Russell Hobbs' Bladeless Tower Fan doubles as an air purifier and is the ultimate budget alternative to a Dyson — it’s so effective that I can’t sleep without it

In a world where the cooling properties of fans are colliding with the purifying properties of air purifiers, it’s no wonder that people are choosing to buy this all-in-one appliance instead of buying two separate ones. But while Dyson has dominated this field for the past few years, Russell Hobbs has now entered the chat.

So, as a hay fever sufferer and hot sleeper, I set out on a mission to test the Russell Hobbs RHBLDL12 Bladeless Tower Fan during the height of a springtime heatwave. And this is why I think the best fans and the best air purifiers should watch out.

In a nutshell

While it may not be as sleek or as stylish as Dyson purifying fans, I found the Russell Hobbs RHBLDL12 Bladeless Tower Fan to be an affordable and impressive alternative that I now couldn’t imagine sleeping without. During testing, it helped me beat the heat during a rare May heatwave and improved my nighttime hay fever symptoms immensely.

Primarily functioning as a bladeless fan with 10 speed settings and even a Smart Mode that will automatically adjust fan power based on the temperature of your room, it cooled down multiple rooms in my house with ease.

But where it really shone was in its Ionised Air Mode, which uses three-stage filtration to filter pollutants like pollen and dust from the air.

Not only that, but the remote control and whisper-quiet running power allowed it to seamlessly blend into my routine without getting in the way or causing any sleepless nights. And while its purifying power won’t compete with the full-scale power of a standalone air purifier or more expensive air purifying fans, it’s ideal for those summer months when you want to cool off and breathe a bit easier.

Specifications

• Power: 22W
• Speed settings: 10
• Oscillation: 90-degree
• Timer: Yes (up to 12 hours)
• Other functions: Remote control, Sleep mode, Smart mode, Ionised Air mode with 3-stage filtration
• Decibel rating: 32-57dB
• Dimensions: D26cm x W25.5cm x H106cm
• Weight: 5.68kg
• RRP: £119

How I tested

Lauren Bradbury

I’m Lauren, Ideal Home’s Content Editor for all things House Manual. I focus primarily on air quality and floor care, and I tested the Russell Hobbs Bladeless Tower Fan in my home for two weeks during an unseasonably hot May (with temperatures reaching up to 23°C). I made sure to test it in various rooms in my house, including my living room, home office, and bedroom. As a hot sleeper and a hay fever sufferer, I was particularly interested to see whether it would help me beat the heat and my allergies.

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

I must admit that I was pretty taken aback when the box for the Russell Hobbs RHBLDL12 Bladeless Tower Fan turned up on my doorstep. Although I had expected to receive a large parcel, I didn’t expect it to be quite so huge. In fact, for reference, I’m 5’2” and the box came up to my chest!

Despite the size and awkwardness of the box, one saving grace was that it wasn’t especially heavy, and I could easily move it away from the doorway and into my dining room. So, you may need help getting it over the threshold if you’re short or elderly, but otherwise I think you’ll be fine.

Upon opening the cardboard box, I was relieved to see that there weren’t too many components either. But underneath some cardboard scaffolding keeping the filters, power cord, and remote control safe, the main fan unit was encased in a (unrecyclable) plastic material. This was a little disappointing, as it’s not hard to find recyclable alternatives in today’s day and age.

Image 1 of 5

However, I was impressed to see that the main fan unit was all set up without any need to assemble it. The only thing I had to do was insert the filters by removing the air inlet grilles on either side of the main unit, before removing the pre-filters, slotting them inside and popping everything back in its place. This was extremely easy and took me less than five minutes to do.

A major plus was that Russell Hobbs also provides batteries for the remote control, so you don’t have to faff around searching in the junk drawer for a few spare AAAs. And with everything quickly assembled and correct, I could then take a step back and look at the Russell Hobbs Bladeless Tower Fan in all of its glory.

If I’m being honest, it’s not the most attractive air purifying fan to exist, and it is quite big and bulky, but there aren’t many out there that are attractive, so I didn’t hold this against it. I wanted to see whether it worked effectively to keep me cool and help my allergies at night before passing full judgment.

Ease of use and performance

This particular air purifying bladeless fan comes with three different modes - including Sleep Mode (which reduces the fan speed after 30 minutes and turns off the lights), Smart Mode (which automatically adjusts the fan speed according to the temperature of the room), and Ionised Air Mode (offering three-stage filtration).

I found myself using the Ionised Air Mode and the Sleep Mode the most, as I tend to run an air purifier at night anyway, but I found the Smart Mode extremely effective during the day to stop my home office from overheating, too.

However, one of the things I loved most about the Russell Hobbs RHBLDL12 Bladeless Tower Fan was that it came with a little remote control. This allows you to turn it on, choose your setting, and customise the fan to suit your current needs, whether to turn on the oscillating function or set a timer. And while I used the controls on the LED display once just to test them out, I actually found myself using the remote 99% of the time, as it was so easy and straightforward.

And I particularly enjoyed the timer function, too, as I could rest easy knowing that the air purifying fan would be on me all night, especially as I usually wake up in the middle of the night, sweating during these hotter nights. But throughout the whole testing process, I didn’t wake up once, as I could easily set a timer for my whole eight hours of sleep.

Image 1 of 2

In fact, I’d go as far as to say that this bladeless fan is perfect for nighttime use, as the digital LED display also turns itself off a few seconds after you’ve selected your mode of choice. This was a major plus point for me as I need complete darkness to fall asleep.

The one thing I will say is that there’s little indication (well, actually there’s no indication) of how clean your air is in air purifying mode. You simply choose the fan speed that works for you and assume that it’s doing its bit to remove the nasties from the air. This meant that it was impossible to test it in the same way that I would test other air purifiers at Ideal Home.

This could be a negative for those who want physical evidence that the air purifying fan is doing its bit, but as I felt a physical improvement in my hay fever symptoms, this was something I could live with. Throughout the testing process, my itchy eyes were soothed, I didn’t wake up with a sniffly nose, and I just generally felt like my hay fever symptoms were drastically reduced.

Noise levels

Russell Hobbs claims that the Russell Hobbs RHBLDL12 Bladeless Tower Fan has a noise level of 30 decibels (dB), and I found this to be fairly accurate, on the lowest setting, at least.

I used a decibel meter on my phone to test both the lowest fan speed and the highest fan speed, and they came out at 32dB and 57dB, respectively. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), ‘A whisper is around 30dB and normal conversation is approximately 60 dB.’ So, it's pretty average.

In fact, this range doesn’t make it far off the Duux Whisper Flex Ultimate Fan, which has a decibel range of 13-50dB, or the Dyson Purifier Cool AutoReact, which has a range of 30-60 dB.

Image 1 of 2

I found it to be a lot quieter than fans I’ve used in the past, and I didn’t find it to be intrusive at all. And while I don’t know if there’s some science behind this, I also found that it seemed quieter when it was oscillating, too. And considering it’s better to have a fan oscillating rather than still anyway, this worked in my favour during the testing process.

It’s worth mentioning that this particular air purifier fan also has Quiet Mark approval, which means that it has been put through rigorous tests to identify it as one of the quietest appliances out there. This makes it safe to use in the home.

Maintenance

I was pleased to see that there wasn’t a lot of maintenance involved in this air purifying fan. Aside from keeping the outside dust-free with a quick wipe-over every now and then, the only thing that needs to be maintained is the filter.

Russell Hobbs recommends that you clean the filter once every two weeks, and this was incredibly easy to do with one of the best vacuum cleaners to hand. All you have to do is pop on the dusting attachment tool and run it over the filters before placing them back in their slot.

However, the brand also recommends replacing these filters every six months to ensure the fan’s purifying properties remain as effective as possible. And according to the instruction manual, an indicator light should pop up on the LED screen when it’s time to replace the filter and will remain there until the filter has been replaced.

The one thing I will say - and this is the case for all tower fans - is that this air purifying fan is large. And if you don’t plan on using it all year round, you will have to find somewhere to store it when you’re not using it. This could be difficult if you don’t have a huge amount of storage space.

How does it compare to similar models?

Although there are many tower fans and bladeless air purifying fans out there, there’s no denying that Dyson is a market leader in this realm. The Dyson Purifier Cool PC1 is Dyson’s newest air purifying fan, and our Senior Digital Editor, Jenny, gave it a glowing 5-star review thanks to its cooling power and its reactive air purifying qualities.

The big difference between the Russell Hobbs Bladeless Tower Fan and the Dyson Purifier Cool PC1 is that the air purifying functionalities are more advanced in the Dyson. In fact, it offers you real-time data and will automatically adjust its purifying power when the air quality changes. Plus, it’s connected to an app, so you can check out the data on your phone.

However, the Dyson Purifier Cool is also £449.99, so it’s almost four times the price, proving that you really do get what you pay for.

On the other side of the spectrum, the LEVOIT Classic 36-inch Tower Fan is a cheaper tower fan alternative that will set you back even less than the Russell Hobbs Bladeless Tower Fan if price is a factor.

At £89.99, it’s pretty cheap for a powerful fan, and it offers the same 90° oscillation and remote control functionalities as the Russell Hobbs fan. However, it only has five fan speeds and doesn’t have air purifying properties. So, paying an extra £30 for the Russell Hobbs seems like a worthy choice if you ask me.

How does it rate online?

At the time of writing, the Russell Hobbs RHBLDL12 Bladeless Tower Fan has just over 40 reviews on Amazon, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars. Customers praise how easy it is to set up and use, and the fact that it comes with so many modes, including a sleep mode and purifying mode. Many have also compared it to Dyson alternatives that cost a huge amount more.

However, some people do question the size of the fan and have wondered how they will store it when it’s not in use, so that is something you should consider if you have limited space in your home.

Verdict: Should you buy the Russell Hobbs RHBLDL12 Bladeless Tower Fan?

If you’re looking for a bladeless fan-air purifier combo and don’t want to shell out for a more expensive Dyson alternative, I really would recommend the Russell Hobbs RHBLDL12 Bladeless Tower Fan as an affordable option. Although I was only planning on testing this fan for two weeks, I’ve continued to use it ever since, as I find it ideal for keeping me cool and keeping my hay fever symptoms to a minimum during the warmer, pollen-filled months.

In my eyes, it offers everything you could want from an air purifying fan - including a multitude of fan speeds, different modes, a timer and an oscillating function. So, I really do think anyone looking for a bladeless fan will be happy with it.