Vornado 530b Compact Whole Room Air Circulator - Check it Out

Vornado 530B Compact Whole Room Air Circulator - My Personal Recommendation

The 530B air circulator continue's Vornado's superior benchmark performance with a new edge definition design. With its unique signature grill and depp-pitched propeller, the 530B moves air up to 65 feet, while aerodynamically circulating all the air in a room. The 3-speed control allows for speed selection to meet any circulation need. The compact and convenient size makes the 530B perfect anywhere in the home or office. Use the 530B all year long for added comfort and energy savings in every season. You will...feel the difference. Model is made for 120 Volts only

Reviews of Vornado 530b Compact Whole Room Air Circulator

Not as good as previous Vornado compact fans
Rating by : Mike Hall,

Is the new model 530 as good as older Vornados that established the company as a quality innovator? In this review, I compare the new 530 to two older compact models that I own. These are the excellent model 180 compact fan(infinite speed, no longer available) and the very good 510 compact (3-speed and in very short supply - watch out for merchants who substitute the current model 530 for the 510). These (and the larger, venerable model 280) have great features, quietness, quality, and durability. My comments should apply to the model 530 regardless of the color of the plastic case, since color has no bearing on performance in this product.

FEATURES
The 3-speed compact design is similar to that of the older models (note that some slightly more expensive Vornado models have infinite speed control instead of 3-speed but are otherwise the same). But the 530 has one major disadvantage that you're likely to miss in the promo copy. The fan head doesn't tilt as much as those in the older models. This model tilts only about 50 degrees, while the older fans tilt about 80 degrees. The older design is much better at getting air from the floor to the ceiling.

QUIETNESS
The whirring fan blades make as little noise as the older models (whisper quiet on low, moderate amount on medium, a lot of "whoosh" on high), but the 530 has an irritating low-pitched motor noise the older models don't have. Because it's low frequency sound, it will even go through walls.

QUALITY
Personally, I think the motor, because of the noise, must not be up to the quality of previous models. One of the fan blades on my 530 still had plastic from the molding process that hadn't been removed. Definitely a quality-control problem. My older models were all manufactured in the US; this one in China (judging from a recent visit to a store that had a number of Vornado models, the company's moved manufacturing of most, if not all, of their consumer market fans offshore).

DURABILITY
We'll have to see. Comes with a limited 5 year warranty (you must get an RMA and ship to Vornado in Kansas and other reviewers have complained about shipping and handling costs nearly equaling the cost of a new fan).

BOTTOM LINE
In my view, this fan departs from the Vornado tradition of quality and quietness. I don't recommend using the model 530 in a bedroom or other place where you need quiet due to the low-pitched motor noise. Note that the user manual pictures both the model 530 and the R2D2 looking model 630.

Not what they used to be.
Rating by : Padre Bear "Shalom",

The quality on this Vornado product is not as good as in the past. The product is no longer made in the USA but is instead made in China. Whether or not this is the reason for lower quality I don't know. Like a couple of other reviewers this unit is not not near silent on low speed and unless aimed directly upright has an irritating rhythmic "burmpt, burmpt" to it. On higher speeds this noise goes away but the air noise increases significantly as reported by others. $40 is a high price for a less than perfectly executed small "air circulator."

Perfect size for bedroom
Rating by : JLA,

This is the third Vornado fan I have purchased. I also own a 783B "whole house" fan that I use to push cool air upstairs during the summer and a 733B "whole room" fan that I use to circulate air in our living/dining room areas. I have been very pleased with these fans since purchasing them two years ago. I don't know whether they have had a discernible impact on our energy consumption, but they certainly make the house more comfortable by evening out the hot and cool spots, just as they are designed to do.

I hesitated before purchasing this fan for my 3 y/o daughter's room based on some of the critical reviews. However I have been very happy with this fan. Despite its compact size, it circulates air very effectively throughout a large bedroom with very little noise on its medium setting. The High setting sounds like a typical fan's high setting, meaning you could have a phone conversation sitting next to one but might find it distracting. Medium, however, is barely audible (soft white noise), and low is truly whisper quiet.

Perhaps I could find flaws with the 530B if I put it under a microscope like some of the more harsh reviewers have, but it fits my needs perfectly and exceeded my high expectations.

The 530 Vornado compact air circulator uses signature energy efficient Vortex Action to move air up to 65 feet, providing whole room air circulation

Vornado - 7 in. Compact Whole-Room Personal Fan - 3-speed control for versatile circulation settings. Signature Vortex Technology delivers 283 CFM of refreshing air.

The 530B air circulator continue's Vornado's superior benchmark performance with a new edge definition design. With its unique signature grill and depp-pitched ...

5 stars. "Perfect size for bedroom" This is the third Vornado fan I have purchased. I also own a 783B "whole house" fan that I use to push cool air upstairs during ...

More powerful than an 18" commercial fan! Unlike an ordinary fan, this air circulator produces true whole-room air movement using Vortex technology. So rather than ...