But to be a bit blunt, I do think maybe you have some sunken cost bias 😂 To each their own, though!

[@elessartelcontar8208]

If you really want pure air though an air purifier works better.

[@BenVallack]

@@elessartelcontar8208 I'm not convinced by this - if the graphs on the Dyson are to be believed it has no problem removing all particles from the air in any of our rooms.

[@SaschaWagner]

Still blows dust around because only 1% of the moved air is filtered

[@BenVallack]

Huh?! Dyson have demonstrated their purifiers are more than capable of filtering all the air in the room. Obviously this doesn't happen straight away. But the data from the device also proves that it effectively removes the particles from the air.

[@SaschaWagner]

@@BenVallack I mean the whole "Air-Multiplyer" thing

[@BenVallack]

@@SaschaWagnerYeah for sure - a lot of the moving air won't directly have come from the filter. But over time more and more of the air in the room will go through the filter and the particles will be taken out of action!

[@gothicchocobo]

Is that the same TV that you showed in your desk setup video from 4 years ago (55inch 4k)? Do you scale the image in any way? Also, have you looked into/What are your thoughts on using AR glasses (Xreal?) instead of a monitor? Being that I don't remember you mentioning the apple vision pro I doubt you have any interest in working in VR/AR, but something more glasses like might be less of a strain. Though I'd be curious about the using the BigScreen Beyond as that is really compact.

[@smiththewright]

Great video as usual! 🙌

[@drdrowland]

corsi rosenthal boxes are fifty dollars

[@youtubeaccount2302]

Not quiet though

[@drdrowland]

@@youtubeaccount2302 by using two or even three box fans they can be set to a lower speed.

[@erichanson5628]

Wonderful video Ben!

[@BenVallack]

Thank you very much!

[@dosgos]

Smooth airflow, nice sound, nice industrial design. IMHO, "dedicated" devices work best, so a fan separate from an air purifier. But that gets uber-expensive. The Japanese have some nice air purifiers (e.g. Sharp). The replaceable air filters are expensive.

[@tanvach]

Our super expensive Dyson fan + purifier just died, again. We originally got it replaced under the 2 years warranty, but 2 more years later the new one died. Reliability is just not there honestly.

[@hamgelato8143]

may i ask why you wear your ultra on your right hand, given that you're neither left-handed, have a tattoo on your left arm, nor presumably use public transit often?

[@BenVallack]

For paying when going through tolls on bridges :) It took some getting used to!

[@hamgelato8143]

@@BenVallack ah, that makes sense. you might want to try setting the digital crown to the left in General > Orientation. that would make the dial easier to toggle, if it doesn't get in the way while you're working out. tip from a left-handed person ;)

[@BenVallack]

@@hamgelato8143 Yeah I flip flop between the sides, I find doing press-ups triggers the crown when it's on the left but it now just triggers the torch button instead!

[@hamgelato8143]

@@BenVallack It sounds like a Shortcuts spelunking project involving Focus Mode or location/time-based settings :)

[@marconifpv508]

I have the Formaldehyde one (it happened to be the model that was on sale) and it is a lovely bit of kit. My reasoning was that I was short on time and didnt want to spend hours researching fans and purifiers or jerry rigging something up. Dyson was a good bet that it woild be well engineered with a good noise profile, and was willing to pay for that. Hopefully Shark will rip off the design and I can get a second one for less though 😂

[@MaxWithTheSax]

Couldn't you spend 100$ on a nice fan and 100$ on an air purifier to get the best of both worlds? That way you have a quiet fan and can purify the air even in winter when you don't need the fan.

[@BenVallack]

Absolutely. But then one of your devices is redundant half the year and then you have to find space for two machines. The Dyson has a backwards mode where it purifies without a lot of airflow so is great in winter.

[@Flaakk]

Your arguments boil down to: The type of noise they generate is more pleasant, and it has a filter. The filter argument was compelling since you thoroughly explored it. The pleasant sound argument was quite lacking. Did you test the two side by side? Did you at least measure the frequencies and analyse the differences? This part felt very lazy to me.

[@BenVallack]

I have done more detailed tests before - kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3SwpaKZo9p-isUsi=JHc0oSm6wvz7yB72 - it's more of a subjective thing but it would come down to the 'roughness' of the sound. That is a hum at certain frequencies. The psychoacoustics document I linked to is really interesting. One of the main things for me though is the fact the Dyson can operate at significantly lower levels than the cheap fans.

[@AnirudhTammireddy]

While there is good engineering behind these... I am more interested on the walking desk bits/clips we got.

[@BenVallack]

Stay tuned... :)

[@v1Broadcaster]

why havent you custom built a treadmill yet?

[@BenVallack]

ha!

[@edpikestone6800]

Ben, great video, but I think that you missed another factor which is environment. If you live in an urban area you will have lower air quality and higher heat (think radiant heat from structures even after the sun has gone down). I have Dyson fan and love it, but I live in the country and would probably be ok with a non-Dyson fan. But for your viewers in towns and cities, you make a good argument.

[@divest6527]

I did find your design-centred arguments for this product somewhat convincing, having watched AvE's video on the subject in the past, but that notwithstanding you mentioned in 07:14, "But sometimes big brands do use their marketing power to sell ideas that really don't stack up when you look closely at them [...] an example being Gore-Tex." Very true, but another example would also be Brexit. And the behaviour of Dyson and its owner in fanning the flames of racist bile - only to jump ship and move abroad for tax reasons after Brexit had actually happened - I think is reason enough not to buy any Dyson products, shiny (or genuinely well designed) as they may be!

[@ernestoditerribile]

Just get split Airconditioning. They truly work, Dyson or other fans, truly don't work. Fans will always warm your room, and never cool it. Because they just create an airflow. They don't have refrigerants. Don't buy crappy brands like Haier, Midea, Carrier, LG, Samsung, Fujitsu or cheap chinese brands(white brands) But go for good brands like Toshiba(the best), Daikin(also really good), Mitsubishi Electric or Heavy Industries(little bit lower quality than the Electric) or if you want Cheap and reliable go for AUX.

[@BenVallack]

That's a very different cost proposition!

[@ernestoditerribile]

@@BenVallack that’s true, but it works so much better. Also most people do have enough money to spend on an airconditioning system, so why settle for less.

[@dai19721]

or you could just buy 4 cheap fans an chill out a room....usb ones of course.

[@ronblack7870]

i just have central air conditioning which isn't a thing in the uk apparently.

[@barryjames3747]

good video. always been a little bit anti-dyson, but you have managed to at least make me reconsider my position.

[@attention_shopping]

xd

[@NorroTaku]

bro im not living in a sand mine my house is not full of dust yo

[@firstlast-kk6bz]

Turn your brain on before commenting