When one sees a picture of a fan on a pivot described as "oscillating" one expects it to wave the fan across the pivot axis. This doesn't do that.. being afraid my English was fading in my old age, I actually looked up "oscillating" in the dictionary.. clearly it is a repeated back and forth waving motion..
What this fan does is, via a gearing mechanism, rotate the front grill. The grill is fashioned to generate a "butterfly pattern" of air .. rotating it causes a rotation of this air causing a variation of airflow over the area generally where the fan is directed.. I guess to a degree this is a similar effect, but it doesn't oscillate!! :)
The fan is pretty compact and generates a flow of air that is remarkably quiet, even on the highest speed.
The timer function works ok (though its not intuitive and the directions are ambiguous) To make it work, one must 1. turn ON the fan to one of its 3 speeds (there appears to be 6 speeds, but the dial rotates through what appears to be the same OFF-1-2-3 with each 180 degree sweep. 2. turn the TIMER dial CLOCKWISE (not counterclockwise as the directions say) to a time setting of 30, 60, or 90 minutes.. AND LEAVE IT THERE.. it would seem one should "wind it up" to the desired time, then turn it to "on".. this doesn't work.. :).. if you leave it on a time (or a spot in between.. the directions suggest it is only 3 times, but it seems to be analog to any spot in between) Then the fan will turn OFF after the time dialed up.. even if you "wound it up" to a higher time.. odd that.. :) My unit does emmit a TINY ticking sound, but nothing like some reviewers suggest.. its VERY quiet.
In order to NOT time it, you set the timer to ON! (I know, weird.. just do it! haha) and the speed dial to whatever speed you like.. it stays on forever.
The "oscillation" (yes its actually labeled that.. hehe) is a seperate switch. It engages electric rotation of the front grill.
The unit does seem to have a safety "turnover switch" to turn off the fan if it is kicked or knocked over.. I'd think this would require one to be careful in mounting it, but I didn't try it since I don't have it wall mounted. If you hold it in your hand while trying to figure out the controls it may not come on anyways.. it is off from the mercury switch (or whatever it is)
The "180 degree sweep" it suggests is true, but it is in an odd plane, niether up-down nor left-right.. but at 45 degrees.. so when you move it, you almost always have to also move the base to get the air direction you want.. takes a bit of getting used to. Also if you elevate the fan (other than "wall mount") it cannot be made to point airflow "down" relative to its feet.. So sitting it on a shelf or whatever above you isn't a good idea (unless you break or file off the "stop-tab" as another reviewer suggested). I expect the tab is there to prevent TWISTING and BREAKING of the wire leading into the fan, so if you remove it you will have to exercise care.
There is also no handle.. I know its a small fan, but it seems I'm always having to fiddle with it.. maybe only because I'm still learning.. and its awkward to pick up as there is really no convenient place to grip it.
I can't speak to its durability as of yet.. I've only had it about a week, but it seems as well-made as one can expect a $20 fan to be and its attractive in its own odd way.. hardly beautiful, but somehow appealling.
It is efficient if you care about those things.. it uses a max of 40 watts which is pretty good.. I note that the 20" Lasko uses 170 watts (odd.. my old one uses 90 watts.. but that's another story)
I think this fan is a pretty good value (barring the unlucky prospect of it failing). The $15-20 "box fans" which can be picked up at almost any grocery store or "mega-store" (if you get it shipped the value element goes out the window).. Lasko being probably the most common brand in the USA may be a better value if you just want air movement, but this one has it's own functional niche.
I recommend it for what it is... an economical, flexible alternative to swealtering in still air. I am giving it a 4 instead of a 5 star because other reviewers seem to indicate it may have a reliability issue. I will post an update if I have any problems develop.
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