THIS Could Be The ONE! | Fan Showdown S4E9

The fan showdown is about having fun and trying out crazy fan designs. Currently the fan topping the board is the cheater. At times it seems unbeatable however today that might change, if any fan had a chance of taking down the Cheater its this one.
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[@leolldankology]

10:24 you can see smoke escaping where the fan meets the rear stack. I'd like to see if gaskets would make any performance improvements.

[@Stuff_by_Mensa]

Let's make this happen! I want to see the cheater fall :D

[@delciotto]

He could easily print a tpu gasket.

[@jttech44]

Rear stack needs to be redesigned, it's too restrictive, that's why you're seeing leakage, because it's generating too much pressure. Sealing it with a gasket won't solve the problem really, might do a little better, but, you're leaving performance on the table doing that.

[@RAMXC]

Also at 5:36 you can see that one of the blades is not perfect. There is room to improve.

[@frandiminic3559]

thank you guys, cheater has the advantage because his blades are printed in different orientation so they printed better. Now I know at what rpm the fan spins so I could do a bit of tweaking.

[@thorwaldjohanson2526]

As a aerospace engineer I have request: Please test the unswirl with the cheater inlet and vice versa. I have a feeling that the guided inIet hinders performance. In turbomachinery you only have guide vains in front of a turbine stage, NOT a compressor stage like this fan is. I think there is a proper chance for it to beat the cheater!

[@EinhanderSn0m4n]

Yeah those IGVs look a bit much, both in number and trailing edge pitch.

[@Zadster]

I agree with this. It is taking laminar flow input air and making it slightly turbulent. This reduces the efficiency of the compressor, generating a slight stall effect, in addition to the back-pressure generated when the front of the compressor blades sweep across the back of the static input vanes.

[@brainretardant]

Plus the acoustic sheer is dissipating fan energy if that is the close tolerance on the front

[@waitemc]

Plus the #s are so close errors in humidity, temp and power grid voltage could be different considering how long ago the cheater was tested to be comparable so a back to back rematch is needed. Get on it ! Bill Burr acting as Steve jobs

[@mephustowest1876]

I don't know the science behind it, but I think this would make for a good test. Can you please try it?

[@CrescentX3]

Hmmm... I noticed some leakage out of the seal between the fan itself and the housing of the Unswirled... Could that little bit of leakage be losing it that necessary 10-15fpm? The cheater has been on top for so long... could a reprint or some putty be the difference we all desparately crave?

[@xaytana]

This is a pressure issue. If you notice on the angled shots during the smoke tests, the hole in the plastic doesn't match the duct of the A12x25, this block in the path will cause the flow to not only change direction but create a pocket of pressure; this also happened with every fan shown in this episode, and multiple fans in past episodes. If you also notice during other tests, the amount of leakage isn't consistent, which is more than likely the plastic warping under pressure. Gasketing of any kind won't actually help this, a more rigid material with a better cut hole would be a better start, as this would be taking care of the primary issue and not putting a bandaid over it. Gasketing, which is also needed in these tests, only fixes poor tolerances between surfaces, for example how the fan's anti-vibration corners add a gap between the housing and mounting surface. The actual testing tube is much better off, as it is better designed. Gasketing isn't entirely needed for high airflow, but is needed for high pressure, as high density fins such as those in radiators need higher pressure to push air through smaller gaps, and this is where pressure-based leaks cause issues, as you'll see a loss in pressure when the leak occurs. As for gasketing materials for tests, there's really only one optimal option, a thin sheet of closed cell foam should suffice, or a similar crushing surface. Putty is too permanent for testing purposes, plus there's no guarantee of a good surface unless you're finishing a part against a known flat surface. For all intents and purposes an O-ring would be too difficult to incorporate on these for testing purposes. Another option is using tape, but that's more of a bandaid as a pressure leak will also balloon any excess slack in the tape which then affects the dynamics of the airflow within the system, and if the tape fails under pressure then you have more issues. Thus why a crushing layer is more optimal, but then this also runs into the issue of the smoke test setup, quality of manufacturing the part. A lot of people on this channel will also claim that none of this matters, as this is all for entertainment purposes, even though we're being shown somewhat scientific testing. I also think it's funny how this supposed non-issue gets pointed out more and more on each new video; I guess that supposed non-issue actually is becoming a noticeable issue among the audience. Sometimes I wish GN had a resin printer or two on hand to do this kind of testing on actual test rigs used in the industry, plus they're pretty decent at having good test methodology, not only would the results be better, but you also don't get idiots white knighting the creator over poor practice. But as far as the issues actually getting fixed, I don't think it'll happen for season 4, doubt it'll happen for season 5 either.

[@alesksander]

@@xaytana Just add sillicone problem solved. Hehe many design oversights are almost always in assembly process. Haha

[@sypex6873]

@@alesksander Lol!

[@datjamaicanjerk1230]

I bet the extra 11 CFM was lost to the air leaking it the sides...? I propose a rematch!

[@datjamaicanjerk1230]

@@xaytana solid observations. Most of us do view The Fan Showdown for it's entertainment factor. I personally feel like the creator has, over the seasons, significantly improve on building and testing techniques. For what is worth, The Fan Showdown started out as something fun and had grown to be something quite a bit more interesting than I anticipated. I tune in solely on the hopes of seeing The Cheater and finding out how. O so fascinating 😁

[@Juddly05]

Surely the “greatest” fan was referring to a cheese grater.

[@nebulous962]

I was thinking that too

[@kuhljager2429]

Indeed

[@denixfyon]

FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT GODDAMM

[@HazewinDog]

I'm honestly shocked and disappointed it isn't called the "Gratest Fan"

[@martincowie4520]

"The Greatest Fan" I'm sure that should be "The Gratest Fan"

[@Bleats_Sinodai]

The fact they got so close with a smaller design makes me think you could push miniaturization of the concept even further once we get to a more efficient design.

[@noname7271]

Maybe tweaking an existing design already high up on the scoreboard would be ideal. What about bumps on the blades and intake lip? For example, whales have evolved "tubercles" on their fins to help with laminar flow. Noctua uses something similar on their fans, both for performance and noise. More on this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubercle_effect Not sure how much this would help with such rough 3d print surfaces. Tubercles need to be smooth for proper flow.

[@MrBaskins2010]

yes that's why i watch this series actually, in hopes of somebody finding a blade design i can stick on my 3D printer's part cooling fan

[@rodmrc5863]

yeah, maybe with proper balancing of the blades, smoother surface, less vibration. All these small changes together could make a big impact

[@anthonymorris8891]

Damn, your comment was on top and spoiled it for me.

[@spedracer55]

yessss

[@autisticChronicles360]

1:04 The tool that measures wind speed is known as an anemometer.

[@graealex]

For people interested in "squirrel cages" - Matthias Wandel did an interesting video on how they work. It's very unintuitive how you get them to blow one way, but not the other.

[@warpedweirdo]

"The Greatest Fan" did better than I thought it would. It sort of reminds me of the dials on old rotary phones for some reason. I thought the Unswirler was going to take the crown while I was watching the smoke test. So close! I wonder what the maximum theoretical performance of a fan running on that motor is.

[@tronique5736]

It could be calculated based on the amount of power the motor motor uses at full speed. The amount of energy being imparted to the air must be equal to the energy input of the motor, assuming an ideal motor and fan. The energy being added to the air is proportional to the increase in velocity, the increase in pressure, increase in heat, sound energy released, and mass of air being moved. For an ideal fan, the heat term is removed and the sound term is negligible. Working through all that math, you can isolate a velocity as a function of open area of the fan exit (all other factors collapsed into a constant). Plug in the fan exit area, get your velocity, then multiply those numbers together for air flow rate.

[@warpedweirdo]

@@tronique5736 So easy! Maybe for you. My mind is hanging up on questions like whether even distribution of energy across the entire fan exit area is possible, degree of air friction losses, number of atoms of air in a given volume at a given pressure and temperature combo, possible effects of pressure reduction at the face of the fan on the volume of air that can be moved, reduction in effective volume of air moved as a result of swirling flow... so many things to consider, so many variables, so many things to be balanced... Can't you just spit out a number for me? Something like "1200cfm at sea level, 70 degrees, 10% humidity, zero ambient air flow, friction losses ignored, stater vanes to optimize air flow, no effects from turbulence, consistent flow across the entire face of the fan, no back-pressure..."?

[@tronique5736]

@@warpedweirdo That's basically what the calculation I outlined would do. I have no idea what the actual number is, but that puts an uper bound. Then you start trying to model unavoidable losses to get closer to a more realistic value. This process isn't easy at all.

[@silverhawkroman]

Reminds me of the old analog film camera reels

[@LiveType]

Parroting all the other comments, I demand a retest of the Unswirled with more sealing.

[@TheRattleSnake3145]

Then you should also retest the cheater and every other fan.

[@ChrisMisMYhandle]

I cant believe how long I've been subscribed to this channel and how quickly I click the videos. It's the morning of my wedding but I've still made time to watch some sweet laminar exhaust flow out of a PC fan. Good times

[@Comet-lv3nk]

damn nice

[@tristenboatman8581]

Congratulations 🎉 on your wedding!

[@802Garage]

Wow this was an awesome episode. The Greatest Fan worked surprisingly well, the Comanche performed despite the lack of pitch, the Washing Machine was a sweet new design, and the Unswirler had unreal airflow. The Cheater and the Unswirler are so close we need a full showdown episode please!

[@browerkyle]

Cheater has a small edge in airflow, but is leading by a significant margin in noise.

[@frandiminic3559]

thank you, I honestly expected worse, so this is a pleasant surprise, an I knew that it is going to be noisy, thats why the fan has 8 blades and the intake and the exaust have 7. This gives a higher frequency to the fan , but I was hopeing it would decrease the volume.

[@802Garage]

@@frandiminic3559 Very cool! A few tweaks and you will be on top.

[@pirojfmifhghek566]

Yeah man, that RAH-66 fan impressed the crap out of me. Same goes for the squirrel cage/washing machine design.

[@RedPandaSebas]

Idea for next season: hit a target pressure un a close space Design to optimise static pressure

[@-GameHacKeR-]

12:15 I'd like to see the cheater retested to ensure it still holds up to it's score just to ensure that the motor on the fan hasn't degraded, Other designs haven't come close to beating it but because of how close this one got, the cheater should be retested to ensure it does still hold up to it's own scores and beats the unswirl, Keep up the great work, looking forward to the next episode

[@jawms]

I believe he did so in episode 6 or 7

[@-GameHacKeR-]

@@jawms oh good stuff i'll have to go back and review though episodes

[@nickdutton6218]

Watching and lurking since season 1, but oh my the tension today was epic!

[@Lightgauge6]

I never thought I would love watching videos about fans so much. Keep up the great work good sir!

[@n31lzombiehunter8]

Going into season 5, please take the number 1 fan from all 4 seasons and do a Showdown with them. Test everything you've done throughout the seasons: cooling radiators, cooling air coolers, air flow, etc. We want to see which one is the Top Fan. Thank you

[@Temperans]

Umm. The cheater has been number 1 for like 3 seasons.

[@n31lzombiehunter8]

@@Temperans The Cheater was the winner of Season 3..... The Cheater has also never gone up against the winner of Season 1.

[@bbotelhoHI]

this is a 100% UNDERRATED COMMENT.

[@drecknathmagladery9118]

the smoke stop wall is a great addition now we don't have unnecessary smoke flowing around the fan and it more acurately depicts what it would be like to have it in a pc rather than just free floating in a room

[@Lintary]

I really would love to see a season where we focus on the noise, as in best airflow at X noise level. Getting a ton of air to move is not really the hardest part, but keeping it within a noise limit is.

[@Decayrate-of-Ravn-Rike]

I kinda-sort-of-agree.. but.. the "noise" of fans can be vastly different (even in a comparable db-range) and for some people the "loudest fan" is "more quit" than other "quieter" fans while for others it's the "loudest". I would be interesting, but loads of now defunct "overclocking/computer-websites" have tried it and the tests are usually useless - because the noise-limits is set "incorrectly" (what is correct or not, is not very apparent - personal preferences etc). Noise-limit tests: a pit of despair. We may learn something, but after our host have got three strokes and two heart attacks, by comments/content-creators not understanding the difficulty or have any way to convey the "numbers" (except dB/cfm) which is 100K dollar setup to do an actual "useful" measurement. When the tested fan is used elsewhere those numbers don't really mean much. for end-users, all the numbers are "useless" (there is some use, but it's a difficult topic, without writing a book) when a fan is put on/in different heatsinks/chassis the fins of the heatsink or the chassis may "harmonize" with the fan an create vastly different sound-scape. Then your left with a fan that is "quite" with some irritable characteristics ( very setup-dependant, but very noticeable ), but doesn't really move much air at all. so you buy another one, then another one - finally you just look at static-pressure (temp tests on a rad/heatsink with a dB-level that you can live with) and go from there. Months wasted on useless numbers instead of understanding that if you want to move air: noise is created. Less noise, less work (very simplified). TLDR: Standardized "noise-limit/ceiling" tests are useless for many reasons, their "only" use( again, it's complex topic) : just another test of dB, that you can compare with other testers/websites etc. Usually it ends up with you buying a fan, which sucks(or doesn't, pun intended or not intended..I'm confused..) in everyway other than the amount of noise it makes. Afterwards you end up buying a different fan, that actually moves air and you live with the results. The results: Your temps are okay and the fans are louder than other irritable noises (inherent with computers: buzzing, whirring, clicking, whining). Endnote: Be careful with focusing so much on sound, because there's always one more irritable sound that becomes apparent, when you try to reach lower and lower on the dB-scale. You can and will become "crazy". Take care :)

[@williamforbes7156]

i really enjoy stopping by and seeing all the tests getting more dialed in and seeing the spread sheet grow! awesome work so far can't believe season 4 really? insane, top marks :D

[@notonlyhuman6073]

Love this series! I've seen every episode! Community driven, masterfully hosted, and a fun time overall! I think the idea of custom, unique PC fans that still actually work is freakin dope. Keep it up! p.s. Cheater Supremacy

[@RealOnlyFish]

If you put like 8-10 lasers in a row in the centerline of the fan it would show the flow patters along the laser line.

[@insu_na]

or a single laser with a spinning mirror

[@von...]

@@insu_na oh look, Fizeau is back at it again with the spinning mirror lasers

[@leolldankology]

I have 4 sharks with lasers on thier heads.

[@FhangMedia]

@@insu_na the mirrors your referring to dont spin at all, they vibrate insanely fast, I literally make the motors that hold the mirrors for a living.

[@insu_na]

@@FhangMedia I literally proposed a DIY solution. I don't care if mirrors in commercial laser levels vibrate instead, but glad you can make a living off of that

[@madsciencegary3830]

I noticed the unswirl was leaking air at the joint behind the fan before the exhaust vanes. Would a piece of tape over that joint make 15cfm difference? Maybe.

[@SuperSport1966]

The greatest fan is a cheese grater. I think that’s where the inspiration comes from.

[@boriscareaway5862]

most definitely. It should've been called the gratest

[@royk7712]

@@boriscareaway5862 gottem

[@apollolux]

Bwhoa, that smoke test visual leveled up with the black drop sheet background and the fan and stand being attached to a plexiglass! Sooooooo satisfying ^______^

[@xfarsys]

whoa I have missed few videos, and coming back I found the testing process has improved a lot :D good channel just getting better

[@justsomeperson5110]

Weird rando thought: I wish a PC case manufacturer would watch this series. Imagine a PC case that actually uses the front panel as an opportunity to build a whole fan system like the Cheater and Unswirler to significantly improve the air movement for maximum front-to-back throughput, aimed with intent at key areas, in a way that lets the PC regulate the fan speeds for noise. Turn the whole of the PC into a carefully crafted cooler instead of just a generic frame for fans. Throw in an option for some RGB fans on a controller that changes their colors based on RPM or temperature?

[@boronat1]

new fan showdown idea, but instead you print front top and rear pannels on something like a diy "modular" case

[@joshuaeah]

Little companies want to spend engineering time on cases unfortunately

[@jstagzsr]

havent watched these videos in a while.. Im loving the new setup.. every part of it looks way better for both testing and showcasing performance.. love it. Awesome job.

[@fooman2108]

I like the fact that you are now showing the stocker before the new fans so you are showing apples to apples comparison visually (to mix my metaphors).

[@mussulzdnforcer]

I legit get excited when I see a new FS episode has dropped! Keep up the great content!

[@zachr.6777]

Ah yes on demand serotonin.

[@7uring]

"Give me the happy chemicals 3D-fan boy"

[@DanielleWhite]

I haven't thought of the museum at Fort Rucker in years. I saw it several times in the 80s when visiting a relative who worked for the base hospital. I mostly remember the audioanimatronic tour guide "Rodney Rotorhead."

[@isabellelivingston3712]

This is the only series on KZbin I get excited about

[@ecophreak1]

I love that all these designs work, love the thought behind the washing machine

[@NickMirambeau]

what normally makes people click on videos: big red arrows, exaggerated expressions, concealed portions what makes a fan showdown fan click on videos: ~giant fan~

[@tylisirn]

What I love is how meta this is. Fans making fans for the fan showdown where the fans face off with other fans using the fans they designed.

[@morpheon_xyz]

Wow, what an episode! All are amazing fans here. The Greatest fan's design seems like a cheese grater's blades, the Comanche's blades surprised me in the smoke test like it worked, although it seems like it does have a bit of an airplane wing design to it for lift, but because of the stationary design the air had to be drawn in? 🤔 The washing machine definitely delivered by pulling air in, that was super satisfying for sure! And then the Unswirler was super awesome with the smoke just coming out as the designer anticipated, like laminar flow for air 😋 it was a really interesting episode, loved it, and can't wait to see which design beats the cheater 😎

[@sylvur-shadow]

Isn't the The Greatest Fan based on a cheese greater?

[@jasonking8147]

Yup. Definitely looks like a grater!

[@beaclaster]

my (our?) first thought!

[@EvilCerealBoX]

I'm leaning towards a film reel...

[@FrietjeOorlog]

The file is literally called 'gratest fan' so yeah. He totally missed the pun.

[@the-regularguy]

when i saw that straight coloumn of smoke i literally said "f-yeah" i was soooo rooting for unswirl, but the damn cheater is soo good and not only that its doing it quieter so yk good 2nd great work

[@big_beed]

We need a T30 Unswirler!!

[@frandiminic3559]

I could print one myself and put it on a hdd motor, a stock shitty fan runs on about 5000-6000rpm

[@Crimson6k]

love the wera hexkey set on the desk lol, got the same one

[@imnon1660]

Completely unrelated -- but I just went back to watch the original cheater episode and can we talk about your glow up?? The beard + bald head is a definitely a winning combo for you and you're looking great!

[@jayhawk184]

its amazing that there is this thrill revolving around beating the cheater. it makes this series so incredible im truly excited every time theres a new episode on this series. im so curious what the ultimate fan will look like that will beat the cheater.

[@Joe-Dead]

to whomever who made the outer squirrel cage beater fan, use scoops. the horizontal blades can capture and push more air in but they can't keep it there. scoops, say 16 or so while increasing the fans overall wait due to the extra platic would allow air to be forced into the cage and keep it there. might even be possible to slightly dome the intake since you'll need less of an opening with the scoops providing more air which could help push more air through the main fan blades.

[@phugoidoscillations]

These videos are a lot of fun to watch. Something to consider to augment the smoke test...try a cylinder lens with a laser pointer. This will turn the dot into a line (like a laser level). I'm curious if this would yield a cross sectional view of the flow when aimed perpendicular to the smoke stream.

[@hankstorm3135]

You looking a lot healthier. Glad to see :)

[@christopherdecorte1599]

The deswirler was moving the The air very quickly I think it can move more air still if auxiliary intakes were added to the sides to allow more air in.

[@theunclefluffy5769]

Oh the suspense was getting me. I'm not an engineer but I love these videos

[@BJL2142]

my 2c from observation, the unswirler had a leak between the fan housing and the plumbing, could use plastic from an ice cream container to make a gasket or two, buddy used one to block off his blow off valve on r32 skyline so it would hold up with what your doing

[@pierQRzt180]

I hate the music during the smoke test, but I hear it for so many videos that now I cannot live without it.

[@nebulous962]

0:57 i think it's pretty obvious that it was designed based on grater. that's probably why the name too. :)

[@Deathend]

Unswirler is pretty close to my idea of an ideal design. Problem is that the back has too much stuff on it. Make the exiting wings shorter, maybe 1/4 or 1/3, and start & follow the X part of the back of the fan that connects the motor to the frame, then add a cone like on aircraft propellers.

[@frandiminic3559]

it has a cone inside but it is not visible, agree on the x part, but it would unswirl less, nontheless worth trying

[@Westfalon]

I bet if you shined the beam of a laser level through the smoke it would illuminate a slice of the cloud and show all the turbulance and vorticies in cross section.

[@blazinghaze9151]

Love the videos man. 👌

[@BigFarm_ah365]

Interesting, this wasn't the type of fan I've been researching, but there is certainly insight to be gained. I'm going to have to take a look at this cheater design

[@poopsiexpants]

Dang it @Major Hardware! You put the ad spot expertly before the smoke test. Damn youuuu!

[@MajorHardware]

Hahha I watched the video and seen the same, that's all on big daddy youtube.

[@sienile]

I think separate categories for conventional and multi-piece fans would be a good idea. Great to see both types, but it's usually unfair to the traditional fans that fit entirely in the frame.

[@alexandermccomb6444]

That flow looked so solid! So friggin close!

[@stewiex]

I actually submitted a fan that used a wind vein/cup fan as it's inspiration 7 months ago. Sadly it hasn't made it on the show. (The OMG What Have I Done Fan)

[@gregzambo6693]

I wonder: How much better would the fans would work if they were smoothed off rather than just raw 3D prints? Great series James, I watch EVERY episode ! :D

[@nahometesfay1112]

He tested it in a previous video and the answer is not much

[@nicholaskaralus1904]

So good. Love to see the Temps this could pull off

[@casemodder89]

nothing. all about flowrate no pressure. everything for blingbling no oomph on an actual alu finned cooler.

[@industrialvectors]

I'm amazed at the "greatest fan", it looks like a blender and performs quite well!

[@matjazwalland903]

the washing machine needs a channel in the front and the wings that rise must be slightly narrowed towards the middle in the form of a cone. you used a piece of plexiglass to hold the venilator because you can see the smoke rebound. .! On high pressure propeller designs, use gaskets because it looked like you had a gap that blew smoke out!

[@mal2ksc]

I could see in the smoke tests that the Unswirler was leaking, probably due to being held together with zip ties. I suggest taping over all the cracks to prevent leakage, and it just might be enough difference to become the Cheater Beater. As others have noted, it would only be fair to tape over the cracks in the Cheater too, and re-test them on the same rig in the same room on the same day.

[@bhohenbrink]

The alexsander fan is a direct copy of "seed metering plates" used in garden planters. The rare audience that cross cuts between farming and IT will recognize it.

[@otinelmeszaros9885]

This was a good episode. Every fan was effective and unique

[@ComgrowOfficial]

when I watched your video, I really enjoy to make a comparison clip. Especially the music was attractived.

[@jorrdanna6219]

The first one looks like the blade for a food processor.

[@tube71000]

About the 'greatest fan'. Alexander probably was laying down in the hotel bed, and saw a ceiling diffuser, and that gave him the inspiration. (That was what came to my mind immediately at least.) There's an older style that Swegon made, that has almost identical shape, but the current Swegon Colibri-line has a similar look.

[@cliffcampbell8827]

I think with some minor modifications to some of these designs could produce a lot more airflow. Maybe a combination of designs too.

[@nathanthrams9623]

Hey long time viewer and I love the show! All of the showdown fans have been judged based on air flow. I would love to see some tested for maximum static pressure. Like how much one fan can pressureize a box of a given size. That could be a hole nother season.

[@samuelcornett1307]

It would be awesome if you got some gaskets for the A12x25. In the smoke tests you can see that some of the fans are putting out enough pressure to leak out where they connect, including where you have the fan mounted in the plexi. A polished final product would ensure that there was no pressure loss between housing and the exit point. That would likely improve the performance of "The Cheater", but that might be the exact thing needed for "The Unswirler" to outperform.

[@jakedewey3686]

The Greatest Fan is interesting to me because it seems like a design that would be very, very easily made from a metal disk. I could see a similar design being used in a mass-produced product that calls for a very low-profile axial fan.

[@DataDownLynk]

I cant help but notice the little puffs at the seams of the unswirler and think that some rubber gasket or seal of some kind would be beneficial.

[@MrRaineth]

It might be interesting to re-print the Cheater and the Unswirled in resin so that you're testing the design more than how well the designs print on an FDM printer. When you consider the process start-to-finish (printing to flow testing), I could totally believe that your margin of error is larger than the 1.4CFM difference. It might also be interesting to print the same design a few times on an FDM printer and test them all vs. each other, to attempt to quantify your margin of error.

[@Sebastian_Athea]

FYI helicopter rotors aren't static, the blades on then change angle constantly while they're flying, they can change the amount of airflow they produce without chaining the speed of the rotation, the tail rotor can completely reverse airflow direction instantly without changing the direction of rotation which will make helicopter turn in whichever direction pilot wants.

[@mikab4419]

I feel like putting a joint (3d printed with a rubbery filament) between the fan and the 3d printed parts would be a bit helpful. Has everyone pointed it, there is some loss of flow that can create some vortex and slow the flow of air Thanks for you video and your positive vibes

[@roscoe454]

the wall for the fan mounted on works well to show each fans spread and speed

[@370Location]

As others have said, the washing machine design is running anti-centrifugal. The blade pitch is sucking air in, but squirrel cage fans are made to rotate air and fling it out. That would require a shroud for the intake side but if air can be flung on the output side, it should work great without a shroud. I suspect the blade shape could also be tweaked for better flow.

[@tobiwonkanogy2975]

i was really surprised to see the washing machine actually sucking in a fair amount of air in the smoke test too. Works well

[@ixiHackxi]

It looks like a cheese greater. I believe that's why it is the "greatest" fan.

[@SorenEragon]

I don't know if anyone shares this desire, But I personally would be interested in a video going over what you had in mind that ultimately didn't work out. A video going over what you were hoping to achieve, what went wrong, etc. BTW, I love your content Major Hardware (insert hearts here) Keep up the fantastic work

[@hamasathecold7842]

Woooooo! I’m here on time!

[@hamasathecold7842]

Fake?

[@JoeZelensky]

I really like the washing machine design. If it was used inside a case it would be able to move air that normally is not moved.

[@RogueWraith909]

1. I thought cheese grater when I saw the first fan. 2. Is a really unusual design! 3. I miss seeing the Commanche flying. 4. Is a solid design and SHOULD perform really well... Post video:- Wow.... some solid performers here with unique designs.

[@tronique5736]

Might want to use the seal that comes with the A12x25. Either to seal against the clear divider in the smoke test, the front face of the airflow tester, or against the extra parts some fan designs come with. I've seen several fans losing airflow - sometimes a lot - through the small gaps created by the A12x25's regular bumpers.

[@sharkwarrior5248]

for season five, you should replace all case fans (3 fans probably) with the given design, would be interesting to see if a fan that flings air everywhere would be good for the entire case

[@poldelepel]

We want PRESSURE TESTS!! The Washing Machine looks like a very good high pressure fan. To bad pressure isn't tested. Most fans are designed for high air flow or for high pressure (or a mixture of them). In the Fan Showdown, only air flow is tested. It would be great to test also the pressure. How to test pressure? Make a closed/sealed sturdy box (wood or not to thin plexi) with only 1 opening where you can place the fan. You measure the difference in pressure inside the box vs the room. This is the maximal pressure the fan can deliver.

[@exgenica]

re: "Greatest Fan" and varying the "cup" geometry Some years ago I looked at a cheap 12V "car vacuum" in which the fan used 5 or six elongated "cups" about 1cm radial (orthogonal to axis) by 3cm to 4cm concentric 'length', and about 1cm max leading edge depth of each 'cup' tapering to zero cm over the length of the cup. The 'cups' were basically narrow and long tear-drop shapes. It worked horribly as a handheld vacuum cleaner and felt hardly any "suction" at the inlet port of the tool.

[@christophermorin9036]

I was really surprised by how well the Greatest Fan drew in air from all directions. Almost as good as the Washing Machine did. Impressive, for what was essentially a giant food processor Shredding disk lol.

[@WetDoggo]

10:00 the axial fan is strong enough to overcome the opposing force of the radial fan... it's just decreasing efficiency

[@TheCasualSirenEnthusiast]

I feel like a high pressure centrifugal impeller would work really well if you direct the air downward instead of outward.

[@justsomeperson5110]

I like the idea of the next season using something like the Noctua graphics card as a means to prevent fans like the Cheater and the Unswirler as now you have actual clearance to mount the card to limit the design to within "normal" fan designs. Not that I don't appreciate what these XL with extra parts fans are trying to do, but IMHO they need to be moved into their own category. In fact I think there need to be three categories, as the Washing Machine shows us. One for "stock" fans. One for fans that escape the frame in any way. And one for big-asterisk fans, typically with frame assemblies. It just seems unfair to the designers at home to not separate them into separate categories as a lot of people would love to 3D print their own "stock" fans, but the leaderboard is of course dominated by non-stock sizes. Etc.

[@frandiminic3559]

unswirler was made specifically for the speed test, if the test was on the graphic card or any cooler, it would be different design

[@TheRealAlpha2]

So close! The greatest fan worked about how I expected it to. The helicopter fan (that name is a mouthful) was better than I expected, and the other fan I though was going to deflect smoke rather than pul it, but at the same time it's how the air/smoke exists that the important part. If it comes out and looks like a forest fire it didn't do well. Unswirler, I think on a different day could have tied.

[@stur448]

1:08 “anemometer” is the word you’re looking for, sir

[@pr0xZen]

It would be cool to see a retest of the top performers like this, the cheater etc - but including the noctua damper that goes all the way around the frame so it functions like a seal too. Gotta give all the revisited ones equal footing ofc. Hypothetically, had any of these multi-part fan designs been commercially mass produced, I'm fairly sure they would be made so that the end product has no gaps in the unit assembly itself, or its surface mount, to cause pressure loss. Now this is obviously not the (primary) focus of this content series, but you do still make videos where a round of Fan Showdown is not all there is. And IMO that's what this proposal would be; While very _relevant_ to Fan Showdown, still a separate exploration. My thinking here, is that this revisit-test as proposed would have substantial utility value for the Fan Showdown series, and to some extent parts design and 3D printing in general. By testing and demonstrating to what extent if any, tolerances, minor gaps/leaks and other similar imperfections (somewhat inherent to fdm 3d printing), has a significant effect on performance. Or if it's completely neglible, well within margin of error. And with those current chart-leading models, those are both/all multipart designs, prone to leaks, and the performance margin between them is quite small. IMO that makes them good candidates for this testing, because their designs share many of the variables, and a close race between top performers gets viewers excited for what could otherwise be a little bit "dry" content. If printing a couple more extras for testing, from different filaments/batches, maybe different printers, we could explore how big is our margin of error really ...(?) If the margin turns out to be like 5+%, that's a 10 rank difference in some parts of the current range, and 3X the delta between the current 1st and 2nd place. So even at just a couple per cent, the margin would be quite consequential. And would IMO be cause for some reflection, over our processes for these showdown tests, submission design guidelines and parts printing, to try to bring that number down or mitigate it somehow.

[@anubis.5893]

The washing machine fan that’s an interesting design you got my attention

[@coneman89]

if you got some foam "inserts" to go between the fan housing and whatever its connecting too i wonder how much extra air would be pushed through with a snug fit

[@__-fm5qv]

The unswirl smoke test is just straight up sexy ngl.

[@One_Guy]

9:12 it really looks like the "washing machine" could have used a outter shroud to stop the spillage of air at the bottom gap.

[@IanKjos]

Aside from the gasket blow-by, my hypothesis is that module in front of the fan somehow impeding airflow. It seems to have curved vanes. Perhaps straight would help? It would be interesting to see a family of variations, tweaking one parameter in small increments to see if we find a sweet spot.

[@industrialvectors]

Awesome video! It's not the first time that we see some leakage. To all creator, how about integrating printed O rings out of elastic/rubberized filament?