Christmas is over, the January sales are gone, even Valentine’s Day has come and passed and still nobody bought you that stove fan you wanted. And why not?! They boost the efficiency of your stove by circulating the hot air and cost nothing to run. Maybe it’s time to regroup, rethink, and consider treating yourself instead; we’ve put together a quick guide to some of the brightest and best stove fans on the market in the past year.
Best Stove Fan for a Budget: Phoenix 2230
Renowned for their value for money, Phoenix fans are a market favourite for shoppers on a budget, and the dual bladed 2230 is no exception. The anodised blades and durable design maximise stove energy and start working at a lower temperature (100°C) than you might expect from this price point.
A lower end product does of course come with limitations and in the case of the Phoenix 2230 this means a louder and somewhat less powerful product than some of it’s pricier competitors, but at under £65 for a reliable, durable stove fan it’s difficult to go wrong with the Phoenix 2230.
Best Stove Fan for Design: Sidewinder Stove Fan
Whether you bought it for practicality or aesthetics, your stove has probably become the focal point of your home, garnering even more compliments than the Christmas tree you’ve still got up in February. If great design is important to you and your priorities in an accompanying stove fan are function and form, the Sidewinder is for you.
Installed in seconds and compact enough to fit in to tight spaces, the Sidewinder is hand-built in the UK with precision engineering and unique design at the forefront. An unusually wide operating temperature range (110°C to 450°C) makes it suitable for almost any wood burner, multi-fuel or coal stove, and the meticulous crafting makes it one of the quietest stove fans around.
At nearly £300 it’s certainly at the higher end of the market, but it comes with a lifetime guarantee and the powerful Stirling engine makes it entirely free to run. For style and adaptability the Sidewinder stove fan is hard to beat.
Best Stove Fan for High Temperatures: Vulcan Stove Fan
Disappointingly not designed by Star Trek’s Vulcans, the Vulcan fan is still one of the best around for high temperature stoves. With a larger-than-average height of 308mm, a Stirling engine power converter, and a top operating temperature of 500°C, the Vulcan is certainly not for the faint of heart, but if you like to burn hot then this is definitely the best stove fan for you.
As a piece of tech specialised to work on hotter stoves, it should come as no surprise that the Vulcan fan has a higher minimum temperature of 150°C and therefore won’t do much good pushing out heat from your newly lit fire. It’s also not compatible with either water jacket or twin-skinned designs, so be sure to check your stove’s operating temperature before investing.
Best Stove Fan for Low Temperatures: Glassshopper
Rivalling the Sidewinder for best designed stove fan, the Glasshopper’s unique glass cylinder allows a clean view of the hand-crafted Stirling engine, which uses a thermodynamic heat plate to circulate a hefty 260 3ft per minute. Created to be used with cooler stove surfaces and ideally suited towards soapstone and stovetops, the Glassgopper provides the opportunity to double your cooking space as a method of warming your living space without expending any additional energy or increasing heating costs.
Though the price may be a sticking point for many customers, the lifetime guarantee and ultra-low start-up of 70°C should more than make up for it for those regularly relying on low temperature stoves to assist with home heating.
Best Stove Fan for All Round Performance: SmartFan
If, like us, you’re in the business of knowing your stove thermometers from your moisture meters, you may be wondering how we’ve managed not to mention one of the most popular newcomers to the stove fan scene. Unlike other stove fans, SmartFan products are designed with a secondary top fan to promote a cooler upper sector and increase the thermal disparity that powers it. This calibration results in a fan with a minimum operating temperature as low as 60°C, although none of their models are suitable for the higher burning stoves – their highest temperature models top out at 330°C.
With prices ranging from £80 for the smaller fans (get it here) up to £115 for the flagship models, the SmartFan is a great piece of kit for anyone that’s looking for a basic, robust fan that will start up quickly and make the most of your stove heat without breaking the bank.
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Message for Ed.
Hi.
I’ve been searching for your Email address you gave me.
I’m the carpenter, who built your bedside units.
Are you still BA pilot?
Could you contact me email?.