Dyson fan review: I tested the 3-in-1 Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde to see if it’s worth the price
A RELIABLE source of cool air is essential for making it through sweaty summers, and when temperatures rise, the temptation to splurge on an expensive Dyson fan can be hard to resist.
That's especially true of the three-in-one Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde; this distinctive oval-shaped fan has year-round appeal as it also functions as a heater and an air purifier, so you won’t need to pack it away when summer’s over.
Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09, £599 from Boots
It can be a godsend on balmy nights to help you sleep and means you won’t swelter if you’re WFH without the office air conditioning to rely on.
However, in a world where it's possible to pick up a cheap desktop fan for under £20 from most supermarkets, you might be unsure whether a Dyson fan is worth the considerable extra cost.
At nearly £700 (although you can get it ), the price alone can make you hot under the collar, so I tested the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 Purifying Fan Heater to see if you should part with your cash.
Pros
- Doesn’t need any assembly
- Works as a heater, fan and air purifier
- Quiet fan
- Can be controlled via app and remote control
- Distinctive Dyson style
- Safe to be used near young children
- Won’t tip over
- Provides useful air-purifying information
- Removes pollutants from the air
Cons
- Expensive
- Some filters need replacing at an ongoing cost
- Style not to everyone’s taste
- Doesn’t cool like air conditioning
- May not be worth the additional cost if it won’t be used as a heater or air purifier
Rating: 4/5
Dyson fan review: how we tested
I used the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 Purifying Fan Heater in my home over several weeks to test its functions.
My testing coincided with some of the hottest days of the year so far, so the fan was put through its paces keeping me cool while I worked and slept.
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Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09, £599 from Boots
I also used it in my living room while watching TV to see how quiet the fan was, and in the kitchen when cooking to test whether the fan was powerful enough to make a difference when I was standing in front of a hot hob.
I also tested the heating and air purifying functions to see if they were valuable extras on this fan, or gimmicks that I would never use.
Plus, I downloaded and set up the accompanying app to see how easy it was to install and how helpful it was when operating the fan.
Dyson fan review: quick summary
This is an excellent fan that uses Dyson’s top-notch technology to keep you perfectly chilled.
It’s a breeze to use (sorry) and can be operated via the remote, a simple app or even voice control.
Better still, it works as a heater and an air purifier as well as a fan, earning itself a permanent place in my house, rather than being a brief summer fling.
However, you will need to be sure you’ll use all three of the fan’s functions to make it worth the high initial cost.
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Dyson fan review: full review
First impressions
I expected the fan to be a lot bigger. I already use another older Dyson fan which is around 30cm taller than this model, but I much preferred this size as it didn’t dominate the room.
Though shorter, it wasn’t as slimline as I expected. The base houses the air purifying filters so it’s chunkier than a standard tower fan, though I liked the contrasting bronze colour.
It’s still very easy to carry around and I had no problem doing it on my own. Just be aware that the instructions advise not to carry the fan using the loop amplifier (the oval bit to you and me), which I didn’t see until I had – er – carried it using the loop amplifier.
Of course, Dyson’s distinctive bladeless lozenge shape is not to everyone’s taste but if you do prefer a contemporary look, this fan will look stylish in the corner.
I didn’t feel like it stood out too much so I’d be happy to keep it on display all year to make the most of its considerable air-purifying capabilities.
How do Dyson fans work?
It’s immediately noticeable that Dyson fans don’t have any blades.
In fact, when the fan is switched on nothing seems to be moving at all, making them a great choice if you have curious young children in the house.
Instead of blades spinning quickly to cause a draft, Dyson fans use Air Multiplier technology (stay with me here).
This draws in air around the machine along a tube, powered by a brushless electric motor, which is then pushed out of small slits around the frame of the fan.
Using scientific wizardry, this process increases the output of airflow by around 15 times, compared to the air taken in.
This creates a smooth, steady breeze rather than the short blasts of air usually created by fast-moving blades slicing through the air.
Performance
Fan
It couldn’t be easier to get this fan up and running. It arrives in one piece ready to go, which is ideal for a DIY dunce like me.
All that needs to be done is to fit the two filters — the permanent catalytic filter and the replaceable HEPA and activated carbon filter. These slot easily into the base and click reassuringly so you know they’re in the right place.
Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09, £599 from Boots
It’s simple to then start using the fan with the remote control. The buttons are self-explanatory and I didn’t need to check the instruction manual to figure out what function each one served.
To make life even easier, the digital display on the fan itself clearly shows every setting when each one is pressed.
I was especially impressed at how easy it was to install the accompanying Dyson app. It connected to my fan in seconds so I could control it using my phone, while providing more detailed information about air quality levels.
I could also control the fan using my Amazon Alexa (or Google Assistant or Siri), even setting a routine so it turned on at the same time as an Alexa-connected light, for example.
Cooling is excellent and on the highest setting, I could feel a stream of air even on the other side of my kitchen – Dyson says the fan is suitable for room sizes up to 27m².
Fan speed, direction and rotation can all be adjusted to suit and the whole fan also tilts to find the best possible angle.
I found the cooling especially effective at night as the smooth operation was generally less disturbing than gusts of air from a traditional bladed fan.
Heater
Strangely for a fan, I was even more impressed by the heating capabilities of this Dyson.
The fan has PTC ceramic plates to heat the air as it is pumped out, which has the dual benefits of using less energy than a standard convection heater and warming my living room in a matter of moments.
Air purifier
As an air purifier, it’s a little more confusing. The machine reacts to pollutants and displays results on the screen or in the app but it takes a bit of studying to work out exactly what the numbers all mean.
It claims to detect and blitz microscopic particles, gases, pollen and even formaldehyde, which can be emitted from furnishings, paint and glue.
I was reassured that the air in my house was consistently good when I was using the fan but it was startling to see how quickly that could deteriorate when near a pollutant.
Though the air purifier was largely unaffected when I burnt a candle next to it, for instance, the air quality became extremely poor the moment I blew it out.
Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09, £599 from Boots
It also ramped up to high speed when I cooked bacon and when I sprayed a cleaning product.
The air purifying function would be even more useful if you lived near a busy road, smoked or suffered from severe hay fever.
It’s definitely made me think more carefully about what I use in my home after noticing how the air around me can be affected.
How to clean a Dyson fan
This couldn’t be easier. If you’ve ever tried to dust the blades of a standard fan, you’ll find cleaning a Dyson an absolute joy.
The whole machine can just be quickly wiped with a damp cloth and the instructions also point out that you can use a soft brush to remove other dust. Polishes and detergents should not be used.
Are Dyson fans silent?
Sadly, there’s no such thing as a completely silent fan. On the highest setting, there’s no question that you can hear this fan and it’s about as loud as a typical dishwasher mid-cycle.
However, I’m a light sleeper and I was surprised to find that the noise didn’t bother me as much as I suspected it might during the night.
As there are no blades, the noise is very steady rather than the choppier noise from standard fans, so I had no trouble tuning it out and sleeping through it.
If you’d prefer it to be even quieter, the fan also has a night mode, which continues to respond to changes in air quality but operates on a much lower setting while dimming the LCD screen.
This makes the fan almost whisper-quiet, although I found the lower setting wasn’t quite cool enough for me on very warm nights.
How much does a Dyson fan cost to run?
If you’re happy to part with almost £700 for this fan, you probably don’t want sky-high running costs on top of that.
Even basic desk fans use around 35W of energy and the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 Purifying Fan Heater uses a maximum of 40W depending on the setting.
Using the current UK energy price cap of 22.36p per kWh of electricity, that means this fan costs less than 1p to run per hour, or 10.7p for 12 hours straight at the highest setting.
This fan costs less than 1p to run per hour, or 10.7p for 12 hours straight at the highest setting.
This price can be cut further by running the fan for less time, on a lower setting, or by using the automatic mode so it adjusts once the desired temperature has been reached.
Unfortunately, that’s not the only cost you’ll need to bear in mind. The glass HEPA and activated carbon filter will also need replacing intermittently, and Dyson suggests doing this every 12 months to avoid it becoming clogged with pollutants.
Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09, £599 from Boots
The bad news? The filter currently sells for £85 on Dyson’s website, which is a considerable ongoing cost when you’ve already shelled out so much on the fan itself.
Where to buy the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 Purifying Fan Heater
The Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 Purifying Fan Heater is available from several major retailers, smaller electrical specialists and online.
It can also be bought and it’s worth keeping an eye on the price if you’re thinking of buying one, as the company does often offer discounts.
If you’re keen to buy elsewhere, check the model carefully before adding it to your basket. Dyson makes several similar fans offering different functions and it’s easy to get them confused. The fan is currently available from these retailers:
Dyson fan review: the verdict
I was really impressed by this Dyson fan, which worked a treat to keep me cool on swelteringly hot days.
Its smooth operation, intuitive set-up and powerful air stream make it a pleasure to use — and it’s a bonus that it doesn’t look terrible in the corner of the room.
It’s really handy to have a fan that doesn’t need to be packed away after summer but can be used as a source of heat year-round. I think it would be especially useful to heat one room without having to turn on the central heating in the entire house.
Its smooth operation, intuitive set-up and powerful air stream make it a pleasure to use — and it’s a bonus that it doesn’t look terrible in the corner of the room.
I also really liked using the fan as an air purifier and it was fascinating to learn what affected the air around me while the machine actively tackled pollutants.
This could be particularly useful if you suffer from allergies, smoke or have concerns about the air quality where you live, though you do need to bear in mind the ongoing cost of the replaceable filter.
My only real grumble is with the undeniably high price tag. If you only plan to use this fan for a few hot days to help you sleep at night, it’s hard to justify the cost.
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However, if you’re keen to monitor air quality and will use the fan as a heater on colder days, it could well be worth the splurge.
Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09, £599 from Boots