Meaco's new whisper-quiet portable fan blows Shark's viral fan out of the water – and it's £50 cheaper

This summer is set to be a scorcher, and as someone who's already tested Shark's viral FlexBreeze HydroGo in the early heatwaves, I am always on the lookout for the latest cooling gadget that'll keep me cool so I can carry on.

Enter the Meaco's Sefte 8" portable table fan, RRP £79.99. A cordless wonder that turns out to be everything I wanted in a cool summer companion. And with its sister, the MeacoFan 1056 Air Circulator, RRP £104.99, rated our best fan overall, I was keen to give it a whirl.

In fact, I've had this little fan whirring away at my desk, by my bed and even out and about to cool the whole family to put it through the initial paces.

The Meaco Sefte 8" first look

At first glance, it's a great compact design, weighing in at 2kg, and totes a clean, modern-looking design that's intuitive, bar the touch buttons on the base, which were a little hit or miss (thanks be for its savvy little remote).

Having tested both this fan and the Shark Flexbreeze HydroGo fan (RRP: £129.99) in nearly the same month, I can confidently say that the Meaco Sefte 8"'s battery life beats the Shark's hands down.

With its promise of 11 to 17 hours of run time (depending on speed and oscillation, of course), I've clocked a full day using it on medium setting, without it needing a charge. Plus, with its replaceable lithium-ion battery, it also feels like a smarter long-term purchase.

While I still love the misting function on the Flexbreeze HydroGo, for what I use a portable fan for, the Meaco seemed to outdo it and here's why.

Meaco fans have always been known for their quiet operation, and this model is no exception to this 'whisper-quiet' rep, delivering ultra-quiet airflow from just 26.9dB.

Even on high speeds, the sound is a soft whoosh, if anything and works well when on calls at your desk or having it on to cool down a babe as they sleep.

I also love the night mode, which dims the display right down and reduces the fan speed incrementally as you sleep. Plus, the eco-mode is also a standout feature to shout about. It automatically adjusts the fan speed to the room temperature, so you get just the right amount of chill.

And with that functionality, it saves energy and means I'm not fiddling with the settings. Speaking of eco, it also uses as little as 1 watt, and runs for less than 1p per hour. How's that for keeping fan running costs down?

OK, it may not be weatherproof like the Shark fan, so it may not be suitable for outdoors during intermittent showers, and may not have the extra cooling mist included, but the Sefte 8" delivers a genuinely quiet, effective breeze all day long and doesn't take up much space while doing it. That counts for a lot in my book.

Needless to say, it's a go-to heatwave appliance, giving even the Shark a run for its money. And with it retailing at £79.99, it's £50 cheaper than the FlexBreeze HydroGo too, even when it's on sale.

You can pick one up with a nifty little storage bag on Meaco's site and on Amazon now.

Will you be picking up the new Meaco Sefte 8" portable table fan to beat the heat? Let me know in the comments!