“Might be too ‘ot.”
It is Britain’s hottest day of 2024, and this is all I’ve heard from the morning commute to the (air-conditioned) office. While I’ve scoffed at every sentence - because forgive me, but haven’t we been waiting all year for these sunny scenes? - the thought of going to bed when it’s still 30°C fills me with a (not so) cold sweat.
A fan to take the edge off the heat is the clear answer, but in a space-squeezed one-bed, finding the right one that won’t dominate the room is a quest in itself. And then there’s the question of working from home days: do I get a new fan for my desk in the living room, and another in the kitchen?
For an island nation that gets a few weeks of hot weather, if we’re lucky, every summer, it seems unnecessary to invest in so many fans, not to mention finding somewhere to store them for the 10 months they’re not in use.
Enter the Shark FlexBreeze. From the tech and home appliance expert comes this 12-in-1 fan that can morph from a pedestal fan to a tabletop unit. It can plug into the mains, or be used cordless to avoid creating unnecessary trip hazards from wayward wires.
And it can also - get this - be used outside with a mister when natural breezes have disappeared and you need to generate your own or risk melting into a puddle on the patio.
Shark’s FlexBreeze sounds like the ultimate fan, at home in any corner of the house. But has it got any puff, or are the claims a load of hot air? I tried it to find out.
Shark FlexBreeze Key specs
- Power: 36W, 50V
- Design: Floor fan
- Power source: battery with mains charging
- Dimensions: 35D x 35W x 94Hcm
- Weight: 55kg
- Battery: up to 24 hours
- Guarantee: two years
Packaging
Shark is neat with the delivery of all its products, from vacuum cleaners to hairdryers. It sticks to the script here, presenting all pieces in a thigh-height box that, while compact, is a little awkward to shift around due to the 55kg weight fan.
Inside moulded cardboard inserts and cloth bags protect the fan’s parts and accessories and plastic is used sparingly. In all, very pleasing.
Design
The fan comes in three parts: the wide base, which is the heaviest part, the stem (two tubes connected by an elastic length like tent poles), and the head. Each slot into the other with a satisfying click with markers to show where they slide in.
Once constructed, the fan sits at chair height but a rotating head means it will easily blow cool air around the upper parts of the room, where stuffiness tends to gather.
It’s not the most exciting fan design I’ve ever clapped eyes on, but Shark isn’t planning to enter the FlexBreeze into any beauty contests (at the time of print, anyway). Its real beauty lies in its function.
Performance
The fan’s battery is built-in, which means once you’ve put it together the first order of business is to get it juiced up. The good news is that you can switch it on while it’s charging.
Operating it is easy - all three buttons are located at the top (fan speed, on/off, oscillation), or you can use the magnetic remote. The remote is also the only way to initiate the timer if you want to run the fan as you’re about to go to sleep but don’t want it running all night long.
There are five wind speeds, all operating at a barely audible level - this thing won’t keep you up at night, interrupt movie marathons or wake up sleeping babies. Simply press the fan speed button at the top of the unit and small white lights on the front of the fan head will light up to show you what speed it’s at.
Taking it from a floor to a desk fan is simple. Push the release button on the back of the head to lift off the upper part of the unit. The base will open up into four legs - tripod-style - allowing you to set it up on the desk and there’s a secondary charging point under the base for charging in this way too. The rear of the fan head is magnetic, giving you somewhere to place your remote so it doesn’t get lost (as all remotes inevitably do).
Special features
Living in a city centre flat with no outside space means I haven’t had a chance to try the misting function yet. It requires connecting to a garden hose to allow water to be misted alongside the breeze, creating a refreshing level of cooling. If London’s air gets drier, I may give this a go to bring more moisture into the room.
Verdict
Shark FlexBreeze Hybrid Indoor & Outdoor Fan
For small spaces that desperately need cooling in hot weather, Shark’s FlexStyle hits the sweet spot. The multi-use model can be used wirelessly and outside, bringing cooling breezes to any part of the house, or indeed, a sweltering balcony. You can even attach a hose pipe to create a misting spray to refresh you on the hottest days,
The design turns a floor pedestal fan into a desk one, meaning you can use it on practically all surfaces and the battery life is impressive, going 24 hours on the lowest speed.
The most impressive feature? The noise - or rather, the lack of it. Even at top speed, you’d barely know this was on.
The only downside? The oscillation range which turns 90°. That said, stick it in a corner of the room or table and it will push cool breezes in all the right places.
Buy now £199.00, Amazon
