Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Power Tools). This thread is read-only.
Does anyone knows any good Battery powered fan. I want to have it in case the power goes out.
Years ago, I bought one from O2Cool. It was not good. Probably only 500 RPM’s on high.
I was looking at the one from Ryobi. But they have all these different types of batteries that you can use on it. But I can’t find anything about how long the different types of batteries last for, on low, and on high.
They have a 4 pack for $100 and a 2 pack of the high capacity for $100.
Say the high capacity can get 7 hours on high. But the lower one get 5 hours on high. Then I’d rather get the lower one. I would be getting 20 hours on high at 4 for $100. Compared to the high capacity at 14 hours at 2 for $100.
Then I seen the Milwaukee one. $80 for the fan, $100 for a battery. $100 for a charger. That’s like $300(after taxes).
The Ryobi is $30. $100 for 2 or 4 batteries. Charger $50. $200(after taxes).
These are Home depot prices. I know Amazon will be cheaper.
I have a couple Porter Cable batteries. I don’t know if they make one. I couldn’t find anything.
But are they any other battery operated fans out there?
I haven’t heard of PC announcing a 20v fan so if your going to invest in a new battery lineup I’d really do some research. It would be a real waste of cash to buy into a line or something you have no interest in following through with. Another option is buy a kit with the batteries and charger included and buy the bare tool fan. I don’t have a cordless fan but Ryobi has a really decent fan as does Milwaukee. If your looking into a particular line though, that’s where I’d spend my money for the fan.
Oh and welcome to the forum!
I’m really looking at it as emergency backup in case my home power goes out. As I’m typing this, in north west NJ, it feels like 100 degrees outside. So it’s not really an investment. It’s more of a just in case.
I don’t use tools professionally, I just use them around my house.
So not a job. It’s really for my house.
The only ones I know of is Ryobi, Milwaukee and Makita, that makes battery fans.
I am not brand loyal. It’s better to have it and not need it. Then to need it and not have it.
Home Depot Q&A sucks. People asking how long will it run. You have people answering that they never ran it all down from a full battery, to a dead one. So they then are just estimating.
I have been watching #TIA for a couple months. I seen them do a couple fans, but I don’t remember them saying how long they will run.
With these fans, will they run better and longer as opposed to using ones that have c and d batteries.
ignore….lol…wrong tread my bad
lordbaal wrote:
20 minutes ago, lordbaal said:I’m really looking at it as emergency backup in case my home power goes out. As I’m typing this, in north west NJ, it feels like 100 degrees outside. So it’s not really an investment. It’s more of a just in case.
I don’t use tools professionally, I just use them around my house.
So not a job. It’s really for my house.
The only ones I know of is Ryobi, Milwaukee and Makita, that makes battery fans.
I am not brand loyal. It’s better to have it and not need it. Then to need it and not have it.
Home Depot Q&A sucks. People asking how long will it run. You have people answering that they never ran it all down from a full battery, to a dead one. So they then are just estimating.
I have been watching #TIA for a couple months. I seen them do a couple fans, but I don’t remember them saying how long they will run.
With these fans, will they run better and longer as opposed to using ones that have c and d batteries.
No doubt but you have to use those batteries on occasion or they do go bad. Truthfully I’d just go with the Ryobi. Why spend a ton of cash on something that’ll be used infrequently and with no real expansion of tool line
I have the old blue Ryobi Fan. I never timed it but I get overnight run time from a full battery to empty on a 4ah battery pack. It’s hard to say run time with Ryobi is they have so many battery packs the old nicads to the Generations of just in lion packs Ryobi has had 1.3, 1.5, 2.6, 3.0, 3.3, and 4.0ah packs.
Dan and Eric seem to like the ryobi
Logan p wrote:
28 minutes ago, Logan p said:Dan and Eric seem to like the ryobi
Ryobi is probably their biggest fan.
Makita is out. I was reading they get 3 hours on low.
Milwaukee gets 17 on low.
Ryobi, I’m reading anywhere between 10 and 15 on low. 267 CFM on high.
Ridgid GEN5X, around 45 hours on low. And 475 CFM. 1 Ridgid battery would last longer then 2 Ryobi batteries.
Both the Ridgid and Ryobi come to about the same price.
But the Ridgid lifetime warranty is a better deal the Ryboi 3 years. I’m leaning towards that ridgid.
This Ridgid fan has good reviews on Home Depot.
Luckly I have a Home Depot an Lowes withing 10 minutes from my house.
Why aren’t batteries interchangeable across manufacture? They’re all lithium ion. I know you can’t use a 20v on an 18v tool.
First, Welcome to the forum! I have recently purchased the Milwaukee fan for the same reason and since it’s also comes with an AC adapter for the shop! I’ve been testing it the last few days and I can tell you that it’s a good fan, and Milwaukee’s stats are right on. 17+ hours on low with a 5.0 ah fully charged battery. After that, time drops quick. 7+ hours on medium and 4+ hours on high. Having this battery line and a multi quick charger for me batteries are not an issue. If power is out! Then it’s an issue on charging. I am tempted to see if I can push the fan to failure, to just see it’s endurance. Ryobi would be a good choice for someone to get that has no existing battery line. They are the least expensive to get into. And are made by the same master company as Milwaukee TTI. Good luck in your search.
John, Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk[emoji848]
ChrisK wrote:
1 hour ago, ChrisK said:No doubt but you have to use those batteries on occasion or they do go bad. Truthfully I’d just go with the Ryobi. Why spend a ton of cash on something that’ll be used infrequently and with no real expansion of tool line
It may be used infrequently. But this is NJ. During the summer, PSE&G is not reliable 100% of time.
But I’m thinking of if it goes out for more then a couple hours. I want to have enough battery power.
Glasseyi wrote:
4 minutes ago, Glasseyi said:First, Welcome to the forum! I have recently purchased the Milwaukee fan for the same reason and since it’s also comes with an AC adapter for the shop! I’ve been testing it the last few days and I can tell you that it’s a good fan, and Milwaukee’s stats are right on. 17+ hours on low wu
John, Sent from my iPad using Tapatalkemoji848.png
I’m leaning toward the Ridgid GEN5X. The battery lasts twice as long as this. And it’s about the same price.
Ryobi may be the cheapest one. But from what I read about it, it only get 10-15 hours on battery. Ridgid is 3 times.
Yes Ridgid would be another excellent choice, not sure if their chargers are fast charging. Not that would be on your radar. But you can find deals on their batteries at Home Depot, they have frequent sales.
John, Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk[emoji848]
I use the Milwaukee fan daily. Not sure what run time is on high. I used it for 3.5 hours today on medium, had 2 of 4 battery lights left on the indicator. It’s a quality unit, wall wart aside.
Bremon wrote:
5 minutes ago, Bremon said:I use the Milwaukee fan daily. Not sure what run time is on high. I used it for 3.5 hours today on medium, had 2 of 4 battery lights left on the indicator. It’s a quality unit, wall wart aside.
From what I seen, their batteries are expensive.
Now I can see other uses for it. When I outside doing yard works. Or when I do go to work at the Home Depot. Because some stores won’t let us work inside.
You would think Home Depot would give their vendors a discount.
I hear you. I wouldn’t recommend M18 if you don’t plan on expanding into their lineup a fair amount. Ryobi is a good entry point price-wise
sparky603 wrote:
21 minutes ago, sparky603 said:The M18 fan is friggin’ awesome. I used mine all day today, and have been using it like crazy this summer. Makes attic work on even the hottest days here bearable. Rarely ever go above medium setting on it, as it moves a lot of air for its size.
Not what I wanted to hear, now i need to go buy one LOL!!
not battery powered, but this is what we have set up sometimes:
..
D W wrote:
9 hours ago, D W said:
That’s $150 for the fan alone. 7 hours run time on their LiHD batteries. Which is like $150. Then the charger itself is like $75.
So that’s like $400 after taxes.
I have been on workers comp for the last 3 months, don’t know how much longer. So prices is also a concern.
Who else that makes battery operated fan? Then the ones I mentioned.
I go to Amazon and search for battery operated fans, I get a bunch of crap from O2cool.
If money is the issue, Ryobi would probably be the answer. You can get more batteries on eBay for a portion of the cost of a new battery but that should fit your needs.
ChrisK wrote:
1 hour ago, ChrisK said:If money is the issue, Ryobi would probably be the answer. You can get more batteries on eBay for a portion of the cost of a new battery but that should fit your needs.
I wouldn’t trust ebay for batteries. I wouldn’t know if they are counterfeit of not.
lordbaal wrote:
46 minutes ago, lordbaal said:I wouldn’t trust ebay for batteries. I wouldn’t know if they are counterfeit of not.
Sounds like your between a rock and a hard place dude. I have bought batteries on eBay several times but buy them through reputable dealers but it is a viable option if money is a concern. If it’s not, and your not tied to a battery line I would just say screw it, go 5.0 and get the Milwaukee with the option of the power cord which is shared by the much less expensive Ryobi fan. You get your startup kit and fan at HD and buy back ups on eBay. As far as work site fans go I’ve given you my two cents but I can only tell you what I’ve heard, I don’t use one in my shop. I would say that the guys here have given some great insight for you though!
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Hybrid-Portable-Fan-Tool-Only-P3320/205022215
Regardless. It’s a battery option and run time will always be a problem but purchasing some high cap second hand batteries on eBay will save you some serious coin and you can sit in fanned delight while you ponder which beer you should drink while listening to the deafening sound of silence and the light hum of battery powered cooling while you wait for your hard working linemen to get you power restored 🙂
Ryobi is the most economical option you can get batteries dirt cheap. HD runs $99 4.0ah 2pack deals all the time it even goes cheaper if they get clearanced out. I think in your situation your better off served by Ryobi over the other brands considering you don’t really need a pro grade tool. It’s not to say that Ryobi can’t handle the jobsite either.
I have the ridgid. It is awesome. I use it after a shower while getting ready in the morning when it is too humid to cool off. I also used in in the attic when I was installing a security system. And I have used it in the garage when woodworking. It is quiet and effective. You can get ridgid batteries for a good price and they occasionally go on clearance for a better price.
ChrisK wrote:
2 hours ago, ChrisK said:Sounds like your between a rock and a hard place dude. I have bought batteries on eBay several times but buy them through reputable dealers but it is a viable option if money is a concern. If it’s not, and your not tied to a battery line I would just say screw it, go 5.0 and get the Milwaukee with the option of the power cord which is shared by the much less expensive Ryobi fan. You get your startup kit and fan at HD and buy back ups on eBay. As far as work site fans go I’ve given you my two cents but I can only tell you what I’ve heard, I don’t use one in my shop. I would say that the guys here have given some great insight for you though!
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Hybrid-Portable-Fan-Tool-Only-P3320/205022215
Regardless. It’s a battery option and run time will always be a problem but purchasing some high cap second hand batteries on eBay will save you some serious coin and you can sit in fanned delight while you ponder which beer you should drink while listening to the deafening sound of silence and the light hum of battery powered cooling while you wait for your hard working linemen to get you power restored 🙂
The that charger charges the high cap battery? Like these http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-High-Capacity-LITHIUM-Battery-2-Pack-P122/204321540
Think I may go with Ridgid. It has 200 more CFM then Ryobi. More CFM will be more airflow.
lordbaal wrote:
1 hour ago, lordbaal said:The that charger charges the high cap battery? Like these http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-High-Capacity-LITHIUM-Battery-2-Pack-P122/204321540
Think I may go with Ridgid. It has 200 more CFM then Ryobi. More CFM will be more airflow.
Yep your fine with that charger on high capacity packs the charge time will just be longer.
lordbaal wrote:
The that charger charges the high cap battery? Like these http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-High-Capacity-LITHIUM-Battery-2-Pack-P122/204321540
Think I may go with Ridgid. It has 200 more CFM then Ryobi. More CFM will be more airflow.
The Ridgid fan is ridiculous! Very impressed, good construction.
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Definitely going with the Ridgid.
In my office, I have a Vornado V102 in my office. It has 1550 RPM & 516 CFM’s.
So 263 CFM on the Ryobi will be too low.
My local HD doesn’t have it. Either have to have it shipped to store or my house. But they do have the batteries.
How can something have a higher RPM, but a slower CFM? Cause a different Vornado has 2000 RPM, but only 236 CFM. Or does CFM have to do with the size of the unit itself.
The cfm has more factors than just the fan rpm, has to do either fan blades, size of the fan, the cage, air directors…
Think of a really big fan, it moves more air at lower rpms than a small desk fan at high rpms
Jimbo
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With the batteries.
18-Volt Lithium-Ion 5.0Ah Battery
18-Volt 5.0 Hour Hyper Lithium-Ion Battery
18-Volt 4.0Ah Lithium-Ion Battery
18-Volt 4 Amp Hour Hyper Lithium-Ion Battery
What’s the difference between the Hyper Lithium-Ion, and the regular Lithium-Ion
And what’s the difference between the 4.0, and 5.0? I know more run time, but how much.
I wish they would give me a wattage. Then I can see how long it will last.
And the fan should give me a wattage draw.
I know there’s a way to find out, but I don’t know how to do that math.
Amp hours is a good indicator for run time. Voltage x amp hours = watt hours. You’ll get approximately 25% more run time with the 5.0, but as amp hours go up, it’s not linear. A low-ish draw tool like a fan won’t put huge strain on the cells like a circular saw so your run time could be more than a 25% increase. No idea what “hyper” is. Wouldn’t surprise me if it was just new branding for their gen5x stuff.
And, as Jimbo explained, cfm has many factors more than just rpm. Look at some blowers for instance that get more “mph” air by having a small spread, while another blower with a larger tube will have more cfm.
The hyper branded packs are their newer stuff, I want to say they have a newer battery cell in them
Jimbo
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Bremon wrote:
22 minutes ago, Bremon said:Amp hours is a good indicator for run time. Voltage x amp hours = watt hours. You’ll get approximately 25% more run time with the 5.0, but as amp hours go up, it’s not linear. A low-ish draw tool like a fan won’t put huge strain on the cells like a circular saw so your run time could be more than a 25% increase. No idea what “hyper” is. Wouldn’t surprise me if it was just new branding for their gen5x stuff.
And, as Jimbo explained, cfm has many factors more than just rpm. Look at some blowers for instance that get more “mph” air by having a small spread, while another blower with a larger tube will have more cfm.
So from what I read, the Ridgid draws 12 watts on high. So with the 5.0, that would be 7.5 hours on high.
With 4.0, that would be 6 hours on low.
So I may just go with the 4.0 battery then. The 4ah is 2 for $100. The 5ah is 1 for $100.
It’s not worth an extra $50 for an extra 1.5 hours. So all together with the 4ah, I’m getting 12 hours, for the same price as 7.5 hours.
And what you saying is, CFM won’t tell me how strong the fan is. And the Ryobi can actually be stronger the Ridgid.
Guess they’s only one way to tell, buy both of them to test them, just return the less powerful one.
I just did an unscientific test with my Vornado. I took off the grill, stood in one spot.
Put the grill back on, stood in the same spot. I could feel more airflow with the grill, then without.
JimboS1ice wrote:
5 minutes ago, JimboS1ice said:The hyper branded packs are their newer stuff, I want to say they have a newer battery cell in them
Jimbo
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“newer battery cell” What does that even mean?
lordbaal wrote:
“newer battery cell” What does that even mean?
“Newer” cells meaning they are a stronger cell than previous generations of batteries, metabo is well known for improving their battery packs, with TTI it’s more than likely just a marketing scheme but they are said to charge faster and have more run time than their previous generation cells
Jimbo
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lordbaal wrote:
7 minutes ago, lordbaal said:So from what I read, the Ridgid draws 12 watts on high. So with the 5.0, that would be 7.5 hours on high.
With 4.0, that would be 6 hours on low.
So I may just go with the 4.0 battery then. The 4ah is 2 for $100. The 5ah is 1 for $100.
It’s not worth an extra $50 for an extra 1.5 hours. So all together with the 4ah, I’m getting 12 hours, for the same price as 7.5 hours.
And what you saying is, CFM won’t tell me how strong the fan is. And the Ryobi can actually be stronger the Ridgid.
Guess they’s only one way to tell, buy both of them to test them, just return the less powerful one.
I just did an unscientific test with my Vornado. I took off the grill, stood in one spot.
Put the grill back on, stood in the same spot. I could feel more airflow with the grill, then without.
CFM is the true amount of volume a fan moves. MPH is the one that’s misleading. It’s like a gas engine; there’s no replacement for displacement. CFM is the total among of air your fan moves in a minute. Higher is better.
It it looks like you’re making a good choice with the 4.0s.
Your vornado test likely proves what I was saying before, you feel like you get more airflow with a smaller opening because it forces air through a more confined space, yet it’s possible you’re actually getting less, and the higher cfm is just more diffused with the grill off. In the case of these fans I don’t think enough air is moved to lose any cfm grill on or off.
So CFM is like horse power, the more, the better?
The only difference that I can tell from reading about them. Is the hyper have over double the life of standard Li-ion batteries.
For what you need it for I would say the standard batteries will last you ages as is.
I suppose CFM could be likened to horsepower. It’s the maximum amount of air your fan will move. Presumably it would last longer than a fan doing lower cfm, if both are pushing the same amount of air (maybe Ryobi on high vs Ridgid on medium?). A fan with less CFM won’t move as much air/ keep you as cool as one with more. Sort of like half ton truck and a 3/4 ton each hauling 1500 lbs in the box. The half ton will do it, but it won’t like it. The 3/4 will do it with ease, and can do more.
Guys here’s a simple explanation… It’s like psi vs gpm on a water line, small line can have 200 psi but only flow 100 gpm, go to a larger line you can have lower psi (rpm in this case) and higher gpm (cfm in this case) based on the larger hose. You can get more water or air through a larger opening at lower velocity than a smaller opening with higher velocity
Jimbo
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Home Depot does not make sense.
They have a 4.0ah high capacity battery. 1 is $99. A 2 pack, same exact battery, the same price.
Who would buy just 1, when they can get the 2 pack for exactly the same price.
Typical for promotions to run like that. It’s easy for me to find 2x M18 5.0 for $199 while regular price for a single is $159. Ridiculous really, but there’s a sucker born every minute so there is plenty of money to be made.
lordbaal wrote:
Home Depot does not make sense.They have a 4.0ah high capacity battery. 1 is $99. A 2 pack, same exact battery, the same price.
Who would buy just 1, when they can get the 2 pack for exactly the same price.
It’s a limited run promotion
Jimbo
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lordbaal wrote:
8 hours ago, lordbaal said:Home Depot does not make sense.
They have a 4.0ah high capacity battery. 1 is $99. A 2 pack, same exact battery, the same price.
Who would buy just 1, when they can get the 2 pack for exactly the same price.
Home Depot doesn’t pay much attention to pricing on old models unless they’re doing a sale so things like this are pretty common during sales. Often a new model of tool will be cheaper than the old model.
lordbaal wrote:
Home Depot does not make sense.They have a 4.0ah high capacity battery. 1 is $99. A 2 pack, same exact battery, the same price.
Who would buy just 1, when they can get the 2 pack for exactly the same price.
I’ve noticed several listings on their site like that, for instance, they had the m12 fuel hackzall for $129 and another page the same hackzall and battery for the same price. Watch the pages and comb through them to find these types of deals
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I just went to HD and gotten the Ryobi. They didn’t have the Ridgid, had to have it shipped to store. It takes another 3 day. But UPS, USPS, FedEx, always seem to miss the first and second delivery. 99% of the time I get a not that says we attempted delivery. But yet on the time they put in, I’m home. I don’t think that they even tried to deliver it. They just write out the note and put it on the door.
Or else they knock so lightly, I can’t hear them.
Anyway, I test them out with a plug. And just return the weaker one.
JimboS1ice wrote:
On 7/25/2016 at 10:07 PM, JimboS1ice said:Guys here’s a simple explanation… It’s like psi vs gpm on a water line, small line can have 200 psi but only flow 100 gpm, go to a larger line you can have lower psi (rpm in this case) and higher gpm (cfm in this case) based on the larger hose. You can get more water or air through a larger opening at lower velocity than a smaller opening with higher velocity
Jimbo
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Technically speaking, that’s not always the case.
Say the connector is 1 inch, and only does 200gfm. You put a half inch hose(once you get it to fit), it will do less.
But if you put a 2 inch hose. You would still get 200. Eve if you put a 2 inch nozel on it. Because the machine was only made to do 200.
But in this case we are going by stated cfm from manufacturers and even if they’re within 10% you still know what will move the most air. CFM is CFM. We are at the part of the equation that comes after the “=”, we don’t need to theorize what the initial values were that lead us there.
I have had my eye on one of these Milwaukee fans for a while now is it powerful. when I compared my small plug-in one to this it looks like my plug-in generated five times more air?
olletsocmit wrote:
3 minutes ago, olletsocmit said:I have had my eye on one of these Milwaukee fans for a while now is it powerful. when I compared my small plug-in one to this it looks like my plug-in generated five times more air?
The Ryobi have just 5 less CFM(hardly noticeable), cheaper, and the batteries are cheaper. And batteries last longer.
That’s why I wasn’t even considering Milwaukee.